There are endless possibilities when it comes to exploring Kyiv’s streets, but a fair amount of frustrations, too. One sure way to see the city from a fresh perspective is to take a boat on the Dnipro River. A cooling cruise could be an especially good idea this summer, considering the city has already beaten two heat records.
The easiest way to get on a boat in Kyiv is to buy a ticket for a river tram at the River Port near Poshtova Ploshcha metro station. But these boats often get too crowded, not to mention that they are slow. And of course, they follow a set route, so what’s the discovery there?
Kyiv also has options for canoeing, kayaking, rowing and pedal boats at piers dotted along river banks around the city: at Hydropark, Druzhby Narodiv Park and Obolonska Embankment. They offer more freedom but require effort. And they’re slow unless you are something of a rowing athlete.
But there’s one method of water transport that has it all: speed, freedom and comfort. It’s the motorboat!
Motorboats are more expensive to rent, of course, but the price falls between the cost of a paddle boat and a luxury yacht. The optimal choice.
Renting a motorboat is not something most can afford every weekend, but taking a trip on the city’s waterways at least once will reveal a lot about Kyiv, even for long-time residents.
Most renting options come with a captain. You cannot rent a motorboat all to yourself if you don’t have a special boating license. But, for those willing to go the extra mile, there are sailing schools where you can get licensed in Kyiv.
Renting a boat
Unlike other types of boats, you can’t just come to a pier and rent a motorboat in Kyiv. You have to book it in advance for the boat captain to be there. The surest way to do this is through several websites that list boats available for rent.
We found the website Katera.ua to have the largest selection of motorboats, with rental prices ranging from Hr 1,500 to Hr 3,000 (roughly $55-110) per hour, depending on the boat size. The smallest can fit up to five people, while the largest can have 10. For larger groups or an office party, there are boats that can accommodate dozens of people.
Boats that are larger are listed as motor yachts and start at Hr 3,000 for an hour. There are options for sailing yachts that start at Hr 500 per an hour. (www.katera.ua/shop/katera.)
The Rentflot company has a similar selection of boats for rent, with most of the offers identical to those of Katera.ua. The advantage of Rentflot’s website is that it has an English version. (www.rentflot.ua/speed_boats.html.)
These websites are basically intermediaries between the customers and the boat owners. After you book a boat ride through the website or the company’s phone, they ask you to pay a 20-percent advance to their bank card. The rest of the money you give directly to the boat captain in cash.
The location of the pier from which you will set off depends on where the boat is docked. Most of the boats available for rent set off from the Frigate Yacht Club near Hydropark metro station. The second most popular location is the Chervona Kalyna Yacht Club in Druzhby Narodiv park.
For an additional price of at least Hr 1,000 you can ask most captains to bring the boat to any pier you choose — the River Port, for example.
Testing the boat
We booked an hour-long cruise on a speedboat called “Wake” for Hr 1,500. It’s a small boat that can hold up to seven people including the captain. Besides providing water cruises, business partners Vitaliy Aliyev and Ivan Tsyhiyko use it to teach clients wakeboarding. The lessons and equipment are included in the price of rent.
A good idea would be to find a boat you like on one of the intermediary websites, get acquainted with the captain and get his contacts. This way you will deal with him directly, which means part of the money won’t go to the intermediaries, so the captain may give you a discount.
If you would like to try riding the Wake boat, call Tsyhiyko (+38–050–469–869) or Aliyev (+38–099 249–8888). Tsyhiyko has better English.
Part of why we chose to ride Wake is that it sets off from the Frigate Yacht Club near Hydropark metro station. It’s easy to get there on the subway from the city center.
One setback is that to get to Frigate from the metro exit, you have to take a short walk through Hydropark itself, a favorite recreational spot for many Kyivans. There are bars, loud music and a lot of people drinking, partying or otherwise having fun. A chaotic and eclectic place that many like but others do not.
Also, if you would like a quieter ride, rent a bigger boat with the deck as far away from the engine as possible. The engine roar from the small motorboat that we rented was too close to our ears.
But, visually, the cruise was fun and revealing. The boat ride offers beautiful views of the river shore with silhouettes of St. Michael’s Monastery and St. Andrew’s Church, the Motherland Monument, the Arc of Friendship and other instantly recognizable sights.
But there is also a whole new world of sites and sights on the river itself, not in the distance. Gas stations on the water, remote beaches, and industrial piers with abandoned ships — things you simply do not notice from onshore. And once you do, you will want to ride the river again and again to explore this new dimension of Kyiv.
