It’s hot, sweaty and dry – and so are you. The sun is mercilessly burning your head and the air is dead. When you can’t escape one of these typical summer days in Kyiv, the best remedy may be to stretch out on a beach bed with an icy drink in hand, or to find a sea breeze to tickle your skin, as waves softly roll in the background.
In Kyiv, you may not be able to realize this dream in full. Despite its many charms, the city is clearly no tropical paradise. But we have rivers, ponds and lakes cushioned by a few sandy beaches. Sadly, most of these places are not clean or safe enough to provide a pleasant rest. So, to help you find a beach that satisfies all your needs, here’s an overview of the city’s beaches, including free public options and private beach clubs.
Beach facts
Only three of the city’s public beaches– Dytyachy (Children’s) in Hydropark, Chortoriy in Druzhby Narodiv Park and Veselka on Veselka Lake – received sanitary passports from city epidemiologists this month. On the other hand, it’s quite an achievement compared to the last few years, when none of the beaches got any certification whatsoever.
The sanitary passport certifies that a beach is clean, disinfected and treated against ticks. It has drinking water fountains, showers, changing booths, garbage bins, first aid stations and toilets. A few more public beaches are still awaiting this certification, but so far it’s just these three.
The Kyiv City Administration, however, announced that a total of 12 beaches opened for fun and play on June 9. You can find their exact locations on the map that accompanies this story in print.
Apart from Dytyachy, Chortoriy and Veselka, these include Sonyachny on Sonyachne Lake, Pushcha-Vodytsya on the Horenka River, Verbny on Verbne Lake, Central Beach on Trukhaniv Island, Venetian and Molodizhny in Hydropark, Peredmistseva Slobidka and Zoloty on Peredmistseva Slobidka Island, and the Telbin Lake.
Most of them, however, are still considered “riverside recreation zones,” which means if you want to go into the water, you do so at your own risk.
Finally, the risk is all yours if you step onto the banks of the remaining 50 lakes, canals and ponds, which have not been combed through by doctors or ecologists. Those include Holosiyivsky, Didorovsky, Sovsky and Myshelovsky ponds, ponds in Teremki-2 area and lakes Nyzhny Telbin, Vyrlytsya, Ponomarevske, Tyahlove, Bobrovnya, Hnylusha, Kruhle, Berizka (Hydropark), Petrivske and Blakytne, basins on Bazhana prospect and others.
Free and public
The beach that was the first to get its sanitary permit, Dytyachy is not just for children as its name suggests (exit Hydropark metro, turn right before the Venetian bridge). But it’s so well-equipped that it’s safe to bring children along. It has bio-toilets for Hr 2 per visit and a free public toilet, but those are quite repulsive in most cases. Beach beds and umbrellas are available for rent for Hr 15 and Hr 10 per day respectively.
The other “healthy” beach with a passport, Chortory is rather minimalist (exit Petrivka metro, bus across Moskovsky bridge, Druzhby Narodiv Park stop). It has only five changing booths, a public toilet and a small sports ground. However, there are also large roofed zoned to shade you from the sun, an aid station and a lifeguard base to keep you safe, and a few cafes to quench thirst.
The beach on the Telbin Lake has a lot of extra features (exit Livoberezhna metro, take marshrutka No. 559, Shumskoho str. stop). Apart from 10 changing booths, three bio-toilets and a children’s playground, there are nets for playing volleyball, basketball and football as well as tennis tables. There are no modern chaise lounges, but old-fashioned wooden beds which cost Hr 20 per day for adults and free for children under seven. There’re no umbrellas for rent, but there are many trees around to keep you from getting a sunburn.
Solnechny (Sunny) beach lingered in dirt and neglect for the past five years. Luckily, last month it was finally cleaned and supplied with a toilet and a sports ground. Now it also has eight changing booths, bio-toilets, and a children’s playground. And for extra fun you may go for a boat ride (Hr 25 per hour) or a catamaran (Hr 30 per hour).
The main benefit of the beach on the Verbne Lake (15-minute walk from the Petrivka metro) is its exceptionally clean water – courtesy of the six underground springs. A thick line of trees along the bank provides plenty of shade. The beach also has changing booths, two bio-toilets, a drinking water fountain, a children’s playground and a sports area.
Pushcha-Voditsa is the only lakeside recreation zone in Kyiv tucked away from the busy residential areas. Located on the site of a few health resorts, it boasts a rather clean beach and water. There are free beach beds (first-come, first-served) right under the trees and changing booths. You can also get a drink or a snack at the several nearby cafes and kiosks, or rent a boat or a catamaran for Hr 30-40 per hour.
Party at private beaches
Hydropark’s Sun City is one of the oldest Kyiv beach clubs offering a paid patch of sand by day and a disco by night. It’s also located closer to Hydropark metro than any other paid beaches in the same area. On weekends admission is Hr 40, the rest of the week – Hr 30. The price includes a beach bed and an umbrella.
When bored with swimming and sunbathing, you may go down the inflatable water slide (Hr 4 per slide) or ride a water scooter (Hr 200 for 10 minutes).
R&B Beach Cafe (Hydropark metro, Venetian beach zone) technically has free admission, but doesn’t allow people with their own food or drink. So what you don’t pay for with the ticket, you’d spend at least on some drinking water (about Hr 20 for a small bottle), a beach bed (Hr 25) and an umbrella (Hr 10).
Newly opened Kokos summer-club is also located in the Hydropark’s Venetian beach area. The admission fee is roughly Hr 20, while a beach bed and an umbrella combination will cost you an extra Hr 30. The place is still under development, so a water slide, showers and changing booths have yet to arrive.
Olmeca Plage has replaced Opium and UAM Beach Club this summer (exit at Hydropark metro, cross Venetian beach on foot, then walk ahead). Entrance is Hr 50, which includes a beach bed, an umbrella, and a mattress. But for Hr 200, you’ll be treated as a VIP guest with an additional towel and a swimming pool.
Perhaps the most luxurious riverside rest of all is offered at the new Trukhaniv complex, located on the bank of Matviyevsky bay (Trukhaniv island, on the left side of the Pedestrian bridge, 279-8029, http://trukhanov-ostrov.com.ua). It occupies a vast area and has plenty of amenities: a private beach, two large pools – the biggest is 25 meters long, and a 30-meter-long water slide. It has everything for playing badminton, darts, table tennis, beach volleyball and mini-football. You can get it all for just Hr 100 per day. Mind the fact that the complex has conference and banquet halls, and a disco bar, so it’s often closed for private events. Be sure to call first and ask if the beach and pools are open for guests.
Chervona Kalyna restaurant (exit Petrovka metro, bus across the Moskovsky bridge, Druzhby Narodiv park stop) admits visitors to its small beach for Hr 50 (beach bed is included). You can also rent tennis tables complete with rackets and balls for Hr 70.
Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at [email protected]
