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Ekaterininskaya Street 30Odessa
Pushkinskaya Street 12Odessa
Panteleymonovskaya 25Odessa
Deribasovskaya 13Odessa
Rishel`yevskaya Street 17Odessa
Pereulok Krasnyi 9Odessa
Aleksandrovskiy Prospect 12Odessa
Panteleymonovskaya Street 38Odessa
Kanatniy Pereulok 6Odessa
Lyustodorfskaya Doroga 121Odessa
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Odessa, or Odesa (Ukrainian: Одеса; Russian: Одесса), is a seaport on the Black Sea coast of Ukraine. The city is home to over a million people (2015). Its chief attraction to visitors is the graceful old town, laid out on a grid pattern in the early 19th century, with its many churches, galleries and museums. There’s also a small beach resort. Reaching Bessarabia, and travel between Ukraine and Moldova or Romania, will usually involve a stopover in Odessa.
Odessa incorporates two other large ports, Yuzhne to the east and Chornomorske (formerly Illichivs'k) to the south. These have nothing of visitor interest, but Chornomorske is the terminal for Black Sea ferries.
There has been human settlement here since the earliest times; remains of a Hellenistic seaport circa 6th – 3rd century BCE are being excavated. In medieval times Crimea was an independent Tatar state, and in 1240 its Khan Hacı I Giray founded the settlement of "Hacıbey". This region later came under Lithuanian control, then was part of the Ottoman Empire between 1529 and 1792.
In the 18th century, under Empress Catherine the Great, Russia expanded rapidly south and came into conflict with the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans were defeated in the wars of 1768-1774 and 1787-1792, and Russian control was cemented by the Treaty of Iaşi in 1792. The strategic value of this port was obvious - it had a huge productive hinterland, was ice-free, and gave access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean - and in 1794 the Empress founded the city and named it Odessa.
She had looked to her favourite, Potemkin, to develop this region, but he died in 1791 as did Catherine herself in 1796. The task fell instead to four foreigners: José de Ribas captured Hacıbey and convinced Catherine to develop it as a sea-port; the Duc de Richelieu was its first governor 1803-1814; the Count of Langeron, as a later governor, made it a free port; and Franz de Vollan laid out the city grid pattern, a novelty for its day.
From 1819–1858 Odessa was a free port. It boomed economically, becoming the fourth largest city of the Russian Empire, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. It was a magnet for labour, creativity and outcasts from elsewhere, becoming very cosmopolitan, with its architectural hodgepodge of Italianate, Renaissance, Neoclassic and Art Nouveau buildings. During the Soviet period, it was the USSR’s leading port, with exports of grain, long-distance oil pipelines, and related industries.
These industries continued after Ukraine’s independence in 1991, and Odessa has again been declared a free port and free economic zone, as defined by the World Trade Organisation. Culturally and economically, however, the city has suffered from the turmoil within Ukraine and conflict with Russia, and the resulting collapse in tourism. Much of it is grubby and down-at-heel, and many of its fine city blocks are in serious disrepair.
Ukrainian is the country's only official language; most people in Odessa speak it but their native language is Russian. Young people tend to know at least basic English; the more upmarket you go, the more fluent it gets. Almost all of the city's numerous colleges and universities teach Russian as a foreign language.
Getting to town:
From western and central Europe the simplest route is probably across Poland to Lviv. From Lviv there is a direct sleeper to Odessa (12 hr), otherwise travel via Kiev (9 hr). Direct trains run between Odessa and Minsk (22 hr, not daily), Moscow (24 hr) and Saint Petersburg (30 hr, not daily). The train to Chisinau now only runs on Saturdays and Sundays, and crosses Transnistria. Trains towards Crimea, Sochi and the Caucasus are disrupted by border tensions.
Trains within Ukraine are cheap and comfortable, but slow and infrequent. From Kiev to Odessa the quickest is the Inter-city, leaving at 16:40 and taking 7 hr, cost 550 грн. The other daytime train leaves around 10:00 and takes 10 hr, cost 400 грн. There’s also a sleeper leaving at 21:00, 9 hr. From Odessa to Kiev the Inter-city departs at 05:45, then there’s nothing till the 15:40 train, reaching Kiev just before 02:00. The northbound sleeper departs around midnight. Other connections exist, but they are likely to involve changing trains in the small hours in the middle of nowhere.
Other destinations within Ukraine with at least daily direct service in summer include Kharkiv 15 hr, Lviv 12 hr, Chernivtsi 18 hr, Ivano-Frankivsk 17 hr, Khmelnytskyi 8 hr, Kovel 16 hr, Uzhhorod 19 hr, Vinnytsya 5 hr, and Zaporizhia 16 hr.
Trains are less frequent outside summer. For overall route planning and current timetables, the easiest website to navigate is Deutsche Bahn. To buy tickets within Ukraine, visit www.uz.gov.ua and remember to use local spelling, e.g. “Odesa” and “Kyiv”. Booking online is strongly recommended as it will save hassle trying to negotiate your journey at a crowded foreign railway station. Inter-city e-tickets should be printed at home and are good to go, other sales are just a voucher which must be exchanged for a ticket before travel, at any mainline station within Ukraine.
All trains terminate at the main station, 2 Odesa Hlavnaya, in the Pryvoz area of town next to the bus stations and market. Ticket desks are obvious in the main hall, and any desk will exchange e-vouchers for tickets. Come at a quiet time and the place is relaxed and helpful, just watch out before queuing for the “technical break” times posted on each window. Turn up 15 minutes before the weekend express departs and it’s all a bit chaotic.
If you don’t care for what’s on offer at the café or currency exchange, stroll across the street to the bus stations, where there’s lots more. Pryvoz market is handy for stocking up for a long journey. Lots of marshrutkas and taxis outside, the centre is a 2-km walk north.
There are two main bus stations. Pryvoz, next to the railway station, is mainly for shorter trips, but long-distance services increasingly run from here. The Central Bus Station, 2 km west so it isn’t central, traditionally had most of the long-distance routes.
Pryvoz Bus Station is really stations, plural; it’s a confusing jumble so you may have to hunt back and forth for your departure point. The original core of it is on Vul Vodoprovodna, 300 m west of the train station and adjacent to the market. Small buses and marshrutkas head to regional destinations such as Mykolayiv, Vylkovo and Belgorod Dnestrovsky every hour or two. They also run to Moldova, some directly through Tiraspol in Transnistria but most via Bessarabia and the Palanca border post. Odessa to Chişinău takes about 6 hr depending on border hold-ups and costs 350 грн each way.
This original station is too cramped for big modern coaches, so it’s extending east in a new but haphazard collection of coach stops all the way to the railway station. There’s no centre to this or signage, just ask anyone who seems to be waiting with luggage. Ecolines buses run from Starosennaya ploshchad (square) to Kiev (7 hr), Minsk (21 hr), Moscow (24 hr), St Petersburg (30 hr), to the Baltic States, Poland and west Europe. Find timetables at www.ecolines.net. Autolux buses also run from here to Kiev and direct to Boryspil Airport, 7 hr. Their website autolux.ua is only in Russian and Ukrainian, so you need a Cyrillic keyboard to use it.
Central Bus Station is at 58 Vul Kolontayivskoi, 2 km further west. Traditionally this was the departure point for long-distance coaches, but timetables indicate these nowadays mostly depart from Pryvoz, as coach stands there have expanded. Check your ticket carefully for where you ought to be.
Bus station Starosennaya bus schedule from Kharkov to Odessa, from Kyiv to Odessa, from Lviv to Odessa
The main highways are mostly in good condition and well-signposted, with adequate filling stations. With your own car, if you see traffic braking ahead of you, slow down, it's either a speed bump, pothole or police trap. You can cycle - the going is level - but it won't be fun, and unsafe at night.
Hitchhiking is also an option, see page on Ukraine: getting around.
There are ferries several times a week to Batumi and Poti in Georgia (48 hr), and to Istanbul Haydarpasa in Turkey (27 hr). For schedules, prices and tickets see www.ukrferry.com. The ferries run all year and take vehicles; indeed trucking is an important part of their business, as so many travellers nowadays fly. This network of ferries serves other Black Sea ports (eg Sochi, Samsun, Varna & Constanta) but usually without direct sailing to Odessa.
The ferry terminals are at Chornomorske (formerly Illichivs'k) 20 km SW of Odessa, on the NE bank of the river. Reach them by marshrutka from central Odessa.
The north end of the central city grid is compact and parts are pedestrianised, so enjoy it on foot. Most of the main sights are here.
It's too far to walk from the centre to the beach or airport, or to the bus & railway stations if you've much luggage.
The city public transport consists of trams, trolleybuses and marshrutkas. Trams and trolley-buses are the cheapest, they cost 5 грн (Dec 2019), but can get very crowded - especially tram 5 to the beach. The stops don't indicate routes or schedules, so you'll just have to stand and wait hopefully. Usually there's a conductor on board who'll collect your money and issue your ticket & change; there's no system of pre-purchase or of validating the ticket, unlike Kyiv. If there's no conductor, pay the driver on exit.
Marshrutkas are the main mode of transport, as they cover a lot more ground. A ride usually costs 7 грн (Dec 2019), pay the driver when you get off. They pick up anywhere (wave your hand) and set down anywhere (holler to the driver).
Routes and times are listed on this website.
You don't really want a car in central Odessa. But finding your way around isn't difficult because of the grid system, and the main streets are clearly signed, your main concern will be security and parking. Check ahead for options with your hotel, they may have their own. Parking is permitted except where specifically restricted. You may be approached by a guy demanding 5-10 грн - pay up cheerfully, and think of him as security rather than parking attendant.
Note the roadworks mentioned above, with congestion and diversions.
The easiest way to get a taxi is to install one of many apps available. The easiest one for a foreigner will be Uber, but it costs 30-40% more than local-based alternatives. The best ones are: Shark Taxi, Taxi Bond. Taxi Bond has premium cars and the car will arrive faster.
Most taxis in Odessa are operated as "car-calling services". So you have to call the number and the car will come for you. Some of the numbers for the taxi are:
The phone operators might not at all speak English, so try at your own risk or ask your Ukrainian friends to call a taxi for you. The usual price for the taxi is from 50 to 100 грн, sometimes up to 120-200 грн if you travel to the outskirts of the city.
The alternative taxi option is to raise your hand on the crowded street and wait for a taxi to stop. You need to understand the majority of taxis in Odessa are not marked in any taxi colors. There is also a long-time tradition of "carpooling" for money, you raise and wave your hand on the street and any car can stop and ask you where you want to go and how much are you willing to pay. Many drivers thus can save some money on their way to work, or even earn some extra money in their free time. It is usually quite safe, although, as always, exercise caution, always negotiate the fee beforehand and remember that people may try to rip you off because you are foreigners and if you do not speak the local language.
The core of Odessa, with all the main sights, is the city grid stretching from Pryvoz in the south to the Potemkin Steps in the north, and with 2-km long Vul Yekaterynynska – Catherine Street – as its spine. You’ll probably arrive in Pryvoz as all modes of transport funnel into here. This area is grubby but sights include the 1 Pryvoz market (next to the bus station) and the Panteleymonivska monastery (just head for the huddle of onion domes). Spare a look for the railway station even if you’re not travelling by rail. There are eating places and decent accommodation nearby, handy for late-night arrivals or early departures.
Head north along any of the main streets, and for the first km you’ll wonder why you bothered coming; then after Vul Zhukovskoho the prospect improves. Another couple of blocks and at last you see the grandeur wrought by all those 19th-century entrepreneurs. But much of it has been neglected since independence, so even on the finest avenues there is dereliction and decay.
For a pleasant walking circuit, start from the magnificent rebuilt Orthodox Cathedral on Soborna Sq, and drift north through the City Gardens into Havanna St. Bear left into Gogol St, where Gogol's own house, number 11, is yet another sad example of dereliction in an otherwise upmarket avenue. This brings you onto the pedestrianised promenade. It’s not on the shore, but beyond here the land falls away steeply, and there are views over the docks and sea. Turn right and cross 1 Tyoschin Bridge (Mother-in-law bridge), the footbridge over the valley that descends to the docks. On the other side, try to ignore the kitsch cod-Grecian pillars, but admire 2 Vorontsov Palace (now a performance space, so look artistic yet not too weird, the babushka will probably let you in). Continue along Primorskiy Boulevard to the 3 statue of the Duc de Richelieu, in a toga yet, at the head of the Potemkin Steps. Continue to the end of the boulevard and you'll see the city hall. Turn inland and a short block brings you to the Opera House on Lanzheronivska St. Return to your starting point either along this street or adjacent Deribasovskaya St, which has most of the cafes and restaurants. This walk is especially charming early evening, when the fine façades still show their colours and the tumbledown bits are softened by dusk.
Odessa’s museums and galleries have staggered closing days, so you don’t have the “Monday problem” common in many European cities, with everything shut. However there’s not much labelling in English. If an afternoon deciphering Cyrillic labels feels like hard work, your best bet is the Museum of Western and Eastern Art.
Most of the city waterfront, except the port territory, forms a beach zone. All of the beaches are located at the eastern edge of Odessa. The most popular beaches are the following: listed according to their distance from city center.
Go to the Privoz market by the station - one of the biggest in the ex-USSR. Lots of cheap vegetables and fruits. Try the pakhlava - the Ukrainian pronunciation of baklava.
Be aware, if you're going to buy anything but food in the market (and sometimes with food also), that Odessa is significantly harder in bargaining than anywhere in Russia or Ukraine. Prices several times the regular price without any signs of trying to budge is often, moreover, unlike most bargaining places sellers would often be unfriendly. The tactic extends to anyone not from Odessa, so having a Russian-speaking guide from elsewhere may not help.
Check Flea Market - on Moldavanka district, around "Starokoniy rinok" located huge flea market. Simple people sale here old knick-knacks and trinkets. Here you can buy an original souvenir of the Soviet era like postcards, military stuff etc. The market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays in the morning. It is customary to bargain here, although experienced traders will not be able to significantly reduce the price. At the same time, some rare things can be bought very cheaply.
There are lots of cafes and restaurants in Odessa, with more and more opening each year. The prices are quite affordable, if you come from the west. Expect to pay 70-100 грн for a lunch in a cafe and around 200 грн in a restaurant. Some restaurants can be of course very expensive, so take a look at the menu before ordering. In the warmer times of the year you can find lots of outdoor sitting areas in the cafes, with blankets usually available to keep you warm in the evening.
The 'fast food' on the street is tasty and if you don't speak Russian or read Cyrillic is much more accessible as you can just point at what it is you want. Menus are usually only in Russian, but you may try to ask for an English menu for you (ask in Russian for "menu po angliyski"). If they don't have one, either have an idea of what you want before you sit down or be prepared to randomly pick something from the menu. It's possible that waitresses can also speak basic English, try to ask for recommendations.
Food from street vendors, especially at the open air markets, should be approached with the same caution as you would display anywhere. It can be fantastic, or not. There are many supermarkets in Odessa that have high quality foods that you can buy as an alternative. There are several McDonald's restaurants in the city (str. Deribasovskaya 23, Privokzalnaya square 1a).
Generally, if you're looking for a place to eat, try to pick one in the city center that looks nice but not too expensive. There are lots of places for what could be called "middle class" with enjoyable atmosphere and good food, but random picking can of course lead to bad food and bad service.
Avoid eating Oriental or Indian in Odessa. They mostly don't have good cooks, the food you get is not authentic and priced heavily.
The beer served in the south of Ukraine is outstanding and goes excellently with the hearty food. In the words of one not so impartial citizen of Central Europe who visited the country, 'Hey, this is as good as Czech beer!' A beer in a restaurant will usually cost around US$2-3 for local beers and US$4-6 for imported brands. There are several breweries in the area nearby Odessa, but they are usually not very popular in the restaurants. However, there is a small restaurant-brewery right in the "City Garden" near Deribasovskya, their beer is rather good and they have an English menu. Just look for a sign that says Hausbrauerei (German for Home Brewery) and tell them you just want to have a drink at the bar unless you want to have dinner there of course.
Long-lasting traditions of wine production in neighbouring Moldova and Crimea make Odessa an excellent place for wine lovers. Must taste: Negro de Purcari, Pino and famous sweet Kagor from Moldova, Massandra Portwine and Muscat from Crimea.
In the big supermarkets and in shops with alcoholic drink specialization you can find a full assortment of alcoholic drinks from beer to absinthe and from local brands to world famous brands.
In non-alcoholic drinks here is a large quantity of various brands (foreign: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite, BonAqua etc.; national: Obolon', Bon-Boisson, Prem'era, Kuyal'nik, etc.; local: Kristall, Green Star, Dana, etc.).
The nightlife of Odessa in summer is concentrated in the 'Arcadia' district, some 8 km away from the city center. In Odessa you have to pay to enter a club, the rates are around 70-80 грн as of June 2011, but can be higher in particular clubs. A taxi to Arkadia should cost 40-50 грн; beware of the taxi drivers who are waiting for you when you leave Arkadia at night, their tariffs are super-high and they can be rude and intimidating. Call a taxi or walk 500 meters further where you can negotiate a much lower price. To get from Arkadia at night to the central part of the city would be 40-60 грн, to Tairovo or Cheremushki - 70 грн.
Accommodation is plentiful in Odessa and ranges from renting a small room from a local resident to registered hostels, to the more expensive hotels. But "expensive" is a relative term - with online booking and avoiding peak periods, you can enjoy top accommodation here for less than you'd pay for a chain hotel in the English Midlands.
If you enter by train you will be immediately approached by one of the many locals in an attempt to get you to rent a room from them. This may end up being a small not so well constructed (but basically clean) one room structure located in their garden. It may also not come with a shower with running water, instead consisting of a small outdoor cabinet with a tank located above it that your host will fill with hot water upon request. Additionally the local accommodation will most likely have a squat toilet. For those uncomfortable with using a squat toilet the facilities at the McDonald's near the train station make for a good substitute. Nobody speaks English or German (even the most basic talk). This makes the negotiations very difficult! In July/August most budget hotels are fully booked. The total price for your garden residency will usually not exceed US$10 and in the summer it is more than sufficient. The hostels in the city can be booked online or try your luck and just drop in.
Apart from being known as a touristic city near the seaside, Odessa is also known as a city that was home to a school of pickpockets. Neverthless, there are still 'szahrayka' (groups of criminals) at work. They work in groups of two or more, mostly standing close together in crowded places (tram 5 is a quite a popular place). Usually, one of them distracts the victim while the other ones steal his/her valuables. Stay alert, don't get confused and hold your wallet, phone and passport tightly.
If you have lost anything, report and restrict everything that has been stolen as fast as possible. If this is ID and bank cards, you need to lock a card first and then restrict ID with your banks. If there was also a phone, lock in that order: card, phone, ID. If you had automatic fill-up of sections, change the passwords for your e-mails and other sites. Then, find your consulate, go there and fill the form for stolen ID or passport. You can ask for a temporary passport there as well.
Always carry your passport (or a good colour photocopy) with you. The police in Odessa, as in all of Ukraine, are corrupt and constantly on the lookout for tourists to harass with the aim of fining them for breaking some imagined rule or law. Use common sense and caution around rowdy groups and drunks in city, unless you speak good Russian.
Be very careful in the Arkadia district at night, as it might be not safe in the darker areas. Arkadia is an area with many night clubs. Since these clubs attract visitors, scammers lurk around the neighborhood. Try to be with someone who knows the clubs and the places and speaks Russian.
Male travelers should be aware of clip-joint scams, usually being approached by one or two female suggesting going to Palladium night club, which has been known to extort foreign men using violence over overpriced alcohol or drinks that were or never ordered. Local police are paid off on this and there will be no help if you are to be cornered in such clubs.
Women on Tinder and Badoo (Ukrainian popular) are often semi-professional prostitutes who, even when not working for clip joints, still earn commissions by luring foreigners into buying drinks at legitimate cafe establishments. Always be on high alert and do not go along to their suggested place.
There are also shell game scams on the main pedestrian Derybasivska street (вулиця Дерибасівська).
By the City Park, Potemkin Stairs and Opera House, avoid the pigeon men. They will either have on their arms or a nearby pole multiple pigeons and try to encourage you to have your photo taken with them for an ever escalating fee.
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