Travelling in Ukraine can be a big challenge for you but also is may be fun and full of impressions. Just be ready that Ukrainian transportation system is differing from what you get used to in your county. To avoid the unpleasant moments in your trip, make sure you have a dictionary or phrasebook with you.

• Subway system

Travel on the subway is safe, cheap and fast. But in Ukraine only Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnepropetrovsk have the subway systems.

You need to buy special tokens at vending machines inside the stations or at the ticket office. They cost 2.00 UAN. Kyiv has the third oldest subway system of all former Soviet countries.

It’s also the deepest in the world and has the longest escalators. In the peak hours (6-8 and 6-7 pm ) Kiev subway may be very crowded.
You should know that there are no public transport services from 00:30 to 5:30 and there is no metro connection to Kyiv city centre from Boryspil International Airport. The most convenient way to reach the city centre is by taxi (try to take Sky taxi). But also you can take the ‘Sky Bus’ (25 UAN) or mini bus. The nearest metro stations to the Boryspil airport are “Vyrlytsia”, “Kharkivska”.

• Trains are very popular in Ukraine. There is a big difference between trainsin the United States and trains in Ukraine.

First of all, trains in Ukraine are never late. They run on schedule. As usual there are a lot of night trains in Ukraine but in Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Lviv, Kharkiv and Donesk you can catch the daytime Hundai trains which are faster than the night trains. There are three classes in Ukrainian trains. In the first and the most expensive one there are two people in compartment but you can buy two tickets and to travel alone. In the second class, the most popular one, there are four people in compartment and in the third class there are 6 people. In the night train the seats are remain beds, so you receive clean linen and a cup of tea or coffee. As usual the toilet doesn’t work while stops. People in trains are friendly, but make sure you have your purse and telephone with you while sleeping. In a train you are not alone: you can ask for a help the train’s conductor and also the police officer.
Train timetables and ticket reservation is available online on the Ukrainian Railways site but currently only in Ukrainian language. You can buy the train tickets directly at the train station ticket office – in Kiev there is the special one for foreigners. Any travel agency may help you with a local ticket.

• Buses.

Most towns and cities have a comprehensive network of buses,
trolleybuses, trams and mini buses (marshrutkas). You can buy a ticket from a ticket conductor or a driver.
Trolleybuses and trams are usually slow but cheap – at about 1,5 UAN. There is a wide network of minibuses. The route and fare are normally displayed on the window inside and outside the minibus. You may need to pass your money to the driver via other passengers. The fare is between 1.50 and 3.00 UAN.
As usual minibuses have only the request stops so you should say the name of your stop to a driver.
You can use a bus or mini bus if you need to travel a long distance. You need to buy a ticket at the bus station. Be ready that buses in Ukraine are cheap but not as comfortable as in your country but also it’s a good way to see Ukraine inside and to find out that Ukrainian women are beautiful even without make up. Buses usually don’t have a toilet so a bus driver makes some stops where you may use a restroom and have a smoke. In emergency situation you may also ask a bus driver for a stop. Some buses are quite new and comfortable (Autolux, Gunsel), in some buses you’ll feel like in a historical movie.

• Taxi.

You can order a car by calling any city taxi service, then your trip will be much cheaper than a trip with taxi drivers parked along the road (unlicensed taxi). Official taxis have markings and a meter similar to American taxis. They are comparatively cheap. Some drivers know English so may advice you a place to eat or to visit.

Of course as every country Ukraine has its own unwritten rules in public transportation. But discovering Ukraine inside could be the best part of your journey if you stay positive and accept the differences. And also the most important in every journey is the end point, where somebody is waiting for you. So if a lovely single Ukrainian woman is waiting for you, maybe the quality of Ukrainian roads is not so important?