Odessa Region Tour + Uman +Belgorod -Dnestrovskyy+Vilkovo
Welcome to Odessa, Ukraine, "the best city of the world" as the Odessans call it!
We invite you to enjoy the spirit of true liberty and arts, we invite you to enjoy the city where every woman is a poetess and every man is an artist. Just come and make sure we are right!!!
Day1
Meeting you at Odessa airport ( or train or bus station). Transfer to the apartment hotel , Odessa Executive Suites.
Lunch at the hotel restaurant
Short Orientation Tour along Deribasovskaya Street to get acquainted with the best places to eat and shop
-6 : 00 pm Dolphin Show at Odessa Aquarium NEMO
-7 : 00 pm A drive in a small electrical car along the sea shore to get to Arcadia Area where the best beaches and clubs are located. Enjoy a night show in Itaka or Ibitsa club.
You can dance there up to 6 a.m.!! ( available only in summer)
Day 2
Odessa History Day
-9: 00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-10:00 am Glimpses of Odessa
Walking tour around the best architectural monuments and landmarks in the heart of Odessa. You will see the monument to Duke de Richelieu which is called Symbol of Odessa, the Potyomkin Steps, excavation site on the Primorskyy boulevard, the City Council building and the monument to Pushkin, Archeological Museum, Opera and Ballet House, Catherine the Great monument, Haunted House ,The Voronzov's Palace (no admission inside) and its famous Colonnade, the famous Mother-in- Law bridge and the Shah’s Palace ( no admission inside)
You can also have a short or long ride round the sights in a horse drawn carriage to get the full atmosphere of the 19th century
- 12:00 am A visit to Museum of Local Lore. Rich collection of artifacts belonging to the epoch of the city foundation. The museum is located in the palace , its interiors being restored recently.
-2 :30 pm lunch at Kumanets
-3:30 pm Transfiguration Cathedral, the Passage, the City Garden and Deribasovskaya Steet
The Transfiguration Cathedral was built in the years of 1798-1808 by the Greek community. It was ruined by the Bosheviks in 1936 and rebuilt again in 1990-2005. The Upper church was blessed by Patriarch Cyril on the 23d of July 2010. One of the most famous Governors of Novorossiya ( New Russia) Duke M. Voronzov was buried there with his wife.
You will also see a wonderful hotel Passage which strikes with its architecture (1898-1899) and the City Garden with its wonderful musical fountain and an old gazebo , full of unexpected monuments and stories.
- 5:00 pm - Free time for refreshing before the theatre
- 6:15 pm The Odessa Opera and Ballet House, built in 1884-1887
We offer an observation excursion round the theatre and then you can attend a performance( but Monday)
-7:00pm A performance
Day 3
Odessa Fine Arts Day
-9:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-10:00 am Transfer to Odessa Museum of Fine Arts ( but Tuesday)
Odessa Museum of Fine Arts is set in a magnificent palace which used to belong to Olga Naryshkina and was built in 1828 as a wedding reception palace . It has a magnificent grotto on the second underground floor which we can get to. The Public Fine Arts Museum was set there by George Marazli in the end of the 19th century and since then its rich collection has been constantly growing. You can see a wide range of Russian artwork from the old 14th century ICONS to Contemporary Art
English-speaking guide, admission tickets included. Duration about 3 hours
-1:00 pm Transfer to the Lunch place at Boulevard restaurant
-2:30 pm Visiting Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art with its magnificent collection of medieval European and Asian art. The museum is set in a magnificent palace. ( as an option A trip in a boat round Odessa harbour)
-4:30 pm Coffee time at Bristol Restaurant. Free time
-7:00 pm a symphony concert at Odessa Philarmonic Society
Day 4
Jewish Odessa
-9:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-10:00 am Transfer to the Museum of Jews
-1:00 pm Lunch at Cosher Jewish restaurant Rosmarin
-2:30 pm An excursion by car round Jewish places of Odessa. You will see old and new sinagogues, A memorial to victims of WWII, a place where the state Israel was born
-4:30 pm Free time
-7:00 pm a performance at the Center for Jewish Culture Beit Grand or WE CAN ARRANGE A CONCERT OF THE FOLKLAND ODESSA KLEZMER BAND in the courtyard or the restaurant of the hotel ( see Music).
Day 5
Temples and Monasteries of Odessa
-9:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-10:00 am Transfer to St Archangel Michael Convent where the Museum of Christian Odessa located
-11:00 am St Trinity Greek Cathedral ( 1808), the oldest in Odessa
-11:30 am Assumption Cathedral ( 1859)
-12:00 am St Panteleymon Monastery
-12:30 am St Ellijah Monastery
-1:00 pm Lunch at Ribonka restaurant ( Kanatnaya St)
-2:30 pm going to Iberian Monastery ( via French Boulevard)where used to be the church built by the first Odessa pilot Sergey Utochkin. You can see the life of an Orthodox monastery from the inside.
-4:30 pm going to St Assumption Patriarch Monastery where the summer residence of Moscow Patriarch is located. We will be able to HEAR a magnificent male choir of would be priests during the Vespers. Ordodox singing goes back to Greek tradition . No musical instruments are used during the service.
-7:00 pm Dinner at the Candle restaurant which is located just near the sea. Transfer to the hotel
Day 6
World War II Odessa
-8:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-9:00 am Transfer to Nerubayskoye town where the famous Catacombs museum is located
-10:00 am Excursion round the Catacombs museum. Please take some warm clothes as the average underground temperature is 12 C
-11:00 am Transfer back to the city
-12:30 am Lunch at Dacha ( Summer House) restaurant where you get back to Stalin time of Soviet commune apartment household
-3 : 00 pm Transfer to the Memorial Park of 411 th Battery where you can have an excursion dedicated to heroic defense of Odessa in 1941 and take a picture of REAL tanks, battleships and submarines of WWII. You can also enjoy a "jump" with a parachute or shoot from the pneumatic rifle
-7: 00 pm Transfer back to the hotel
Attention!!! Additional Days for Out of Odessa Trips. You can choose any of these days or use them instead the ones above.
Day 7
A full day trip to Belgorod -Dnestrovskyy town which is 2,500 years old
-7:30 am Breakfast at the hotel
-8:30 am Transfer to Bergorod - Dnestrovskyy ( 2 hour drive)
-10:30 am Excursion round the remnants of the ancient Greek polis Tira and the Medieval castle . You can shoot from medieval weapon and get your picture taken in medieval clothes
-12:30 am Lunch at the territory of the fortress. They have SHASHLIK there
-1:30 pm Transfer to SHABO town where there is an old winery founded by the Swiss
-2: 00 pm Visiting Museum of Wine with degustation
-4: 30 pm Transfer back to Odessa
-6:30 pm Arrival back to Odessa
Day 8
A full day trip to Vilkovo town, Ukrainian Venice
-7:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-8:00 am Transfer to Vilkovo town ( about 3 hour drive)
-11:00 am Arrival to Vilkovo, walking tour round Viklovo , light brunch
-12:00 am a boat trip around kanals and channels of the town and a trip to ZERO km of the Danube river.
-2:00 pm Lunch on one of the islands with local fish soup and fish grill
-3:30 pm Fishing ( as an option-- visiting an old city of Ismail (1484), an hour drive)
-6:00 pm Dinner
-7:00 pm Transfer back to Odessa
-10 : 00 pm arrival back to Odessa
Day 9
A full day trip to Uman town, Sofievka Landscape park
-7:00 am Breakfast at the hotel
-8:00 am Transfer to Uman town ( about 3 hour drive)
-11:00 am Arrival at Sofievka Landscape Park . Excursion
-2:00 pm Lunch at the park restaurant
-3:30 pm Visiting Museum of Sofievka Park with the original of sculptures. More park exploration
-6:00 pm Leaving Sofievka
-7:00 pm Stop on the way for dinner at Ukrainian restaurant
-10 : 00 pm arrival back to Odessa