Impressive tours round impressing Odessa

ODESSA TRAVEL TIPS (ADVICE)

In order to simplify a time of staying in Odessa for tourists we have collected some recommendations that you might need.

Language

The official state language in Ukraine is Ukrainian. But most people in Odessa speak Russian. At the same time, absolutely everyone understands Ukrainian language and is ready to respond and communicate with you. The situation for foreigners is more complicated; however, you will quickly meet a person that speaks English. And even more – there won’t be any problem with English in a hotel and a restaurant.

Currency

The national currency of Ukraine is hryvnia (UAH). Current exchange rate can be easily found in the Internet or on the luminous displays of currency exchange offices. The first part of numbers on these scoreboards is “We buy” (purchase rate), and the second part is “We sell” (selling rate). There are a lot of currency exchange offices in our city especially in the historical center and near the train stations. The exchange rate is almost the same everywhere. In addition, the currency you can exchange at any branch of the bank. Facts of fraud at exchange offices are minimal and there is also no additional commission. Thus, you will get exactly the same amount of money according to the indicated exchange rate.

Another place where you can get a good exchange rate is the so-called “Knizhka” – a book market on Alexandrovskiy Prospect (between Evreiskaya and Troitskaya Streets). You will immediately identify a money jobber by a wad of cash in his hands. You may come up to anyone you like and exchange the currency there. You will not be deceived or robbed.

Transport from the airport

You can take a taxi, a fixed-route taxi (bus or the so-called “Marshrutka”) №117 or a trolleybus №14 to get from the airport to the city. The bus stops of the last ones are on the circle to the right of the old terminal.

Trolley bus №14 goes from the airport to the railway station, which is located in the heart of Odessa. The journey time to the downtown is about 30 minutes. The fare is 3 UAH (about 10 euro cents). Payment is made directly in the trolley bus to the conductor or the driver.

The route taxi (bus or the so-called “marshrutka”) №117 goes a little longer (about 1 hour), but its route passes through Cheremushki. You can also get to the main railway station and to the very center of our city – to Deribasovskaya. You pay for the ticket to the driver when you get off the bus – 7 hryvnias (about 25 euro cents). If you name the address that interests you, then the driver or passengers will gladly advise you where you need to get off.

A taxi will take you to the downtown in 20-30 minutes (in the absence of serious traffic jams). The adequate fare is about 200 UAH (up to 10 dollars). If the taxi drivers (near the airport) require much more, call Uber or any other taxi services. They all are downtown and in 15-20 minutes the car will arrive. If you want to leave immediately, you can bargain with the taxi drivers there. They do not have counters and you have a chance to bring down the price to acceptable one.

Transport from the railway station

The railway station in Odessa is located in the heart of the city. There are many bus stops around it so you can easily get to different parts of the city. Just ask passers-by, how you can get to the right street and you’ll be immediately told, which public transport you should take.

If you move to the left from the central entrance, you can go around the corner to the bus station, where buses will drive you to the sea resorts of Zatoka, Carolino-Bugaz, Gribovka, Sergeevka and Chernomorsk. After passing another 150 meters, in the direction of Privoz, where the big bus station is situated, buses will drive you around our region (oblast).

Public transport

There is no underground (subway) in Odessa. All movements of citizens and tourists are carried out on trams, trolleybuses, minibuses (marshrutkas) and taxis.

Trams and trolleybuses do not always look beautiful and modern, but this inconvenience is compensated by the price – 3 UAH (10 euro cents). A fare is paid to the conductor and, if he is not in the cabin, it is paid to the driver.

As in any touristic city, sometimes pickpockets act in public transport in Odessa. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. So be careful!

There are many taxi services in the city. You can easily find phone numbers in the Internet or ask a hotel receptionist. Prices for a taxi, in comparison with European or American, very moderate – it will cost you 3-5 euros to get anywhere downtown.

Taxi cars are not always marked with special badges. The taxi operator tells you the number and make of the car (or send you a text message with information); sometimes it can be usual car (without a badge). The fare is better to find out from the operator in advance.

The city center is quite compact and overloaded with transport, so if you don’t want to wait in traffic jams, we recommend you to walk on foot. You can buy a map of the city in any book stall or download it from apps such as 2GIS, etc.

Food

The cheapest way to eat in our city is to rent an apartment with kitchen and cook meal there. Citizens buy products in supermarkets: Selpo, Tavria V, Kopeyka, in grocery stores, on Privoz and other markets. Prices are almost the same everywhere.

Alcohol and beer can be bought there too. Prices for food and drinks are very moderate. A bottle of good Ukrainian beer costs about 20 UAH (less than 10 euro cents). The city sells a lot of local wine. A bottle of decent dry wine or champagne in the supermarket will cost about 100-150 UAH (3-5 euros).

The same thing is with having meals in restaurants and cafes. There are lots of them around the city. The average check for lunch with several dishes (courses) and a glass of good beer or wine will cost you about 10-15 euros. The city has a cafe and bistro, where you can tolerably get a snack for even lower price. Odessa is a very multi-ethnic city, so you can see Georgian, Arabic, Italian and Japanese restaurants at the same crossroads.

 But we naturally recommend you Odessa and Ukrainian cuisine. Borshch, vareniki (dumplings), fried fish, farshmak, etc. should be tasted in our city.

Our tips for restaurants and cafes you can find here…

Everywhere in the city you can find fast food restaurants (kebab, hot dogs, etc.). The size of shaurma (kebab) in Odessa is very big and the snack costs about 50 UAH (about 25 euro cents). Sometimes this portion of shaurma is enough for two people.

And a real surprise for a truly sweet tooth will be our best confectioneries and coffee shops in the city. There is also a broad range of them and they offer sweets for every taste and budget.

Visiting our local markets (primarily the legendary Privoz) will be your particular pleasure; you can, at a ridiculous price, buy a lot of local fruits and vegetables there.

There, in buildings, where meat and dairy products are sold, you can find and buy all the abundance of sausages and cheese of local production. Do not hesitate to try the goods before buying. This is OK for us. But do not taste to much or your need of buying something will disappear!

Rental Housing

There are a lot of hotels in our city and their price depends on a star level and location. On Booking.com or on the links, which you can see on our website, you will find a suitable accommodation.

It is not recommended to rent accommodation from brokers at the railway station or from unchecked Internet real estate brokers. Cases of fraud, when renting an apartment, have become more frequent recently.

Beaches of Odessa

Odessa stretches along the sea for almost 60 kilometers. At the same time you can’t to go down to the seaside in the historical center, because the city had used to develop from the port, and now the Port occupies a large territory of coastline.

The nearest beach from the center is Lanzheron. It takes about 25 minutes of slow walking from Deribasovskaya through the park named after Shevchenko. Further from Lanzheron there is a series of beaches to the south. And if you have settled in the area of French Boulevard or Fontan, then all local beaches there will be within walking distance.

Officially all our beaches are free of charge. But sometimes they are lined with chaise lounges and sun umbrellas which require payment for the rent. There are lots of beaches that are rented. Those beaches provide different services for every budget.

The entire coastline is built up with restaurants, cafes and fast food, so you won’t have problems with a snack near the beach. But be prepared that the price there is slightly higher than at urban ones.

Safety and security

Odessa is not a more dangerous city than any other one in Ukraine or the entire world. Rumors about high level of crime here are very mythologized and often have historical origins. The war, which is in the east of Ukraine now, does not affect our city as Donbass is about 800 kilometers away from Odessa. The city is visited by lots of tourists and it does not differ from any other resort and historical city of the world.

Nevertheless, we won’t recommend you walking on the outskirts of the city at night. As well as we won’t recommend you leave things unattended on the beach, train station or in the park. Keep watching your pockets and bags in the city markets and public transport.

Call the police – phone 102. Ambulance – phone 103.

These services are free of charge. When you’re delivered to the hospital, many problems there you can solve by paying directly to the doctor. Most drugs you can easily buy at any drugstore without a doctor’s prescription.

We are sure that you won’t need recommendations from the last section and you will enjoy staying in Odessa!

Connection

Free Wi-Fi is not everywhere in the city, however it is always available in hotels and restaurants. In order to be in touch all the time we will recommend you buying a local SIM card. Depending on the package, you will get a stable telephone connection and access to the Internet.

You can buy packages of Ukrainian mobile operators, for example, Kievstar and Lifecell from street vendors at crossroads. But it’s better to visit any mobile phone center, such as “ALLO” or CITRUS, where you get a qualified consultation on tariffs and a necessary technical assistance.

Sights of Odessa

The main attractions of the city we have marked on this map …. Their addresses or locations are also indicated there.

For more travel information about Odessa region and save travel to Odessa you can download some Travel guide books about Odessa Ukraine and Odessa region:

Developed by the Odessa Regional State Administration
Department of Tourism, Recreation and Resorts

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