Chernihiv

Chernihiv (Ukrainian: Чернігів, also transliterated Chernigov from Russian: Чернигов), located in the north of Central Ukraine, is one of the most ancient and most interesting cities of Ukraine known in the world primarily for its sacred Christian temples created over 1000-year history of the city and being invaluable treasure of Ukrainian people.

Understand
In the medieval times Chernihiv, in the north of Ukraine 150 km from the city of Kyiv, was the second most significant center of the ancient Rus' state. Five Orthodox Churches, the gems of ancient Rus' art, came down to us almost intact from the times of Kyivan Rus' state.

By bus
Buses (80 грн) leave from Kyiv's Lisova Metro station when they are full, usually every 15 to 20 minutes. Buses also leave from the Chernihiv Metro station (80 грн), and are easily reached by walking out the exit, turning left, walking on the sidewalk over the train line to the adjacent highway. The buses stand "in line", and you take the bus furthest down the line (i.e. the first one in the line). These small buses are called Mashrytkas and leave every 15 to 20 minutes. These same buses leave from Chernihiv to return to Kyiv frequently throughout the day from various stops, including at the McDonalds, in front of the Mega Mall on Prospekt Mira, and on Prospect Pobeda just before it intersects with Prospect Mira.

By public transport
Chernihiv has a convenient public transport system:

Single ride tickets in buses cost 8-12 грн, in trolleybuses — 8 грн.
 * 16 bus routes
 * 8 trolleybus routes

Schedules are available on the official website (in Ukrainian).

You can also check information about public transport on DozoR (in Ukrainian), EasyWay and Google Maps.

By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way of getting around the city. Some popular taxi companies include:



See
Contemporary Chernihiv, is a charming provincial city. Its sites include a museum, several parks and green areas. The rose colored train station is an outstanding place to visit, as is the park at the town center which features a giant Lenin statue and a sober monument to the dead from the Afghan war. Just south of the city center, and an easy walk, is the theater and red square, the "Alley of Heroes" honoring the heroes from the Great Patriotic War (World War II), then on to Saint Catherine's Church, and then across the street lies the famous 'Val' where the most ancient of Chernihiv's churches are located. Chernihiv contains two functioning monasteries and ancient Orthodox churches around 1000 years old. A unique site is the Anthony Caves, where numerous relics of saints and the miracle making icons of Our Lady are found. All of these ancient sites make Chernihiv a sacred site of Orthodoxy.

A one-day trip to Chernihiv offers a sightseeing tour including the visit to Detinets, the ancient center of the city, Our Savior Transfiguration, Sts. Boris and Gleb's, Assumption Cathedrals, St. Elijah's and Good Friday Churches known as the gems of ancient Rus' architecture, masterpieces of Ukrainian Baroque Holy Trinity Monastery, St. Catherine's Church, Collegium as well as St. Anthony's caves. The train station is a uniquely beautiful piece of architecture.

Eat
There is a Potato House on Prospekt Mira which serves Euro-Mexican. There is a McDonald's on Prospect Mira and a wonderful restaurant next to the city square named Senator.

Drink
There is a coffee shop named Chashka (meaning cup) in the Mega Mall.

Go next

 * Sedniv (Седнів). 30 km east. There are Wooden Church of Grygoi, beautiful river Snov and greet hills is around. It's very ancient town of Chernihiv region (second after Chernihiv).
 * Nizhyn (Ніжин). 90 km southeast. There are Complex Vvedensky convent, Church of the Ascension, Nezhinskaya Fortress etc.
 * Novhorod Siverskyi (Новгород-Сіверський). 175 km northeast. The town is the former residence of the Chernihiv metropolitans, the monastery of the Saviour's Transfiguration. It features a ponderous Neoclassical cathedral (1791), 17th-century stone walls, and several ecclesiastic foundations, dating from the 16th century. Other landmarks include the Cossack Baroque Assumption cathedral, a triumphal arch (1787), and the wooden church of St. Nicholas.
 * Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone – The site of the worst nuclear accident in mankind's history