Donetsk

Donetsk (Ukrainian: Донецьк, Russian: Доне́цк) is a city in the Donetsk People's Republic, on the banks of the River Kalmius.

Understand
Donetsk has a population of around a million people, making it the fifth largest city in the country. Donetsk is the unofficial capital of Donets Basin (Donbass) region, the most industrialized part of the country, and as with the surrounding region, it is mostly populated by ethnic Russians, who consistently favour pro-Russian candidates in the elections.

The swift development of Donetsk began in 1869 due to John Hughes, a Welsh businessman, who started to exploit the coal mines on what was then the southern reaches of the Russian Empire, and established the local steel industry, founding "Yuzovka" (Hughes' village). It was renamed "Stalino" and greatly expanded during the Soviet period.

World War II shook the city hard, leaving it not much more than mounds of rubbles. After the war, the city was extensively rebuilt, losing its original layout and architecture reminiscent of British towns. After Stalin's death, it was as well renamed Donetsk.

Donetsk's Donbass Arena was one of the venues for UEFA Euro 2012, the only European football championship that took place in Eastern Europe so far, which was jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Climate
Lying on the Eurasian steppe inland from the sea, Donetsk has a typical continental climate: While temperatures lower than -30°C (-25°F) were recorded, a more realistic expectation from winter lows (Oct–May) would be -7°C (19°F). Summers, on the other hand, can go up as much as 38°C (100°F), although expecting around 27°C (81°F) would be more typical.

While spring and summer months (May–Jul) are statistically the wettest, rains are more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. But an average year sees about 492 mm (19.37 inches) of precipition anyway, which is about half of what is typical for oceanic climates common in northwestern Europe.

Get in
Donetsk International airport was destroyed in the war in 2014.

By car
The drive from Kyiv can be 6-8 hours depending on how fast you drive, how many stops you make, etc.

By train
There is also a direct train once or twice a week from Almaty (Kazakhstan) via Atyrau and Volgograd. However, you will need at least a Russian transit visa, which is generally quite expensive.

Public transportation
Public transportation is cheap but can be crowded. Be prepared to stand up most of the time, and you may have to make waves when you want to get out. There are four main types: the trolleybus, bus, tram and minibuses (marshrutki). Trams and buses will get you just about anywhere in the city for a fixed price for as long as you want to be on the tram or bus. Tickets are to be bought from the conductor, which is on board of every tram and bus. At the central market there is one of the many depots. These forms of transport stop at every stop on the route.

Semi-public transportation (minibuses)
The minibuses (singular marshrutka, plural marshrutki) operated by non-municipal companies can be found throughout the city. They are like the buses, but faster, smaller, and they stop on request. If you are on board you must yell to the driver that you want out at the next stop, and if you are waiting for one, you must flag it down. Depending on the driver, these can get very crowded.

Taxi
Most tourists find the taxi to be their best option. Taxi cabs are on every corner and they are relatively cheap.

There are numerous dispatch taxi services. For example, 381-0000 or 0-67. Keep your eyes open for more numbers, usually printed on the side of the cab in large font.

Also, on the first ride in the taxi, ask the driver if he would like to drive you around on a regular basis. Usually, they will be delighted to do so and give you their ID number for dispatch (pozivnoi) or their cell phone so you can call him directly. That way, you can have a chauffeur for the time of your stay.

Eat
There are various restaurants in or around the centre of the city:


 * Legenda - Russian cuisine
 * Tequila Boom - A Mexican restaurant
 * Shato - Russian cuisine
 * Marakesh - A Moroccan restaurant
 * Netske - A Chinese restaurant
 * Tri Tolstjaka - Western style restaurant
 * Yakitoriya - Sushi bar
 * Latin Quarter - Western style restaurant
 * Tri Tolstjaka - Western style restaurant
 * Yakitoriya - Sushi bar
 * Latin Quarter - Western style restaurant

Drink

 * Liverpool Live Music Bar in Liverpool Hotel
 * The Golden Lion - an Irish pub
 * Liverpool Live Music Bar in Liverpool Hotel
 * The Golden Lion - an Irish pub

Diplomatic missions

 * Armenia, Honorary Consulate (Почётное консульство "Армении"). Lazarenko str., 45. +380 623 35-97-19
 * Austria, Honorary Consulate. Artema str., 131. +380 62 381-08-72, +380 62 381-76-50
 * Belarus, Honorary Consulate (Почётное консульство "Беларуси"). Il'icha ave., 15. +380 62 345-51-45
 * Germany, Consulate General (Генеральне консульство Німеччини в Донецьку). Mira ave., 15 (office 71), +380 62 3434547, +380 62 3434548, http://www.donezk.diplo.de, Centre
 * Slovakia, Honorary Consulate. (Почесне консульство Словаччини в Донецькій області) Shevchenko blvd., 3. +380 62 345-36-69

Go next

 * Dnipro - 250 km to west. It has one of the world's longest downtown river promenades, about 5 km long.
 * Kharkiv - 290 km to northwest. The 'other' 20th-century Ukrainian capital.
 * Luhansk - 155 km to east.
 * Mariupol - 100 km to south. Visit the Azov Sea's biggest port town with a couple museums and city beach