Khmelnytskyi

Khmelnytskyi (Ukrainian: Хмельницький, also transliterated Khmelnitsky from Russian: Хмельницкий) is a city in the Podillia region of Western Ukraine. The city has a population of roughly 290,000.

Understand
While the city is in western Ukraine, people in Khmelnytskyi don't speak Ukrainian exclusively (as is generally the case in the nearby city of Ternopil). Many in Khmelnytskyi speak Russian as their first language, or a mixture of the two languages known as surzhyk (суржик). It appears that both Ukrainian and Russian can be used interchangeably in Khmelnytskyi.



By train
There are frequent trains from Kyiv to Khmelnytskyi, keep alert because Khmelnytskyi isn't the final destination but rather one stop along the way and you don't want to end up in Ternopil or Lviv by accident. However the carriage attendant should inform you (in Russian or Ukrainian) when the train is approaching your stop. A good idea is to know your time of arrival and set your phone's alarm 30 minutes beforehand.

By public transport
Khmelnytskyi has a convenient public transport system:

Single ride tickets in buses and marshrutkas cost 12 грн, in trolleybuses — 6 грн.
 * 13 bus routes
 * 32 marshrutka routes
 * 26 trolleybus routes

Schedules are available on rozklad.in.ua (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:



By scooter
Kick scooter is a funny way to shorten your time while getting around the city.



Churches
The city centre is relatively compact and can be easily explored on foot. If you want a tourist city with a multitude of attractions then Khmelnytskyi isn't for you, if you want an authentic Ukrainian city with generally friendly people, good prices and fewer rip offs than in the usual tourist centres then Khmelnytskyi is a good spot.

Struve Geodetic Arc
Three points of this world heritage site are outside Khmelnytskyi:


 * - The Katerinowka marker is about 500 m northwest of the rural road north of Katerinovka. There is a straight path from the road to the point, which is made up of a black stone a bit reminiscent of a gravestone with an inscription in Ukrainian describing Struve's measurement project. Next to it there's a tripod with a small disk on the middle rod.


 * - Like many other markers in the southern part of the world heritage, this one is also in a field on a little elevated point and is one of those where little hiking is required as it is almost next to the road. Again it is a black stone, a bit larger than the last one, has a tripod setup and a white Orthodox Christian cross next to it.


 * - About 100 m off the road in a field surrounded by some trees, this is a simpler marker comprising a black stone with inscription in Ukrainian.

Dental tourism
Ukraine is increasingly becoming a destination for dental tourism, specifically Kyiv, but people may also be interested in dental treatments in Khmelnytskyi as the prices when compared to western Europe, North America and elsewhere are extremely reasonable, prices are also cheaper than in Kyiv. An example being endodontic treatments (specifically root canal treatment) which in dental clinics in Khmelnytskyi can be completed for roughly 2,000 грн in total (this price is for a molar tooth, pre-molars are even cheaper) This includes anaesthesia, x-ray(s), the procedure itself along with the use of "gutta percha" and of course a composite filling. One such dental clinic is almost directly across from a city bus station (it is unknown whether this is the main bus station), rather uniquely it is called "Dental Surgery" at 6, Soborna Street, Khmelnytskyi. Tel: +380 382651660. Look out for the large sign with a tooth on it. The clinic looked clean both inside and outside, the surgical room can be seen from the street and looks as modern as any in the West. No English is spoken so you may need to have a Ukrainian friend or interpreter accompany you unless you speak some Ukrainian or Russian or else put your faith in hand gestures and a phrasebook.

Buy
There is a large newly built shopping centre with a well stocked western style supermarket at the edge of the city. A taxi to it from the city centre should cost 10-15 грн.

Eat
In the basement of Hotel Central (Hotel Centralny) there is an eatery open to guests and non-guests alike offering nice, simple food at very good prices. There are numerous restaurants throughout the city.

Drink
There are a number of cafes, bars and nightclubs in the city. If you are a foreigner people may wonder what you are doing in their city (as it is not a tourist city) and may view you with some amusement. Be friendly, polite, try your hand at speaking a few words of Russian or Ukrainian and things should go ok. Keep an eye on what you drink and how much you drink, it's quite possible the locals are used to drinking more than you are! In a bar/pub a vodka (Ukrainian brand but just as good as any imported brand) should cost a maximum of 10 грн, most likely this price is for 100 ml. Prices tend to be a little higher in nightclubs but not excessively. It should also be possible to buy a bottle of vodka in a nightclub, either 0.5 L or 0.7 L, for a reasonable price, under 100 грн.

Sleep

 * Hotel Centralny (Hotel Central) at 5, Gagarin Street (near the centre) Tel: +380 382657759. No website (although some basic information and even some photos of this hotel can be found on the net however for best prices book directly with the hotel) Very minimal English, if any. This tourist class hotel offers the best priced hotel rooms in the city. Prices direct from the hotel start at 150 грн for a passable en-suite single room with TV (no English language stations but possibly some music stations) and breakfast (you'll be given a voucher for breakfast which can be had in the basement eatery) The en-suite isn't exactly to western standard (old shower but with hot water, possibly leaking pipe from sink, no sink stopper, dim lighting) Double rooms which are roughly double the price may be a little better. Apparently the hotel has free wifi but it's unknown whether this is simply in the lobby or also in the rooms.

Connect
An alternative for internet should the free internet at any hotel not work or should no internet be available is a mobile broadband dongle which you attach to your laptop can be purchased from MTS (a mobile/cell phone provider with stores all over Ukraine including 10 stores in Khmelnytskyi) for 399 грн and when topped up by 8 грн it gives unlimited broadband access for 24 hr. MTS has national coverage so the dongle will provide you with internet all over Ukraine and not just in Khmelnytskyi of course. The basic mobile broadband SIM pack on its own costs 60 грн with preloaded credit of 20 грн (prices as of Dec 2011).

Go next

 * Kamianets-Podilskyi - S 100 km. Sights in this town: the Old castle (Старий замок), 12-19th century; the Armenian church, 1490s; the Fortifications of town, 16-18th century; the Russian gate, 17th century; the Polish town council, 1390s; the Smotrych river canyon, the cathedral, 1500–1750.