Over 150 years ago, Pushkin wrote the following lines when leaving Odessa: 

I'm sad to say farewell to the sea.
Your hum at night will long be with me;
Wherever I am; in woods or steppes
I close my eyes to see your grace:
Your sparking waves,
Your rocks and bays. 
                       "To the Sea", Pushkin

"This is the place where the steppe shakes hands with the sea, the air is clean and fresh, the sky is deeper and bluer. This is the home of the Odessians, a special "nation" - cheerful and witty people, full of life and optimism".
(Extract from the Article "Odessa - The Europe on the Black Sea Coast" In-flight ‘Carpatair Magazine’ 5^th edition 03.2008-05.2008)

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WORTH VISITING
Odessa, referred to as the "Pearl of the Black Sea", is the 3rd largest city in Ukraine, the largest city along the Black Sea, and the most important city of Ukraine for trade. Odessa's mild climate, warm waters and sunlit beaches attract hundreds of thousands of people year around. Travel to Odessa is the unique opportunity to plunge into the world of unforgettable adventures.  The City of Odessa is an important cultural and educational center. The town is associated with many celebrated writers, musicians and scientists. Amongst the more famous are Alexander Pushkin, who was exiled here and has two statues to commemorate him, Ivan Bunin who received the Nobel Prize for literature, and George Gamow, the world-renowned physicist who left Odessa to pursue his career in the US. First of all, you should go to the port where you can enjoy the fascinating sight of the Black Sea. You can take a cruise on a boat from the port as well; on the way back to the city you will walk on the famous Potemkin stairs. Afterwards, we recommend visiting one of the places listed below. Odessa is a very lively city and in the center, there are plentiful pubs and restaurants of all kinds. The main streets also feature major brand stores of clothes, shoes, sunglasses or cosmetics. Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater Odessa Opera and Ballet House is among Ukraine’s greatest architectural monuments and is one of the most beautiful theaters in the world. It goes after Vienna Opera House. Exquisite inside decor in the style of Viennese baroque blended with elements of the Italian Renaissance and French rococo, sculptural groups taken from Greek mythology – all these tend to create a special atmosphere. The theater has an Italian baroque façade, with a Renaissance-style entrance and stone figures depicting scenes from Aristophanes and Euripides. There are also allegorical stone sculptures of the Goddess of Tragedy, in a chariot drawn by four panthers; Orpheus, charming the centaur with his music; cherubs playing, singing and dancing teaching a young girl; there are busts of Pushkin, Gogol, Griboyedov and Glinka, representing poetry, comedy, drama and music.  The auditorium is in the Louis XVI style, with a chandelier weighing almost two and a half tons, surrounded by frescoes on the ceiling depicting scenes from the Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Winter’s Tale, and As You Like It. The architects, remembering a fire in a Viennese theater, provided the foyer with twenty-four exits. We strongly recommend every visitor to take a tour or go to a show in this magnificent structure.  Potyomkin's stairs The upper flights are 44.22 feet (13.4m) wide while the lower flights are 71.28 feet (21.6m). The stairs' name was taken from the battleship Potyomkin and was to be memorialized in the famous film of that name by the Russian producer Sergei Eizenstein. The stairs were originally known as the Boulevard steps, the Giant Staircase, or the Richelieu steps.  The stairs were so well designed that they create an optical illusion. A person looking down the stairs sees only the landings, and the steps are invisible, but a person looking up sees only steps, while the landings are invisible. This, however, is an optical illusion because in reality, the width of the stairs at the bottom flight is double than at the top flight. On either side of the stairs, there is a stone parapet, and the two appear to run parallel.  Primorskiy Boulevard This boulevard is located directly atop of Potemkin Steps. It has often been used as a backdrop for numerous Soviet made movies. And why not, since its wide cobblestone streets and tall trees provide a scenery that rivals Paris. This boulevard is one of the most picturesque areas in Odessa.  Deribasovskaya Street Deribasovskaya Street has a unique character due to its magnificent architecture, crowds of people leisurely sitting on terraces of numerous cafes and restaurants, perfect cobblestones, no vehicle traffic and big shady linden trees. This special character has survived even through the Soviet times when conforming to the Soviet canons was highly recommended.  Deribasovskaya leads to the City Gardens with its fountain, old summerhouse and sculpture of lion and lioness. City Gardens were laid out shortly after the foundation of Odessa and were its first park. The Souvenir Market with a crowd of artists and artisans demonstrating their works is situated right here. Prices are low, and some items are gorgeous. Bargains are common. Don't miss it if you want to get originally Odessan souvenirs.   This famous street has been featured in thousands of books, films and songs, and remains one of the most celebrated in Ukraine. Odessites are passionate about Deribasovskaya, and a trip downtown cannot be complete without at least an hour spent strolling here or people watching from one of its many cozy outdoor and indoor cafes. Each year Deribasovksaya gets ever more beautiful and of course, more crowded with tourists. Park Shevchenko The park is home to World War II Memorial called the Alley of Glory, constructed in 1961. The park is large, with 225 acres on a plateau overlooking the Black Sea. Duke Armand-Emmanuel Richelieu By taking a walk down to the port, you can note the central statue of Duke Richelieu, the first governor of Odessa. Visiting Russia in 1795, Richelieu was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Cuirassiers of St. George, and later Tsar Alexander I appointed him governor of Odessa and governor general of New Russia, the area between the Dniester River and the Caucasus. After cleaning up a corrupt administration, Richelieu transformed the Black Sea village of Odessa into a modern city. He constructed port facilities and encouraged agriculture and commerce.  City Hall Odessa’s City Hall is a historic building located in front of the monument of Alexander Pushkin that is considered by many to be Russia’s greatest poet. Pushkin spent 13 months in Odessa, naturally falling in love with the city’s charm.  Archeological Museum The statue of Laocoon marks the entrance to Odessa’s Archaeological Museum. One of the oldest in Ukraine, it was founded in 1825. Its development was promoted by the Odessa Society of Antiquity and History, which had the right to carry out excavations in the Northern Black Sea Region. There are more than 160,000 exhibits. They are the basis of one of the largest collection of information sources about ancient history of Northern Black Sea region. The museum hosts a rich collection of archaeological relics of primitive and classical culture, relics of ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, and also a large and valuable collection of coins and medals.  Sobornaya Square and Passage Sobornaya Square is a pleasant location to take in the scenery while sitting on a bench, people watching or doing a little shopping in the Passage shopping mall, located directly across it. Great mixture of shops, it is located in an elegant building in this city center mall. Even if you have no desire to shop, this work of art is worth seeing. Arkadia No daily trip around the city is complete without Arkadia. To get to Arkadia, you need to hail a cab and from the center of the city, it merely takes 15 minutes. This is the jewel of Odessa's nightlife and beach activities in the summer season. It is one nonstop party with restaurants, bars, cafés, clubs, and of course, a lovely stretch of sand and sea. Above the beach, the patios of dozens of restaurant, bars and clubs provide shady spots from which to take in the scenery. Taste delicious local seafood or various ethnic cuisines while also enjoying ice-cold beer or cocktails. The best tables are often reserved, but good service and smiles are quite common here. After the sun has set, the music takes over, and the Arkadia strip comes alive with dancing and nightlife, becoming what someone called the biggest party in Ukraine.  Privoz Odessa's 'Privoz' (Russian translation is 'Supply Place') is an enormously sized outdoor / indoor market, which rivals those of Istanbul and Mexico City. During the days of Communism, Privoz was the only market that assured generous supply of every food type imaginable. Even though the Communist days are long over, Privoz remains a sight to see due to its massive size and array of products offered. It is fair to say that anything can be found at Odessa's Privoz although to see it all may take hours. Privoz is located in Odessa's center, just a short walk-away from the main train station. Tolstoy Palace Tolstoy Palace is an architectural complex erected in 1832 after the blueprints of architect Boffo for Count Tolstoy. The White Hall, the Silk Lounge and the Marble Lounge (where, according to the legend, Franz Liszt used to play), the Nut-tree reception room will charm you with its original furniture and rich trimmings. In 1887 the architectural complex was complemented by the picture gallery (the Green Hall) designed by the Viennese architects Felner and Ghelmer (the same architects who designed the Opera House). The Tolstoy family left a significant imprint upon the history of Odessa by their social and wide philanthropic activity. In 22 years, Count Tolstoy, the honorary citizen of Odessa, was guardian of the public Library, which was built on his donation (now it is Odessa state scientist library). Count Tolstoy and his wife were the initiators and organizers of the first Medical Emergency Service foundation in Russia. Literature Museum (Gagarin Palace) Fine Arts Museum Local Lore Museum (Novikov Estate) The Museum, neighboring with the city garden, is located at the house built in 1876 for the well-known Odessa merchant Alexander Novikov. The first exhibition in August 1944 was "Odessa heroic defense", dedicated to the resistance of Odessa citizens to Nazi during WWII (later this exhibition was moved into the Republican Museum of Odessa Defense). The actual Local Lore Museum was opened on 6 May 1956. Documents, decoration arts, numismatic collections, weapon of the 17th to the 19th century, connected with the history of Odessa region being a part of History and Antiquities Society of Odessa, Museum of Book, Old Odessa Museum, became funds of the Local Lore museum.  This Museum was opened in a house of Prince Pototsky's in 1899. The beginning of the museum started from the collection of canvases given by Saint-Petersburg Academy of Arts. Twenty-six halls store a wide range of fine arts: paintings, graphics, sculptures and decoration art, including a special room provided for the exhibition of Russian and Ukrainian iconographers' works of the 16th to 17th century. Among its collections, one can find works of famous artists Ayvazovsky, Levitan, Repin, Surikov, Shishkin. One of the best of its parts represented by canvases of the 19th and 20th centuries Kandinsky, Benois, Kustodiev, Serov, Vrubel, Roerich. Under the museum, there is an artificial grotto where classical music performances take place. The building was constructed after the blueprints of architect Otton in the mid 19th century for nobleman prince Gagarin, one of the first citizens of Odessa. Classicism and baroque styles found their reflection in the interiors of the palace. Each of the twenty halls is decorated in its own specific style typical for a certain period of literature to which it was dedicated. Rich decorations of the Golden Hall - the gala hall of the museum, will not leave you untouched. The famous Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer Franz Liszt performed here, as historians stated.
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Useful information
 

   Tourist guide

   Airport information

 

Odessa Airport Miniguide

 

    Click & Fly Odessa

 

Carpatair offers:

Flights from Odessa to ROMANIA: Timisoara, Bacau, Bucharest-Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, Oradea, Sibiu, Suceava

Flights from Odessa to ITALY: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Milan-Bergamo, Perugia, Rome-Fiumicino, Turin, Venice, Verona

Flights from Odessa to GERMANY: Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart

Flights from Odessa to GREECE: Athens

Flights from Odessa to REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA: Chisinau

Flights from Odessa to UKRAINE: Chernivtsi, Lviv

 

 

Carpatair offers:

Flights to Odessa from ROMANIA: Timisoara, Bacau, Bucharest-Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, Oradea, Sibiu, Suceava

Flights to Odessa from ITALY: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Milan-Bergamo, Perugia, Rome-Fiumicino, Turin, Venice, Verona

Flights to Odessa from GERMANY: Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart

Flights to Odessa from GREECE: Athens

Flights to Odessa from REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA: Chisinau

Flights to Odessa from UKRAINE: Chernivtsi, Lviv

 

Buy flight tickets for destinations to and from Odessa

 

For information about the flight schedule, please access our Timetable


   City map

 

 

   Population  of the city

1.2 million inhabitants 

   Currency

1 Hryvnia (UAH) = 100 kopiyok
1 USD = approx 5.14 UAH
1 EUR = approx 7.42 UAH

   Language

Ukrainian

   Religion

75% Orthodox

   Local time

GMT+2 hours in winter; GMT+3 hours in summer

   Weather information

Current conditions as of 5:30 pm EEST

Mostly Cloudy

Humidity:	46
Visibility:	9.99 Km
Sunrise:	6:17 am
Sunset:	7:35 pm

19 °

High: 21 ° Low: 12 °

> Detailed Forecast

   Public Transportation

Odessa is one of the few Ukrainian cities to boast regular international flights, and it is also an easy destination to reach by rail and road. The more adventurous types might favor a cruise to Odessa, but you would need plenty of free time to be able to write off the seven to ten days that it would take you to sail down from Kiev.
Ground transportation in Odessa consists of buses, minibuses, trolleybuses, which are basically electric buses that utilize suspended wires for electricity and trams that move on rails.
Public city transport operates from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Trams and trolley buses tend to be crammed tight with people but are a cheap way of traveling around Odessa (only 50 kopeck in the city).
Marshrutkas are route taxis /minivans / microbuses that cost one Hryvna to go to all of the city destinations.
It is all right to flag a marshrutka and ask if it is going to a particular location. Marshrutkas will stop any time a passenger asks.

   Taxi
Taxi is very affordable in Odessa. A five-minute ride should not cost more than 1-2 dollars. The ride across the city would cost you around 4 dollars. Most official cabs are yellow and can be identified by a checker sign.

 

   Embassies and Consulates in Ukraine

 

Consulate of romania in Odessa
Address: 31 Bazarnaia Street
65011 Odessa
Tel: +(380) 482 233 475
Fax: +(380) 482 220 928
E-mail: konsulro@paco.net

Embassy of Romania in Ukraine
Address: 8 Mihaila Kotziubinskogo Street
01030 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 234 5261, 234 0040
Fax: +(380) 44 235 2025
E-mail: romania@adamant.net

Website: www.kiev.mae.ro

 

Embassy of ITALY IN UKRAINE
Address: 32 B Yaroslaviv Val Street

01901 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 230 3100, 230 3101
Fax: +(380) 44 230 3103
E-mail: ambital.kiev@utel.net.ua; ambasciata.kiev@esteri.it

Website: http://sedi.esteri.it/kiev; www.ambital.kiev.ua

 

Embassy of GERMANY IN UKRAINE
Address: 25 Khmelnytskoho Street

01901 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 247 6800
Fax: +(380) 44 247 6818
E-mail: kanzlei@german-embassy.kiev.ua

Website: www.deutsche-botschaft.kiev.ua

 

Embassy of AUSTRIA IN UKRAINE

Address: 33 Ivan Franko Street

01030 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 277 2790, 244 3942
Fax: +(380) 44 230 2352
E-mail: kiew-ob@bmaa.gv.at

Website: www.bmeia.gv.at/kiew

 

Embassy of republic of moldova IN UKRAINE

Address: 6 Sichnevoho Povstannia Street

01010 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 280 7722
Fax: +(380) 44 280 7722
E-mail: kiev@mfa.md

 

consulate of GREECE IN ODESSA

Address: 32 Preobrazhenska Street

65026 Odessa
Tel: +(380) 487 860570, 860503
Fax: +(380) 487 860571
E-mail: grconsodessa@paco.net

 

Embassy of GREECE IN UKRAINE
Address: 10 Panfilovtsy Street

01901 Kiev
Tel: +(380) 44 254 5471, 254 5472
Fax: +(380) 44 254 3998
E-mail: greece@kiev.relc.com