Travel

Dnipro (or Dnepr/Днепр/Днипро/Днепропетровск) is a 2nd tier city in Southeastern Ukraine. Having traveled around Ukraine and decided that Kiev is the best city in Ukraine, I would’ve never visited this city had it not been for my friend’s constant nagging to visit him and check it out.

Finally, another friend of mine who had lived here before couldn’t stop praising this city and asked me to meet her there on the weekend that she would be there. I figured this would be a great opportunity to get to know a new city with a someone who’d lived there before. I accepted her offer and bought a ticket on a fast express train from Kiev.

For the first week, I rented an apartment in a very commercial (and expensive) part of the city that was supposed to be the center of everything (Мост Сити, “Bridge City”). Indeed, it was in the center of everything; there was a huge shopping center right in the same complex complete with a huge supermarket and  Western brands such as Zara, Diesel and Massimo Dutti.

Beyond the expensive department stores, everything about this “commercial center” screamed cheap and underdeveloped. There was nothing “exclusive” or “luxurious” about it, and it was a far cry from anything like Kiev’s “Maidan” (Independence Square) or even some of the more charming squares in other Eastern European cities. Its lack of tasteful architecture was also rather hard on my eyes. The only thing I noticed was lots of concrete.

Thinking that this “commercial center” was all there was to this city, I immediately regretted making this trip and started planning my return back to the capital.

Fortunately, the situation improved dramatically when I switched apartments and moved to a different area. Not only was the apartment itself newly remodeled and one of the most spacious I’ve ever stayed in Ukraine, but the neighborhood was awesome; it was very green and bohemian with plenty of great restaurants and a few cool bars. I enjoyed the area so much that instead of spending only a week, as I originally planned, I ended spending almost the entire summer here.

Awesome restaurants and coffee shops

For an Eastern European 2^nd-tier city, there are surprisingly great food choices when it comes to restaurants and coffee shops. There are at least a dozen restaurants that I would easily call “world class” where I wouldn’t hesitate to invite a good friend or even my lovely Mom—my trusted litmus test for a place’s excellence—should she happened to visit me.

As a burger lover, I’ve had one of the best burgers and meat as long as I can remember. I’ve also had excellent Italian food and even pretty decent Mexican enchiladas.

While there are plenty of great restaurants, the coffee shop scene (mainly for getting lots of work done) isn’t terrible but could definitely be improved. After living here for a few months, I still didn’t have my “ideal” coffee shop, one that would be my default choice when I was tired of working at home and needed a change of scenery.

On the other hand, this is where a city like Kiev shines. I can easily name five coffee shops that I can go to and get some serious work done. As a location-independent entrepreneur, this is important.

Compact center

One of my favorite things about Dnipro is the fact that the center is very compact. One can cover this part of the city in about ten to fifteen minutes. Since the center is where all the desirable attractions are, this makes it super easy to have dinner with a friend (who also happens to live in the center) without being stuck in traffic while taking a taxi or public transportation.

It’s not some tiny center either. There are plenty of great restaurants, coffee shops and bars bunched all pretty next to each other. There are also lots of great clothing stores, whether it’s from a local designer or from some famous Western brand.

I cannot overemphasize how convenient this is. Even in Kiev, which isn’t a huge city by any means, everything is so spread out and there isn’t a “true” center. That means meeting a friend in the “center” easily means either a 30-45-minute walk or a 15-30-minute ride by car (assuming both of you live at least close to center). Here, no such issues exist because you simply leave your apartment and ten minutes later you are outside your friend’s apartment or inside the restaurant.

Just to give you an idea, imagine New York City with only the Prince St. in Greenwich village or LA with a small chunk of Melrose Ave. That’s a hell of a lot more convenient than making the trek from South Brooklyn or Bushwick in NYC.

Western Conveniences

For a seemingly sleepy Eastern European city in the middle of nowhere, there are plenty of Western-style conveniences. There are tons of Western-style supermarkets where you can buy all kinds of products that your heart desires. There are the familiar Western clothing brands such as Diesel, Nike and Levi’s. There’s also Uber for easy trips within the city or even to some nearby destination.

One may argue that these Western-style companies and influences are making Eastern European cities such as this one more “Westernized,” but I’m all for it if it makes the city more convenient and pleasant to be in.

“A city in the valley”

Unlike Odessa, Ukraine, Dnipro doesn’t have access to beautiful beaches of the Black Sea, but it mostly makes up for it with access to a beautiful river, Dnipro, which runs along the middle of the country. The city’s main attraction is the wide riverfront area called набережная. In the summer, that’s where you’ll find all kinds of people walking, sitting and overall enjoying life. There are also tons of great restaurants overlooking the beautiful river.

In some strange way, Dnipro—unlike Kiev and other Ukrainian cities—even has an eery Latin American feel. My neighborhood reminds me of Mexico City’s Condesa or Colombia’s Cali. The fact that it has a Latin American feel was definitely one of the main things that drew me to this city and got me to stay longer.

But unlike Latin America, with its crime and unpredictability, Dnipro, like the rest of Eastern Europe, is fairly safe and predictable.

Dnipro is a “hard” city

It didn’t take me long to realize that it’s a rather “hard” city. When I say, “hard,” I’m referring to the people and their behavior. Unlike Kiev or St. Petersburg, two cities infused with great culture and friendly people, in Dnipro, people almost never say “Hello” when greeting you—unless you say it first—everyone is mostly just going about their business.

I’ve had plenty of situations where I interacted with someone and then shook my head in response to their behavior. Things like opening and holding doors for random strangers were rarely (or never) met with a “thank you.” Ask for something in a supermarket, and the person behind the register would simply ask, “What do you want” point blank without greeting you of any kind.

Generally speaking, Eastern Europe as a region is fairly “hard.” It’s not a region where people typically go out of their way to make sure you’re satisfied with anything. This is something I experienced first hand when I spent a few months living in Russia several years ago.

Nevertheless, over the past few years, the region has been undergoing great gentrification that cities like Kiev are actually becoming more or less pleasant cities to spent lots of time in, even for picky foreigners who’re used to Western handholding.

Dnipro is a bit behind in this regard. It’s quintessentially Eastern European in a sense that nobody really cares about whether you enjoyed the pasta dish in a restaurant or the fact that you don’t understand something in a supermarket. Customer service simply doesn’t exist.

Meeting people is surprisingly difficult here because, unlike in Kiev, where people are more cosmopolitan and are at least somewhat curious of people from other cities or countries, people here are more reserved and guarded.

Of course, it wasn’t like this with every person I met, there are plenty of friendly people who at least went out of their way to help you (mostly in department stores), but for the most part this city was decidedly unfriendlier than other Eastern European cities such as Kiev, St. Petersburg or even Bucharest.

Is Dnipro a livable city?

The entire time I lived in the city, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether it’s a city I can make peace with and learn to love. And, indeed, if someone put a gun to my head and told me to live here or else, I would certainly find ways to adjust. It’s a city that has everything one would need for a comfortable life. There are great restaurants and coffee shops allowing you to have a great lifestyle for a fraction of the price elsewhere.

But, yet, even as I was writing the above paragraph, and even if I had a great job and a nice apartment, this city still would never be my first choice.

As someone who was born in Ukraine and speaks the language, I’ve had my share of challenges in the city but for the most part, I’m used to the Eastern European mindset and life, so the lack of “humanity” didn’t affect me all that much; it’s something I fully expect. However, I would never recommend this city to a foreigner. I can already see them complaining about how no one “gives a fuck” about their concerns.

Even the fact that this city is “hard,” can also be flipped on its head and become an advantage. I know many people who actually prefer Dnipro over the more cosmopolitan Kiev. It’s smaller, more navigable and the “hardness” of the city can be an advantage because people always keep their word and don’t flake on you in the last moment like they do in bigger cities.

Ultimately, I realized that regardless of what I thought and how much positive spin I can create around this city, I was still in a 2^nd -tier city in Eastern Europe. And, in Eastern Europe, as my experience has proven again and again, the only livable places are really the 1st tier cities; everything else is too broken (both literally and metaphorically) to provide a decent quality of life.

Why live in a 2nd-tier city when I could just as easily be living in Kiev—a truly awesome city—where people and the architecture are much more friendlier and welcoming?

Thus, it seems that no matter where in Ukraine I travel to and live, all roads always lead back to Kiev.

Ever since Crimea became under Russian control in 2014, Odessa became Ukraine’s premier—and pretty much only—beach destination. It’s where everyone tries to go at least once during the scorching summer in order to escape the unbearable heat.

Is it a city you should also put on your radar? In this article, we’ll discuss all of this and more.

Orientation

First of all, there are two parts to Odessa, at least which are of importance to visitors. There’s the scenic downtown, arguably one of the most beautiful in Eastern Europe, and the beach area along with its beach bars, nightclubs, etc.

The downtown

The downtown area is worth a visit all in itself. It’s simply gorgeous and definitely gives other cities a run for its money—not only in Eastern Europe but in the richer Western Europe as well.

There are tons of

In terms of the beach area, opinions differ, but words such as “glamorous” or “scenic” don’t really come to mind.

The beach

Odessa has a relatively large coastline, containing tons of different beaches which are frequent by different people. The closest beach from the city itself is called Lanjeron; to reach it simply walk eastward from the center, and sooner or later, you’ll get there.

As you head south along the coastline, you’ll get to such beaches such as Otrada, Arkadia (see below), and a bunch of other beaches

Beach bars

There are a couple of very popular nightclubs that every local knows about: Ibiza and Ithaca. During the day, there’s a pool area and a beach area. So, you can rent a beach chair or an entire tent either near the pool or closer to the water.

Since the water isn’t always very clear and the sand isn’t exactly powdery white (we will get into that later), it’s probably better to do so near the pool.

Of course, these are premium areas, so not only do you have to pay for the chairs, but there’s also a fee for entering the place itself.

Once you’re on the property, you can order drinks and food, and whatever else your heart desires.

The prices are rather steep. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but they were also higher than elsewhere.

There are other beach bars, all catering to a different demographic with different services and prices. The last time I visited Odessa, I actually stayed in a quaint beach bar near the southern part of the city. It was much chiller and calmer than the other party beach bars and matched what I was looking for perfectly.

The women

Alright, so I won’t keep beating around the bush. Most of you are probably came on this page expecting me to talk about women.

Apart from what has already been covered here, Odessa’s women are some of the most beautiful and sexiest in the entire country. I suppose they have the sun to thank for that.

They’re tanned, have great bodies and are always wearing the latest threads. I’ve even heard that fashion starts in Odessa and is later adopted by the rest of Ukraine.

But, easy they’re not.

It’s not possible to arrive in Odessa for a weekend (or even a week), meet a bunch of women and have sex with them quickly.

If you want something to happen with women, you would need to factor in at least a couple of weeks (a month is even better).

Plus, the city is overrun with Turkish men, so the local women definitely know why male tourists come to the city. (And it’s not to look at the fine architecture).

That means you really need to know what you’re doing or at least be living in the city for a while.

Odessa – livable city?

I guess the jury is still out on this one. Is Odessa a livable city is a question that I’ve been asking myself for as long as I’ve been in Ukraine.

I suppose the biggest downside of the city is that beyond the scenic downtown (which really isn’t that big) and the beaches there really isn’t much to do.

The locals don’t speak much English. They’re also not very friendly, or at least as friendly as in other parts of the country.

The beaches aren’t anything to write home about. The sand (or rocks) can get very coarse in some places and you have to get pretty lucky to see clear water. (When I spent a week there, most of the time the water was green due to other water debris).

Then, when you happen to venture outside the main center, you’ll quickly realize that Odessa is very poor. There are neighborhoods with broken down homes, entire blocks without street lights.

Essentially, once you live downtown, you immediately get a feeling that you’re truly in a third world country.

Then, outside the summer season, the city turns grey and it rains a lot. While it doesn’t get as cold as in the capital, it’s still not the same city as it was during the summer.

While I can see myself spending a month or two in the summer, I could never live there in the winter.

All of this gives Odessa a decidedly provincial city feel.

When you’re in Kiev, you actually feel that you’re in the capital, but when you’re in Odessa, you really feel that you’re in some city on the edge of the country.

Final thoughts

For the reasons above, I really can’t recommend the city as a base outside the summer months. It’s just too small and provincial to give you a decent quality of life that you would have if you lived in a bigger city like Kiev.

However, what do I know? Maybe you’ll visit and immediately fall in love with the city and view every con listed in this article as a pro.

Is Odessa worth it? There’s really only one way to find out.

Like all European countries, Ukraine has four basic seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn (fall).

The weather can be categorized as extreme. The summers are rather hot, typically reaching temperatures upwards of 30 to 35C; the winters can be rather cold, typically reaching temperatures upwards of -10 to -20C in some areas. Then there are two brief seasons in the middle—spring and fall—that appear out of nowhere and disappear as quickly as they appeared.

Ukrainian winter typically starts around the end of October or the beginning of November. It lasts until around the end of March or the beginning of April. The first week of May usually marks the official beginning of spring; there’s a week-long holiday where people travel to relax, mostly to the countryside.

By the end of May and the beginning of June, temperatures start to gradually climb signaling the start of the summer.

Where to go in the summer

June, July and August can be scorchingly hot in almost every city in Ukraine, especially in the Eastern and Southern parts of the country.

This is a great time to visit and explore the country, but I would mostly recommend spending a few days in a land-locked city such as Kiev or Dnipro and then head down and enjoy the beaches of Odessa.

While Kiev is great in the summer, I don’t particularly love its climate. It can get super hot and muggy, so much so that you’re always sweating regardless of where you go. Plus, you can’t really escape it; there are no beaches nearby. That’s why making a quick trip to Odessa is always a wise choice.

Another good option for the summer is to head out to Western Ukraine and spend time in the mountains. As soon as you climb above sea level, the weather cools down and becomes much more bearable. Once you’re there, you can rent an entire cabin for the summer and enjoy the beautiful countryside, the healthy food, and the fantastic air while everyone else is suffering in the cities.

Where I spent my summer

One summer, instead of spending it in Kiev, I went and lived in another city in a different part of the country. While living there, one weekend I took a trip with my girlfriend to a nearby little town. It was one of those country-style inns with a restaurant. There was even a small pool to cool down.

In the area, we were surrounded by private homes, many of them had pools. At this point, I realized that spending a hot summer in one of those houses with a pool wouldn’t be such a great idea. Unfortunately, I realized this at the beginning of September just as the temperatures started to climb back down and taking a dip in the pool was no longer a very enticing thought.

The summers are also great for dating because everyone is enjoying the weather and themselves, especially if they’re relaxing by the pools or beaches of Ukraine’s coastal cities.

Spring and autumn are great

I personally think that the best time to visit Ukraine would be either the spring or the autumn. Eastern European spring is absolutely gorgeous. The weather goes from cold, rainy and cloudy days to warm and sunny days. People’s moods and behavior changes. The birds are chirping. The flowers are blooming.

On the other hand, coming in the autumn while probably isn’t as pleasant as in spring is still a nice time to visit. The end of August and the first several weeks in September is actually a great time to visit the country. The temperatures have cooled down so that it’s no longer unbearably hot but still not yet cold. This makes it ideal for exploring Ukraine’s cities and countryside.

What about the winter?

Personally, I hate it when it’s cold and I need to put on twenty layers of clothing before stepping outside. Never mind the snow everywhere, the slush and the ice. In fact, the worst days are those that are extremely sunny; it seems the sunnier the winter day, the colder it’s outside.

I remember spending a winter in Kiev and, for the most part, the temperatures weren’t that bad. It was mostly hovering around 0C with an occasional -5C or so. But, then, the week of the New Year’s, it had suddenly dropped to -20C and -30C. That lasted for around ten days. That meant as soon as you step outside, you immediately feel cold—regardless of how many layers of clothing you put in.

Not fun in the least.

Fortunately, that didn’t last the entire winter and temperatures quickly went back to -5C or so, which was a bit more bearable.

There are people who actually enjoy the deep winter. Some find it “romantic” sitting at home, enjoying a hot beverage while watching the snow slowly fall on the city. I’m certainly not one of those people—give me a tropical beach anytime—but I understand where they’re coming from.

If you do choose to come in the winter, I have one piece of advice: make sure you stay in the center of the city which is replete with beautiful buildings and timeless architecture. Don’t stay outside the city center which is typically full of rusty Soviet-era buildings and broken roads.

Staying in the beautiful city center makes the winter much more manageable.

Of course, one option is to skip the winter altogether. I know many younger Ukrainians leave the country and go overseas, to countries like Thailand and Bali. Of course, that means leaving your jobs for a couple of months and then either finding a new one when you get back or begging your old boss to take you back.

Another option is to suck it up, buy some good clothes and stay for the winter. After all, Russian cities in the north have it much worth. And, given everything, Ukraine’s winter is pretty manageable.

Final thoughts

I would give anything if Ukraine’s climate was similar to Barcelona’s or Rome’s: long warm summers and short and mild winters. Of course, it would be even better if it closer to Medellin, Colombia’s with its permanent spring, but then it wouldn’t be Ukraine and instead some other country.

Instead, the existence of all four seasons gives you a chance to experience four different types of Ukraine. And, if you come with the right expectations, you shouldn’t be disappointed regardless when you make that trip.