Very good guide to Ukraine for the serious traveller
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Let's face it, Ukraine is not your typical tourist destination, so it's not surprising that there aren't many guide books out there for visitors to Ukraine.
You need to be a bit adventurous to be travelling to Ukraine, but I can guarantee the experience will stay in memory forever...
The author has lived in Ukraine & travelled extensively to various regions within Ukraine, so he knows what he's writing about!!! I believe he knows not only the country, but also understands the people & culture & language).
Between 2002-2007 I have travelled about six times to various regions in Ukraine, each trip averaging about 2 weeks.
To be honest, I didn't find the book very helpful initially as I had thought a lot of the information in the book had become outdated, etc.
Of course, with any travel book a lot of the information would quickly become outdated as things do change on the day-to-day basis. Information on shops, restaurants, hotels, etc., would become outdated quickly, especially in Ukraine where new businesses come and go. So don't rely on this book for this kind of dynamic information. You might be better off finding the information on the internet, just a few days before your travel day.
However, the more I travel to Ukraine, the more I read the information contained in the book, the more I come to appreciate its value. Some of the information contained in the book is timeless & priceless.
Advice on train travel, for example, is priceless. The author warns about booking a place at the end of train car. Sure enough, I learned the hard way and found out that in the end compartment the window would be screwed shut! Sitting & sleeping in a train compartment with the window shut, with outside temperature of 35C for 21 hours is no fun!!!
The author even explained how to operate the faucet in train toilet, which I wouldn't have figured out on my own...
Section on Ukraine culture & superstitions is also useful. It explained, for example, why my Ukrainian hosts made me sit down just before heading out for a long trip...
If you're interested in finding out about Ukraine as a country, its people, & culture, this book will help you get a glimpse (though, experiencing it yourself is the best way to find out!)
On the other hand, if you're a typical tourist trying to find out the latest information on restaurants, hotels, etc. for your week-long trip to Kiev, for example, this book may not be the one you need.
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a ja liubliu Ukraina!
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I visited Ukraine last year for a month. The Bradt Guide was really helpful and reasonably updated considering things in Ukraine change so rapidly.
I would recommend this book to all the people who want to discover this wonderful country.
Andrew you did a good job!
Max
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Less is more
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This book has good reviews, but is far too detailed for most normal visitors to the Ukraine. I sat down with it one evening, hoping to find some idea of places to see for a short holiday. Instead, I was submerged in academic detail. The editors needed to remember they were producing a travel guide, not an encyclopaedia.
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Great book about Ukraine
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This is an amazing piece of travel writing, providing a visitor with insight on Ukraine's people, history and culture. The guise is very thoroughlly researched and well written. While reading it you get an instant urge to hop on the next Kyiv-bound flight and spend at least a month travelling from the mountains of Verkhovyna in the Carpathians down to the lively villages of Poltavshchyna along the Dnieper.
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Best Guide to Ukraine (reviewed by Ukrainian)
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Having done some travelling before and being familiar with a usual "average tourist" style of travel guides available on the market I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing style of Andrew Evans' writing. He evidently did some in-depth study and managed to capture the essence of the Ukrainian culture in a short space of the first part of the book. I particularly enjoyed a brief overview of the Ukraine's history in the second chapter. I also liked the way Andrew presented Ukrainians with some witty comments in the third chapter of the book and could not agree more with him about the importance of getting to know the local people wherever one is travelling to. The second part of the book ("The Guide") provides concise information on pretty much all major destinations in Ukraine with some very practical advice on transport, accommodation etc. Being born in Odessa and living there for 20 years I enjoyed reading about my birthplace and hope that the positive outlook given by Andrew in his book will encourage many more tourists to visit this beautiful city. I hope very much that with the increasing number of visitors to Ukraine the word will spread about the hidden corners of this East European country and that this will generate a much deserved positive coverage for Ukraine in the Western media. I see this book as a pioneer in this area paving the way for other publications about Ukraine. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is travelling or consider travelling to Ukraine. Those who are particularly interested in Ukraine's capital city - Kiev, may find very useful to read a separate Bradt's city guide due later this year. See their website for more information - www.bradtguides.com
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