Mariinsky Park
The oldest and one of the most beautiful parks in Kyiv. Like many parks in Kyiv Mariinsky park is full of wonderful monuments, beautiful bridges and romantic couples strolling hand in hand. There are some great viewing points, great views of the river Dnipro and many interesting sights to see. Look out for "Lovers bridge" near the old Dynamo Kyiv stadium. Great place to take a stroll or just sit and relax..
Khreschatyk Park
Khreshatyk Park and Mariinsky Park are joined together and are one of the same. The great thing about these parks is how close they are to the very centre of Kiev. You can quite literally walk off the busy main high street Khreschatyk and within 10 mins you have escaped into nature and calm.
Once in the park you will find great viewing points, plenty of shaded tree lined paths and many monuments and interesting places. One of the most important things to consider is the terrain and the amount of walking you could possibly do. Kiev (Kyiv) is surrounded by steep hills and you should make sure you wear a decent pair of walking shoes.
If you are using the entrance into Khreschatyk Park at the bottom of the hill the key sights to look out for are Puppet theatre, water museum, frog monument, Peoples friendship arch, lovers bridge and monument to lovers at the end of lovers bridge. If you enter the park at the top of the hill you will be using the Mariinsky park entrance. Key sights are Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), Mariinski Palace, Directors monument and the old Dynamo Kiev stadium.
Kiev (Kyiv) Fashion Park
This is a great place to visit for adults and kids alike. Lots of fun sculptures and artistic objects scattered over a hilly area where you will have great views over the city. The park includes sculptures and installations created by Ukrainian artists. There are also the unique garden benches designed from the sketches of well-known Ukrainian fashion designers. Do not forget your camera and wear a good pair of walking shoes.
Kiev (Kyiv) Fashion Park is part of a project to showcase the unique art objects in the streets, parks and squares in Ukrainian cities. “Kiev Fashion Park” on Peysazhna Alleia (Landscape Alley) in Kyiv was the first of the parks and was opened on May 27, 2011.
Landscape Alley is the main park but is only part of a bigger project. Art objects connected with this project can be found all around Kyiv in places such as “Babtsya Klasychna” by Anna Kiselova in Taras Shevchenko Park, True love story (Luigi & Mokrina )" in Khreschatik park, "Babka with kravchuchka" by Anna Kiseleva in the left bank of the Dnipro River on the Rusanivska Embankment and many other places.
Grab your camera and take a stroll around a hidden gem in Kiev, fascinating and quirky.