Useful information

 

Airport Borispol

Immigration and Customs:
Make sure you keep the departure section of your immigration card safe, otherwise you will have problems when leaving the country. If you bring between $3,000 - $15,000 into Ukraine, you will need to declare the sum in writing. Sums smaller than $3,000 don’t need to be declared. It’s a good idea to declare valuable items on your way in and then keep track of your ‘entry declaration’, as without it a custom official has the right to confiscate any or all of your valuable items (including cash).

Import and Export:
The following items can be brought into Ukraine duty-free: alcohol (1 liter of spirits and 2 liters of wine); cigarettes (200 cigarettes or 200 grams of tobacco or cigars); foodstuff for private use; personal belongings and toiletries; gifts. (Note: only persons over 20 years of age can bring alcohol). Meanwhile, items of high artistic and historical value cannot be exported without permission issued by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Upon departure from Ukraine your customs declaration will be carefully examined. So as a protection for yourself, remember to keep receipts for any valuable purchases in Ukraine and declare items bought in other transit countries. You can find more information on these topics at the following website: http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/customs.htm

Getting to the City Center:
Borispol International Airport is located 40 km from the city center. The most convenient (and most expensive) way to get into the Kyiv city center is by taxi. The trip should cost no more than UAH 120 (25$). There also shuttle busses connecting the airport with metro station and central Kiev. The ticket costs UAH 20(4$). Please don’t exchange large sums of money in the airport as the exchange rate is very low.

Language

Ukrainian is the official language. However, Russian is widely in use in Kyiv. Major restaurants, bars and hotels have English speaking staff, but in general not much English is spoken in Ukraine. Other European languages are not spoken very much either. We recommend that you have a phrase book on hand or find someone bilingual to help you at least for your first hours in the country. For more information look through the following websites:
http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/language.htm; http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/helpful_phrases.htm


Money

The official currency in Ukraine is Hryvnya (UAH). It is easiest to exchange US dollars and Euros. The exchange rate is approx. UAH 5.0 to US$1.00 and UAH 6.0 to Euro1.00. Exchange points are located all over the city, in the markets, in the import stores and just along the street. Usually the signs are in Cyrillic and English. (Obmin Valut or Currency Exchange). Exchanging money with private individuals on the street can be risky and is not recommended. There are many ATMs, however we recommend you use cash and only withdraw money from official bank ATMs as there are still incidences of fraud and pin-code theft. Visa, MasterCard and Eurocard are the three main credit cards accepted in large restaurants, stores and hotels.
Please note, when a price is given in y.e. (pronounced oooh yeah :) ), it is actually in US dollars. We recommend spending all your Hryvnias before leaving the country as legally you are not supposed to take them out.
For more detailed information, check out the following sites:
http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/money.htm
http://kievukraine.info/money.htm
http://www.go2kiev.com/money.html

Climate

The climate in Ukraine is temperate continental. The average temperatures in April vary from 0’c to +15’c during the day and -7’c to 0’c at night. The spring weather can be quite unpredictable, we recommend wearing layers so that you can cool down or warm up as necessary. We also recommend bringing a wind/water proof jacket in case of light (but chilly) spring rain.

For up to date weather information and forecasts, try the following websites: http://weather.cnn.com/weather/forecast.jsp?locCode=UKKK
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/33345.html
http://www.weather.com

Time

Ukraine is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and it uses the Daylight Savings system similar to the rest of Europe. Once you arrive, you may find out the exact local time by dialing 060.

Transport

Similar to most big cities in the world, the most convenient way to get around is by taxi. You can order a taxi by phone or flag down a “gypsy” taxi on the street. Gypsy taxis are privately owned vehicles without meters and are relatively safe. However, its best to avoid getting in a car with 2 or more people already in it, and make sure you negotiate a price before you get in. The average price of a ride is UAH 15 to 20. Most drivers do not speak English.

Public transport is quite reliable and easy to use. It operates from 6 am til 1am. The price is also incredibly affordable (usually between UAH 0.50 and UAH 1.50). The only downside is there are usually a large number of people using the system. Public transport options include underground metro, trolley buses, trams and minibuses known as a ‘Marshutka’.

Metro: The metro is the quickest way to avoid traffic jams. Stations are conveniently situated around the center and tokens can be purchased inside any metro station. You’ll recognize a metro station by the large green “M” next to an underpass or on the side of a building.

Buses and trams: There is a ticket controller on the buses and trams from whom you may buy a ticket, after you buy the ticket you’ll need to punch it (watch other passengers to find the puncher machine). Also Kiev has developed minibuses services.

Marshutka/minibuses: Marshutkas are available on every corner of the city and can get you to your destination much quicker than buses or trams. A passenger fare for minibus service is not fixed and stops can be quite flexible along a given route. The price varies from 1 hryvnia to 1,75 hryvnia (approx. $0.20-0.35).
For more information, the following websites are helpful:

Subway map http://www.uazone.net/Kiev.html
http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/around.htm
http://kievukraine.info/transport.htm


Communication


Phone calls: Making international calls to Europe (and anywhere else) is easy in Kyiv. Pre-paid phone cards available for use on public phones or hotel phones. If you have roaming you will also be able to use your cell phone with few difficulties (provided your service center operates in Ukraine). As usual, hotel rates and calling from your cell phone will be expensive. The pre-paid phone are readily available at post offices, kiosks and phone card stands. To find the best card for your purposes, we recommend asking the person selling them about the best one to buy as different cards have different rates for each country.

Internet cafes: internet cafes are becoming very popular in Ukraine. Kiev has a growing number of 24 hour internet cafes. The cafes can be a little hard to find but once there, the cost per hour is approx. UAH 10 (US$ 1.71). One of the biggest internet cafes can be found next to the food court in Metrograd (the large underground shopping complex at the end of the main street Kreshatik next to Bessarabska Market).

Post offices: Post offices in Kiev are normally open 8 hours a day. The central post office of the city is located at number 22 Kreschatik Street, right on Independence Square. Here one can send letters and packages, buy stamps and postcards, make long distance calls, use fax machines and so on. In Kiev one can also use a variety of mail services provided by such internationally known companies as DHL Worldwide Express, Federal Express, Pony Express, TNT Express Worldwide and United Parcel Service.


For more information on these topics, check out the following websites:
http://www.go2kiev.com/communication.html
http://kievukraine.info/communications.htm
http://www.kiev.info/traveltips/communication.htm

Public Emergency numbers


(Note: you will be given conference related emergency numbers in the conference materials.)

Fire...........................01
Police........................02
Emergency aid/ Ambulance service....03

For more information on public emergency contacts and procedures, look through the following sites:
http://www.uazone.net/Kiev.html
http://kievukraine.info/emergency.htm
http://kievukraine.info/medical.htm