The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ukraine

69 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ukraine

Updated November 11, 2024

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Cities

Unusual Attractions in Ukraine

The center square of Pripyat, once home for 50,000 people. After 22 years of neglect, nature has started to seep through the concrete

Pripyat, Ukraine

Abandoned City of Pripyat

The ghost town left by the worst nuclear disaster of all time is being taken over by nature and urban explorers.

Tunnel of Love

Klevan, Ukraine

Tunnel of Love

This beautiful natural train tunnel is said to grant the wishes of visiting lovebirds.

Bumper cars

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat Amusement Park

This attraction was abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster.

Odesa, Ukraine

Odesa Catacombs

The largest catacomb system in the world.

Exhibit resembling reactor 4 which suffered the catastrophic failure, Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum, Kyev, Ukraine

Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

This unassuming museum's slogan translates to “there is a limit of sadness, anxiety has no limits."

Darth Vader Statue

Odessa, Ukraine

Darth Vader Statue

A monument to Lenin has been transformed into a statue of everyone's favorite black-helmeted, fool-choking Sith Lord.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Abandoned Avanhard Stadium of Pripyat

One of the most poignant ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the local football team's stadium has been quickly reclaimed by nature.

The Golden Gate of Kyiv, as it stands today.

Kyiv, Ukraine

Golden Gate of Kyiv

A reconstructed medieval gateway that was the magnificent entrance to the capital city dating back to 1037.

See All 69 Things To Do in Ukraine

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ukraine

The restaurant's gatekeeper.

Lviv, Ukraine

The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant

Get past the gatekeeper's apartment and enter an elaborate hoax of a restaurant with a Masonic feel.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Canteen 19

The dining hall that nourishes workers in Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone is also open to visitors.

A lard heart.

Lviv, Ukraine

Salo Art Museum

This cheeky restaurant has a serious devotion to lard sculptures.

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Explore Ukraine

Architecture 13

Museums 12

Soviet History 11

Statues 11

Architectural Oddities 10

Disaster Areas 8

Nuclear 7

Subterranean Sites 6

Military 5

Abandoned 5

Collections 5

Art 5

Unique Restaurants & Bars 4

Places To Stay 2

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Stories About Ukraine

Most of the habitat of Ukraine's endangered sandy blind mole-rat (Spalax arenarius) is on the front lines of the war, and the animal has become a symbol of environmental justice for the war-ravaged country.

Amid War in Ukraine, Nature Survives in Unexpected Ways

The war has brought suffering and devastation—and "war-wilding," a surprising ray of hope.

November 11, 2024

Few folk figures have endured like Baba Yaga, who has been described as witch, mentor, villain, trickster, and now, perhaps, a feminist icon.

Who Is Baba Yaga?

Trickster, mentor, probable goddess—Slavic folklore's most famous villain is so much more than a witch.

September 30, 2024

The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv displays installations made of weapons and equipment from the war.

How Ukraine’s Museum Curators Are Risking Life and Limb to Document the War

Working to preserve memory, as history unfolds in real time.

January 11, 2024

Chocolates made in homage of Ukraine's famous bomb-sniffing Jack Russell terrier, Patron.

In Ukraine, Bakers Are Making Desserts Shaped Like F-16s and Bomb-Sniffing Dogs

These symbolic sweets raise morale and funds for defense.

by Lydia Tomkiw

November 3, 2023

In late June, weeks after the catastrophic destruction of Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam, lowered water levels upriver revealed this ancient boat.

The Kakhovka Dam Disaster Revealed an Archaeological 'Goldmine'

Destruction of the Ukrainian dam unleashed a catastrophic flood—and surfaced centuries of cultural heritage. Now there's a call not to rebuild it.

by Roman Cherevko

September 26, 2023

A common noctules bat, Nyctalus noctula, rescued in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, Bat Rescue Efforts Continue Amid War and Destruction

Struggling to save trapped and injured animals, scientists endure Russian shelling and accusations of spreading bioweapons.

by Wojciech Mikołuszko

November 7, 2022

Granovskiy is sending custom-made cezve pots to soldiers.

The High-Octane Coffee Fueling Ukraine's Front Line Forces

The bitter, strong "Ukrainer" provides caffeine and a moment of calm.

How Ukraine’s Environmentalists Are Helping the War Effort

Scientists and citizens unite in a 'vast network of resistance.'

by Matthew Ponsford

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