Travel to Ukraine

Budget airline Whizz Air has direct flights to Ukraine from London Luton to Kiev Zhulyany Airport as does Air Ukraine. British Airways offers direct flights to Kiev Boryspil Airport from London Heathrow, while Aerosvit Airlines and Ukraine International fly there from London Gatwick. The cheapest option is with Whizz Air. With flights taking no more than three and a half hours, a holiday to Ukraine can make for a perfect weekend break.

Kiev Boryspil Airport is located 29 kilometres from Kiev city centre and is well served by taxis and buses. If you are thinking of getting a taxi it is advisable to book it from one of the taxi counters located both inside and outside the terminal and to avoid the numerous taxi touts waiting by arrivals. Buses are the cheapest option, they stop outside the arrivals area and serve various different destinations. A journey to the city centre will take around 50 minutes. Kiev Zhulyany Airport is very small and located seven kilometres from Kiev. You can get a taxi or a bus from outside the terminal building.

Ukraine is a pretty cheap country to visit especially compared to UK standards so it's easy to find cheap hotels in Ukraine. For the best deals shop around online and book in advance.

Eating out is easily do-able if you're on a budget and, as long as you avoid the obvious tourist traps, you can pick up a meal for next to nothing. Make sure you try the borscht (soup) and the varenyky (dumplings stuffed with potato and cheese). Those feeling brave should also look out for street vendors selling drinks from big yellow and blue tanksthis beverage is known as kvas and is a brewed bread drink! You will either love it or hate it. But it's worth a try and costs very, very little.

There are markets all over the country, so make sure you pay one a visit during your holiday in Ukraine. You can pick up real bargains on everything from traditional handicrafts to old items from the Communist era.

• Kharkov
• Kiev
• Odessa