Category: Odessa – Things to See & Do

October 4, 2008

A walking tour of old Odessa town, Ukraine

On a brief stopover in Odessa, one of the best ways to get a feel for the city is to do a walking tour of the old town.  As our ship was moored at the sea passenger terminal, …

September 28, 2008

Count Vorontsov's Palace: Odessa, Ukraine

To experience more of the history of Odessa, walk to the northern end of Primorsky Boulevard and here you’ll find the Palace of the Governor General Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov.  The Palace is yet another architectural design of F. …

September 27, 2008

Deribasovskaya Street: Odessa, Ukraine

On any walking tour around Old Odessa, you will no doubt come across Deribasovskaya Street, one of Odessa’s most famous streets.  The street was named in honour of the founder of Odessa, Joseph de Ribas, a commander of …

September 24, 2008

Londonskaya Hotel – Money exchange in Odessa, Ukraine

We were on a mission to get some Ukrainian hryvnia this morning and our guide brought us to the Londonskaya Hotel on Primorsky Boulevard.  Did other people wonder, as I did, as to why we would change money …

September 21, 2008

Potemkin Steps – Odessa, Ukraine

Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 black and white classic, the Battleship Potemkin, brought cinematic fame to Odessa’s Potemkin Steps.  Movie buffs will easily recall the famous scene where innocent civilians were massacred on the Steps and the tension-filled sequence …

September 19, 2008

Tomb of the Unknown Sailor: Shevchenko Park – Odessa, Ukraine

Odessans have a strong tie to their naval and maritime heritage and at the Sea Passenger Terminal Saint Nikolay, patron saint of sailors, watch over the port. A visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Sailor at Shevchenko …

September 14, 2008

Dnieper River Cruise: Odessa, "Pearl of the Black Sea"

Apart from its famous Potemkin Steps and the mutiny on board the battleship Potemkin, I had very limited perception of Odessa as a tourist destination.  Travel guide books suggested that its a city of great historical significance and …