You're reading: Beach bums’ heaven in Kyiv

There are more beaches in Kyiv than you can fathom.

Wild, private, nudist, dirty, clean, by the lakes or the Dnipro River – just get in there early with plenty of sunscreen before the sand feels like a burner.

Each season the question of cleanliness of the sand and the water pops to mind, and each year there are fewer and fewer beaches that authorities declare safe.

This summer only three places (Dytyachy, Telbin and Chortory) received “good-to-swim” passports but we offer you a wider selection where you can strip down, laze in the sun and chill off in the water because – frankly – Ukrainian officials don’t always get it right.

Hydropark is a large recreational complex barely renovated from the Soviet times on the left side of the Dnipro River but Kyivans love it anyways.

It has lot of budget entertainment: from boat rentals to cheap ice cream in the green canopies of the trees.

Dytyachy

This public beach has everything you need – from a lifeguard to a playground – to feel comfortable there with children, hence its name – “Dytyachy” or children’s.

It’s free to enter and throw a towel on the sand but expect to pay some nominal charges if you want a beach bed and a shade.

On the down side, this beach, along with other public beaches in Hydropark, is always crowded but there are plenty of private beaches if you want more privacy. Municipal authorities did detect E.coli bacteria in the water so be careful heading to Hydropark.

Where: Metro Hydropark, take the right turn on the way out of the metro and then left before the Venetian bridge.

Sun City

This beach has everything from a shisha bar and a yoga patio to a massage parlor and a night club. For a fee, of course.

Pay Hr 30 during a week day and Hr 40 on a weekend to enjoy its premises reclining on a chaise longue and an umbrella included in the price. Among other services: Hr 4 per ride down a waterslide, Hr 100 for five minutes on a water scooter and Hr 20 for a 10-minute massage.

Where: Metro Hydropark, turn right on the way out of the metro, past the Venetian bridge turn right again.

Olmeca

Formerly known as Opium club and UA Beach Club, now Olmeca occupies a manicured patch of sand not far from the city center in Hydropark.

A private facility, it has a restaurant with European, Japanese and Asian cuisine, Thai massage services (Hr 600, ouch!), a photographer to capture your joy on the water skis or a wakeboard and plenty of other attractions.
For Hr 50, you get a sun bed and an umbrella. If you like to feel like a VIP, pay Hr 200 and take a dip in a swimming pool instead of the river. To drive a jet ski for five minutes, you’ll have to part with Hr 150.

Where: Metro Hydropark, turn right on the way out of the station, after the Venetian bridge, take the central path to the beach.

 

Bora-bora beach club

As the name suggests, this is one more luxurious beach club in Hydropark with all the facilities you may require from a beach.
Surprisingly, the entrance is free of charge but you’ll have to pay Hr 60 for a beach bed and an umbrella if you don’t want to get burnt. Private bungalows with soft cushions right by a swimming pool, potted palm trees and a yoga session – all try to make you forget you are in Ukraine. That’s if you are cool with paying Hr 300 for a bungalow on Mondays or Hr 400 on Sundays. The parking is free though!

Where: Metro Hydropark, turn right on the way out of the metro, go straight after the Venetian bridge.

Telbin

Surrounded by residential high-rises, this public beach is on the lake and has a feel of a city park. You can spread your towel either on the grass, the sand or rent a chaise longue for Hr 20 for the whole day.

There are volleyball and soccer fields, table tennis and small boats and water bicycles for Hr 45 per hour. The absence of umbrellas is compensated by plenty of trees lining up the bank.

Where: Metro Livoberezhna, shuttle bus #599 to Shumskoho Street.

 

Chortory

This beach on the Dnipro River is for pure minimalists: There isn’t much apart from a toilet and a sports ground. But Druzhby Narodiv Park – which Chortory is a part of – has plenty of entertainment, from wakeboarding to kayaks for rent.

It’s a huge territory with so many green paths that you might want to explore on a bike. No bike rentals there, sadly.

Where: Metro Petrivka, any shuttle bus that goes to Troeshchina, come out and turn right after the Moscow bridge.

Trukhaniv complex

For Hr 120, you get to enjoy the civilized part of the Trukhaniv Island – another woodland area on the Dnipro River overlooking beautiful slopes with onion church domes. The price includes an umbrella, a sun bed, access to two swimming pools and chance to play ping-pong, volleyball, badminton, darts, mini-football or football.

A 30-meter long slide should keep the heart beating if you are bored of lazing in the sun.

Make sure you bring your own food and drinks though; there are no cafes there at this point. And if it’s raining you can still come here to warm up in the sauna for Hr 200 per hour.

Where: Trukhaniv Island, cross the foot bridge at Podil, 12 Parkova Street.

Dniprovska Riviera

The Zhukov Island is a national reserve on the Dnipro River but it doesn’t mean you can’t party there. For Hr 70, you get a beach bed, an umbrella and the quietness of the Kyiv green outskirts.

A waiter will serve you food and drink right on the beach, or you can rent a motor boat for Hr 1,800 for an hour to admire wild Dnipro bays and Ukrainian oligarchs’ and politicians mansions from the distance.

Where: Zhukov Island. If you drive, take the Stolychny road, make a U-turn past the Domosphera supermarket and take the first right into the woodland.

 

Mayachok

This beach is so glamorous; some people like to throw weddings here. But on an ordinary day, the entrance is only Hr 100, which includes beach beds and umbrellas.

For 20 more hryvnyas, you get a gazebo. Mayachok, or a light house in Ukrainian, has Wi-Fi in its restaurant. Playgrounds for children, paintball for adults – Mayachok with its spacious grounds and lots of activities is the place to be this summer.

Where: Zhukov Island. If you drive, take the Stolychny Road, make a U-turn past the Domosphera supermarket and take the first right into the woodland.

Kyiv Post staff writer Oleksandra Dimitriyevych can be contacted at [email protected]

View an interactive map of Kyiv Beaches here.