Weather in Kiev. Best season for traveling to Ukraine

Today I will tell you when it is better to go to Ukraine and will explain about weather in Kiev and Ukraine in different month. It is not always possible to choose a convenient time for vacation; at certain dates many of us are tied to work or to school holidays… However, I have good news for you – you can go to Ukraine at any time of the year. For different regions, the ideal time to visit is different. It all depends on your goals and desires.

Ukraine has many interesting and different places for recreation. You can go to the sea, see the mountains, and relax in the woods or by the lake. You can also arrange a guided tour to museums, ancient castles or see the amazing nature of the country.

When is it better to go to Ukraine at sea?

The best place to relax in Ukraine is at sea, either in Odessa or on the Black Sea coast. Spring and autumn are often rainy, summer is hot (+28+35°C), and winter is relatively warm and humid (+3+6°C), snowfalls are rather rare. The holiday season begins in June, but there are still a few tourists, while it is quite warm. In early September, most tourists leave, and the velvet season begins; the weather is also good. Therefore, I advise you to come to Odessa in the second half of June or in September.

If you have small children, it is better to come in August, when the water in the sea warms up most (up to +26°C), but this is the highest season when there are many people. However, from the beginning of October to the end of May, the sea in Odessa is not quite suitable for swimming – it is pretty cold, especially after the storms.

Each Odessa beach has its own features and advantages – there are paid and free, wild and refined. You can either enjoy low-cost relaxation, save on something, or spend money on more elite vacation.

In addition to beaches, Odessa also offers many attractions; during excursions you can look see southern treasures and beautiful architecture. The beach area of ​​this resort city stretched as much as 30 kilometers.

Near Odessa, one can also find estuaries: Kuyalnitsky, Hadzhibeysky and Sukhoi, where there are not only beaches, but also springs of mineral waters. If you want to relax in a quieter environment, then do not forget about many small settlements such as Zatoka, Karolino-Bugaz, Ilyichevsk, Yuzhny and others. In these places, there are many recreation centers with cottages on the beach, private villas, hotels and resort complexes.

When is it better to go to Ukrainian mountains?

If your goal is ski resorts in Ukraine, then it is best to come from December to early April; this is the ski season in the Carpathian Mountains, where you can go for snowboarding or downhill skiing.

Carpathians is an amazing place with beautiful landscapes and rich culture. Here you can see the unique nature, mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes.

In recent years, the tourist infrastructure has developed significantly in this part of Ukraine. You can choose a comfortable hotel, recreation center with swimming pool, houses made of Carpathian wood or rent a private house from the owners and do not depend on anyone. The most famous ski resort of the Carpathian Mountains is Bukovel.

In Ukraine, there is another amazing land where you can both swim and enjoy the forest. For example, in the Shatsky National Nature Park, there are 24 lakes, and Lake Svityaz is the deepest lake in Ukraine.

There is incredibly clean water and amazing nature, which attracts tourists not only from Ukraine, but also from other countries. Many people also consider the medicinal properties of the therapeutic mud of the Shatsky lakes. It is also a good place for inveterate anglers. Shatsky National Nature Park is surrounded by coniferous forests with berries and mushrooms.

Also, do not underestimate the places in the so-called Podillia. In historical times, there was a sea in the territory of Podillya; even today, one can still see the traces of its bottom formations on the slopes of the Bakotsky Gulf of the Dniester River. Rafting on the Dniester is also very popular among tourists; it is a holiday for active and extreme adventurers.

Podillya is a land not only with a fascinating nature, but also with a rich history; the land here still hides a lot of its unique memorials like Khotyn and Kamenets-Podolsky fortresses, Lyadovo cave monastery, etc. The National Nature Park Podolsky Tovtry is no less interesting.

If you are going to walk in the mountains, enjoy fresh mountain air and beautiful views, then the ideal time for this is from June to September. In these months, the amount of rainfall in the mountains reaches its minimum, and the number of sunny clear days – maximum.

If you love history, architecture, culture, then come to the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kiev. One can visit temples, monasteries, fortresses and natural attractions in any weather, but still the most comfortable time for this is from April to October. Yet, I do not recommend going to even land in summer – it is very hot! In 2017, the air temperature in July-August reached +35+36°C! May and September would be just perfect.

High season in Kiev

The highest influx of tourists in Kiev is in the summer months. The city is not as hot as other world capitals. Therefore, this time is especially popular among visitors. However, the metropolitan residents, on the contrary, try to leave for the countryside or go to the azure seashore. As a rule, prices for apartment rent grow by 10-15%. Hoteliers as well as those who have anything to do with the tourism business follow the trend. Summer is a busy time in the capital, especially July and August. This is the time of various concerts, festivals and competitions. City welcomes guests of different ages and nationalities.

Low Season in Kiev

From October to April there is low season in Kiev. It is considered “deemed”, because there is enough tourists in the city even in winter – some of them come with business purposes, others – to celebrate winter holidays, some – for sightseeing in the season of holidays and vacations. By the way, a big part of tourists who come to the capital for several days to visit the churches, cathedrals, palaces, museums are Ukrainian schoolchildren. On the eve of New Year and Christmas, there is a real rush in the capital: the city’s illumination is turned on at full capacity, and shopping centers and shops are full of people searching for gifts. Nevertheless, what is remarkable about Kiev is that even in the peak of this or that season one can find affordable housing here.

When is the best time for walking tours in Ukraine?

The age of Kiev is far exceeding 1500 years. As a result, the city turned into invaluable collection of unique architectural ensembles, archaeological monuments and monuments. However, the visiting card of the city is the golden domes of its churches and monasteries. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with holy relics and St. Sophia Cathedral are perhaps the two most outstanding objects of Ukraine, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. When you come to Kiev, it may even seem that the whole life might not be enough life to see everything that this city has prepared for you – so many ancient secrets and mysterious things it stores. Kiev needs to be inspected not from the window of a tourist bus, but during the walks. For this purpose, the ideal time is the end of spring; especially May as it is the time for the awakening of nature. In early summer and in early autumn in the capital will also be very good.

Kiev in spring

Spring in Kiev is a magical time, especially its second half. This is the time of flowering of apricot trees, lilacs, acacias and, of course, chestnuts! Parks and gardens are covered with a green carpet of young grass, and marvelous floral scents hang in the air. In March, the capital is still cold, and it is even snowing sometimes. The temperature rises in early April, when the sun stays longer in the sky. Although it often rains this month. In May, Kiev offers its guests truly magnificent weather: the air warms to 20°C; the city is very sunny and nice. Even small precipitations cannot spoil the mood – on the contrary, after a light rain, the air is filled with barely perceptible pleasant aroma.

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Kiev in summer

Summer in Kiev is hot, but not devoid of precipitation. Summer Kiev is characterized by warm days and cold nights. June starts with comfortable warmth. From time to time, it rains, but not much. Within a couple of hours, due to the bright sun, the asphalt becomes dry again. In July, the temperature rises; the average is up to 25°C. Although sometimes it is up to 28-30°C. At the height of the season, residents and visitors of the city “occupy” local beaches, where river water warms up to about +20+22°C. As for August – it either becomes the hottest month of the year or, conversely, behaves a bit more reserved than its predecessor. The amount of precipitation slightly decreases.

Kyiv in autumn

Autumn in Kiev is cold, but it comes to the city gradually. September is still a transition period. In the first half of the month, it is warm, but in the last week, you have to put on light jackets. Oddly enough, autumn is one of the driest seasons in the year. In October, it becomes frosty, besides, often piercing winds blow. Sunny weather does not bypass the capital, but fogs are frequent visitors too. In November, there is ice on the roads, a light snow falls, and there are minus temperatures at night.

Kyiv in winter

Winter in Kiev is “classically” cold, as it should be, with snow and slides. However, abnormal weather conditions with extreme frosts are not typical for the capital. As a rule, in winter the Dnieper River freezes and turns into a real ice rink. Although this place is more popular among anglers, spending all their weekends here. The coldest month of the year is January. However, this is the time of the New Year and Christmas holidays, so there are anyway plenty of tourists in the city.

Monument to Prince Vladimir, the Baptizer of Rus in Kiev, Ukraine. Overcast winter day. All covered with snow. View of the Dnieper River.