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Jul 19, 2023 · The city on the Black Sea has long been Ukraine’s link to the global economy and home to its busiest ports. With Russia’s withdrawal this week from an internationally backed wartime...
Mar 2, 2022 · Residents of Odessa, Ukraine’s critical port on the Black Sea, are bracing as Russian naval and ground forces approach. “Every day they make it seem like today is the day,” the mayor said...
May 2, 2024 · Odesa, seaport, southwestern Ukraine. It stands on a shallow indentation of the Black Sea coast at a point approximately 19 miles (31 km) north of the Dniester River estuary and about 275 miles (443 km) south of Kyiv. The city is an important cultural and educational center as well as a major port.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre.
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Make It Happen
Morning
This is a city best enjoyed on foot, so start early with a coffee – or perhaps a kompot (fruity drink) – at Kompot, a trademark Odesa cafe on pedestrian Derybasivska street. A leisurely walk towards the port takes you past a ‘who’s who’ of Odesa’s illustrious ex-residents. Look for the statues of José de Ribas (the Spaniard who built Odesa harbour) on the far end of Derybasivska, beloved Russian poet Alexander Pushkin at the colonnaded City Hall around the corner, and Frenchman Duc de Richeli...
Afternoon
To get your first taste of Odesa’s flourishing culinary scene, pop into the City Food Marketfor a quick lunch. It’s a tempting mix of street food with everything from burgers and pasta to a hummus bar and pho soup stand under one hip roof. Sufficiently energised, embark on one of Odesa’s more unusual adventures: a catacombs tour. You’ll get a great experience at the Secrets of Underground Odesa museum in Moldavanka, the rough-around-the-edges neighbourhood masterfully described in Isaac Babel...
Evening
If you’re feeling up to it (and it’s summer), stay on Arkadia to sample Odesa’s infamous nightlife, as the rowdy Ibiza-style clubs here go off until dawn. You don’t need to venture far for dinner, either – the popular Dacha, just above the beach, is a fun choice with wholesome meals in an ambiance that resembles a Russian country house. For a more low-key evening, head to the City Garden for Ukrainian borsch soup, Black Sea salmon and Georgian khachapuri pastry at stylish Klarabara, followed...
Morning
Kick off day two with a ‘gogol-mogol espresso’ at Gogol-Mogol, a cheerful cafe named after a traditional egg-based dessert and decorated with old books and bikes, and spend the morning museum-hopping. At the Odesa Archaeological Museumyou’ll get acquainted with perhaps less expected actors on the region’s history stage. Impressive statues and sarcophagi attest to the spread of ancient Greek settlements across the northern Black Sea coast, while the Skythian section brings to life the nomadic...
Afternoon
When it’s time for lunch, stop by the slick Gastrobar Odesato fortify yourself with some healthy tapas or grilled meat, but give the drinks list a miss because you’ll need a clear head for your next destination. Hop on a trolleybus from Shevchenko Park to the Shustov Cognac Museum, which is worth a visit even if you’re not a fan of the fancy drop. A guided tour includes tasting and can be booked online; you’ll learn all about the Shustov family, the history of the drink (brought to Odesa’s po...
Evening
Make your way to the Palais Royal Garden for dinner at Maman, the top venue for Odesa fusion cuisine, or join the cool crowd at Dizyngoff, near the Potemkin Steps, for creative cocktails and more French and Middle Eastern influences on the menu. End the day in style with a performance at the glorious Odesa Opera & Ballet Theatre, praised both for its neoclassical architecture and excellent acoustics. If alternative-culture gigs are more your thing, don’t miss the open-air Green Theatrein Shev...
Odesa is well connected by air with a number of European destinations, as well as Istanbul and Tel Aviv. If you’re flying into Kyiv, there are several daily flights between Odesa and the Ukrainian capital (which only take an hour), or you can choose the more romantic overnight train experience. For some French-inspired luxury, Hotel de Paris Odessa...
Aug 19, 2022 · Odesa is the crux of the war not only because it holds the key to the Black Sea but also because in it the battle between Russian and Ukrainian identity — an imperial past and a democratic...
Mar 12, 2024 · A new anti-aircraft alert resonates. Despite the renewed maritime traffic, the “pearl of the Black Sea” has not recovered its appeal as a link between Ukraine and the wider world. Odessa's famous steps, immortalized by Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin in 1925, no longer escort travelers from the port to the city ...
