The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ukraine

69 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ukraine

Updated September 26, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Ukraine

The center square of Pripyat, once home for 50,000 people. After 22 years of neglect, nature has started to seep through the concrete

Pripyat, Ukraine

Abandoned City of Pripyat

The ghost town left by the worst nuclear disaster of all time is being taken over by nature and urban explorers.

Tunnel of Love

Klevan, Ukraine

Tunnel of Love

This beautiful natural train tunnel is said to grant the wishes of visiting lovebirds.

Bumper cars

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat Amusement Park

This attraction was abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster.

Odessa, Ukraine

Odessa Catacombs

The largest catacomb system in the world.

Exhibit resembling reactor 4 which suffered the catastrophic failure, Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum, Kyev, Ukraine

Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

This unassuming museum's slogan translates to “there is a limit of sadness, anxiety has no limits."

Darth Vader Statue

Odessa, Ukraine

Darth Vader Statue

A monument to Lenin has been transformed into a statue of everyone's favorite black-helmeted, fool-choking Sith Lord.

The Golden Gate of Kyiv, as it stands today.

Kyiv, Ukraine

Golden Gate of Kyiv

A reconstructed medieval gateway that was the magnificent entrance to the capital city dating back to 1037.

The restaurant's gatekeeper.

Lviv, Ukraine

The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant

Get past the gatekeeper's apartment and enter an elaborate hoax of a restaurant with a Masonic feel.

See All 69 Things To Do in Ukraine

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ukraine

The restaurant's gatekeeper.

Lviv, Ukraine

The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant

Get past the gatekeeper's apartment and enter an elaborate hoax of a restaurant with a Masonic feel.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Canteen 19

The dining hall that nourishes workers in Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone is also open to visitors.

A lard heart.

Lviv, Ukraine

Salo Art Museum

This cheeky restaurant has a serious devotion to lard sculptures.

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Ukraine

Soviet History 11

Statues 11

Architectural Oddities 10

Disaster Areas 8

Nuclear 7

Museums And Collections 6

Subterranean Sites 6

Military 5

Abandoned 5

Collections 5

Art 5

Soviet Architecture 5

Unique Restaurants & Bars 4

Places To Stay 2

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Stories About Ukraine

In late June, weeks after the catastrophic destruction of Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam, lowered water levels upriver revealed this ancient boat.

The Kakhovka Dam Disaster Revealed an Archaeological 'Goldmine'

Destruction of the Ukrainian dam unleashed a catastrophic flood—and surfaced centuries of cultural heritage. Now there's a call not to rebuild it.

by Roman Cherevko

September 26, 2023

A common noctules bat, Nyctalus noctula, rescued in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, Bat Rescue Efforts Continue Amid War and Destruction

Struggling to save trapped and injured animals, scientists endure Russian shelling and accusations of spreading bioweapons.

by Wojciech Mikołuszko

November 7, 2022

Granovskiy is sending custom-made cezve pots to soldiers.

The High-Octane Coffee Fueling Ukraine's Front Line Forces

The bitter, strong "Ukrainer" provides caffeine and a moment of calm.

How Ukraine’s Environmentalists Are Helping the War Effort

Scientists and citizens unite in a 'vast network of resistance.'

by Matthew Ponsford

These breads have been traditionally decorated for Easter.

The Powerful Symbolism of Ukraine's Easter Bread

All around the world, bakers are making paska in solidarity.

The "sarcophagus" covering the fourth block of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 2018.

Chernobyl's Strange Black Fungi Have a Superpower

The organisms, growing at the Ukrainian site amid invasion and occupation, may one day help keep space travelers safe.

by Eden Arielle Gordon

The 14th-century Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is at the heart of Lviv's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Multicultural Legacy of Ukraine’s Forgotten Region

Remnants of the nation’s diverse history are littered throughout the historical region known as Galicia.

Alice Miceli, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, PTT-8 Sign, Highly Contaminated Ground, Belarus, 2008

The Photographer Who X-Rayed Chernobyl

How to make the invisible visible.

December 4, 2019

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