Because it is one of Europe's oldest and most beautiful capitals — the historic mother-city of the eastern Slavs, set on hills above the Dnipro, with UNESCO-listed golden-domed cathedrals, a grand boulevard centre, a vibrant creative quarter in Podil and a thrilling modern food scene. It is a city of immense cultural and spiritual depth, and of remarkable resilience. Note, however, that Ukraine is currently at war: travel advisories apply and should be checked and respected before any visit.

Is it safe to travel to Kyiv right now?

Travellers must check current government advice before any plans. Ukraine is at war, and Kyiv is subject to air-raid alerts and security risks; many governments advise against travel to Ukraine at the time of writing, and travel insurance and normal tourist services may be limited or unavailable. We celebrate Kyiv as a great European capital and list it for the future and for those with essential reasons to travel, but it is not at present a conventional leisure destination. Always consult your government's latest travel advisory.

What is Kyiv known for?

Its golden-domed skyline above all — the eleventh-century Saint Sophia Cathedral and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and among the holiest places in the Orthodox world. It is also known for the Golden Gate, Independence Square and the Maidan, the artists' lane of Andriivskyi Descent, the creative riverside district of Podil, the broad Dnipro river, and a deep tradition of music, ballet and Ukrainian cooking, from borsch to varenyky.

When is the best time to visit Kyiv?

In ordinary times, late spring and early autumn are loveliest — May, when the chestnut trees bloom along the boulevards, and September, with warm days and golden parks — while summer is warm and lively along the river and winter is cold, snowy and atmospheric. At present, however, the timing of any visit is governed not by season but by the security situation and official travel advice, which must take precedence over all other considerations.

Boutique Hotels in Kyiv, Ukraine

The city and its landmarks

Kyiv's heart is its golden-domed heritage, much of it protected by UNESCO. The Saint Sophia Cathedral, begun in the eleventh century, holds Europe's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics and frescoes beneath its bell tower; across the city, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, is a vast complex of churches and underground passages above the Dnipro, the spiritual core of the country for a millennium. Between them stand the neo-Byzantine St Volodymyr's Cathedral, the reconstructed St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, and the Golden Gate, the restored eleventh-century entrance to the old city.

The modern city is just as compelling. Maidan Nezalezhnosti — Independence Square — is the symbolic centre of the nation; from it runs the Khreshchatyk, the grand central boulevard, and the steep, cobbled Andriivskyi Descent, lined with artists' stalls and the swirling Baroque of St Andrew's Church. The riverside district of Podil is the city's creative quarter, full of cafés, galleries and small bars; the Dnipro itself, with its islands and beaches, is the city's summer playground. Kyiv's museums, its opera and ballet, and a food scene that has reinvented Ukrainian cooking for a new generation round out a capital of real cultural weight.

For where to stay, the club's choice is in the thick of it: 11 Mirrors, a design-driven hotel near the Golden Gate and the Opera House, founded by the boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with a panoramic restaurant and rooftop high above the centre. Central, characterful and warmly run, it is a fitting base in the Ukrainian capital.