The Kiev Information section embraces all aspects of Kiev's impetuous and bright life and tells about the past and present of the capital of Ukraine. Learn what places of interest you definitely must visit, where to go shopping and what restaurants are really worth trying. The comprehensive and most up-to-date information is conveniently arranged to save your time.
A visitor coming to a foreign country for the first time may feel uneasy. He isn't sure whether he can smoke in public places or not, wonders how much he is expected to leave for the waiter, and so on.
The usual "don't be stupid" advice seems to be adequate. Avoid drinking the water from the tap--bottled water is cheap and available everywhere. Kiev is a generally open and friendly city and stays lively until at least 11PM in most districts.
If you are female, and especially if you are traveling alone, try to take a taxi instead of public transit after 9 p.m. These are prime drinking hours and the metro and marshrutky may be crowded with drunken men. This is particularly true on the weekends. Ask a local English-speaker to call the taxi for you and get the amount of the fare in advance; drivers may greatly inflate the fare once hearing your accent.
Robberies and scams on tourists are fairly common in Kiev. The best approach is to be extremely selfish and ignore anyone who approaches you. Avoid eye contact with suspicious looking people. If you do get caught up in a scam (such as the infamous wallet scam or the "Look, I've just found money" scam or even if you are stopped by someone claiming to be a policeman), simply ignore the person and walk away, indicate that you want to call your embassy or go to the next police station to get the problem sorted. That will usually shake the person off.
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