Group tour of Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova 2020
| Tour dates and prices, US Dollars, per person | |||||||||
| Start Minsk | End Kyiv | Price, p/p | |||||||
| FRI 05-15-2020 | FRI 05-29-2020 | $ 4149 | |||||||
| FRI 09-04-2020 | FRI 09-18-2020 | $ 4149 | |||||||
| Partner price, p/p | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| $3649 | $3605 | $3564 | $3523 | $3481 | $3439 | $3398 | $3315 | $3233 | $3107 |
| Single Supplement | $ 912 | ||||||||
Best of Belarus, Ukraine & Moldova 2020
Duration: 15 days/ 14 nights – 3 countries
Itinerary: Minsk – Lviv – the Carpathians – Chisinau – Odesa – Kyiv & many more
Group size: 4-10 people
Tour description:
Slavic hospitality is very well known all over the world – the people are incredible friendly! And during this tour you will experience it for yourself. We invite you to discover three amazing countries: Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Including a visit to the country that de jure doesn’t exist. You will discover the ancient and current life of Republic of Belarus. Ukraine will surprise you in so many ways: the nature, the architecture is colorful and majestic, the castles are spectacular. You will visit Moldova and its premier winery which is one of Europe’s biggest. Tiraspol – the capital of an unrecognized country – will take you back to the USSR! This tour is an unforgettable cultural experience. Driving through the countries and sightseeing on the way is the best way to see more sides of Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova from a local perspective. And that is what makes it so memorable!
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
| Day 1 | Minsk Arrival | Minsk |
| Day 2 | City Hall, Holy Spirit Cathedral, Trinity Suburb, «The Isle of Tears», the Victory Monument, Independence Avenue,the National Library, Dudutki Museum | Minsk |
| Day 3 | Mir Castle, Nesvizh Castle | Minsk |
| Day 4 | Rynok Square, Armenian and Jewish quarters, Armenian church, Dominican Cathedral, Boim Chapel | Lviv |
| Day 5 | High Castle Hill, The House of Scientists, St. George’s Cathedral, Opera House | Tatariv |
| Day 6 | Hutsul Everyday Life and musical instruments museum, museum of Vyshyvanka | Chernivtsi |
| Day 7 | Kobylyanska Street, Teatralna square, Chernivtsi National University, Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress, Cathedral of the Saint Peter and Paul | Kamianets-Podilskyi |
| Day 8 | Khotyn fortress, Balti town | Chisinau |
| Day 9 | Cricova Winery, Orhei Vechi | Chisinau |
| Day 10 | The Presidency, the Parliament, Organ Hall, Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Tiraspol city | Odesa |
| Day 11 | Deribasovskaya, Pushkinskaya, Rishelievskaya and Landzheronovskaya streets, Vorontsov palace, Primorskyi Boulevard | Odesa |
| Day 12 | Strategic Missile Forces Museum | Kyiv |
| Day 13 | Kreshchatyk street, Independence Square, Golden Gates, St. Sophia Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Church and decent, St. Michael’s Cathedral | Kyiv |
| Day 14 | Motherland Monument Statue, WWII Museum, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra | Kyiv |
| Day 15 | Kyiv Departure | – |
Lodging level: Hotels are 3-4 stars with additional amenities, English-speaking staff, service and comfort level acceptable to western standards. Please, check the list below. Visit their website to find out more about services.
Hotels (or similar)
| City | Hotel Name | Stars | Address | Phone | Website |
| Minsk | Minsk Hotel | 4 | Nezavisimosti avenue, 11 | +375172099062 | http://www.hotelminsk.by/en/ |
| Lviv | Panorama | 4 | Svobody avenue, 45 | +380322259000 | http://panorama-hotel.com.ua/en/ |
| Tatariv | Koruna | 4 | Pigy st., 660 | +380674426000 | https://koruna.ua/en/ |
| Chernivtsi | Allure Inn | 4 | Central Square, 6 | +380995000822 | http://www.allureinn.com/en/ |
| Kamianets-Podilskyi | Reikartz | 4 | Starobulvarna St., 2 | +380384991635 | https://reikartz.com/en |
| Chisinau | Jolly Alon | 4 | Maria Cibotari St., 37 | +37322232233 | https://jolly-alon.hotelschisinau.com/en/ |
| Odesa | Milano Hotel | 4 | Krasniy Pereulok, 1 | +380482365501 | https://reikartz.com/en |
| Kyiv | Park Inn by Radisson | 4 | Velyka Vasylkivska St., 55 | +380445862900 | https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-kyiv-troyitska |
Tour Type: Active – Walking tours in the cities, some of the cities are hilly or their historical center made of cobblestones. Some hikes, few elevations in the mountains, busy comfortable schedule and some long rides
Special notes: Some of the drives between cities and countries are long and many roads in Ukraine are not in good paved conditions (even though many of them are being repaired) and for a few of the driving days the tour will start quite early and end up quite late in the evening reaching the next destination, so patience is required for such long days.
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Tour Itinerary
| DAY 1 Minsk Arrival
Arrival, meeting and transfer to a hotel. Check-in, free time for rest. Walk to a restaurant. 06:00 pm Welcome dinner (if you arrive on time), now you are a part of JC Travel team (D) |
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| DAY 2 Minsk sightseeing
09:00 am – 06:00 pm Discover Minsk: from the moment of foundation to nowadays. We start our 3-hour walking tour with meeting the local guide in the hotel lobby. You will see the architectural monuments of the 17th – 20th centuries, the Upper Town with the City Hall, the temples and monasteries, a visit to Holy Spirit Cathedral and the old small streets of Trinity Suburb. Continue and visit «The Isle of Tears» with the famous chapel that commemorates soldiers who perished during the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980’s. Explore the Victory Monument; Independence Avenue and Victory Avenue. Then after lunch, we continue to visit the National Library, which was included in the list of the most remarkable buildings in the world! Then drive to the Dudutki museum – the open-air museum of folk architecture; there you will get an idea of the traditional village life. Back to the hotel and free time. (B,L) |
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| DAY 3 Minsk – Mir – Nesvizh – Minsk (250 km or 155 miles)
09:00 am – 06:00 pm We drive to Mir Castle Complex. Mir Castle was founded in the early 16th century. The castle was rebuilt into a magnate palace and became luxurious apartments of the noble family, filled with works of art. Next, we continue to Nesvizh Palace which includes a visit to the museum inside the Palace and a landscaped park in the English tradition. Both palaces are included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. (B,L) |
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| DAY 4 Minsk – Lviv sightseeing
Check-out, pick up at 10:20 am and transfer to Minsk airport for a flight to Lviv 1:10 pm – 02:30 pm (Belavia). Meeting at Lvivairport and transfer to a hotel. Late lunch (04:00 pm) and Lviv city walking tour. During the tour we will see the architecture of Rynok Square, typical Austrian streets, as well as modern dwellings. Together they narrate Lviv’s glorious history. You will walk around the Medieval part of Lviv – the Market Square and the old quarters around it with visits to a few impressive churches and cathedrals.(B,L) |
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| DAY 5 Lviv – Tatariv, the Carpathians (220 km or 140 miles)
09:00 am – 02:00 pm Continue the tour of Lviv. Highlights of this tour include visits of the Opera House, built in the classical tradition with Neo-Renaissance details. Then we visit the High Castle Hill, where a castle once stood during 1300s to the 1770s to protect the residents of Lviv during attacks. The hill now offers the best views of the city. You will discover the former Austrian casino, presently called “The House of Scientists”. The casino was a meeting place for the aristocratic elite. You will also visit St. George’s Cathedral, which serves as a great example of rococo architecture and was built between 1744-1760. Today St. George’s Cathedral is the main Greek-Catholic church. After lunch we drive to Carpathians, Tatariv. Overnight (B,L) |
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| DAY 6 Carpathians sightseeing – Tatariv – Verhovyna – Chernivtsi (165 km or 105 miles)
10:00 am – 04:00 pm. This day is dedicated to the mountains and its people – Нutsuls. We drive to Verhovyna – the capital of hutsuls. You will see traditional mountain villages, find out about people who live there: Ukrainian ethnical group – Hutsuls. We will visit the Hutsul Everyday Life and musical instruments museum, which is located on a hill (hiking required or you will be taken up and down by a soviet jeep 5 mins ride) and will find out about Ukrainian embroidery and its different meanings in the unique museum of Vyshyvanka. A home-made lunch will be served in a private house of one of the museum’s owners to let you feel the life of locals. Then we drive to Chernivtsi, overnight. (B,L) |
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| DAY 7 Chernivtsi sightseeing – Kamianets-Podilskyi (100 km or 65 miles)
10:00 am – 04:00 pm. We will enjoy a 2-hour walking tour in the historical city center, walk along the main pedestrian street – Kobylyanska, will see the City Hall, Teatralnaya square and many other. Will have lunch in one of the local Bukovenian restaurants and then we visit the National University – it will be a real highlight! Then drive to Kamianets-Podilskyi and explore the city. Why does this city seem to be a phenomenon of the cultural and historical importance? You’ll discover the history from the moment of town’s foundation till recent times. You will see the Cathedral of the Saint Peter and Paul, St. Nicolas Armenian Church, Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Smotrich River Canyon and of course, the highlight will for sure be a visit to the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress. (B,L) |
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| DAY 8 Kamianets-Podilskyi sightseeing- Khotyn – Chisinau(335 km or 210 miles)
09:00 am- 07:00 pm. We head to Chisinau with a stop at Khotyn fortress for a photo stop, which was founded in 13th century and had Moldavian, Polish and Turkish influence. Then continue to Chisinau, crossing borders. Lunch in Balti town. (B,L) |
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| DAY 9 Chisinau – Cricova – Orhei Vechi(110 km or 70 miles)
09:00 am – 05:00 pm. We go to the Cricova Winery for the wine tasting of 4 types of wine. Then drive to Orhei Vechi – a unique natural and historical complex in the open air. It organically combines the natural landscape and vestiges of ancient civilizations, it is known for the ancient monastery and eco-village resorts. (B,L) |
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| DAY 10 Chisinau – Transnistria – Odessa (190 km or 120 miles)
09:00 am – 07:00 pm. Enjoy morning walking 2,5-hour tour of Chisinau where you will see both the historic and the modern faces of the city. Who Stephen the Great was and what did he do for the city?You will listen to the cultural, historical facts and legends, while we walk along the central part of the city. On Stephen the Great Boulevard there are many elegant administrative buildings – the Presidency, the Parliament, and the City Administration. There are cultural centers such as the National Theatre M. Eminescu, the Organ Hall, Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Well-known architects and poets such as Bernardazzi, Sciusev and Pushkin gave Chisinau a unique character. Then we drive to Odessa via the country that officially doesn’t exist. Exploring its capital, Tiraspol city. It will take you back in USSR: Feel the atmosphere of this disputed territory, which has always been a battlefield between the major powers of the region. This place is full of contrasts. (B,L) |
| DAY 11 Odessa sightseeing
09:00 am – 01:00 pm. Start your day with a walking 3-hour tour around downtown visiting its historical places and strolling the age-old streets: Deribasovskaya, Pushkinskaya, Rishelievskaya and Landzheronovskaya. You will see masterpieces of architecture and art of buildings, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and also historical buildings, where the archeological and marine museums are situated. Strolling along the Primorsky Boulevard it’s your chance to see an ancient building of municipal Duma, count Vorontsov palace with colonnaded entrance and the monument to Duke de Richelieu and the famous Potemkin stairs. They are the main entrance to Primorsky Boulevard from the seaside from where you witness the fascinating view to the marine terminal and the seaport. After lunch – free time. Optional** tour to Odessa Catacombs, which are some of the longest in the world and played an important role during the WWII as a shelter for the partisans. (B,L) |
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| DAY 12 Odessa – Kyiv (570 km or 360 miles)
09:00 am – 07:00 pm. We drive to Kyiv with a stop on the way: visiting a Cold War era nuclear missile base. The base today is a museum and you can experience a bit of what it was like to serve here.You’ll walk down a 150 meter long underground corridor and take a lift 12 floors down to the “Red” button of the Unified Launch Control Center… (B,L) |
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| DAY 13 Kyiv Sightseeing
09:00 am – 04:00 pm. Our walking tour will start from exploring ancient part of Kyiv city center. You will enjoy seeing Bessarabskyi market, Golden Gates, walk along Volodymyrskaya street and explore St. Sophia Cathedral, will discover secrets of St. Andrew church and descent, will discover St. Michael Golden-Domed Church.After lunch, we continue with a walk along Khreshchatyk street-the shortest yet the widest main street in the world, Maidan- the square where all of the Ukrainian revolutions started and many more! Back to the hotel, free time. (B,L) |
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| DAY 14 Kyiv sightseeing
09:00 am – 01:00 pm. We visit Kyevo Pecherska Lavra with its caves – the most ancient monastery and UNESCO Heritage site, then exploring the Motherland Statue complex and WWII museum. Back to the hotel. Free time. Optional*** tour to Mezhyhirya Residence – a house of Ukrainian former president. 05:45 pm Meeting in the hotel lobby and walk to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner – walk back to the hotel or a guide can assist with getting a taxi. (B,D) |
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| DAY 15 Kyiv departure
Pick up from the hotel and transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Saying goodbye to your new friends… We will be glad to see you again! End of services. (B) |
** Odessa Catacombs tour: Catacombs are underground labyrinths created during the period of the city construction over 200 years ago. They are situated mainly in Nerubaiskoe village (15 km from Odessa), originally created during mining of hardware materials as shell rocks that were used to build the city. Odessa Catacombs are some of the longest in the world and played an important role during the WWII as a shelter for the partisans.
*** Mezhyhirya tour: Have you ever wondered how corrupted presidents live? Here is one of the examples and it’s a great opportunity to visit the residence where former Ukrainian president Yanukovich lived. This place is now called the museum of corruption, which is stunning by its impressive luxury life, incredibly vast territory and nonsense of human greediness.
- We have all rights to change the order of activities or visited places, as well as hotels to similar ones due to unforeseen weather conditions or other reasons in order to make the itinerary run smoothly.
- We reserve the right to apply either trip surcharge or service reduction during the tour if a group doesn’t meet minimum amount of participants in order to run the tour.