Odessa is the third big city of Ukraine which is one the largest countries of Europe. The city aroused from ashes after World War II and has become a center of culture and education by its universities, museums and theaters.
A temperate marine climate is dominant here in which the weather is warm in summers and cool and rainy in winters. Therefore, the ideal period to visit Odessa is between June and September.
Odessa Travel Tips
Transportation
You can reach the city from Odessa International Airport. By the way, I could not miss the opportunity shop at the duty-free. Using my credit card worked out great. Then I crossed over to the city by taxi. I can say that the taxi is a little expensive. I suggest you to take the bus, tram or minibus in your inner-city transportation.
Where to visit
Odessa is not only a cultural center, but it also contains beautiful beaches. You can find hotels in a wide range of qualities. The most luxurious ones are Duke Hotel, Hotel Bristol, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Odessa, Panorama De Luxe, Villa Le Premier and Maristella Club.
Now time to start touring the city. The first point is Deribasovskaya Street, which is accepted as the heart of Odessa. This street is so lovely, and it is one of the most lively points of the city. The street has an ambiance like a movie frame. Although the place was my first route, I had to come many times.
You can spend all day here with restaurants, shopping centers, cafes. As the streets are very entertaining in the evenings, you can see opera shows and have an amazing night.
My second address was Primorsky Boulevard and then Potemkin Steps. In the flyers of pre-term of World War II, these 142 meters long steps became the symbol of the city. The statue of Laokoon which is placed in front of The Odessa Museum of Archaeology (ODESSA Arheolohycheskyy Museum) attracts the visitors’ attention. “Odessa Art Museum” was another stop that I visited next.
In Odessa, I spent my last days at the beaches. You can go to Arcadia and Lanzheron beach. As I mentioned above, Beribasonskaya Street is the best place for shopping. But I suggest you to see the shopping area in the harbor region.
Here you can buy a lot of stuff at good prices. Another location that I realized was Antique Bazaar, which is open only on Sundays. I didn’t buy anything but even only walking around was enjoyable. Odessa’s local bazaar is called ‘Odessa Privoz.’ You can find many things like flowers to greengrocery, outfits to dry fish.
Food and Drink Culture
Let’s talk about general food and drink culture in Odessa. To begin with, local people divide eating ceremony into three menus. First salad or soup, then meat, chicken or fish served with their indispensable, potatoes and lastly a dessert called “Tretye” with stewed fruit drinks.
The very well-known tastes of Odessa are potatoes served with a variety of sauce, fumed meatballs made of chicken, meat or fish called Katleta, a larger type of red mullet, their local bread Khleeb and traditional soup Borshch.
Besides these, you can find different options of world cuisine and fast-food around. Alcohol drinks such as vodka, beer, and wine are favorites of (local or foreign) everyone.
Festivals in Odessa
Lastly, in addition to sightseeing places, I would like to give information about festivals of Odessa. There are a lot of different events among them. For example, Jazz-Odessa Fest.(September 24-26) for Jazz lovers, Night of Museums (May 15), Humorina Fest. (Nisan 1), Odessa International Movie Festival and 2 Days and 2 Nights of New Music International Music Fest. (April 23-25) are the traditional events of the city. Especially Humorina Festival is an amazing entertainment with colorful and fantastic costumes.
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