Located by the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, Odessa is a lively seaside city that has its fair share of enjoyable beaches, not the mention the famous Black Sea sun. It is also a city of historically and culturally fascinating sites, and of great entertaining facilities which keep you busy until the early morning hours.
The most famous sights of Odessa are the Potemkin Stairs and the Old Town of Odesa, but also the opera House and the many fascinating museums in Odessa are worth seeing. The city of Battleship Potemkin offers much to see also for culturally oriented visitors, and for those who like to spend their holiday in historical World Heritage settings. With its museums devoted to famous men like Pushkin and Aivazovsky, Odessa is also a city of arts.
Sunny city. The obvious magnets of Odessa are sun and beaches. There are 295 sunny days a year, and beaches like Arcadia are filled with sun bathing people during the peak summer period from June to August, when facilities for entertainment and nightlife in Odessa are at their best. The many spas and therapeutic resorts in Odessa offer relaxing health treatments. Furthermore, there are facilities for shopping in Odessa, and the inviting outdoor restaurants in Odessa serve you tasty Ukrainian food. If you dare, you can also visit Odessa's historical catacombs.
Odessa's attractions from Black Sea beaches to Potemkin stairs
A popular Ukrainian beach resort since the Soviet times, Odessa, also known as Odesa, hosts several nice Black Sea beaches. All of Odessa's beaches are located at the eastern part of the city. The most popular of these is called Arcadia. Although Odessa's increasing popularity as a tourism destination owes much to its famous beaches, the city would not be quite the same without its many fascinating historical and cultural attractions.The most famous sights of Odessa are the Potemkin Stairs and the Old Town of Odesa, but also the opera House and the many fascinating museums in Odessa are worth seeing. The city of Battleship Potemkin offers much to see also for culturally oriented visitors, and for those who like to spend their holiday in historical World Heritage settings. With its museums devoted to famous men like Pushkin and Aivazovsky, Odessa is also a city of arts.
Sunny city. The obvious magnets of Odessa are sun and beaches. There are 295 sunny days a year, and beaches like Arcadia are filled with sun bathing people during the peak summer period from June to August, when facilities for entertainment and nightlife in Odessa are at their best. The many spas and therapeutic resorts in Odessa offer relaxing health treatments. Furthermore, there are facilities for shopping in Odessa, and the inviting outdoor restaurants in Odessa serve you tasty Ukrainian food. If you dare, you can also visit Odessa's historical catacombs.
Practical information for your trip to Odessa
With pleasantly warm temperatures available from May to September, Odessa enjoys full advantages of the Black Sea summer. During the warmest two months of the year (July and August), average monthly high temperatures in Odessa usually rise to 26-27°C. Underlining the status of Odesa as a summer city, winters in Odessa are cold, with frequent below zero temperatures from November to March.
Photo: Covilha, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
How to get there. Located on the northern coast of the Black Sea close to the border of Romania, Odessa is an easily reachable city. There are regular flights to Odessa available from most major European airports, in addition to which this Ukrainian holiday resort is also reachable by ferry from Georgia and Turkey. Bus and train connections to Odessa are very easy to find from most big cities in Ukraine. Hotels in Odessa have a long history of accommodating the increasing number of tourists who come here every year.
For public transport in Odessa, there is a good system of trams, buses and trolley-buses running in the city. There are also rental cars in Odessa available, but driving in the city can be a bit problematic due to sometimes chaotic traffic and missing signs.
Visitor services. Majority of local people do not speak English, and most of the written information you find in Odessa is in Ukrainian or Russian. Some knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet would help independent travel a lot. However, with patience you can easily get by as local people are ready to help you if only they understand your problem. Making your stay more enjoyable, Odessa is a quite safe destination where normal safety procedures are in most cases enough to guarantee you a safe and enjoyable holiday. However, be aware of pickpockets who are common also in Odessa, and stay out of dark streets at night.
