THE KIEV - PECHERSK LAVRA MONASTERY. Founded three km south of where Kiev stood in 1051, Kievan Rus remained the area’s first and most famous monastery. Spread across wooded slopes above the Dnepr River, it is a unique array of gold-domed churches, underground labyrinths lined with mummified monks, & elegant monastic buildings turned museums.

SAINT-SOPHIA CATHEDRAL. Designed to rival Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Kiev's SAINT-SOPHIA CATHEDRAL symbolizes the 'new Constantinople', capital of the Christian principality of Kiev, which was created in the 11th century in a region evangelized after the baptism of St Vladimir in 988.

ST.ANDREW'S CHURCH is an inspired 1746-61 Baroque interpretation of the traditional Ukrainian five-domed, cross-shaped church by Rastrelli. The slender curves of its blue, white, gold and green exterior stand out against the skyline, perched above the Podil district at the crest of the historic Upper Town, at the supposed site where the Apostle Andrew erected a cross.

Kiev is not only the capital of Ukraine but also the mother city for all Eastern Slavic peoples. Kievan Rus, the state from which Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are all descended, was established here between the 9th and 11th centuries. The modern center and the remains of the old city are both located on the hilly west bank of the Dnepr River.

Another highlight of the city is the OPERA & BALLET THEATER. Designed in the 1880s by Viennese architects Felner & Gelmer in the popular Habsburg Baroque style of the day, it has a number of Italian Renaissance features.

The city center was designed to conform to a classical plan with wide, tree-lined streets, stretching south from Prymorsky Boulevard. Its beauty lies in its early 19th century buildings, the shady promenade, the park tumbling towards the sea and the sweep of the world famous POTEMKIN STEPS with its 193 steps, built between 1837 & 1841.

From the 15th century until 1783, BAKHCHISARAY (Turkish for “garden palace”) was the seat of the Crimean Khans. Here you will see the Khans’ Palace, built primarily by Russian & Ukrainian slaves in the 16h century under the direction of Persian, Ottoman & Italian master builders, as well as the Ambassador’s Gate, The Fountain of Tears, the harem and the historical museum.

LIVADIA PALACE was built in 1911 as a summer residence for Nicholas II in Italian Renaissance style with beautiful Florentine & Arabic courtyards. In February 1945 Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt & Winston Churchill held their famous World War II Yalta Conference here.