We have flights to Odessa From:
Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bergen, Berlin, Billund, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Helsinki, Kaliningrad, London, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Nice, Oslo, Oulu, Palanga, Paris, Riga, Rome, St Petersburg, Stavanger, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vaasa, Venice, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw, Zurich
Geography
Set above and overlooking the harbour, at first Odessa seems a stretch of terraces carved into the hills out of another time. Founded in 1240 under Ottoman rule, the city did not receive the name Odessa until it fell under Russian control in 1794, when Catherine the Great sought to rejuvenate its spirit by sending out invitations to notable figures abroad to make their home in Odessa. Lying north of the Dniester River and in the centre of the Ukraine Oblast in southern Ukraine, Odessa fairly commands the coast of the Black Sea with its two ports of Odessa and Yuzhny. With a population of just over 1 million, it is today the fourth largest city in Ukraine. airBaltic is your airline for cheap tickets on flights to Odessa International Airport, located a mere 7 km from the city centre and a stopping point for many international airlines.
Languages
Vitayu! (Hello!) The official language of Ukraine is of course Ukrainian, yet travellers are bound to hear much more Russian, due to the history of the city. Odessa is also quite an international city, meaning you are likely to hear Romanian, German, Turkish and Greek here and there while on your city-break. The younger generation does have knowledge of English, although it is not widespread and travel preparation should include the basics in Russian.
See and Do
Odessa is a happening city, with so much to do you will be wishing you had more time to stay. Get tickets to enjoy a show in the newly reopened Opera and Ballet Theatre, designed in the 1880s or visit the famous and enchanting Panteleymonivsky Church built by Greek Monks whose reappearing legendary frescos frustrated Soviet painters trying to cover them with heavy paint. Worthwhile too are the Museum of Western and Eastern Art, including works by Aivazovsky and Caravaggio and the Maritime Museum, which features a captivating history of the Marine Fleet. See mummies and Black sea civilization artefacts at the Archaeology Museum or follow one hundred years of Odessa’s by the books history at the Literature museum, located at the very beginning of Lanzheronovskaya street. Take in the Picture Gallery on Sofievskaya Street packed with Russian artwork and originally a palace where Prince Pototskiy lived.
In order to truly feel and understand Odessa, you must walk through it. Start along the enticing Bul Prymorsky pedestrian area. With many hotels and shops, it is the central hub of the city. Head next to Deribasovskaya Street with its many sights, including the City Garden and the many restaurants within it – the perfect place for enjoying the life and energy of the city’s inhabitants. Nearby, find the Passazh shopping arcade with its fabulous sculpture and search in vain for anything on the cheap end. From there it is a short walk to another of Odessa’s highlights, the Potemkin Steps, famous for the massacre depicted there in Sergei Eisenstein’s immortal film. Across from the steps lies Cathrene Square with its monument to Catherine the Great, the patron of intellectual revival throughout Odessa’s history.
Many beaches alongside the waterfront Odessa Beaches, including Dolphin Beach with its enjoyable Dolphinarium, and popular Arkadia where tourists and locals alike gather to see and be seen amid the almost carnival atmosphere there. |
