Ukraine is a vibrant Eastern European country with a number of exciting places to visit. However, if people don’t know where these tourist destinations are, they can miss out on them entirely. Here are ten of the most intriguing places to visit.

The St. Sophia Cathedral is located in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev. This beautiful church was built at the beginning of the 11 th century. Although it has been repaired and renewed multiple times, visitors can still see mosaics and frescoes that are nearly a thousand years old. This popular tourist spot has been declared one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine, and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Another popular religious site is St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. Also located in Kiev, this cathedral is much newer than the St. Sophia Cathedral, having been completed near the end of the 19 th century. While the St. Sophia Cathedral currently exists mostly as a religious museum, St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral is still used for Ukrainian Orthodox religious services. The cathedral is adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures.

Chernobyl is infamous for the nuclear accident which took place there on April 26, 1986. This accident, which spread nuclear fallout throughout much of the surrounding country, is generally considered the worst nuclear power plant failure in history. Although radiation levels in the area are still high, there is a surprising level of interest in visiting Chernobyl. The government of Ukraine has declared that radiation danger can be kept to a minimum if tourists obey its rules and regulations.

The Golden Gates of Kiev were originally a part of the city’s walls. Built in 1037 by Yaroslav the Wise, these gates formed an important part of the city’s defenses. Although these gates eventually fell into disrepair, they continued to be used for about seven hundred years. The gate was entirely reconstructed in 1982, and it currently serves as a museum.

Sofiyivsky Park is a large park created by landscape architect Ludwig Metzel toward the end of the 18 th century. Located in Uman, this park is beautifully decorated with waterfalls, sculptures, artificial cliffs and caves, and it is home to more than two thousand different species of trees and plants. Literature enthusiasts will be intrigued to know that parts of the park were designed to illustrate sections of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

The Vorontsovsky Palace (or Vorontsov’s Palace) is located in the city of Alupka. This palace was built between 1830 and 1848 by Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov. The palace sits at the feet of the striking Crimean mountains, and its architecture is a curious but beautiful mix of western and eastern influences.

The Potemkin Stairs are located in the city of Odessa. This large stairway features 192 sandstone steps and a number of landings. It was designed to create an unusual optical illusion: when viewed from the top, only the landings are visible. When viewed from the bottom, the landings are hidden from sight and only the steps can be seen. These stairs may be most famous for their appearance in the 1925 movie The Battleship Potemkin.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra (also called the Kiev Monastery of the Caves) is a beautiful monastery that is built on a series of caves. Like the St. Sophia Cathedral, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This site has a long history. It was founded as a cave monastery in 1015, and numerous beautiful buildings were later built, including a large and ornate bell tower and a number of churches.

Khersones Tavriysky is the site of an unusual find: an ancient Greek colony. Researchers estimate that the colony was established around two thousand five hundred years ago, and archeological sites around the area have unearthed an ancient temple, an amphitheater, tombs, and the remains of towers. Located near the modern-day town of Sevastopol, this spot is sometimes referred to as a “Russian Troy.”

The Khotyn Fortress is a large fortress built in Khotyn, Ukraine. This fortress, which overlooks the Dniester river, was originally built in 1325, and it has been added onto over the centuries. This large and powerful fortress has been used as the backdrop for a number of adventure movies.