In Ukraine, ATMs, which operate 24 hours a day, offer far easier access to your money than banks. They can normally be found near such places as banks, rail stations, airports, supermarkets, town centres and other places popular with visitors. Be aware of the fact that no all ATMs accept international cards. It is advisable to look for ATMs of international bank chains. It is definitely not a disadvantage to check back with your own bank before travelling to Ukraine.

If you have all documents and visa if needed, you should have no problems travelling to Ukraine by car. There is zero tolerance to alcohol when driving in Ukraine. It is obligatory for both the driver and the passenger to fasten seat belts. Speed Limits in Ukraine: 60 km/h - town (sometimes a sign for 40 km/h) 90 km/h – open road 130 km/h – motorway. Main roads are being reconstructed now, the rest are in varying conditions. The quality of roads in cities also varies from very good to something you couldn’t call a road at all. Any foreigner may bring a car into Ukraine. You will need to have the vehicle registration certificate from your home country, as well as your international driving license. When you cross the border, you will be asked for the car's license plate number, and customs officers will put a special stamp in your passport. The stamp is for the "temporary import" of your car into Ukraine and will have your license plate number on it. This procedure is free. Border police and customs officers will expect to see you leave the country in the same car as when you entered. In this case, they put another stamp in your passport with your license plate number.   

In Ukraine the electrical current used is 220 volts AC and 50HZ. This means that no adapters are needed unless you are from Italy or Great Britain.

Ukrainian food is simply fantastic and you can find traditional restaurants practically on each corner in the cities. "Borshch" is a typical Ukrainian soup made from beets. "Kapusniak" is a distinctive sauerkraut soup. All of these soups use traditional Ukrainian ingredients that are also used in a variety of other dishes. Usually bread is served with soups. Sometimes they are made with sweetened dough, and sometimes they have a mix of dried fruits in them. Usually these breads have some sort of symbolism in their design or shape and they are generally made during certain holidays or special events or ceremonies. As for main dishes "Varenyky" is a doughy pastry, which is typically filled with either potato or sauerkraut or cottage cheese, but the choice of fillings is theoretically endless! Deruny is a meal of potato pancakes smothered in sour cream. Don't forget to try the famous cabbage rolls filled with hamburger meat and rice called "Holubtsi". Some more delicacies of the Ukrainian cuisine are "pelmeni" (boiled dumplings filled with meat), "salo" (salted unrendered pork fat lard) with garlic and "huliash" (variations of stew/goulash).

Even though in Ukraine it is not obligatory to take a passort or ID all the times with you, we recommend all supporters to carry at least a copy of the passport or ID. In the case you needed a visa to enter the country we advise to carry also a copy of the visa.

Foreign citizens are entitled to seek urgent medical aid at any state or communal public health institution in Ukraine. In order to obtain urgent medical aid foreign citizens need to have medical insurance that guarantees the coverage of provided aid. Foreign citizens without medical insurance cover the cost of provided aid personally.

The cost of urgent medical aid provided to foreign citizen who temporarily stay in Ukraine is determined by medical institution that has provided the aid within the limits of treatment costs determined in accordance with the Procedure approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine. If the cost of medical aid provided to the foreign citizen exceeds the amount covered by the insurance policy or certificate, the difference is compensated to the public health institution of Ukraine that has provided the aid by the corresponding insurance company or, in case the foreign citizen has no medical insurance, by him/her personally.

The payment for medical aid provided to foreign citizens can be effected by cashless transfer or in cash at the corresponding public health institution of Ukraine. If the foreign citizen refuses to cover the cost of provided medical aid, the issue of compensating the expenses incurred by the public health institution of Ukraine in relation to provision of medical aid to the said citizen is resolved with the participation of appropriate foreign missions in Ukraine.

Useful words and expressions:

Hello - Вітаю (vi-TA-yu)

Goodbye - До побачення (do po-BA-chennia)

Please - Будь ласка (bud' LAS-ka)

You're welcome - Прошу (PRO-shu)

Thank you - Дякую (DIA-kuyu)

Excuse me - Вибачте (VY-bachte)

Yes - Так (tak); No - Ні (ni)

Enjoy your meal - Смачного (Smach-NO-ho)

Cheers! - Будьмо (BUD'-mo)

I don't understand - Я не розумію (Ya ne rozu-MI-yu)

I don't know - Я не знаю (Ya ne ZNA-yu)

Help! - Допоможіть (dopomo-ZHIT')

Hospital - Лікарня (li-KAR-nia)

Ambulance - Швидка (shvyd-KA)

Where is ... ? - Де знаходиться ... ? (de zna-KHO-dytsia)

Right, left - Право, ліво (PRA-vo, LI-vo)

One beer, please! - Одне пиво, будь ласка (od-NE PY-vo bud' LAS-ka)

Do you speak English? - Ви розмовляєте англійською? (Vy roz-mov-LYA-yete an-GLIY-s'koyu)

Days:

Monday - Понеділок (pone-DI-lok)

Tuesday - Вівторок (viv-TO-rok)

Wednesday - Середа (sere-DA)

Thursday - Четвер (chet-VER)

Friday - П'ятниця (PYAT-nytsia)

Saturday - Субота (su-BO-ta)

Sunday - Неділя (ne-DI-lia)

Numbers:

1 - Один (o-DYN)

2 - Два (dva)

3 - Три (try)

4 - Чотири (cho-TY-ry)

5 - п'ять (pyat')

6 -Шість (shist')

7 - сім (sim)

8 - вісім (VI-sim)

9 - дев'ять (DE-vyat')

10 - десять (DE-syat')

100 - сто (sto)

1000 - тисяча (TY-sya-cha)

Drinking alcohol and smoking is not allowed in public places in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian national currency is "hryvnia" (UAH). 10 UAH equal approx. 90 Cents. There are banknotes of 1 UAH, 2 UAH, 5 UAH, 10 UAH, 50 UAH, 100 UAH, 200 UAH, and 500 UAH. 1 UAH consists of 100 kopecks. There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 kopeck coins and 1 UAH coins. There are a lot of money exchange points, therefore it is not a problem to exchange money. If you are to exchange your Travellers' Cheques into cash, go to a bank. Visa and MasterCard are commonly accepted in hotels and restaurants, whereas American Express is not so popular.

Sending regular letters or post cards from a European country to Ukraine and vice versa may be frustrating. Letters are often lost or delivered with big delays. If you still decide to experience the postal services in Ukraine, go to the central post offices in the respective cities. If you want to send a parcel, don't wrap it up at home. Take everything you wish to send to the post office and have them wrap it up for you. For valuable packages an international or local courier company is a good choice. Our advice: never try to send anything to Ukraine using online auctions or shops: eBay, Amazon, etc. The Ukrainian customs house is extremely suspicious of such deliveries. Clearance procedures can take up to several weeks and levies are high. You might find it eventually easier and (cheaper) just to return the package back.

Taxis are really convenient alternatives as they are quicker than any other means of transport and relatively cheap compared to most western European countries. The simplest way to get a taxi is to wave your hand and any free taxi will stop immediately. Make sure that you fix the price for the ride beforehand as not all taxis are equipped with meters. Taxis that offer their services in front of airports, stations and hotels are usually the more expensive solutions. When you call a taxi company the price is fixed in advance and usually the best you can get. The normal procedure is that taxi companies call you back as soon as they find a cab telling you the colour of the car and the number plate. Tip: taxi companies do not call back on foreign mobile phones and you it might be a challenge to talk in English anyway. Thus, we recommend to ask at the hotel, restaurant, pub, bar to call a taxi for you.

GSM mobile communications are well developed in Ukraine. So, if you take your international mobile phone with you, it will work. The roaming charge might seem high, though. Therefore, it is better sometimes to buy a Ukrainian SIM-card and top it up for quick chats and texts while in Ukraine. The competition in the telecom market is tense and tariffs vary widely. To choose the best option, go to websites of mobile providers. MTS and Kyivstar are praised for excellent coverage, but Beeline and Life are cheaper and provide a wider range of services.

Vodka ("horilka") is said to be the most popular drink in Ukraine. There are countless different local brands and it is definitely worth trying a shot (or more). Ask for a horilka with pepper if you prefer it the spicy way.

Most of the restaurants, pubs and bars in the city centres offer free internet access with good connection. In some cities you can go online even in parks or main squares.