Kharkiv is pretty walkable city. Especially, the various parts in the centre of the city are very well connected by a labyrinth of streets, bylanes and cobbled roads. Moreover, the visually pleasing architecture and the myriad sights that catch one’s eye make walking through the city an even more enjoyable experience.
Conventionally, any walking tour of Kharkiv begins at the Freedom square. This is because of it central geographical location. One can start one’s tour in any direction from the square. Also, there exist a lot of professional/amateur walking tour providers who operate on either a fixed amount or a “tip only” basis. I once took part in a walking tour during my early days in Kharkiv. In the course of this article, I will recount my experience, give some tips and suggest some interesting places that can be covered.
Kharkiv, like any other city has it’s fine share of eccentricities and idiosyncrasies that can only be explored on foot. In my opinion, the murals and wall graffiti are one of the best examples of Kharkiv’s uniqueness. They are diverse, imaginative and sometimes, extremely innovative. The walking tour that I took part in took great pride in the murals of Kharkiv and lead us to view some of the most interesting pieces of street-art I’ve seen. No walking tour of Kharkiv is replete without seeing at least a few of these.
Sumskaya is one of the busiest and most important streets of Kharkiv. As one walks down this rather long street, a whole variety of sights can be seen. Parallel to this street are Pushkinskaya, Gogolya and Rymarskaya which also make up for some interesting attractions such as I’ve already mentioned before.
Upon reaching the Radyanska area, a number of routes can be taken. My personal favourite is the one leading to the Gagarina area. The riverside in the area is a nice place for fishing or any sort of relaxation in general. There are a number of bridges across this river: some of which were built as early as the 1910s.
Consequently, the roads surrounding the riverside area have a number of fountains and monumentesque-figurines which dispense drinking water for the public. Some of these proved to be extremely nice structures to catch a few snaps with.
The highway leading to Poltava is also rather pleasant to walk on as it offers a lot refreshment/entertainment options.
To a large extent, Kharkiv is a city that is rather easy for a newbie to navigate. One can keep walking and the number of interesting new things that can be discovered is plenty.
I hope you will enjoy your walking tour of Kharkiv too.
