Donetsk. Real story.

Donetsk is a young city. It was founded in 1869 by Welsh businessman and engineer John Hughes. In early 1900 it became a center of metallurgy, coal mining and it’s still a major industrial city in Ukraine. Population is close to 1 million.

It’s located 800 km from Kyiv and 200 km from the Russian border. Azov Sea is 110 km away from Donetsk.

June is the best time to visit Donetsk, because weather is warm, not too hot, as it can be in July or August. Average June temperature is 20-25 degrees Celsius so weather during Euro 2012 should be perfect. Ukraine is +2hrs GMT.

Donetsk is a really green city - there are a lot of beautiful parks and leisure areas where you can enjoy your stay, including Pushkin Blvd and Sherbakova park where the Euro 2012 fan zone will be located. Also during June the streets are buzzing with its many bars, restaurants and open terraces where you can enjoy a drink in the sun. Euro 2012 will likely be a busy time, so you should consider booking cafes or restaurants beforehand. Ukrainians enjoy their food, so the city offers a wide variety of restaurants from Japanese and Italian to traditional Ukrainian. There is something for everyone’s taste.

There are a number of entertainment centers where you can also spend your time. Ice skating is available year round, there is a dolpinarium, an aqua park, and also bowling on offer in the city.

People are friendly, even if they are not smiling to you, so do not be afraid to ask for help. Keep in mind that there is more possibility that people of young age are more likely to know English on some level.

The airport is 10 km away from the downtown and takes about 20mins. You may call a cab or you can use public transport. Municipal buses, trams and trolleybuses are the easiest and safest forms of public transport to take. It’s quite difficult to get lost in Donetsk, because all streets and boulevards are on a grid system, with several main streets all running parallel to each other.

Notes on Donetsk and Ukraine:

• You do not require a visa to enter Ukraine as long as your stay is no longer than 30 days
• Service in cafes is usually fast but sometimes they can bring your courses in a different order, such as your main course before your starter.
• The safest types of transport are: trolley buses, municipal buses and trams. But it’s better to take a cab if you are traveling at night.
• Smoking and drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited. You can get a 30 Euro ticket for both things.
• Ukrainians are proud of their grass and typically do not walk, sit or play on grass areas. It is not forbidden, but please be respectful of grass spaces.
• You don’t require any vaccinations for Ukraine.
• Finding a taxi in the city center is not a problem, take a look around and you’ll find many of them.
• If you need a WC but there are none of them around – go to the nearest cafe. If you are shy – buy a bottle of water there and then use WC. Many of the city’s shopping centres also have clean public toilet facilities.
• Be careful with abusive language. Some international words and phrases are well understandable by locals.