Odesa is the most popular city in our country that everyone needs to visit at least once in his life, to feel its magical atmosphere, and enjoy its incredible beauty and unforgettable flavor. Odesa will not leave you untouched; it leaves only the brightest and most pleasant and memorable feelings in your heart for your whole life. It is not only a beautiful resort town in the South of Ukraine but also is the capital of humor and culture, the motherland of many talented people: musicians, singers, comedians, actors, artists, scientists, and writers. All these facts provide an ever-increasing flow of tourists who come to Odesa from all corners of the globe.
1. Odesa is a place of the sea and beaches
Certainly, the first thing that attracts tourists to Odesa is its fantastic beaches that stretch for tens of kilometers along the Black Sea. Due to the Odesa Gulf, the high waves cannot almost be seen here, the shallow and sandy sea entry is perfect for the rest with children. The beaches in the city have fine amber-colored sand and clean water. Absolutely all city beaches are equipped with showers, changing rooms, toilets, and emergency services, and beach chairs and beach umbrellas are offered for the visitors’ comfortable rest. There is a huge variety of hotels, lodges, restaurants, snack bars, cafes, souvenirs, and beach shops along the city’s beaches. The transport service is also carefully thought-out; you can easily take to any urban beach by public transport.
The beach season in Odesa lasts from May to September, but at other times it is always possible to walk along the beaches and promenades, admiring the amazingly beautiful sea views. They don’t call Odesa the “South Palmyra” for nothing – this city has a mild and warm climate, even in winter the climate here is much warmer than in other cities of Ukraine. According to the statistics, there are no less than 300 sunshine days per year in Odesa, and that means that this city is simply created for rest and good mood. If you are tired and miss the sun after the long winter days come to Odesa, where your body and soul will feel warm.
2. Odesa is the biggest Black Sea port
Initially, the history of the city began with the advent of the port, which was one of the biggest on the entire Black Sea. The settlements had grown around the port that Catherine II later called Odesa city, it was the time when the official calendar of the city began. Odesa had “blossomed” due to its port because it was the most important source of replenishment of the city budget. Today Odesa still remains the largest port city, it is annually taking tens of thousands of merchant and passenger ships from around the world. This port is often attended by the huge oceanic cruise liners, in order to show their passengers the beauty of this European city.
3. Odesa is a beautiful place
Everyone who has ever visited Odesa notes that this is an amazingly beautiful city, which is surrounded by greenery and flowers and its narrow and picturesque streets are remembered for the whole life. The beauty of Odesa was sung in many songs, poems, and prose; it inspired a large number of creative people and artists for their immortal works of art. This city magically combines the historic charm and the modern infrastructure, ancient buildings, and houses with modern restaurants, galleries, and boutiques.
Odesa is especially beautiful in late spring; when numerous chestnuts, acacia, and lilac are blooming throughout the city. There are good reasons why Leonid Utsov sang about Odesa: “The Black Sea opened to me a flowering acacias city” because the city has been just planted with these trees and their flowering beauty and fragrance can be compared with the cherry blossoms in Japan.
4. Odesa and its inhabitants
The heart and soul of Odesa, without a doubt, are the inhabitants of this Southern city that have a particular mentality, a great sense of humor, kindness, and hospitality, so that is why all the guests of the city usually remain in admiration of the indigenous inhabitants, who have absorbed its atmosphere. Odesa is very rich in talents, a huge variety of prominent people were born and grew up here; a poet Anna Akhmatova, a writer I. Babel, a poet S. Kirsanov, comedians O. Filimonov, G. Deliev, Boris Barsky, a satirical writer M. Zhvanetskiy, an intellectual and TV presenter Boris Burda, an actor R. Kartsev, a writer I. Ilf, a singer L. Utesov, and many others.
In this city lived and worked such outstanding people of culture and art as A. S. Pushkin, N. V. Gogol, a composer P. I. Tchaikovsky, L. Ukrainka, I. A. Bunin, A. P. Chekhov, F. Chaliapin, a composer Franz Liszt, a painter N. Ayvazovsky. They all were delighted with Odesa and sang it in their immortal works.
5. Odesa is a special sense of humor
Everyone knows that Odesa is the capital of humor, not only in Ukraine but throughout Europe. The speech of Odesa’s indigenous inhabitants is permeated with special humor, which is gladly remembered by visitors and dismantled for quotes in order to joke at home. Odesa’s humor originates from noisy shared apartments and the famous market “Privoz”, where you can hear the real “pearl” of folk art. These popular “works” are collected for performances by many well-known comedians, such as Michail Zhvanetski, Roman Kartsev, Oleg Filimonov, and many others.
Every year on April, 1 an international festival of humor «The Funny Yumorina» is organized in Odesa; it attracts thousands of tourists from all over Europe. During «Yumorina» you can see funny performances, pantomime, jokes, dancing, and street performers in the center of the city. Odesa citizens and guests wear funny accessories, masks, wigs and make-up that turn the entire downtown into a solid comic action.
6. Odesa flavor
All guests of the city certainly point out that Odesa has its own unique culture and flavor, which is manifested in all spheres of life. This is due to the multinational character of the city and the cheerful disposition of local residents. Only in Odesa, it is typically to answer a question with a question, for example, a typical answer in Odesa is: “Hanged if I know?” means “I don’t know.”
Odesa flavor is so interesting and unforgettable that lots of movies have been made about it, books are written and even legends are put up. If you want to feel it fully, you should go to the most famous market “Privoz” to the fish stall or the old shopping stalls, and be ready to listen, see and remember.
7. Odesa and its unique yards
While visiting Odesa, you should obviously walk along its unique yards, which are located in the historical center of the city and in the Moldavanka district. As most of the houses in the city center had been built before the revolution, almost all of Odesa’s yards are two- or three-stored, closed, and picturesque. Here you can plunge into the atmosphere of old Odesa, which seems to be not affected by the time – Odesa yards in the Moldavanka district have remained unchangeable since the mid-twentieth century. You can hear the Odesa dialect and the smell of grilling fish from the open windows of shared apartments; in the yard, you will see hanged-out laundry, kids running around and men playing dominos.
8. Odesa is the cultural capital of Ukraine
This city is affected not only by its beauty and flavor but also by the abundance of cultural objects, the number of which can compete with many European capitals. There are many theatres, galleries, and museums; a variety of exhibitions and shows are usually held here. The most famous is the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre, which makes the top five most beautiful theaters in the world, and its drama group successfully tours across the world. In the Odesa Philharmonic Hall, you’ll be able to listen to concerts by the Odesa Philharmonic orchestra and guest musicians, and in the Odesa Art Gallery, you can see the greatest works of world art.
9. Odesa is a city of romance and love
Young Palmyra is a perfect place for romantic meetings and walks, thus attracting thousands of couples who want to spend an unforgettable time in a romantic atmosphere. Odesa «is permeated» with romance and love, there are many attractions for lovers, and the ability to make a promenade along the beautiful Arcadia or Lanzheron waterfronts. Everyone who wants can walk through the Mother-in-law’s bridge to the sculpture of “The Heart in Love” and hang a lock on it with their names as a symbol of their strong and everlasting love.
In this city there are many restaurants and cafes which are perfect for romantic evenings, where the atmosphere and unobtrusive service will contribute to romance; and fine food and drinks will make your evening unforgettable.
10. Odesa it is a fascinating story
The history of this amazing city is very exciting; you will not be enough even weeks to visit all the excursions and museums and get acquainted with it. Odesa is a multi-faceted city, so there are excursions for every taste: historical sites, places of military glory, gastro excursions, Shustov and Chabot Museums, “Criminal Odesa” excursions, the Catacombs, and others. There are many museums in Odesa, the most popular ones are the Archaeological and Maritime museums, brought together under one roof tens of thousands of interesting exhibits, which were found during excavations of ancient settlements or were raised from the bosom of the sea.
11. Odesa is delicious
Odesa cuisine is known throughout the world for its variety, spicery, and lightness. An outstanding feature of Odesa cuisine is an abundance of different kinds of fish from the coastal zone and Black Sea mussels and rapa whelks. Delicious Odesa-style fried goby, the tastiest collops made of fresh sprat, spurdog soup, grilles catfish, rice pilaf with mussels, stuffed fish – all these delicacies alone make it worth visiting Odesa.
12. Odesa means happy children
Odesa offers much interesting and enjoyable time for children of any age as there are numerous amusement parks and gaming centers, thousands of playgrounds, and cafes with delicious milkshakes and ice cream. Odesa Luna Park in Shevchenko Park is popular for its fairground attractions and Ferris wheel which is highest in Europe. Sea beaches, so much loved by children, have all the necessary infrastructure for having a good time such as showers, toilets, locker rooms, playgrounds, Life Saving Service, first-aid post cafes, and shops.
13. Odesa is affordable
One of the doubtless advantages of visiting Odesa would be its affordability. One can always experience most of the fun for a lower cost here. While hotels and restaurants in a resort part could be somewhat pricey, there are numerous guesthouses and hostels that anyone can afford. The entrance to most of the city beaches is free, you pay only for renting a lounge chair and beach umbrella. Prices for excursions, and entrance tickets to theaters, museums, and galleries are quite low which allows you to have a great time in Odesa without spending a fortune.
14. Odesa means a lifetime experience
Everyone who has ever visited Odesa would say that this city would impress for life. Odesa charms at first glance, it is absolutely impossible to not fall in love with this “southern beauty” that will make you want to come back over and over again to discover its new faces.
15. Odesa means a busy nightlife
This amazing city attracts many clubbers and party animals with its numerous nightclubs, discos, and bars. Most of Odesa’s nightlife is located on the coast in the open air and is open during the summer season only. The most popular summer clubs are ITAKA and IBIZA located in Arcadia Beach. There are also many different nightclubs working all year round 24 hours a day, such as Ministerium which often hosts VIP parties. For those who want to hang out without spending heaps of money, we would recommend such nightclubs as “Ё”, “Captain Morgan” or Praetoria.
16. Odesa means an excellent shopping
Odesa is famous not only for its beautiful and clean beaches but also for its shopping. The wholesale market “7th kilometer” is the largest in Ukraine where people from all over Ukraine and Moldova come to buy goods at the lowest prices. One can find anything here – clothes, accessories, and shoes ranging from luxury brands to cheaper Chinese stuff, leather and fur clothing at the most attractive prices, cosmetics, perfumes, household chemistry, everything for children, carpets, textiles, and much more.
In a legendary market “Privoz” you can feel the authentic Odesa atmosphere. You can buy any kind of groceries here and it’s customary to negotiate the price and taste food. A visit to Privoz would be a lot of fun and interesting experience even if you are not planning to buy anything
17. Odesa means picturesque parks
Odesa is a very green city with numerous large and smaller parks that make the air clean and fresh and the city itself simply drowns in exuberance of vegetation. The most beautiful and popular among them is “Shevchenko” Park where Odesa Observatory and the stadium “Chernomorets” are located very close to “Langeron” beach and the dolphinarium “Nemo”.
Park Pobedy and 411 Batareya Memorial are huge parks with cozy paths, lakes, bridges, playgrounds, and benches. Those are not less picturesque parks that offer the perfect pastime for those who are tired of urbanistic landscapes and willing to enjoy the beauty of nature.
18. Odesa means all-year-round international festivals
As a very popular city, Odesa hosts many international festivals that gather famous personalities of art and culture. The number of tourists increases significantly during festivals such as the International Film Festival, the Humorina, the Jazz Festival, the Step Festival, the Book Festival Green Wave, the Odesa Classics classical music festival, the Koktebel Jazz Festival, the festival of Vyshyvanka and many others. All festivals are free to participate.
19. Odesa is unique
A vacation in this southern city would differ significantly from any other Ukrainian city as just here you will experience the most interesting, exciting, and unusual things. Anyone will find entertainment to their taste here by visiting the most unusual sightseeing, excursions, and quests. You can visit Europe’s largest underground labyrinths (Catacombs), sail at the Black Sea on a yacht, visit international festivals, and much more. Odesa will never let anyone get bored!!!
20. Odesa means prestige
A vacation in Odesa is considered very popular and prestigious. Different celebrities and gilded youth from around the world visit Odesa regularly. Odesa is called the Ukrainian Riviera for a reason. Those who prefer high-level vacations can find many luxury hotels and shops, premium restaurants, casinos, closed nightclubs with swanky parties, VIP beaches, and recreation areas. VIP clients can enjoy personal excursions, luxury yachts, and car rent mansions and villas with staff. Everything is well thought-out in Odesa for a very luxurious and prestigious vacation.
As you can see there are more than enough reasons to visit Odesa. Anyone can find amusement to their taste and budget so do not hesitate to visit “Pearl by the Sea” to enjoy all its beauty!
