Odesa, with its magnificent seaside views, gorgeous architecture, cozy yards and interesting legends, attracts more and more tourists from the different corners of the world. The city has many agencies offering thematic sightseeing tours in Odesa in Ukrainian, English, Russian, German, French, Italian and other languages. There are such agencies as svitm.com.ua, tudoy-sudoy.od.ua, excurs.od.ua and many other, offering professional guided walking excursions in Odesa. Below you will find the routes and topics of the most popular Odesa sightseeing walking tours.
Odesa Standard Walking Tour
This tour is a perfect choice for those who are visiting Odesa for the first time. During the excursion, you will see the most important landmarks and sights of this unique city. The guide will take you along the main streets and squares of Odesa: Dumska square, Soborna square, Teatralna square, City Garden, Prymorsky boulevard, Deribasivska street and so on. You will take a look at the most eminent Odesa monuments – Duke monument, Ekaterina monument etc. You will also see the most beautiful and famous buildings of Odesa such as Opera House, City Passage, City Hall, Duke Vorontsov Castle, Philharmonic Hall, Potemkin stairs, numerous museums and old mansions. Besides, the guide will tell you many interesting stories about Odesa history and dwellers.
Odesa Yards Tour
Many wise people say that the soul and spirit of Odesa live in its small cozy yards, and this tour will convince you of it. Walking along the streets and visiting hidden yards, you will hear exciting and funny stories about life in Odesa. You will learn about authentic Odesa humor, life attitude, traditions and cuisine and probably will meet and communicate with some locals. The route of this Odesa sightseeing excursion passes through Grecheska street and square, Deribasivska street, Ekaterininska street, Lanzheronivska street, Palais Royal square, Literature museum, Pushkinska street, Philharmonic Hall, Italian yard and Arts yard.
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Palaces of Odesa Tour
Since the beginning of its history, buildings of Odesa have been constructed by the best European architects such as Boffo, Melnikov, Frapolli, Torricelli, Bernardazzi, Morandi, Gonsiorovsky and other. That is why many European tourists recognize familiar features looking at gorgeous architectural landmarks of Odesa. Although Odesa is quite a young city (founded in 1794), it can boast numerous magnificent palaces and mansions that keep to different architectural styles. During “Palaces of Odesa” walking excursion you will visit six main palaces of the city: Palace of the merchant Abaza, Palace of the duke Gagarin, Vorontsovsky Palace, Shakhsky Palace, Falz-Fein House (known as “House with atlants”) and Tolstoy Palace (modern House of Scientists).
Architectural Odesa Tour
This walking tour impresses tourists with the most famous architectural monuments of Odesa. You will see buildings in the styles of Baroque, Romanticism, Classicism, Gothic, Eclectic, Modern and other. The list of landmarks includes Big Moscow Hotel (Modern), Tolstoy Palace (Baroque), Gothic cathedral, Shakhsky Palace (English Gothic), Vorontsovsky Palace (Classicism), Bristol Hotel (Neo-Baroque) and Philharmonic Hall (Venetian Gothic). You will also get to know the story about urban greening of Odesa – the city that was originally founded in a dry steppe.
Jewish Odesa Tour
The Jewish diaspora always added special charm to the unusual character of Odesa city. Jewish culture is reflected in unique “Odesa language”, jokes, entrepreneurial spirit, endless optimism of local dwellers as well as in traditional Odesa cuisine. In the course of this walking tour, tourists will see Odesa through the prism of its Jewish heritage. The guide will tell about the origin of the Jews in Odesa, about the first anti-Semitic outrages and the history of Holocaust, about the talented and famous Jewish people of the city. During this tour, you will see Aleksandrivsky avenue, Yevreiska (Jewish) street, synagogue and David Gotsman monument.
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Churches of Odesa Tour
Odesa is a multicultural, multilingual and multi-religious city. By the end of 1940, the city was inhabited by more than 60 nationalities with different religious beliefs. Orthodox and Catholic Christians, Moslems, Hebrews, Protestants, Lutherans and representatives of many other confessions managed to live a peaceful life and get along in Odesa. Of course, they have built numerous churches, cathedrals, synagogues, mosques and other ritual buildings. The “Churches of Odesa” walking tour will introduce you to the religious life of the city. You will see Transfiguration Cathedral, Arabic cultural center and mosque, Saint Trinity (Greek) church, the main Odesa synagogue, Lutheran Church, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, Armenian Apostolic Church. The guide will tell about religious traditions and rituals, their differences, special features of constructing worship houses. You will also learn about oaths and nuances of monk life, visiting St. Panteleimon Monastery, St. Ilya Monastery, Holy Dormition Odesa Patriarch's Monastery and Holy Archangel Michael Monastery.
Criminal Odesa Tour
This excursion will present Odesa from its secret side. This city has been always well-known by its talented yet ill-famed bandits. In the course of this tour, you will learn about the life of such notorious Odesa speculators as Mishka Yaponchik, Sonia the Golden Hand, Osip Shor and other personalities who have blazed their trail in Odesa history. The guide will show you Odesa prison castle, Chumka mountain, Mishka Yaponchik house, unusual “Thieves Academy” located in Moldavanka – the most crimeful district of Odesa, and Mala Arnautka street – the center of Odesa contraband.
The best sightseeing walking excursions in Odesa will surely make you fall in love with this unusual seacoast city and its history.
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