Oleksandriya Arboretum

To start with the classics, one of the most suitable and well-known places for a get away from the busy city is Oleksandriya park in Bila Tserkva. Located in mere 70 kilometers away from Kyiv, Oleksandriya nevertheless looks nothing like the unclear city parks. Locals and tourists love its winding roads and grandeur, as well as far-away spots that hide architectural wonders, like the Chinese Gazebo, or Echo colonnade. Moreover, the park has a large territory covered with exotic plants and the lakes are populated with adorable ducks and magnificent swans.
Vytachiv

This tiny village located in about 40 minutes from Kyiv is often dubbed as the place with the most beautiful view over the Dnipro River. Indeed, photographers from many regions come over to Vytachiv to capture the perfect picture during sunrise or sunset. The village is a beloved spot for a lazy weekend: sunbathing, long strolls, swimming and fishing. Due to being a lesser-known get-away spot, Vytachiv isn’t crowded even on national holidays. Those who want to explore the sightseeing spots can check out the small chapel, built in the memory of villagers who died from the Polovtsi invasion in the 13th century.
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Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi

Often referred to as the City of Museums, Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi is a suitable weekend destination for lovers of history and culture. The city has 24 museums with a quite broad range. Those exploring Ukrainian culture, like Museum of Ukrainian National Dress, Museum of Rooshnyk (traditional Ukrainian embroidered ritual cloth), and Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life are the most popular among visitors. The latter is, in fact, a large open-air museum, which boasts of unique artifact collection that dates back to ancient times and all the way to the 20th century. The hills of the city offer a breathtaking view over the Dnipro River.
Museum of Cosmonautics

One more ‘hidden’ location on the map of Ukraine, Serhiy Pavlovych Korolyov Museum of Cosmonautics is located in Zhytomyr, in about a 2-hour ride from Kyiv. The museum welcomes curious explorers and space enthusiasts to marvel at its numerous artifacts, some of which have been to space and back again. To name but a few, the Soyuz-27 spacecraft, real flight, emergency and training suits, and lunar soil. Moreover, the exhibition has real-size models of spacecraft like moon-rowers and the first manned spacecraft Vostok. Apart from the Cosmonautics museum, Zhytomyr is also known for numerous picturesque parks and the 19th-century Cathedral of the Transfiguration.
Tomashivka

A home for mere 400 people, this village is nevertheless a frequently visited tourist location. The first record of Tomashivka dates back to 1676, when it belonged to various groups of Kyiv metropolitans, first of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and later to Uniate Metropolitans. In 1903, Polish nobleman Zygmunt Chojecki built a family mansion in Tomashivka, which lasted the whole century despite the serious dilapidation during the times of the Soviet Union.
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Nowadays, the Chojecki Palace belongs to the monks of the Svyato-Vvedenskyi Monastery and is regarded as Ryzopolozhenskyy Monastery. Luckily, monks took great efforts to revive the place’s beauty: fixed the dilapidated park that lies around the monastery, placed various sculptures, as well as aviaries for birds. Nowadays Chojecki Palace, or Ryzopolozhenskyy Monastery, welcomes all guests to marvel at its beauty.
Korostyshiv Quarry

Finally, a location for those who enjoy breathtaking views — Korostyshiv, located in about 1,5-hour drive from Kyiv. In total, Koroshyshiv has three granite canyons with rich nature, but the most popular and picturesque ones are the ‘High Rock’ Canyon and Korostyshiv Quarry. The place is incredibly popular with locals and photographers, so it’s best to arrive early in the morning when the quiet meadows overlooking magnificent artificial lakes are perfect to have a small picnic.
Photo source: shutterstock.com, geocaching.su. All images belong to their rightful authors.