Best in class, April 23, 2007

Lots of helpful infomation covering history, religion, language and many cities, not just the capital. An appendix gives some basic vocabulary in Russian and Ukrainian. I visited Lutsk and Mykolayiv as well as Kiev in September of 2005.Information regarding Lutsk was helpful, however the review of Mykolayiv was unduely negative. I found the people there very hospitable and it was as nice as any other Ukrainian city. Mykolayiv has an excellent shipbuilding museum, some great musical talent, and the best zoo in the country.The book has only a few color photos, and the maps are B&W. Color would have been nice on the Kiev metro transit map (which features a red, blue and green line). A future revision should identify the sites of the 'Orange Revolution' last winter (2004/2005).

It is rare to find a really great travel guide. As a genre, they are as a general rule, pretty weak. Yet as a general rule, Bradt publishes pretty good travel guides. Most include some cultural and historical info on the locations, and have well researched suggestions.Amongst these above-average guides, Andrew Evans' Ukraine Guide is exceptional, as it is a truly outstanding piece of work. Evans clearly spent a lot of time in the country, and understands its diversity, rich history, and geopolitical significance. And--more importantly--he knows a huge amount of relevant info for travelers.Evans seems to really care about the reader, and wants to ensure not only that they eat well and travel comfortably, but that they see what they need to see. Whether you are in Kiev or Crimea for 2 days, or spending a month exploring the nation, The Bradt Guide is all you will need to navigate the right route. You'll have plenty of relevant background and cultural info...

Having done some travelling before and being familiar with a usual "average tourist" style of travel guides available on the market I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing style of Andrew Evans' writing. He evidently did some in-depth study and managed to capture the essence of the Ukrainian culture in a short space of the first part of the book. I particularly enjoyed a brief overview of the Ukraine's history in the second chapter. I also liked the way Andrew presented Ukrainians with some witty comments in the third chapter of the book and could not agree more with him about the importance of getting to know the local people wherever one is travelling to. The second part of the book ("The Guide") provides concise information on pretty much all major destinations in Ukraine with some very practical advice on transport, accommodation etc. Being born in Odessa and living there for 20 years I enjoyed reading about my birthplace and hope that the positive outlook given by Andrew in...