Souvenirs & Shopping in Kyiv Ukraine
Modern fashion-conscious Kiev (Kyiv) offers tourists a unique shopping experience. You will find excellent new shopping centres, bright modern department stores and traditional markets selling anything you can imagine.
What to Buy in Kyiv
Handmade linen, arts and crafts, jewellery and ceramic items are all good value and are excellent gifts for the memory of your trip to Kiev (Kyiv) Ukraine.
Handmade and embroidered goods are exceptional value for money. Ukrainians are proud of their heritage & Ukrainian traditional folk costume has inspired western fashion houses in recent years. The official name for this type of costume is called Vyshyvanka & can be bought from many places. For cheaper prices you could try shopping in the markets for a wider selection, but be prepared to haggle as a foreign voice mysteriously seems to increase the price.
Best for Ukrainian Gifts in Kyiv
If your looking for the best Ukrainian souvenirs and gifts in Kiev (Kyiv) then folkmart is a must visit.
Folkmart has a wide range of high quality, authentic Ukrainian souvenirs & gifts. Store is very clean and well organized and staff polite and helpful. What's more it's really easy to find located on the main street Khreschatyk.
folkmart
Vsi Svoi is Ukraine's largest store selling clothes and accessories made by solely by Ukrainian designers,
This a a really good store if you want to take home a gift that's less touristy & more practical. The prices are very reasonable & you are sure to find something really good that you wouldn't find back home. Centrally located on main street Khreschatyk.
Best Markets in Kyiv
Bessarabsky Market
You might not be into shopping but Bessarabsky indoor market is an old market, vibrant & full of colour and character. It's worth a visit just to see all the interesting produce and if your hungry then there are some super eateries here.
If you enter through the main entrance you will probably be jumped upon by some market women over enthusiastically trying to sell you caviar. As this is the most expensive market in Kiev you might want to buy elsewhere.
Bessarabsky is an indoor market located in central Kiev (Kyiv) at the far end of Khreschatyk in Bessarabia square.
Zhitnii Rynok Market
So this is a proper Ukrainian market not often visited by tourists. And of course the advantage of that is you can get yourself some really good deals if your willing to haggle a little bit. But beware, the stall holders will probably try to charge you more than if you were a local.
This historic market is also the oldest in the city and the building is a great example of Soviet modernism. It is located in Podil region of Kiev, nearest metro is Kontractova Plosha. Not much English spoken but this is the real Kiev (Kyiv) if you feel like going native.
Petrivka Market
Often referred to as the "Book Market" by the locals but in reality not just limited to books.
Petrivka market is Ukraine's largest book market with literally everything and anything you want. Additionally you will also be able to find DVDs, CDs and software, much that might be best described as "not quite legitimate". You will also be able to find things like fake music industry T - shirts, posters, vinyl records and all sorts of unexpected odd stuff.
It is located just outside Petrivka metro station.
TSUM Department Store on Khreschatyk
TSUM department store is the only department store in central Kiev (Kyiv).
TSUM Department store
Welcome to TSUM luxury department store. A world class store full of everything that the ordinary citizen of Kiev (Kyiv) could not afford. I suppose it's Kiev's version of Harrod's.
Apart from the usual high fashion and fragrances, it's worth a visit to the restaurants, cafe's & bars on the 6th floor. Helpful English speaking staff.
TSUM is located in the middle of the main street Khreschatyk on the opposite side of the road to the metro.
Shopping Centres in Kyiv
Most Shopping centres in Kiev (Kyiv) are huge places that incorporate entertainment and family activities. Most have rooftop bars and some have rooftop swimming pools.