Ice skating
Winter cannot be ignored, but it can be done safely. While the handful of outdoor skating rinks in the nation’s capital have yet to flooded, Kyiv boasts a number of new indoor skating facilities that provide all the necessities. The largest rink is in the Terminal complex in Brovary, a bedroom community lying just east of the capital, while in the city proper ovals can be found in Blockbuster entertainment center in Petrivka and Dream Town shopping mall up in the Obolon district. Quality skates are available for rental (hr 50) and the ice is cleaned regularly. Instruction for the children is available and thirty minutes around will cost hr 50 per person. Of course, attached to the skating rinks are cozy cafes.
• Brovary Terminal Complex 316 Kyivska St.
• Dream Town Shopping & Entertainment Center21-B Obolonsky Prospect Between metro stations Minska and Heroyiv Dnipra
• Blockbuster Shopping & Leisure Center Moskovsky Prospect, 34-B
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Ice hockey/basketball
Keeping with the indoor winter sports theme, Ukraine can finally boast of a decent professional hockey league, called... Professional Hockey League, which features a number of former NHL and Russian league players. Three teams are located in the Kyiv area – two in Kyiv proper and the other in Brovary. Home games are played in Terminal complex in Brovary and at Palats Sportu in downtown Kyiv. The season is only half over, so the teams are making a run for the playoffs. The all-star game is over, but this week rivals Sokil and Berkut play. The puck drops at 19:00.
Of course, men’s professional basketball has long been an impressive feature of the local sports scene. While the Eurobasket league is over, Ukraine’s Superliga is in full swing. Kyiv is hosting again this week. To get to the arena, go to the northernmost end of the city.
• Kyiv Palats Sportu 1 Sportivna Ploshcha
• Brovary Terminal Complex 316 Kyivska St.
• Meridian Sport Complex 11-B Heroiv Sevastopol St.
Downhill skiing in town
It doesn’t hurt to spend at least a little time outdoors, so once you have finished strolling along Khreshchatyk and admiring the bright lights, make your way to Kyiv’s own downhill skiing facility. Protasiv Yar, located not far from Olympic Stadium in the Solomenskiy district, is finally open, and is a cost-effective means of enjoying the slopes. The facility offers two tracks, which permit both skiing and snowboarding, professional training, and a range of rental equipment. Prices range wildly, depending on the slope, time and skis, but nonetheless it is eminently affordable for the whole family.
• Protasiv Yar 23-À Protasiv Yar St.
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Aquaparks
If winter sports remind you too much of…well…winter, but your conscience is telling you to get out and be active, then an ideal place for an afternoon of fun and exercise is one of Kyiv’s several aquaparks. The Dream Town complex in the Obolon district recently opened its own dinosaur-themed water park, complete with a range of waterslides, games and attractions for children, and a spa and sauna facility for adults. Prices range from hr 150 for two hours on a weekday per person to hr 260 for the day on the weekend. Terminal Aquapark in Brovary, meanwhile, offers much the same thing, with the bonus of go-carts and the possibility of buying long-term passes for the whole place.
• Dream Town 21-B Obolonsky Prospect Between metro stations Minska and Heroyiv Dnipra
• Brovary Terminal Complex 316 Kyivska St.
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