Vip4me

I recently had a friend that went to Kiev and had a good time. I wonder if anyone in this forum has been lately and could offer any advice if its worth checking things out. I read it has a pretty good gay scene...

I noticed some old threads here in this forum and wanted to see if there are any updates.

SK

I will be going to Kiev for a weekend in a few weeks, so I was wondering if anyone has any recommendation, info about the scene, etc..

TominLazybrook

I will be in Kiev in September, I will report back

TProphet

I was just there.

- Not really an "out" gay scene - people are pretty closeted in general. No surprise given how conservative the region is.

- Younger people are generally a lot more open and accepting about sexuality than older people.

- Hornet is the primary app people use there.

- Corollary: Lots of the guys you will meet are after sex for money.

Overall, enjoy Ukraine, but know it's conservative. This isn't a place for being flamboyant or for public displays of affection.

Andriyko

I guess it depends where you go and what kind of a crowd you are hanging out with. Many people are conservative, but since tourists mostly visit major cities and the capital, I don't think many will encounter such people.

If anyone has any specific questions please ask away.

TominLazybrook

Just got back from Kiev. A few thoughts.

1) The English websites have every opening time for every LGBT bar incorrect. None of them open before 11pm. Even on worknights. Pomada's entrance is an unmarked door (you can see it in a picture on Travel Gay Europe).

2) The city is fun and the people are friendly. English is not widely spoken, so just be prepared for that.

3) Uber works, and works well there.

4) Do the Chernobyl tour if that's your thing. The operator sucks, but the tour was really interesting.

TravisMT81

Why does the operator suck? Are there multiple?

TominLazybrook

We booked through Viator who put us on a tour with ChenobylTour. This outfit was awful. First, the bus was about 40 degrees Celsius (100+ degrees F) as their was no ventilation or A/C. Secondly, they told us that the included lunch would be served at 530pm right as we were LEAVING the stop to purchase snacks at 930am. Lunch was served promptly at 630pm. We spent a lot of time at minor sites (presumably to kill time before our lunch at 630pm). The tour could have been done properly and well in 7 hours. This tour lasted 15 hours. There was also zero signage at the point of embarkation, making finding the bus difficult. One would think at the prices Viator was charging, that they could at least find something better than a random bus stop with no signage at an address unfindable by any address lookup website too.

Again, going to Chernobyl was worth it. But the tour operator was awful.