Kyiv is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, built on the hills of the Dnipro River's right bank. Its skyline of gold-domed churches, the UNESCO-listed St Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the cobbled Andriyivskyy Descent and the riverside Podil district make it one of Eastern Europe's most historic capitals. Kyiv is a city at war: air-raid alerts, damage and security restrictions shape every visit, and all travel must be planned around current official advice.
Kyiv has low street-crime risk compared with many European capitals, but the city is a regular target of Russian long-range missile and drone attacks, and the US State Department, UK FCDO, Canada and Australia all advise against travel to Ukraine. Visitors must have a shelter plan, carry a passport, observe the 01:00-05:00 curfew, and accept limited consular help.
Current safety advisory
High
All four governments advise against travel to Ukraine. Kyiv is attacked regularly; carry a passport, follow Air Alert, use metro shelters and obey the 01:00-05:00 curfew.
Last updated: Checked 21 October 2026
Official advisories
Guidance from national travel-advisory services.
Essential safety tips
Practical advice that applies everywhere.
Ukraine is at war. Russian missile and drone attacks hit Kyiv regularly, mostly at night; the UK FCDO (updated 2 October 2026) states civilian casualties from January to August 2026 exceeded the whole of 2025. All four major governments advise against travel; read the advisories below before deciding to go
Install the Air Alert (Повітряна тривога) app and keep notification sound on at night; when an alert sounds, go to a shelter at once (a metro station, a marked shelter, or a basement/parking level) and stay until the all-clear
If no shelter is reachable, use the two-walls rule: stay in a corridor or bathroom with two solid walls between you and the outside, away from windows and exterior walls, and never on a balcony
Kyiv's 46 metro stations open as shelters during every alert, at night too; take warm clothing, water, medicine and a power bank, and follow staff and police instructions
Martial-law curfew in Kyiv is 01:00-05:00 (shortened from 00:00-05:00 on 10 September 2026); do not be outside during curfew except to reach a shelter during an alert
Carry the original passport (not a photocopy) at all times; checkpoints on roads and patrols in the city check documents, and visitors who cannot show ID can be detained
Do not photograph or film checkpoints, military vehicles, air-defence positions, strike damage or shooting-down sites; sharing such images can lead to detention
Expect power cuts, lift failures and mobile or internet interruptions after strikes; keep phone batteries and power banks charged, download offline maps and the Air Alert app, and carry some UAH cash
Do not approach unexploded drones, missiles or fragments, and avoid damaged buildings; call 101 and leave the area at once
Tell someone your daily plan and register your location with your embassy where it offers this; no government can provide evacuation help from Ukraine
Common scams to avoid
Recognise and sidestep tourist-targeted scams.
Taxi overcharging at stations and bus stops
Unlicensed drivers at Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi, the Central Bus Station and tourist streets quote inflated fixed fares to foreigners, especially after alerts or late in the evening
How to avoid: Order a car only through the Uklon, Bolt or Uber apps, check the plate and driver name on screen, and ignore drivers who approach on foot
Currency exchange street swaps
Street changers or small kiosks offer a better rate, then short-change or swap notes; the black-market rate is not worth the risk
How to avoid: Use bank ATMs (withdraw UAH) or licensed bank counters; compare with the NBU rate (about 44.98 UAH per USD on 15 October 2026); count notes before leaving
Fake aid, donation and petition approaches
Individuals or false charities approach tourists in Maidan, Khreshchatyk and Saint Michael's Square asking for donations or signatures, sometimes using a fake collection box
How to avoid: Donate only through official channels (for example the National Bank's account or the United24 platform), and decline street approaches politely
Bar and nightclub bill inflation
Some venues around Khreshchatyk and the Pechersk bars add hidden service charges or inflate drinks prices for foreigners
How to avoid: Check the menu prices and ask for a printed bill before ordering; pay by card and keep the receipt
Fake officials and document checks
People posing as police or military ask for passports and cash 'fines' away from checkpoints
How to avoid: Real patrols wear uniform and show ID; do not hand over cash, ask to go to the nearest police station, and call 102 if in doubt
Phishing and fake booking sites
Fake tour, hotel and train-ticket pages target visitors to Ukraine, often with unusually low prices
How to avoid: Buy tickets only at booking.uz.gov.ua or the Ukrzaliznytsia app, and use verified booking platforms
Health considerations
Staying healthy on your trip.
- Vaccinations
- No vaccination is required for entry. Routine vaccines (MMR, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, polio) should be current; measles outbreaks have occurred in Ukraine, so check MMR status. Rabies exposure is possible through stray animals. Tuberculosis and HIV rates are above Western European levels.
- Water
- Tap water is not recommended for drinking; use bottled or filtered water. Power and water outages can follow strikes, so keep a few litres of water in the room.
- Food
- Restaurant hygiene in Kyiv is generally good; avoid unrefrigerated street food during outages and wash fresh produce from markets.
- Facilities
- Kyiv has good private clinics and large state hospitals, but the system is under wartime strain and hospitals have been damaged by strikes. Pharmacies (аптека) with a green cross are common, with some open 24 hours. Medical insurance with evacuation and war-risk cover is essential; many insurers exclude Ukraine.
Safety for specific travellers
Tailored advice for different groups.
Solo travellers
Solo visitors should stay centrally, pre-book rides, know the nearest shelter, keep paper copies of key contacts and share their itinerary daily.
Female travellers
Kyiv is generally safe for women in daylight and early evening; curfew and unlit streets after strikes are the main constraint. Use app-ordered taxis and share plans.
Families
Travelling with children is strongly discouraged; plan shelter routes and avoid late-night travel.
LGBTQ+ travellers
Same-sex unions have limited legal recognition; violent incidents are rare in Kyiv and KyivPride is held in reduced form, but discretion is advised outside inclusive venues.
Emergency contacts
Numbers to know before you go.
- Police
- 102 (police)
- Medical
- 103 (ambulance)
- Fire
- 101 (fire and rescue)
- Gas
- 104 (gas emergency)
- General Emergency
- 112 (single emergency number, works from all phones)
- Main Hospital
- Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital, 39/1 Shovkovychna St, Kyiv
- Embassy Us
- US Embassy Kyiv, 4 A.I. Sikorsky St, 04112 Kyiv: +380 44 521 5000 (main and after-hours); consular line +380 44 521 5566
- Embassy Uk
- British Embassy Kyiv, 9 Desyatynna St, 01901 Kyiv: +380 44 490 3660 (24/7 for British nationals); emergency +44 1908 51 6666