Night in the Borispil Airport in Kiev. What to do?

July 25, 2014 8:47 AM

My travel plans got all mixed up and I've got a surprise 16hr layover tonight in the Borispil airport, outside Kiev, Ukraine. What should I do while I'm here?

It's almost 7pm here and I just landed. My flight is tomorrow morning at 10am. Is it worth it to try and get out of the airport to see Kiev? If so, what's the easiest way to get there and a good (cheap and safe) place to stay?

Or should I just hang out in the airport and catch up on much-needed sleep?

posted by raeka to Travel & Transportation around Kyyiv, Ukraine (2 answers total)

You presumably are well aware of all this since you're traveling in the region but the answer to this is going to have to be based on your own assessment of what risks are tolerable. The most conservative approach would be to remain in the airport: the ruling parliamentary coalition just collapsed and while Kiev itself is probably safe enough and most violence has been in the eastern parts of the country if the government falls apart again you theoretically could see a repeat of the street protests that inflamed the capital last November-February.

On the other hand this is probably a very exciting time to be in Kiev, given the fact that history is being made. I browsed through a couple threads on tripadvisor and other travel forums and people seem to be saying that Kiev is fine at the moment. This thread from a few years ago has some ideas for a short layover.

If you do decide to go exploring another "duh" thing you probably already know, but worth reiterating, is make sure you know the contact information for your country's embassy.
posted by Wretch729 at 9:16 AM on July 25, 2014

You are in a relatively safe place in Ukraine, for a short period of time. Go get some souvenirs! I'd try and find a nice vyshyvanka if I were you.
posted by oceanjesse at 9:44 AM on July 25, 2014