Kherson

In February 2022 Russian forces invaded and occupied Kherson as part of their invasion of Ukraine. In November, Ukrainian troops retook the city, which still is at the battlefront. The info below is probably not updated.

Kherson (Ukrainian: Херсо́н) is a major sea harbour town in Southern Ukraine. It sits in the river delta of the Dniepr river, where it mounts into the Black Sea.

Understand

About 350,000 people live in Kherson, many of whom work in the extensive ship-building industry and harbour activities.

Get in

By plane

Kherson International Airport (IATA: KHE), 46.668056°, 32.502222°.

Due to the state of war, Ukraine's airspace has been closed to civil aviation. Airport infrastructure was heavily damaged during the combat actions. Airport terminal has been destroyed.

By bus

Central bus station (1 Polkovnyka Kedrovskogo st.; old street name: Budionogo st.) serves both domestic and international routes. There are buses from Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Moldova. Numerous bus routes connect Kherson with major Ukrainian cities as well as Kherson region destinations. Frequent private owned shuttle buses to Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kahovka, Skadovsk, Zaliznyi Port can be found on the opposite site of bus station in from of gas station. Shuttle buses usually don't have fixed schedule and depart when full.

Suburban bus station (or Kherson-2; 22 Mayakovskogo st.) serves routes around Kherson region, including rural areas.

By train

Kherson railway station is located in the city center and is easily accessible by public transport. Railway connection was restored after city liberation in November 2022. There are scheduled trains from Kyiv and Lviv.

For travel from/to Kherson by train, be sure to buy tickets in advance. All train tickets - inscribed, while boarding the train need to show your ID. The national train company is state-owned Ukrainian Railways (dead link: January 2023) "Укрзалізниця/Ukrzaliznytsya". The tickets can be booked online (dead link: January 2023). For more details see Ukraine page.

Get around

See

St. Catherine's Cathedral, 46.638929°, 32.6252798°. Built in the 1780s, this was one of the first churches to be established after the Russians gained control over so-called New Russia, following the Russo-Turkish war. The domed church is made of sandstone and was constructed by General Ivan Gannibal, an African protegé of Peter the Great and grandfather of famous poet Alexander Pushkin, supposedly after a design by architect Ivan Starov. It's the final resting place of Prince Grigory Potemkin, Empress Catherine's lover and military leader, who played a major role in that Russo-Turkish War. Parts of his remains were previously kept in a monastery in present-day Romania, however, and are now lost.
Stanislav Grand Canyon (Kherson mountains), 46.5799°, 32.1812°. An around 1 km long ridge, up to 55m deep, terminating in the Dnipro delta. 2023-02-08
Khablovskyi lighthouse, 46.656257°, 31.984306°. An lighthouse from 1952, supposedly making unique sounds in windy weather. 2023-02-08

Do

Stanislav Mountains, 46.6296°, 32.0223°. Trek the Dnipro coast near Stanislav, covered in clay cliffs. 2023-02-08

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Dilligence Hotel, 39, Gogolya / 17, Gyrskogo. This hotel is one of the best options in the city centre, with 18 well-appointed, air-conditioned rooms. The English speaking staff is friendly and the restaurant is worth a visit too. Singles from €40
Hotel Muscat, Sovetskaya Street 10, +380 552-424731. A nice boutique hotel with helpful staff and fairly good free wireless internet in all rooms. Some rooms are rather modern in decoration, while others are more classic in style. The rates depend on the type of room you want. From €55 for a simple twin room.

Connect

Go next

Oleshky Sands. One of the largest deserts in Europe.

Kherson - capital city of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine