A view of Nikolaev from my apartment window as the sun sets over the Bug River.
The view from my Nikolaev apartment window as a tired sun sets over the Bug River.

The Internet's First and Only Honest Nikolaev Ukraine Travel Guide

If Nikolaev were its own country, an independent fiefdom, the UN would rank it between Liechtenstein and Monaco. The city is Eastern Europe's crown jewel. Unemployment is low and crime is non-existent. Nikolaev residents leave the doors to their apartments unlocked! Cars are parked overnight with their windows down and the keys still in the ignition. The people of Nikolaev live by an old folk saying coined by their ancient Slavic ancestors: "Dom Slavyanina otkriti dla vsex".

The city of Nikolaev is small and laid out in a traditional Soviet grid pattern. Streets are wide and rarely ever clogged with traffic. Mini buses, known to locals as "Marshrutki" criss cross almost every district of the city. A ride costs only one grivna, which is about 25 euro cents. Taxis are also available and charge a flat fee of $5 to any part of the city. Many taxi drivers will refuse money from an Englishman because of the great love and respect they have for our country. I rode free in Nikolaev for almost a month!