Picturesque Kiev Metro and tasting traditional Ukrainian cuisine in a private tour

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. Its population in July 2015 was 2,887,974, making Kiev the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kiev is an important industrial, scientific, educational, and cultural center of Eastern Europe. It is home to many high-tech industries, higher education institutions, and historical landmarks. The city has an extensive system of public transport and infrastructure, including the Kiev Metro. The city's name is said to derive from the name of Kyi, one of its four legendary founders. During its history, Kiev, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, passed through several stages of prominence and obscurity.

The Kyiv Metro (Ukrainian: Ки́ївський метрополіте́н, romanized: Kyjivśkyj metropoliten, IPA: [ˈkɪjiu̯sʲkɪj ˌmɛtropol⁽ʲ⁾iˈtɛn]) is a rapid transit system that is the mainstay of Kyiv's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third system in the Soviet Union, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. It has three lines with a total length of 67.56 kilometers and 52 stations. The system carries 1.331 million passengers daily (2015), accounting for 46.7% of Kyiv's public transport load (as of 2014). In 2016, the metro carried 484.56 million passengers. On 6 November 1960, the five stations that now form the central part of what is today known as the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line, which runs from the west to the east of the city, were opened. The deepest station in the world, Arsenalna (at 105.5 m), is found on the system.

Ukrainian cuisine is the collection of the various cooking traditions of the Ukrainian people accumulated over many years. The national dish of Ukraine that undeniably originates from the country is borsch. However, varenyky and holubtsi are also considered national favorites of the Ukrainian people and are a common meal in traditional Ukrainian restaurants. Often referred to as the “breadbasket of Europe” Ukrainian cuisine emphasizes the importance of wheat and grain to the Ukrainian people and its often tumultuous history with it. The majority of Ukrainian dishes descend from ancient peasant dishes based on plentiful grain resources such as rye as well as staple vegetables such as potato, cabbages, mushrooms, and beetroots. Ukrainian dishes incorporate both traditional Slavic techniques as well as other European techniques, a by product of years of foreign jurisdiction and influence.