Please be at NEWARK AIRPORT at least 3 hrs prior to flight departure time. Scope representative will assist you with check-in. Your baggage must be checked to your final destination KYIV (code KBP). If you have more than one piece of checked baggage, a surcharge of $50 will be collected at airport by agency representative for porterage.

At Munich Airport you board your non-stop flight to Kyiv. Lunch on board. Expected arrival at your hotel is 5:00PM. Dinner at hotel.

Morning panoramic city tour of Kyiv includes: Khreshchatyk Boulevard, Volodymyr’s Hill, Kyiv National University, the Opera House, St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral and the 11^th century Golden Gate. The highlight of this tour is the St. Sophia Cathedral constructed in the 11th c. by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Its construction reflects a strong Byzantine influence, and its interior is a unique harmonious union of mosaics and fresco paintings. Directly opposite St. Sofia (about 500 m.), you will visit the newly (1999) reconstructed St. Michael’s Sobor. Afterwards we leave you in the Uzviz artisan section for an afternoon of shopping in an open air bazaar of more than 100 kiosks. Lunch under own arrangements in one of the new restaurants of Uzviz. Dinner at hotel.

We continue our sightseeing of Kyiv with a tour of Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), an active monastery founded in the 11th c. and center of Christianity for Kyivan-Rus. Its complex of churches reflects a unique Ukrainian baroque style which is only surpassed by the beauty of the newly reconstructed Uspenskyj Cathedral (1998), destroyed by Soviet mines in 1941. The labyrinths of the “near” and “far” caves hold over 115 burial niches containing remains of St. Antoniy, Nestor the Chronicler, and many religious and political leaders. World-renowned Scythian Gold treasures are exhibited within its walls.

Tour ends in Kyiv’s city center. Afternoon is free to discover Kyiv on your own. Visit one of the many cafes or just enjoy an afternoon stroll through Kyiv - its promenades, Majdan where the Orange Revolution took place or the new underground shopping malls – all a few blocks from your hotel.

Tonight, a short Dnipro River cruise and a gala dinner in an authentic Ukrainian restaurant.

Optional Excursions for Kyiv: Chernobyl Museum, National Art Gallery, Babyn Yar Excursion, Theater/ Philharmonic Hall or Opera (if in season)

An early morning flight will take us to Odesa where cobblestoned boulevards and decorated palaces (now museums) add distinctive French and Italian styles to its display. Odesa comes equipped with all the amusements characteristic of a seaside town: jewelry stands, ponies, street clowns, dancing monkeys and balloon-sellers.

Today you will be introduced to the largest seaport on the Black Sea and the third largest city in Ukraine. Your afternoon tour will include the Prymorski Boulevard and legendary Potemkin Staircase leading to the sea, the famous Opera and Ballet Theater, Troyitska and St. Paul Churches and the Art Museum. Your tour ends by exploring Odesa’s greatest shopping spot, the extravagant 18^th c. Passazh corridor, where a vaulted glass roof shields designer boutiques and posh cafes. Dinner at a local restaurant.

A full day excursion to Bilhorod Dnistrovsky (until 1944 Akerman), a port city 100 km from Odesa. The site was first occupied by a Greek colony and later a Roman colony called Tira. From the 13^th c., Bilhorod was part of the Galician-Volyn Principality.& Captured by Turkey in 1484 and renamed Akerman, it was the capital of the Bilhorod Horde. This 13-15c. fortress was built on the ruins of the ancient city of Tira. It is a unique monument of medieval defense architecture, the largest and sturdiest structure of its kind in Ukraine. Lunch and wine-tasting at a local restaurant. Late afternoon return to Odesa. Dinner at hotel and transfer to rail station for your first-class train to Crimea-Simferopol.
Note: The Bilhorod excursion will only take place if weather and road conditions permit. An alternative will be the Odesa Catacombs located 10 km from Odesa. An estimated 2500 km of labyrinths stretch out under the city and surrounding area. The catacombs are unlike those of Western Europe, as they are all manmade and relatively new (200 years). Instead of piling up people’s bones, these tunnels were used for all the city’s numerous clandestine activities.

Morning arrival at Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, where we will have breakfast in a local restaurant. Enroute to Yalta, we visit Bakhchysaraj the 15^th c. capital of the Crimean Khaganat. Lunch in a local Tartar restaurant “Khan Girej”, before we continue in our touring coach to Yalta. Dinner at hotel.

From the Greek word meaning shore, Yalta is one of the most popular Black Sea resorts on the entire Crimean peninsula. It has a wonderful Mediterranean climate and is set in the midst of 4,000 ft. mountains. Our morning city tour takes us to Alupka, situated on the coastal Ai-Petri. We visit Vornotsov’s Palace. Our next stop is the Massandra vineyards, where you can enjoy the local versions of Madeira, Sherry and Port wines, and especially this region’s world& famous Muscatel.& Lunch at “Helena Restaurant”, known for its original local cuisine. Our final afternoon stop is Livadia Palace, where the “Big Three” met and set the history for Eastern Europe. Return to hotel for dinner.

Today you join your touring coach for a full day excursion to Sevastopol. Founded by the Greeks in the 5thc., Sevastopol was the bastion of the Byzantine Empire on the north shores of the Black Sea. It sustained considerable damage during the Russo-Turkish War of 1855 and WW II, spectacularly presented in the great Panorama painting, which you will see. The Black Sea fleet anchors in present-day Akhtiarsky harbor. The highlight of your trip will be a visit to Chersonesus, an archeological preserve, founded by the Greeks in the 4th c. B.C.
Lunch under own arrangements in one of the charming outside cafes, and afternoon free to enjoy the promenades of Sevastopol. Late evening return to Yalta. Dinner at hotel.

An early AM flight will take us to L’viv. Transfer to hotel and lunch. For those who will not be swarmed by relatives, we will organize a leisurely walking tour of the UNESCO protected L’viv city center. Dinner at hotel.

Situated in the Western part of Ukraine, L’viv, the “City of Lions”, is its heart and soul. Founded in the 13^th c. by King Danylo Halytckyj, it was named in honor of his son Lev (Leo). Through centuries of Polish, Austrian and Soviet occupation, L’viv was the gateway to “the East”, but with independence in 1991, L’viv is finally free to develop its own Ukrainian identity.  Highlights of the first city tour are Rynok, the 15-16^th c. city square, the Dominican Church, Armenian Church Complex, the Chapel of the Bojim Family, the Armenian Quarters, the Opera House and L’viv University. St. George’s Cathedral, the stronghold of Western Ukraine’s Catholic Church, is our final stop before lunch in a local café. Remainder of the day and dinner under own arrangements.

Early morning is free to attend Mass in any one of the city center churches.

Today’s tour is to Shevchenko Haj, an open air museum with an active Bojko Church and replicas of Western Ukraine’s Lemko and Bojko villages dating back to the 18^th c. This “village” is a popular Sunday outing for L’viv residents. We continue to Lychakiv Cemetery to view graves of Ivan Franko, Solomija Krushelnytcka, Volodymyr Ivasiuk, Oleksander Tysovsky and many others. We will have a late lunch in a local restaurant. Remainder of the day free.

The entire day is free under own arrangements. Optional tours will be available to nearby Carpathian regions of Slavsk and Frankivsk, or to Krekhiv and Zolotchiv. Within L’viv, optional excursions can be arranged to Virmenskyj Sobor or the National Museum.

Evening Gala Farewell Dinner at a specialty restaurant.

Early AM transfer takes us to L’viv airport for our flight to Frankfurt with connecting flight to Newark.