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 Frankfurt Airport you board your non-stop flight to Kyiv.  At Kyiv Airport  please claim baggage and pass through passport and customs control.  You will be met by agency representative who will assist you in transfer to domestic terminal for your connecting flight to Crimea – Simferopol Airport.

Here you will be met by your Crimean Tour director.  A private coach transfer will take you to Yalta, via the 100 kl. Golden Highway.
If you ever wondered what Yalta is all about – it’s   Massandra wine, Crimean Balaclava, salt fish, nuts and health juice.  Welcome to Crimea!   Dinner at hotel.

The whole day is dedicated to a trip to Sevastopol. Situated on the north shores of the Black Sea, Sevastopol was founded by the Greeks in the 5th c. and was the bastion of the Byzantine Empire. Enroute to  Sevastopol (72 km), you will see the following highlights: an  impressive Baidar Church that towers above the  road;  Foros, the place where President M. Gorbachev  was in seclusion during  August, 1991 and the  Balaclava Valley, known for the Charge of  the Light  Brigade.   Sevastopol sustained considerable damage during the Russo-Turkish War of 1855 and WW II.  Your final stop in this lovely port  will be a visit to the world-famous Panorama painting “Defense of Sevastopol (1854-55).” We continue past the Akhtiarsky Harbor, where the Black Sea Fleet anchors in present day.

The highlight of this spectacular day will most probably be a visit  to Chersonesus,  archeological preserve from the 5th c., and the place where the Great Prince Volodymyr of Kievan Rus was  baptized in 988.   Lunch in “Caucasus” restaurant.  Afternoon free to enjoy the promenades of Sevastopol.  Evening return to Yalta Hotel for dinner.

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 St. Sophia Cathedral constructed in the 11^th 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 11^th 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.

A short stop at Hanchar Museum before the 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, and its 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)

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.

Directly from the Airport, we proceed on our first tour 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 lunch in a local restaurant, then proceed to check-in at hotel. Remainder of the day free.

Highlights of today’s morning 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.

Evening and dinner under own arrangements.

Optional: Philharmonic Hall or Opera Theater Performance (pending availability).

Today we join our touring coach and head to the heart of the Carpathian Mountains , to Yaremche. From L’viv, through Rohatyn's newly reconstructed city center, we view the lovely new statue of Roxolana, then continue to Ivano- Frankivsk, the capital of the Ivano- Frankivsk oblast. Have lunch in a local café and take time to walk through this lovely Subcarpathia city.

Afterwards we drive to Bukovel ski resort for a sunset ride on a ski lift (weather permitting), and then to Yaremche for a folkloric dinner in specialty Restaurant Hutsulshchyna and overnight.

We rejoin our touring coach for a drive through some of the most enchanting Carpathian villages before arriving in Kolomyja, famous for its master-ceramists and woodcarvers. Guided tours will take place at the Hutsul Pysanka and Woodcarving Museums.

We proceed directly to Chernivtsi, the capital of Bukovyna. It’s a beautiful and mysterious town with lots of narrow streets and hidden views, and some incredible architectural gems which we will see in our city tour after lunch: The National University of Chernivtsi, Kobylanska Museum and the Opera House, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and the two churches of St. Nikolai. Late arrival in Kamianets Podilskyi for dinner.

This “museum city” is renowned for its diverse historic architecture but the real “wow” is the immense canyon that completely encircles the old city. The rocky island is high and inaccessible, except for one very small road leading to the site of Podilia’s largest medieval fortress – the object of our tour this morning. The castle was built in the 11^th c., but most of what we will see was added between the 14c and the 18c.

We rejoin our touring bus for a short visit to Zarvanytsia, followed by lunch prepared by the sisters. Zarvanytsia is considered the Lourdes of Western Ukraine. It houses a miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin with Christ Child, a spring of healing water, and an active monastery and church. Late arrival in L’viv. Late arrival in L'viv for dinner.

The entire day is free for own exploration of L’viv. Optional tours are available to nearby 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.