Public transportation in Kiev includes its extensive metro system (website: www.metro.kiev.ua), buses, trolleybuses and trams. By far the best means of transport however is the efficient metro system which operates 0530 to midnight every day with trains running every 2-4 minutes. Two additional lines are due to be opened by 2010. Most of the newer stations have disabled access. Trams are still available but are being phased out to make way for buses and trolley buses.

The following taxi services operate anywhere within the city centre and you can also ask for English-speaking controllers: Radio Taxis (tel: (044) 249 6249), Swift Taxi (tel: (044) 459 0101) and Taxi Blues (tel: (044) 295 1444).

Flagging down private cars is a popular way to get around - but the driver will expect a financial transaction rather than a cultural exchange.

Car hire is available from Avis (tel: (044) 490 7333; website: www.avis.com.ua), Europcar (tel: (044) 238 2691; website: www.europcar.ua), Hertz (tel: (044) 494 4935; website: www.hertz.com.ua) and Sixt (tel: (044) 490 8158; website: www.sixt.ua).

Although cycling would be a great way to explore Kiev and its many parks, bicycle hire is not abundant in Kiev. There are also off-road trails on Trukhaniv Island, a small island in the Dnieper which is accessible from the Park Pedestrian Bridge at Naberezhno-Kreschatytskaya next to the Podil area of the city.