Visitors now have a wide choice of cuisines (including French, Indian, Italian, Japanese or Thai), particularly in Kyiv.

National specialties:
• Borshch (beetroot soup
• Varenniki (dough containing cheese, meat or fruit).
• Holubtsi (cabbage rolls).
• Chicken Kiev exists but is better known in the West.

National drinks:
• Crimean wines are excellent, especially dessert wines such as Krasny Kamen (‘Red Stone').
• Abrau and Miskhako are excellent brands of cabernet.
• Artyomov champagne (bottled in eastern Ukraine).
• Fortified wines from Massandra, particularly one named ‘Black Doctor'.

Tipping: Tips are appreciated. Service is sometimes included in first-class restaurants and hotel bills.

Opera is performed in the ornate theatres of Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa. Ukrainians have a deep-rooted musical tradition and singing is very popular. Most cities also have good musical comedy, puppet-theatre and troupes performing theatrical works in Ukrainian and Russian. Tickets are cheap by Western standards and readily available on the day of performance at the box offices. Prominent visiting artists most often perform in Kyiv's vast Ukraine Theatre, where prices are higher.

Artwork is the best buy. Top-quality paintings, ceramics and jewellery may be purchased quite cheaply at galleries or direct from artists on the street. Avoid the state shops, which have dull merchandise.

Shopping hours: Large state or department stores tend to open Monday toFriday 0800-1900, whereas small boutiques are generally open 0900-1800.Some shops stay open as late as 2000. Smaller shops may close for an hour at lunch, usually from 1300-1400 or 1400-1500.