About Kharkiv
Kharkiv is the largest settlement of the historical region called Slobozhanshchyna, with being the second largest city in the north-east of Ukraine. The city of Kharkiv, with a small castle representing the history of the city dating back to ancient times, houses about 1.5 million people. The city of Kharkiv attracts a lot of attention with its wide streets and works from the Soviet period.
You can start your visit to this unique city from Freedom Square (Plosad Svobodi), Europe's eighth and the world's fifteenth largest square. In this city where the days are calm, the nightlife is colored thanks to the surplus of the student population.
There are usually three and four star hotels for your accommodation in the city of Kharkiv, where transport is easy and public transport is common. In Kharkiv, where humid and continental climate is experienced, winters are cold and snowy and summers are hot.
Transportation to Kharkiv City Center from Airport
Kharkiv Intl. Airport
Kharkiv (or Kharkov) is the second largest city in Ukraine. The city, which is situated in the northeast of the country, has a very large population. Freedom Square which is among the largest urban squares in Europe is also the city center in Kharkiv that is a major industrial and cultural center. Kharkiv International Airport welcomes passengers who want to visit this city.
Kharkiv has a wide transportation network thanks to both highways and railways. It is possible to reach the central parts of the city by metro, while public transport such as buses, trams, trolleybuses, minibuses and trains provides transportation services to the places where metro does not reach. Although the services are provided from 5 am until midnight, you may have difficulty finding public transportation to some parts of the city after 9 pm.
In addition to urban transportation, train and bus services also provide transportation to the neighboring cities. There are free Wi-Fi points in certain areas of the city. If there is no internet access on your phone, you can easily find out about these services' times at these points. If you have difficulty finding your way, you can ask for help from the ticket booths. Please remember to keep your ticket during your journey. Otherwise, you may have to pay a penalty in case of ticket control.
It is useful to remind that some services are charged higher depending on the distance. Apart from all these, you can prefer taxi or car rental options for urban transportation to take advantage of a more practical option to reach where you want to go. Kharkiv International Airport is 12.5 kilometers away in the southwest of the city. There are various transportation options from the airport to the city center. However, it may not be possible to some parts of the city at once by public transportation. You may need to transfer by choosing from bus, trolleybus or minibus alternatives. You can also take advantage of the taxi or car rental options at the airport.
Bus
The bus number 115 departing from the airport goes to Prospekt Haharina subway station and the bus number 119 goes to Peremohy bus stop. Bus plays a major role in urban transportation. There are many bus lines that serve throughout the city. You can reach almost every part of the city by bus.
Trolleybus
It is possible to get to the stops at Zirka Cinema, Kuznyechna Street or Hamarnyka Street by taking the trolleybus line 3 that is right next to the airport. There are 30 or so trolleybus lines that travel throughout the city.
Minibus
The vehicles known as Marshrutka in Ukraine are the minibuses used as supporting lines in urban transportation. The minibuses 225 and 152 depart from the airport to Akademika Barabashova metro station.
Tramway
Tram is also one of the frequently preferred options for urban transportation. There are nearly 20 tramway lines within the city. Tram services are nearly available on all streets of Kharkiv. The tramway lines 2 and 15 depart from Freedom Square. There is no direct tram service from the airport. However, if you have come to any part of the city from the airport by trolleybus, tramway or bus, you can prefer tramway as a transfer option.
Metro
After arriving at the airport, you need to get on the buses 115 or 119 to get to the metro station. Once you reach Prospekt Haharina metro station, it is possible to travel to any part of the city by taking the advantage of transfer option between metro lines, or you can get on the minibuses departing from the airport and arrive at Akademika Barabashova metro station. Metro departs every 2-3 minutes during the rush hours, while it departs every 5 to 10 minutes at other times. The longest metro line is about 45 minutes. So you can reach wherever you want to go by metro in a very short time. You need to buy blue tokens from the machines near the station to get on the metro.
There are three metro lines in Kharkiv as Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska, Saltivska, and Oleksiivska. Line 1, also known as the red line, runs between Kholodnaya Gora and Proletarskaya stations.
You can transfer from the red line to the blue line at Tsentralny Rynok Station and to the green line at Zavod im. Malysheva Station.
Line 2, also known as the blue line, runs between Tsentralny Rynok and Geroev Truda stations. You can transfer to the red line from the blue line at the first station and to the green line at Universitet-Gosprom station.
Line 3, known as the green line, travels between Zavod im. Malysheva and Prospekt Pobedy stations. At the first station of the green line, you can transfer to the red line and you can transfer to the blue line at Universitet-Gosprom station.
Train
Kharkiv-Passazhyrskyi is the central railway station of Kharkiv and it is quite close to the Freedom Square. Pivdenny Vokzal, which is located on the route of the red line, is connected to the central railway station. The train is mostly preferred to travel to the neighboring cities rather than urban transportation. Although the trains are slower compared to Europe in general, the prices are very affordable.
Taxi
In Kharkiv, you can get to your destination faster by taking a taxi. After arriving at the airport, you can get a taxi from the taxi stands right next to the airport building. There are also various taxi stands in the city. The service quality varies among the companies providing this service as well as the fares may differ evenly.
Rent a car
You can benefit from the car rental service at the Rent A Car company in Kharkiv International Airport building. So you will be able to travel freely and more comfortably in the city. You can also rent a car when you reach the city center, as well as you can book your car in advance by taking the advantage of online reservation option.