Best attractions in Odessa: Top 26
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After reading this review, you will learn about the best attractions in Odessa. When compiling our rating, we took into account the reviews of experienced travelers. With our article, you will not have any difficulties with what to see in Odessa on vacation or on a business trip.
What to see in Odessa in the first place.
List all the interesting places in Odessa could be very long. Therefore we will tell you only about the most fascinating and popular excursions in Odessa:
1. Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater
The building of the city theater can be confidently called magnificent. Odessa Opera is the best option for where to go in Odessa for fans of architecture and art. The building is in the style of the Viennese Baroque and belongs to the 19th century. We recommend you to visit the theater not only from the outside but also from the inside. The main auditorium has a unique acoustics - even in remote corners of it you will clearly hear a whisper of a person from the stage. The style of the interiors is French rococo.
Official site: http://www.opera.
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2. Potemkin Stairs
One of the visiting cards of the city, which is also included in all the lists of “the main sights of Ukraine“. The design was created in the 19th century by the order of Vorontsov. The prince ordered it to be built as a gift to his beloved wife. The staircase leading to the Seaside Boulevard has almost 200 steps. Every tourist should climb it.
3. Monument to the Duke de Richelieu
Richelieu was the head and one of the founders of Odessa. It is thanks to his efforts that the city became the largest seaport. The monument is located at the top of the Potemkin Stairs. At the figure are often appointed romantic meetings, humor parties are held. In addition, it is believed that by touching the bag of money on the statue, you can become richer and more successful in business.
4. Deribasovskaya street
The central pedestrian avenue of the city, which will allow you to experience the unique color of Odessa. No matter how short your trip is, you should definitely take a walk down Deribasovskaya Street with its boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and Passage. Here are the best hotels in Odessa. Most of the buildings were built in the 19th century. Many cottages, which survived to our time, belonged to world-famous personalities.
5. Seaside Boulevard
You can get to the boulevard by climbing the Potemkin Stairs. Guides in Odessa often advise to begin acquaintance with the city from this place. From the boulevard you can admire the seaside station. The list of attractions here includes a museum with a glass dome that contains the remains of an ancient Greek settlement.
See the beautiful places of Odessa in this great video!
6. Vorontsov Palace
The 1834 building belonged to members of the Vorontsov family. The residence was nearly destroyed in the Crimean clash. After the war with the Anglo-French army, only ruins remained of the palace. Later it was decided to restore the historical building and use it again as a residence for the governor. At one time there was also a men’s gymnasium, and then a center of creativity for children.
7. Shah’s Palace
Neo-Gothic architectural work of art that got its name from the fact that Muhammad Ali (the Shah of Persia) lived here. The Persian shah was forced to flee to the Ukrainian city due to the revolution in Iran. Today, the building, built in the 19th century, houses the offices of a private corporation.
8. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral
The largest operating church in the city for Orthodox parishioners is located on Sobornaya Square. Originally, the structure with its beautiful white-washed walls was a modest temporary church. The complex was last restored in the 20th century. If you want to see the best sights in Odessa, come here.
Official website: http://www.sobor.odessa.ua/
9. Holy Dormition Monastery
The temple sprouted from a 19th-century bishopric. In the early 20th century, the Soviet government decided to seize the property and destroy all churches. However, this monastery managed to survive in spite of the fact that it was the place where the dissenters had taken refuge. In 1944, an extensive restoration was carried out. Two more years later, the church became the residence of the head of Orthodox Russian Christians.
Official website: http://uspen-
10. Passage
The chic 19th century building is located at the intersection of Preobrazhenskaya and Deribasovskaya Streets. Your trip to Odessa should certainly include a visit to the complex. The interior of the courtyard is similar to the exterior of GUM in the Russian capital. The Passage, with its domes of glass, baroque sculptural compositions on the facades and ornate arches-windows, houses stores, restaurants, covered malls and a hotel.
11. Bolshaya Moskovskaya Hotel
The famous hotel complex, built in the 20th century. The construction was financed by Dementiev and Co. The architectural style of the building, the rooms of which are still a great success among the city’s guests, is Art Nouveau.
12. Bristol Hotel
Another historic building created in the 19th century. According to the current classification, the hotel has five stars. At one time it was considered the most luxurious and rich in the city. The last reconstruction was carried out for 8 years (until 2010). The building has been restored to its original appearance.
Official website: http://bristol-hotel
13. The Wall House
An extraordinary architectural structure is located on Primorsky Boulevard. If you look at the building at a certain angle, it will seem to you that the house has no side walls. The original effect is created by the triangular layout of the structure. Another name of the attraction is the Witch House.
14. Faltz-Fein House
The building, decorated with sculptures of atlantes, on whose shoulders rests the vault of heaven, is considered one of the most beautiful architectural objects in the city. The sculptures are not bas-reliefs; they are individual elements. In former years the house was the property of the wealthy Falz-Fein family.
15. Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art
The museum complex, which began its work in 1923, carefully preserves art objects from the collections of the Hermitage of St. Petersburg, the Kiev Museum and private expositions. The specimens belong to various ancient eras.
Official website: http://www.oweamuseum
16. Odessa Art Museum
The museum was opened in the castle Potocki, built in the 19th century. The first objects for the exhibition came from the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg. Currently in the exhibition halls are exhibits of arts and crafts, graphics, art paintings and icons.
Official site: https://www.ofam
17. The Archaeological Museum
The date of opening of the Museum of Archaeology is the beginning of the 19th century. Now there are many exhibits that tell the history of the northern Black Sea region. In addition, in the museum’s collections you can see ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian specimens, including mummies. Many items in the permanent collection were created during the Stone Age and the Middle Ages. Even if you are not fond of history, you should definitely visit such sights in Odessa.
Official website: http://archaeology
18. Odessa Catacombs
Not far from the city, in the village of Nerubayskoye, are the legendary catacombs, a couple of dozens of kilometers long. Their fame was brought, among other things, by their intricacy. This is a real artificially created underground labyrinth, where the temperature never exceeds +14 degrees Celsius. Celsius. In the intricate tunnels, shell rock, used for the construction of most buildings in the city, were mined here, besides, partisans hid here. If you do not know what to see in Odessa in 1 day, but want to turn your trip into a real adventure, come here.
19. Mother-in-law’s Bridge
The highest pedestrian bridge in the city. The structure connects the Brzozowski and Vorontsov Palaces. Why does the landmark have such an unusual name? The thing is that its construction was ordered by M. Sinitsa. The head of the city regional committee often came for pancakes to his mother-in-law, who lived on the opposite side of the hill from his work. Of course, this is just an urban legend. Every year on Mother-in-law’s Bridge they organize a feast for mother-in-law. Romantically-minded couples come here to hang a lock, and throw the keys to it into the sea, believing that this will help them keep their feelings strong.
20. Monument to a sailor’s wife
The sculpture is in the form of a young woman with a child sitting in her arms. The memorial complex was built more than 15 years ago on the embankment of Odessa in honor of the sailors who failed to return home from battles. Despite the fact that the size of the monument is relatively small, this landmark has become one of the most favorite gathering places for tourists.
Attractions of Odessa: what else should you visit in Odessa?
We have listed those sights of Odessa, photos with names and descriptions of which tourists look for most often. This is not the end of our recommendations. You should also visit:
21. Privoz market
The most famous trade center in the city, which traces its history back to 1827. Initially, local shops offered mostly imported products, which gave the market its name. After a major restructuring in the early 2000s, modern retail outlets and office buildings appeared on the marketplace.
22. City park
From the very beginning of its existence, the city park has been used as a place for organizing and holding all kinds of concerts, meetings, the most important entertainment and political events. Today guests of the city park also always have something to do in their free time: there is one of the 12 chairs, sculptures of Kisa Vorobyaninov and Ostap Bender, Utesov. And there’s also an original perfume fountain that sprays not ordinary water, but a liquid with a beautiful fresh scent. The attraction is a success among the guests and residents of Odessa at any time of the year.
23. Shevchenko Park
A park complex with many modern and completely safe rides - roundabouts of different kinds, mazes, the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster. Entertainment is designed not only for kids, but for adult guests as well. Clowns and animators, dressed in costumes of popular cartoon and fairy tale characters, work on the territory.
24. Odessa Zoo
The city menagerie is one of the largest and oldest in the whole country. Now the number of its inhabitants exceeds 2 thousand animals. The best option for what to visit in Odessa with the whole family. In addition to the “usual” animals such as macaques and lions and elephants, there are also real exotics - zebras, pelicans and leopards. Amphibians, reptiles, and tropical fish swim in the huge aquariums.
Official website: http://zoo.ua/
25. Odessa Dolphinarium “Nemo”
The dolphinarium opened in 2005. Available entertainment includes watching show programs with marine “actors”, swimming with dolphins, diving and attending dolphin therapy courses. The latter is especially recommended to citizens with a weak nervous system.
Official website: http://www.nemo.
26. Arcadia resort area
The area is a fashionable Odessa area with the best entertainment venues, including clubs open from night until morning, elite residential mansions and hotels, trendy boutiques and restaurants. You can also come to Arcadia to visit a park with a singing fountain, palm trees, cafes, and wonderful sculptures. And for a visit with the whole family to a wonderful water park with lots of pools and water rides.
We have told you briefly about the main attractions of Odessa. If you want to see any of them with your own eyes, you must. Read also about sights of Kiev and be inspired for your further trip to Ukraine.
