Odessa or Simferopol?

[thomas]

2 quick questions....

I met a woman from and living in Simferopol.
If I went to meet her, would you suggest flying into Odessa? Taking a train, bus,  something else to get there? How long does that take? A guess at a cost of the train or bus?  Or flying straight to Simferopol (from O'hare/Chicago)?

So a visa is required to get there?? And is an invitation  letter needed??  I'm a USCitizen.

[romachko]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

Definitely Simferopol direct. I looked at Odessa route and gave it up because of inconvenience and possibly cost too.

The easiest and cheapest is from USA to IST, then IST-SIP.
Alternative is: USA-Kiev-SIP. I did it once and much prefer IST route. There are a number of reasons.

I took IST route five times. If you need more info, I am happy to help you.

[RickM]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

nt

[thomas]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

Lots of options, nothing easy. I kinda figured that.  

Odessa seems to be a lot closer than Kiev. Wouldn't a train, bus, from there be better?  Or even a flight.   I just tried looking up some flights, but Travelocity just sucks. Fares are offered, then you click on them and they aren't. I need to try somewhere else, maybe an agent.

I just found a flight Chicago to Odessa  on Lot, $870.  

Istanbul is intriguing, I think I read that somewhere here before, and that's what Travelocity is listing...but not making a flight because it's undersold sucks, and in Nov it might happen.

I wouldn't be able to go until at least Nov because of my job anyway. I need to do some research. Just wondering...  

[Streetwise]

... in response to Re: Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 2, 2005

Fair enough, but for your info Odessa is a lot further fro Simferopol than you might think, by road. Better stick to connections via Kiev, that's where all the flights from U.S.A. arrive and there are several daily flight departures from there to Simferopol (from a different terminal but from same airport.) I beliieve Air Ukraine operates JFK-KBP and also operates the onward flights from KBP to SIP.

[Albert]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

I would highly recommend that you fly Turkish Air.  They have non-stop flights from Chicago and New York to Istanbul and then continuation flights from Istanbul non-stop to Simferopol.

One drawback or advantage (depends on your desires) is that there is usually required a night stopover in Istanbul in each direction.  The good news is that Turkish Air pays for one night of hotel in Istanbul.  I have gone this route a few times and chose to stay two nights in Istanbul (paying for one extra night myself).  With a two night stayover, that gives you one full day to tour Istanbul which has enough interesting places to do this several times for a day each.

One caution, Tavrey is a Ukrainian airline which matches up with flights between Simferopol and Istanbul.  But their aircraft and service do not compare to Turkish Air.  And, Tavrey is known to cancel flights at last minute if a minimum number of people are not paid up for the flight.

[Streetwise]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

No visa required for citizens of US or EU subject to stay up to 90 days maximum since Yuschenko signed the new decree earlier this year.  There is also a clause that your trip must be “within 6 months after your last trip to Ukraine” (assuming you have been there before) which is a bit confusing, worth clarifying with the Ukrainian Embassy in US. If you do need a visa, letters of invitation are no longer required for either business or private visas. I always found Business visas best, as they are more flexible and can be used for an entry on any date during their validity; business visas are also available with double entry, if you expect a follow up trip within the next few months.

I don’t believe you will find a transatlantic flight to Simfeopol, it is a very small airport mainly served by Antonov Turbo-prop aircraft on a local shuttle service from Kiev.  The only international flights I am aware of are Turkish Airlines (Istanbul) and Austrian (Vienna).Flying from USA I believe you will have to arrive in Kiev’s international  (Borispol) Airport. If you connect onto a domestic flight to Simferopol from there, I believe there are now internal flights from Borispol with Air Ukraine or Ukraine International. This would be your best bet (if you don’t mind Russian aeroplanes.) However, in the past, intenal flights operated from a different airport altogether, Kiev Zhulyany Airport, which is about 40mins from Borispol by road. Worth checking that your internal flight is from Borispol (KBP) not Zhulyany (IEV.) Internal flight to Simferopol I recall is around 100 USD.  

A word of warning, allow yourself some leeway either side of your internal flight date as internal flight schedules are prone to change unexpectedly and in autumn/winter flights are frequently cancelled due to fog. I got caught with this and had to take a taxi from Simferopol to Kiev (!!) costing around 200 USD.  

If you prefer to go by road, Autolux is the main private bus operator which covers most of the country, and their bus #968 departs Kiev Central Bus Station at 1630 each day (ask for the “Avtovoxhall” and the taxi driver will know.)I have used them to Odessa and Kharkov, there is a stewardess service of sorts, and movies on board, with fairly frequent stops, and at around 25 USD to Simferopol it’s the cheapest option, if you can handle 16 hours on a bus (arrival 0805 Simferopol.) Try and buy two seats, to avoid sitting next to Sweaty Betty like I did for several hours.  

I haven’t tried using trains yet, the melee at the station was off-putting, but I believe the long distance trains run overnight from Kiev and you can book a first class sleeper. I believe the trip takes a similar length of time but if you book a sleeper you might arrive in better shape. I will be using this option when I visit Khmelnitsky this summer, I believe first class tickets average 60 USD for that kind of trip. According to my info, train to Simferopol leaves Kiev at 1751. All long distance trains seem to leave in the evening so you don’t waste a day on the road.

Have a good trip and hope to see a Trip Report afterwards, Cheers!  

[Philb]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

There are no direct flights into Simferopol.  You would have to fly into Kiev and from there transfer to a Ukrainian airline and then fly to Simferopol.  Flying into Odessa would be an option, as would taking an over night train from Kiev.

I really can't help you as far as prices.  I always kind of prefer the train.  Some of the local airlines cancel flights if they don't sell enough tickets.  The trains always run.  Besides, the train ride gives you a chance to catch up on your sleep and get over the jet lag.

[Frank O]

... in response to Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by thomas on Aug 1, 2005

No invitation letter but a visa is required. Better if you get it directly from the embassy as it's cheaper & probably safer just follow the instructions (money order & return postage paid envelope). If you are going to be making more than 1 visit I would recommend a multiple entry visa. I should have gotten one it would have saved me severl hundred dollars. Good luck.

[Philb]

... in response to Re: Odessa or Simferopol?, posted by Frank O on Aug 1, 2005

US citizens no longer need a visa.  Here is the link.

http://www.ukrainesf.com/

[Frank O]

... in response to Actually...., posted by Philb on Aug 2, 2005

state within 6 month intervals? So my last visit was in March with a double entry visa (2nd entry). If I want to go in october or November that's MORE than 6 months wouldn't I NEED a visa then? AT least that's how I understood it.