Kyiv (Kiev) Nightlife

The Marokana Fashion Café is a Moroccan-style restaurant and cocktail bar popular with some of the capital’s more glamorous inhabitants. Soft comfortable seating, discrete lighting, Moroccan lamps, mirrors and drapes are the order of the day here. The bar menu boasts a wide range of imported wines and tasty cocktails like Strawberry Kiss Mojito, while the kitchen offers various Moroccan dishes as well as distinctly non-Moroccan cuisine like Asian and eastern European dishes.

This spacious pub probably has the broadest range of beers on offer in the city, with brews from all over Europe including Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic and even Ireland. A menu offering meals like German and Irish breakfasts compliments the wide choice of beer. TV screens in all three rooms show televised sports events like football and motor racing.

The stereo disco club Ajour (Azhur), part of the Avalon entertainment complex, is the place to come for excellent 1960s, 70s and 80s music. With plenty of themed nights like ‘Back to the USSR’ that offer discounted drinks, and ‘Whiskey Party’ for men every Wednesday and ‘Lady’s Night’ for women on Thursdays, Ajour has a great party atmosphere most nights of the week.

The chamber-like atmosphere of this space is recreated in the style of old New York jazz clubs. With delicious cocktails, good acoustics and a grand piano on the stage – everything facilitates the full immersion into the world of jazz and blues.

One of Kyiv’s (Kiev’s) few Latin American club, the Caribbean Club is one of Kyiv’s oldest clubs. It opened in 1998 and quickly became hugely popular thanks to reliably good music. After a major renovation, Caribbean Club reopened in 2013 as a nightclub and a modern concert hall. Both the nightclub and concert hall hold live music acts, events and latin-themed performances almost everyday. The Caribbean Club also has a bar that serves a vast range of drinks all night.

For a sophisticated night out in Kyiv (Kiev) head to b-hush Rooftop Lounge Bar. This stylish bar offers a beautiful view of nearby churches and Dnieper River and has been visited by celebrities like Kylie Minogue, Richard Branson and Shakira. With a delicious selection of Asian and European dishes, live music and DJ performances and an exhaustive drinks menu, it’s no wonder b-hush always draws a crowd.

In the converted church of St Nikolai’s, the organ hall here with its Baltic stained glass and large Czech-built instrument with around 4,000 pipes is a respected venue for music recitals in the capital. Evening performances take place here most days of the week, usually classical or contemporary organ works but sometimes chamber music.

The National Philharmonic of Ukraine dates back to 1863 when the very first concert season was inaugurated in Kyiv (Kiev). The Lysenko Hall where concerts are held has a sumptuous neoclassical interior that makes a delightful setting for performances of classical music. This is the base for both the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and the Kiev Chamber Orchestra. Concerts take place most nights at 1900 and tickets are both inexpensive and easy to come by.

Popular with cultured Ukrainians, the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre presents a diverse selection of plays from Bulgakov classics to more modern experimental works. Plays are performed in Ukrainian only, but English translations are usually available to help follow the plot.

The Taras Shevchenko National Opera of Ukraine houses the country's most famous opera and ballet company in an exquisite 19th-century building with a grandly ornate auditorium. Something from a wide classical repertoire of opera, dance or concert is staged every evening, with matinee performances on Saturdays. Prices are extremely reasonable given the high quality of the performances and the elegant surroundings in which they take place.