In this article I will be talking about getting to Kyiv by plane!
A-Z Kyiv Guide is a series of articles to give you the best tips for traveling to Ukrainian capital
Kyiv is served by two international airports – Boryspil and Zhulyany (Kyiv International Airport).
Many airlines fly to the Ukrainian capital. I would always suggest using Skyscanner for finding the best rates and timetables.
Boryspil International Airport
(getting to Kyiv by plane)
Website: https://kbp.kiev.ua/en/
Boryspil International Airport is located 29 km from Kyiv. It is the largest airport in Ukraine and majority of airlines fly here.
To check which airlines fly to Boryspil go HERE
Boryspil has 4 Terminals:
- international flights are at Terminal D
- domestic flights are at Terminal B
Terminal D is brand new and was built for EURO 2012 football championship that took place in Kyiv.
Check-in
Check-in for international flights is done on the 3rd level of the Terminal D (1 – 60 check-in counters).
Check-in for domestic flights is done on the 2nd level of the Terminal D (62-76 check-in counters).
Also, there are CUSS Check-in Kiosks
More about the check-in HERE
Getting from Boryspil Airport to Kyiv
As Boryspil is 29 km from Kyiv you will have to use some type of transport to get to Kyiv.
There are different options here.
Taxi from Boryspil Airport to Kyiv
As in every big airport of the world, there are a couple of things to know before using a taxi to avoid unnecessary costs and trickery.
Top tip – Always use the official taxi companies
At the exit from the airport, there are people that will tell you they can take you to the city center. Unless you want to pay twice (three times, four times) price, don’t react! This practice is illegal for drivers and often they trick the foreign visitors coming to Kyiv.
The official taxis of Boryspil International Airport stand on the first line in front of the Terminal D
Those drivers got their license and are there legally. According to the license, they all should have the bank terminal inside as well as they count the kilometers traveled and that’s how they set the price.
The trip to central Kyiv will cost around 350 UAH (12 EUR)
Another taxi option is using one of the taxi services from Kyiv
Usually, it is cheaper to order a taxi from one of the Kyiv taxi companies.
You can choose from:
- Uber which operates in Kyiv since 2016
- Uklon is an online taxi service with English menu. Price to central Kyiv is around 260 UAH (9,12 EUR)
- There is a list of English-speaking taxis HERE and you can choose from those as well
- Express Taxi and Optimalne Taxi are also two relatively ok taxi firms for Kyiv (although it all always depends)
Bus from Boryspil Airport to Kyiv
There are Sky Bus buses that operate the route Boryspil airport – Kharkivska metro station – Railway station “Pivdenny”
Journey takes 45-55 minutes, buses go regularly with the intervals around 15 minutes during the day and 30-45 minutes during the night
To go to the bus stop look for the directions inside the airport!
Price is 84 UAH (2,9 EUR)
You can buy a ticket either online at Busfor (write in Boryspil (airport) and Kyiv when searching for a ticket) or from the driver inside the bus (the driver will go around the bus collecting money)
Also, there is a shuttle bus running between the terminals and the airport hotel. To check its schedule go HERE
Car rental in Boryspil Airport
There are many international car rental companies represented in Boryspil International Airport
Check which car rental companies operate in Boryspil HERE
Car rental stands are situated in Terminal D
As for the price, 1 day of Herz manual Hyundai i10 1100 cc will cost you 72.16 EUR
Hotel in Boryspil Airport
There is a Boryspil Hotel next to the Terminals – for more information go HERE
Also, you can check Booking.com to find good accommodation in the vicinity
International Airport Kyiv (Zhuliany)
(getting to Kyiv by plane)
Website: http://iev.aero/en/airport/
International Airport Kyiv is the second passenger airport of Kyiv capital. It is located within the Kyiv city borders in the neighborhood of Zhulyany.
The distance from the airport to the central Kyiv is 7 km
International Airport Kyiv is one of the main airports of WizzAir – a Hungarian low-cost airline
To check which airlines fly to and from Kyiv International Airport go HERE
There are 3 Terminals:
- Terminal A – for international flights
- Terminal B – for domestic flights
- Terminal C – for private and business flights
Getting from International Airport Kyiv to central Kyiv
(getting to Kyiv by plane)
Public transport
First of all, you can check my Kyiv Public Transport Guide: Essentials to know how the public transport operates in the Ukrainian capital.
There are different options of reaching International Airport Kyiv:
- by trolleybus number 9 from metro station Lva Tolstogo or trolleybus 22 from metro station Shulyavska
- by one of the marshrutkas – privately-owned minibuses that operate in Kyiv (I would suggest avoiding marshrutkas at all costs as they are old, uncomfortable and bad transport experience overall)
For the complete picture of public transport with numbers of marshrutkas and trolleybuses go HERE
Caution: Bus 80 doesn’t operate anymore!
Taxi from International Airport Kyiv
It works here the same way as in the Boryspil Airport except I would suggest you going with the official Kyiv taxi firms and order taxi beforehand as the amount of taxi trickery can be quite annoying at International Airport Kyiv.
You can choose from:
- Uber which operates in Kyiv since 2016
- Uklon is an online taxi service with English menu. Price to central Kyiv is around 260 UAH (9,12 EUR)
- There is a list of English-speaking taxis HERE and you can choose from those as well
- Express Taxi and Optimalne Taxi are also two relatively ok taxi firms for Kyiv (although it all always depends)
Car Rental
(getting to Kyiv by plane)
There are two car rental companies represented in International Airport Kyiv:
Check out other articles of A-Z Kyiv Guide series:
- Kyiv Public Transport Guide: Essentials
- TOP 5 Theaters in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Kiev Metro Map Guide: travel tips
- 3 great cheap eats in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Top 5 Beautiful Churches of Kyiv, Ukraine
Thank you for reading!
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Pavlo is an experienced travel writer published by CNN, BBC, The Guardian, The Independent, The Irish Times, Time Out, DK Eyewitness and Lonely Planet. He’s been writing about Poland for 9+ years.