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 Odessa is for sure one of the most interesting Ukrainian cities, it’s situated in the south of Ukraine, the population of Odessa makes approximately 1 mln citizens (in summer, by estimation of some specialists, the population of the city grows up to about 1,5 mln!). Odessa is a bit older than 200 years, so it can be considered to be a young city. Most of the people who live in Odessa speak Russian (though the official language is Ukrainian). Odessa is famous as a port and tourist centre of Ukraine. Besides that it has a unique architecture, only in Odessa you can find the most unique museums, theaters and monuments. For many years Odessa was a city where many famous writers  lived and wrote their best works, admiring with the atmosphere and the citizens of our city. It’s no wonder that from the very moment of its foundation Odessa attracted the most enterprising people, as it was one of the main ports of Russia. And during the past 10 years Odessa also became famous for its night life (it’s commonly for citizens of other Ukrainian cities to come here for weekend to visit local nightclubs). Historically Odessa became a city where there are a lot of nationalities living together forming a specific atmosphere of the city.
The official currency in Odessa is Hryivna (as in the rest of Ukraine). You can see the currency exchange rates on the particularized web-sites.
The climate in Odessa is ideal for summer holiday. The air temperature in summer is usually between 28-30°С, the temperature of water in the Black Sea in summer is about 23-25°С. Local time in Odessa is GMT+2 (same as in Athens, Istanbul, Minsk, and of course Kiev).
The public transport in Odessa is regular enough; trams, trolleybuses, buses have many routes, so you will be able to reach almost any place in Odessa. However, you should be aware that most of them don’t circulate at night, besides that in summer time and during rush hours there are usually traffic jams in the city centre.
Many supermarkets in Odessa work 24/7 especially those which are situated in the city centre, some of the restaurants and bars also work at night and in many of them you can pay with a credit card, however not many of them have English speaking staff. In the city centre you will also find many ATM machines and bank branches, where you can cash money from your Visa / MasterCard credit / debit card, there are also many currency exchange points, there you can exchange USD, EUR and RUB into Hryivna, if you want to exchange some other currency you will have to look for the nearest bank branch, that exchanges other currencies.
Besides being the tourist centre of Ukraine, Odessa is a rapidly developing trade and industrial city, for the moment Odessa is the 2nd most attractive for investment city in Ukraine (after Kiev) – it’s the biggest Ukrainian port, the city that has trade relations with almost one hundred countries, and one of the main transport passages of Ukraine.
Official holidays of Odessa: the 1st of April – International Humor Festival, the 10th of April - the Day of Release of Odessa from occupation of fascist aggressors, the 2nd of September – the Day of Foundation of Odessa.
Some of the most important links:
Walk along Deribasovskaya street
Of course, the first thing to do is to see the main street of the city. The car traffic is forbidden on Deribasovskay street, The street is covered with stones and there are always some people walking along, even at night. On Deribasovskaya street there are a lot of shops, boutiques, supermarkets, bars and restaurants. Right besides Deribasovskaya street there is City Garden where there are usually many people sitting and walking around.
Visit Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater
 The theater was designed by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. Built in 1884-1887 at the site of a previous theatre (it was destroyed by fire in 1873). Opened 13 October, 1887. Later on in 1998-2001 the building underwent foundation repair works, and in 2003-2005 major exterior and interior renovation. Tickets are available at the theatre's ticket office and other ticket offices of the city. The entrance to the theatre is on Lanzheronovskaya str.
Walk down the Potemkin Stairs to the Sea Port
 In a few minutes to walk from the Opera and Ballet Theater you will find the monument of Duke de Richelieu and the famous Potemkin stairs, from the top of the stairs there is a great view to the Sea Port of Odessa, you can either go down the stairs on foot or use the elevator that was recently constructed right besides the stairs. In Odessa Sea Port you can find a yacht club where you can either buy a ticket to a short sea voyage or rent a yacht for a private voyage.
Go to the beach
 Most people come to Odessa in summer to lay in the sun and bathe in the Black Sea. There are a lot of beaches in Odessa. Most of them are located between the Sea Port and Arcadia (the centre of Odessa night life), so most beaches are not far away from the city centre. Entrance to almost all of the beaches are free of charge, but all the additional services are paid, though we should say that usually there are a lot of people on Odessa beaches in summer and some people even prefer to go to the outskirts of the city to visit local beaches which are more quiet.
Excursion to Odessa catacombs
For those who like more extreme kinds of rest we offer excursions to the local catacombs. Almost all of the  city is covered with catacombs, especially the city centre. The catacombs were built during the time of the World War Two and many people who are interested in the history of Odessa and those who have never been to catacombs are trying to get there. But we should warn you that visiting Odessa catacombs can be dangerous as it happens that people get lost in there, so you should be accompanied by a professional guide!
Visit Arcadia (the centre of Odessa night life)
 If your day usually starts at night time and you want to feel the night life of Odessa, you are always welcome to Arcadia, a place where there are a lot of clubs and restaurants for any taste and all of them work 24 hours a day. The clubs of Arcadia usually work during the summer time, they have different music styles, décor and prices, of course.
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Let’s begin from the clubs situated in the city centre. 
This club includes music club Ё and bowling club 7 Stars, it’s one of the leading clubs in Odessa. The club has a dance floor, scene, 10 plasma panels and meets all the European standards.It’s meant to place up to 1500 visitors. There is also a separate disco bar with a dance floor for 150 persons and a comfortable banquet room for 30 persons. Mostly European cuisine, wide variety of cocktails. 
The club has two floors, largefront verandah made of glass, two bars with a wide variety of cocktails, sceneand dance floor, it can place up to 500 visitors. This club often invites DJsand VJs from Kiev, Moscow and Europe, and holds a lot of interesting performances.It’s not only a place where you can just dance, but also one where you cannicely spend your free time talking to someone at the bar or enjoying aperformance.
This club has extraordinary design both in its exterior and interior, joining the classical and modern features together. The club is equipped by all European standards and can place up to about 2000 visitors. The club is also popular as a place where many famous singers who come to Odessa hold their concerts. Here you can also find different interesting performances and enjoy the music of local DJs. The clubis situated near Odessa railway station and in about 10 minutes to drive from the city centre.
It’s certainly the most popular summer night club of Odessa. The architecture of the club is very interesting realized in white color with smooth , spilling over walls, the clubis open-air, so it works only at summer time (as most clubs in Arcadia do).Almost each week the club arranges concerts of the most famous singers. The club is situated in Arcadia. In summer this place becomes the centre of Odessa night life, actually there are a lot of small and large night clubs in Arcadia, but not all of them are that popular. The way to Arcadia from the city centre will take you not more than 20 minutes to drive.
This club is first of all interesting for its architecture – it’s constructed in antique Greek style, with high columns and big statues, it’s also the only club in Arcadia that can place up to 3000 visitors. Here you can enjoy the music of local and foreign DJs or visit a concert of a famous pop singer or rock group that are often held in this club. 
