NIGHT LIFE IN POLTAVA, UKRAINE

Poltava is a wonderful city. It is a home to 350 thousand people and its population is growing daily. The main reason for this growth is that Poltava is a home to more than 5 big Universities. Young people living in the surrounding villages come to Poltava to study and most of the time do their best to settle down in this city. At the same time Poltava seems to be a great place for retired people because of its quietness and an easy-going way of life. So, quite a few people have their second homes here.

Despite the fact that Poltava is not the capital of Ukraine, but rather a provincial town in the middle of it, it does have quite a night life. There are lots of bars, pub and restaurants that you can find there. Most of them work until 11 p.m. but some are open till the last client. One such place is called "Apelsin" (Eng: orange). It will not close until the last client leaves.

Since an average month salary in Poltava is around US $200, restaurants try to keep prices for meals at a reasonable level. As an example, you may eat a good size pork steak for as little as US $5, that is at a nice restaurant.

Despite low prices (from the point of view of a foreigner), most people in Poltava prefer to eat out at pizza places (pizzerias). There are literally hundreds of them in different parts of Poltava. Various toppings are available to satisfy the pickiest of customers. You can even go for "do-it-yourself" type of pizza. Which pretty much means that you get to choose all the ingredients that the topping will consist of. Other then serving pizza, pizzerias have different types of drinks on their menu and the most popular one, at least the one that is served with pizza, is beer (UK people, read as lager).

Just one thing to note. They have different names for different types of beer in different parts of the world. A friend of mine, who is from England, gave me a lesson recently on the differences between various types of beer. So, according to him, what most people drink here is not "beer". It is what they call in the UK "lager". It has got 5% of alcohol in it. Dark beer in Ukraine is what they would call simply "beer" in England. Usually it is stronger than "lager" and has got around 7% of alcohol in it. There is also "bitter" and "stout", which are also available in Poltava. But any beer which is not "stout" is called "dark beer" hear. If you ask someone for a glass of "lager" it is most likely that a bar tender will not understand you. The same with "bitter" and "stout". Nobody will have an idea of what you are talking about. So, if you want "lager", then ask for "light beer". If you want to go for "beer", "bitter" or "stout", simply order "dark beer".

So, what else can you do in Poltava when it gets dark. Many people like going to the cinemas (movies). There are three of them in Poltava and the most popular one is Konkord, which is the newest one of all. A ticket for one person will cost you up to US $5. Plus, you are allowed to bring with you foods and drinks, which is something, I assume, that most cinemas in the West won't allow. You can obviously buy beer and pop corn right in the cinema, but generally it will be more expensive than buying it at a nearby supermarket.

Other than going to cinemas and pizzerias, there are quite a few night clubs that up open until early hours of the morning. Viking, Spider, Kantina just to name a few from the top of my mind.

There are quite a few shopping malls (centers) in Poltava. One of them, which is called Equator, has got a skating rink, also a very popular place for people of all ages to go. A cost of 40 minutes of ice-skating is up to US $3. This skating rink is located indoors, which quite a few cafes and buffets around it. When you are in Equator you should visit a place called Turbina which has good sections for playing pools (billiards) and bowling. A game of bowling can cost you up at US $15, that is if you play on Saturday or Sunday night. And the price per an hour can go as low as US $8, that is Mon. through Thursday till 6p.m.

Those who like gambling may visit Split casino, which is located in the city center and is a popular place for those who like playing poker.

So, considering you have a wonderful mood and feel like partying and meeting locals, there are quite a few places to go in Poltava. Despite the fact that night life in Poltava is not like that of Madrid where they start parting at 10p.m. and finish at 6a.m. there are still quite a few places to go and lots of things to do in our wonderful city of Poltava in the Ukraine!