The best way to travel from Kiev to Odessa is to catch an overnight train. The ticket is relatively inexpensive. I think it was about 150 Griven which is about 20 USD. Make sure you get the kupany which is the 2nd class sleeping accommodation. There is a 3rd class ticket that is a little cheaper but it is just one big open space.
I would recommend buying your ticket as far in advance as possible. I bought my ticket two weeks before the trip and had no problem. Some friends bought their tickets a few days in advance and the 2nd class was fully booked, so they had to settle for 3rd class.
Our wagon was new and clean. But there was some kind of problem with the ventilation in our compartment. The airflow was very weak. At about one o’clock in the morning, we stopped at a station for a while and the air turned off completely. When we started moving again, the air did not turn back on. It was off for a couple of hours and got very hot and stuffy in the compartment. So I had to go out and stand in the hall near an open window to get some air.
Eventually the air turned on very strong, but only for a short time. Overall the lack of ventilation really made the trip uncomfortable.
The train arrived about 6am in the morning. I had to walk to my apartment in Odessa. Fortunately, it is not so hot that early in the morning. Also, Odessa has a lot of tree-lined streets. But by noon time the temperature in Odessa is usually in the mid to upper 30’s Celsius. Odessa can be very hot in the summertime.
Black Sea Port
Odessa is a major port city on the Black Sea. There is all kinds of boat traffic and right downtown at the bottom of the Potemkin Steps is the Morskou Vokzal, which is the Sea Terminal. This is where all the cruise lines and ferries dock.
My plan is to take a boat from Odessa down to Bulgaria–either to Varna or Burgas in Bulgaria would be ideal. Another possible destination by boat from Odessa is Konstantsa, Romania or even Istanbul, Turkey. The map shows ferry routes from Odessa to all those destinations and also to Crimea. The ferry line is operated by Ukrferry.
