This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Odessa.
Odessa is a large, multicultural city and an amazing party place in the summer. Be aware that the city is a major port and after that, an attractive tourist destination. Visit the port, one of the largest in the Black Sea region; the Archaeological Museum in Odessa; the Potemkin Stairs (yes, from Sergei Eisenstein’s The Battleship Potemkin); the Pushkin Museum; Vorontsov’s Palace; and Deribasovskaya Street. Odessa withstood the German siege in World War II, and has many war monuments.
There are plenty of hostels in Odessa, located in the center, near the train and bus stations, and in the surroundings. The only problem is that the beaches are located in the area Arcadia (tram 5, last station, about thirty minutes from the center) and there are no hostels in that area. So no matter where you decide to stay, you will have to commute to reach the beach. Hostels in Odessa are quite expensive, especially in the summer. Most hostels in Odessa are open only during the summer season. In the summer, there is party almost all the time –- the city has many clubs and discos where people from the whole former USSR party. Some of them are really good.
Train connections apart from close distances are quite bad but you have a few direct connections to Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is a small airport near the city but it has flights mainly to Russia for the summer season. Under no circumstances should you take a taxi on your own, unless you speak Russian -– there are many illegal taxis.
Written by local enthusiast for Odessa hostels
George Traveller
