Kryvyi Rih
Kryvyi Rih (Ukrainian: Кривий Ріг, also transliterated Krivoy Rog from Russian: Кривой Рог), is an industrial city of 660,000 people in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. Its principal industry is steel manufacturing.
Understand
According to official website, the city extends for 126 km from north to south. Because of the processing of steel and other products and mining industry, Kryvyi Rih has the highest emission of air pollutants in all of Ukraine.
Google maps can help avoid getting lost in the city. People commonly speak English very badly and all signs and tabulations are in Russian and Ukrainian. Translate apps and vocabularies are also very useful.
Get in
By plane
 |
Note: Due to the state of war, Ukraine's airspace has been closed to civil aviation. |
| (Information last updated 19 Sep 2023) |
By train
Because the city is so elongated, there are several railway stations serving different parts. Most, but not all, long-distance trains serve the main railway station.
By bus
By car
- H 23
- H 11
- Т 0418
- Т 0419
By boat
Get around
By public transport
Kryvyi Rih has a convenient public transport system:
- 12 bus routes
- 55 marshrutka routes
- 18 tram routes
- 24 trolleybus routes
Single ride tickets in marshrutkas cost 15 грн. Buses, trams and trolleybuses are free.
Schedules are available on the website (in Ukrainian).
You can also check information about public transport on EasyWay and Google Maps.
By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way of getting around the city. Some popular taxi companies include:
By foot
You can walk to most locations in central Kryvyi Rih and there are plenty of attractive walking routes along the quay sides and in the pedestrianised central streets. The central city (Karl Marx Street) is separated from the 95th Block area, but buses and trolleybuses can help to access it. The main rail station is further away but still accessible by bus.
By bicycle
KRC has few bike paths and routes.
By car
Driving is probably the best way of seeing the surrounding region. A couple of the routes during peak hours operate a car pool lane for cars with more than one occupant.
The centre of KRC follows a one-way city system, which can be frustrating and confusing for those not used to it. However with patience and practice and a lot of circling around the same areas numerous times, it does become easier.
Parking
There are no parking garages and no designated or marked car parking bays in the streets. Drivers park wherever they find it convenient.
See
- 1 Heroiv Park (Парк Героїв), Metalurhiv Ave. Don't miss the chance to see statuary intrigues of the Ukrainian and Soviet past along with a flower clock and Chernobyl memorial. Then there is the fountain and Always Waiting sculpture awaiting you on the other side of the busy boulevard.
- 2 Jubilee Park. A big open space with a monument to fallen soldiers and a Russian Orthodox church.
- 3 Square 60th Anniversary of Victory. Pedestal with an eternal flame marking mass grave of Soviet soldiers.
- 4 Fedor Mershavtsev Park. Park designed in Stalinist Empire style with central fountain and white colonnade, and a boat pavilion from which you can take rides under the Lovers Bridge on the Saksagan River.
- 5 Haharina Park (Парк ім. Юрія Гагаріна). Another park by the river, this one with a sundial and a Yuri Gagarin children's park.
- 6 White Stones Waterfall. Interesting vantage point from which you can see a cascade and dam on the Inhulets River along with a high railroad bridge. Might be a little tricky trying to figure out how to get here.
- 7 Kryvyi Rih Botanical Gardens (Криворізький ботанічний сад НАН України), Marshaka St, 50, ☏ +380 564 435 150. 08ː00-18ː00 daily. A little outside of town but still perhaps what Kryvyi Rih is known for tourist-wise. Roses, chrysanthemums, little birds.
Do
- 1 Multiplex Victory Plaza (Union), Lermontova St, 37. 09:00-23:00. Movie theater, bumper cars, games, pizza. 120 грн.
- 2 Multiplex Union, ТРЦ Union, Geroiv ATO St. Skiing, Ice Rock cafe, bowling and cinema.
- 3 Olimp Kino, 24 Meleshkina St. 120 грн.
Buy
- 1 Sun Gallery (Aushan, Solnechny), 1, 40 Let Pobedty square (Metrotraam Miska Likarnia, trolleybus or free bus). 09:00-23:00. Aushan, Sushi, Cafe, Bar, Big Burger, Souvenirs, Sportmaster, Comfy, NewYorker, Punma, Zara, Camel Active, Chester, Colins
- 2 Liberti (Торгівельний центр Ліберті), Karla Marksa Ave, 35Б, ☏ +380 97 912 9348. Shopping mall.
- 3 Victory Plaza, 24 Lermontov St.
- 4 Plaza, Haharina Ave, 4. Good city view from the 6th floor.
- 5 Tsentralʹnyy Rynok, Lebedjeva-Kumacha St, 1, ☏ +380 564 902 794. Open air market. Good place to buy Jesus trinkets and sundries.
Eat
Budget
- 1 McDonald's (95s Block (Kvartal)), пл. Горького Кривий Ріг Дніпропетровська область Украина. 120 грн.
- 2 McDonald's, 37 Lermontov St. 120 грн.
- 3 NY Street Pizza, 54 Karla Marksa St. 200-400 грн.
- 4 NY Street Pizza, 24 Meleshkina St. 200-400 грн.
- 5 Silpo, 30 Dimitrova street (Metro (Budynok Rad), trolleybus, bus, taxi). Retail market with own cheep dishes: salads, meat, bread, donuts. Also, probably, the best place to go shopping.
- 6 Celentano Pizza, 30 Gagarina St. 200 грн.
- 7 Celentano Pizza, Metalurhiv Ave, 22Б. 200 грн.
Mid-range
- 1 [dead link] Dzheronimo (Джеронімо), Pushkina St, 1А, ☏ +380 98 892 3489. 600-800 грн.
- 8 Puri Chveni, Myru Ave, 17А, ☏ +380 67 122 7373. 800 грн.
Splurge
- 9 Fransua, Karla Marksa Ave, 19, ☏ +380 67 136 7075. Nice selection of sandwiches and croissants. 400-1,200 грн.
Drink
- 2 Adams, Geroiv ATO St, 49, ☏ +380 564 748 041. Good cozy Gothic beer bar.
- 3 Rulka (Пивной ресторан "Рулька"), Metalurhiv Ave, 24, ☏ +380 67 926 6208. Some satisfying grub and drinks here. They will even blowtorch your steak for you at your table. 600 грн.
- 1 MADiSAN Rock Club, Metalurhiv Ave, 12, ☏ +380 97 481 4554. Rock club with noisy parties, live music and fun people.
Sleep
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | Under 2,000 грн |
| Mid-range | 2,000-6,000 грн |
| Splurge | Over 6,000 грн |
Budget
Mid-range
- 1 Druzhba (Avtovokzal), 50086, Украина, Днепропетровская обл., г. Кривой Рог, ул. Телевизионная, 12, reservation@druzhba.dp.ua. 3*** From 600 грн.
- 2 [dead link] Saksahan, 11 Dyshynskoho Street (Car or taxi), ☏ +380 67 560-18-83, info@hotel-saksagan.com.ua. 4**** From 1,600 грн.
- Optima Collection Aurora Kryvyi Rih (Optima Collection Аврора Кривий Ріг), 40 Metallurgiv Avenue, ☏ +380 675225858, +380 678288211, aurorahotel.krua@optimahotels.com.ua. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. From 1,035 грн.
- Optima Deluxe Kryvyi Rih (Optima Делюкс Кривий Ріг), 21B Kropyvnytskoho Street, ☏ +380 564430248, +380 985077444, kryvyirih@optimahotels.com.ua. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. From 850 грн.
- Raziotel Kryvyi Rih (Raziotel Кривий Ріг), 8 Magistralna Street, ☏ +380 564048008, +380 564048011, +380 675565903, kryvyi.rih.hotel@raziotel.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. From 388 грн.
Splurge
Connect
Kryvyi Rih's landline area code is 56. Dial 056 from within Ukraine or +380 56 from outside Ukraine.
Kryvyi Rih has easy internet access like most cities, and as a city, has the advantage of broadband being easily accessible both to install and use. Kryvyi Rih also has an abundance of internet cafes available for all to use. A network of free Wi-Fi hotspots is being deploying in Central City. It is available around the 95th Block and in some metro stations. An up to date map of pubs, bars and cafe's in Kryvyi Rih with free Wi-Fi is available here.
Stay safe
Like many other big cities in the Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih has its rough areas. Use common sense while getting around. The usual "don't be stupid" advice suffices. Avoid drinking the water from the tap; bottled water is cheap and available everywhere.
If you are female, and especially if you are traveling alone, try to take a taxi instead of public transit after 21:00. These are prime drinking hours and the metro and marshrutky may be crowded with drunken men. This is particularly true on the weekends. Ask a local English-speaker to call the taxi for you and get the amount of the fare in advance; drivers may greatly inflate the fare once hearing your accent. Isolated drunken brawls can occur in the centre of town on Friday and Saturday nights as pubs and clubs close, especially near the waterfront area, the Centre, taxi queues and fast food joints. This has been reduced somewhat by a heavy police presence and security guards monitoring the taxi queues.
Also, some outlying suburbs such as Yubileinaia, Artem (from Artem to Vecherny, including Svyatoshyn), Smychka and Druzhba have a bad reputation, but it is unlikely that a visitor to the city would travel to these parts. Be careful at the railway station. If you are leaving your baggage in the station, it is better to leave it with the guys in person rather than use a locker. Stories circulate of people 'assisting' with the locker, observing the code and then walking off with the bag afterwards
The main problem is beggars as many will approach you on the street to ask for money, bread, cigarettes or few cents for a tram ticket (don't be stupid).
Also, you may find people offering you drugs in return for cash. Those people have no drugs and will instead give you a bogus parcel (such as balls of cellophane or matches wrapped in newspaper) and run off with your money. They often have knives so avoid the people in the first place.
There is still corruption in Ukraine; some services might openly ask you to bribe them to process your request, and denying it might make them refuse to help you. Common people are very tolerant and it is only reasonable to assume that they expect the same in return.
Go next
- Dnipro, modern financial and entertaining centre.