Kiev Funicular

When you want to visit two beautiful districts of Kiev on the top and bottom of a very high hill that gets quite treacherous in the winter snow, you'll be glad to know that they're linked by a really lovely funicular. The Kiev Funicular is a high slope train on Kyiv Hills that connects the historic Uppertown and the lower commercial area of Podil over the steep Volodymyrska Hill overlooking the Dnieper River. The Kyiv city community company Kyivpastrans operates the line, which has only two stations.

The funicular dating back to 1905 connects the historic, Parisian Uppertown with its magnificent churches and an arty street market with the young and hip Podil full of cafes and concept businesses. The 2.5-minute ride in one of two turquoise carriages powered by a pulley system provides magnificent views of the Dnieper River and the vast park on Volodymyrska Hill, which is worth visiting. A great case for walking, sliding, or riding down and up. The journey between the stations takes about 3 minutes.

The path runs from Uptown's Mykhailivska Square to Podil's Poshtova Square. The ticket price is similar to those of the other city-owned public transit options, 8 (about US$0.3 as of July 2018). The funicular transports 10,000-15,000 passengers per day and 2.8 million passengers per year. Originally created because trams couldn't travel the slope. Later, if the tram is the only mode of transportation, the funicular charge was included in the monthly ticket price.

Location: Kiev, Ukraine