This year autumn is unusually beautiful and warm, and you want to be somewhere away from the city and work responsibilities to enjoy perhaps the last warm days this year. In general, here is a list of places where you can go for a picnic or outdoor recreation with friends or family. We hope this will inspire some of you to make a nice weekend trip.
Kachanivka Reserve
Kachanivka Reserve – the only fully preserved palace and park complex in Ukraine, which presents interesting displays and photographs from the life of princely times.
It is also the birthplace of the famous painting “The Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan”.
Kachanivka – a great place for a trip with the family on a picnic, here you can feel the atmosphere of the place where Ilya Repin did sketches for his famous painting “The Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan”. Also this manor was often visited by such famous people like Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Glinka, Mikhail Vrubel, Ilya Repin. 
Since there is no place for a lunch in Kachanivka, we suggest you to prepare for a picnic.
The distance from Kiev – 183 km.
Buky Canyon
Buky Canyon in the Cherkassy region is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in Central Ukraine.
Here is the stunningly beautiful nature; high rocky coasts of the river Mountain Tikich formed the Canyon. The river flows in the Proterozoic granites, which age is estimated as 2 billion years.
The local landscape is very close to a Scandinavian fjord, and that is not distinctive for the Central Ukraine.
The Canyon is narrow, in some places just 20-40 meters wide, but very beautiful and deep enough for the steppe area – up to 20 meters. The Canyon begins from the two-meter artificial dam of the former hydroelectric power station, which is called a waterfall Vyr. Near the bustling waterfall the large water mill was built back in the nineteenth century, you can observe its quite picturesque ruins. Also you can see the remains of one of the first hydroelectric power stations of 1929.
On the coasts of the Buky Canyon there are comfortable picnic areas, so lots of people come here on warm weekends. Be sure to arrive early to have time to select the most convenient places for tents.
The Buky Canyon is known as “Little Switzerland”. Here you will feel the power of the high cliffs and beautiful river. It is also a paradise for climbers; the rocks above the river Mountain Tikich are just perfect for climbing.
In 1972 the Buky Canyon was given the status of state Natural Park of local importance.
The distance from Kiev – 180 km.
Askania-Nova Reserve
The biosphere Askania-Nova Reserve – the oldest of the steppe reserves in the world, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Ukraine, part of the one hundred most famous protected areas of the planet.
Здесь Here you can see wild animals in their natural habitat: zebras, antelopes, bisons, Przewalski horses, deers and other fauna. Totally in the reserve live 69 species of animals and 73 species of plants listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Askania-Nova is rightly called a man-made oasis in the steppe, as the arboretum, irrigated by artesian water, has been developing since the end of the nineteenth century.
Askania-Nova – the only place in Europe where the steppe did not experience the impact of humans.
Prices for excursions start from 15 UAH (children’s ticket) to 150 UAH (horse-drawn carriage ride in the steppe).
The distance from Kiev – 691 km.
Khortytsia Island
Khortytsya Island – one of the “Seven Wonders of Ukraine”, the largest island of the Dnieper and the cradle of Zaporizhya Cossacks.
Here you will see mounds and stone sculptures of the Scythian times, pagan sanctuary and the remains of ancient settlements, feel the historic spirit of the Cossacks and go back to the distant sixteenth century. You will find yourself in real Sich with its life, rules, fortifications and installations.
The Island is 12 km long and 2.5 km wide, it has steppes, meadows, oak and pine forests. The southern part of the Island is a nature reserve, and there are many sanatoriums and recreation centers in the east and in the west.
In the central part you can climb to the highest point of Khortitsa and enjoy the stunning views of the city and the Dnieper.
Also on the Island there is the Museum of History of Zaporizhya Cossacks, where you can see ancient weapons and household items found during excavations.
The distance from Kiev – 514 km.
Tunnel of Love
Tunnel of love – this is an amazing place in the Rivne region in the village of Klevan, which attracts lovers or just the romantics.
The tunnel “has grown” over the railroad tracks near the station “Klevan” due to the fact that the authorities are no longer cutting trees, and dense crown formed an improvised grotto. During the warmer months, the green alley has traditionally been the place for a photo session of local newlyweds.
In addition to the tunnel in the village of Klevan everyone should see the ruins of the castle Klevansky of 1475 and the Church of the Annunciation with the bell tower of 1630 and then visit the Church of the Nativity of 1777.
The distance from Kiev – 351 km.
Museum of Pirogovo
Museum of Pirogovo is classified as “an open air museum”.
It is located on the outskirts of Kiev. The official name is the National Museum of the Peoples Architecture and Life of Ukraine, but people use simpler and more figurative name – “Museum of Pirogovo” associated with the name of the village, which existed in the area since the seventeenth century.
The territory of Pirogovo is a hilly terrain area of 150 hectares, of which there are more than 300 exhibits collected throughout the country.
Museum of Pirogovo will give you a chance to walk down the quiet streets of the unique Ukrainian village, which presents architectural forms and life all over Ukraine.
Moreover, in Pirogovo you can enjoy horse riding, biking and of course buy souvenirs. For lovers there is a possibility to hold a wedding ceremony in one of the existing stave churches.