Kharkov Nightlife: City’s Nights and Essential Travel Tips

Kharkov (Also known as Kharkiv) is a beautiful Ukrainian city located in the northern part of Ukraine. It is predominantly a student city and the second-largest city in Ukraine. If the focus is on students, of course, the nightlife will be extremely fun and lively in Kharkov. My journey to Kharkov started in September 2016, and I spent four days there. Kharkov nightlife had been described to me before, and I had made plans to enjoy my nights out there. Let me brief out  my journey to you guys;

Hotels and Houses to Stay

If you are going to Kharkiv specifically for the nightlife, I would strongly recommend booking an apartment instead of a hotel. Some hotels don’t accept guests from outside, and even if you find one that does, Ukrainian women generally don’t prefer staying in hotels with guests as they may feel uncomfortable. Well, it doesn’t matter where you book an apartment since the nightlife in Kharkiv is generally a little outside of the city.

There are some pubs and bars inside the city, but you need to be careful not to go to some bars as you may encounter trouble. Anyway, when you arrive in the city by plane, you will face some level of corruption from visa officers to security officers at the airport. They are not necessarily rude, but this is the policy.

If you are not willing to add some extra money inside the passport, you will probably be questioned for nonsense reasons for about 20 minutes. I was asked about my destination, the hotel I would be staying at in Kharkov, and my return ticket. So, just in case, print all the necessary documents and take them with you while processing the visa. After you have finished the visa process, welcome to the beautiful city of Kharkov.

Taxi Scam!

Taxi drivers there start to hassle you from the moment you arrive until you leave. Just be careful, as they know you are a potential source of income for them. I was asked for 200 Hryvnia (5.5$ as of December 2023) to go to the city center. Later, I discovered that if I called 3040 to request a taxi, it would be only half the price from the airport to the city center. However, this taxi operators only speaks Ukrainian or Russian. This is an budget saving tip for those who can speak Russian.

I finally arrived at my house, which is located quite centrally. The daily cost of apartments in Kharkov starts from 300 Hryvnia (8.25$) to 1200+ Hryvnia (33$+), depending on facilities and location. Do not choose a location for the nightlife; always use a taxi when you want to go somewhere. The price will not seriously hurt your budget. Anyway, it’s the first night, and I have already settled into my lovely house. I am excited to go out and enjoy Kharkov nightlife events.

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Food & Venues

Actually, I was a little tired, but who cares; I only have three nights here. I went out of the home and saw a McDonald’s a few blocks down. I was hungry and didn’t want to risk my appetite with Ukrainian foods. That doesn’t mean Ukrainian foods are bad, but it’s not the right time to try. After eating at McDonald’s, I jumped into a pub, which is a really local place with local people. The average of the girls was not really bad, but the prices indicated that the place is not really luxurious or high class. I was getting a few beers to get ready for the amazing Kharkov nightlife.

While drinking my beer, I asked the waitress which nightclub I should go to in Kharkiv, as I didn’t really know the city, and I only knew a few bars according to my research before I came. She recommended Bolero nightclub for extreme fun. I trusted her and asked for help to find me a taxi. By the way, it was Friday night, and I was almost ready for the crazy Kharkov nightlife. I arrived at Bolero Nightclub, and she was correct about the nightclub.

Kharkov Nightlife Costs

Aha! Dress code. Guys, you need to dress appropriately to enter the nightclubs in Kharkov. There was a little queue when I arrived, but I had no problem with my dressing. Most nightclubs in Kharkov have an entrance fee. Depending on the day and the party that is already organized, it will be somewhere around 150 to 300 Hryvnia (4$ to 8$).

Bolero nightclub is famous for concerts, and sometimes famous DJs’ shows boost the fun to the top. The atmosphere is wonderful, but there are too many guys around. I met one of the girls in the group of girls at Bolero, and we hung out together all night. But it was very hard for me to take her to my home as it was the first meeting night. I don’t know if there is too much drama going on that makes it easy to get a girl in the nightclubs, but it is totally wrong.

The key rule here in Ukraine is trust. If the girl really trusts you, there is nothing that can stop you from taking her. But if you don’t give any trust, even if you are Brad Pitt, you have no chance. Some of the girls are freelancers in the nightclubs; I have no comment on these girls as this is their job. But if you don’t like such fun ways, you need to be patient with local girls. Usually, the first nights result in an 80% failure rate. But don’t worry; if you impress the girl, the next day she will be in your arms.

Some of the top nightclubs in Kharkov include:

• Platinum
• Casta
• Night Club Bolero
• Galaxy
• Night Club Plazma
• Jackson
• Jara Club
• Art Club Korova
• Royal Night Club
• Meridian Nightclub Kharkiv
• Misto Club Kharkiv
• Panorama Lounge Kharkiv
• Radmir Club Kharkiv
• Arizona Club Kharkiv

My remaining two days were more or less the same, but I was with this girl, and she was really nice to me. She got permission from her job for me for three days, and we spent three days together discovering the city and enjoying Kharkov nightlife. We are still keeping in touch, and I am waiting for the right time to meet her again. If you are traveling to Ukraine, Kharkiv is the third recommendation after Kiev and Lviv Nightlife