Odesa is an important cultural and touristic city of Ukraine, located on the north-western shore of the Black Sea. There are a lot of places to visit in the city. But if you have a wish and time to explore the surroundings, then there is no doubt that you will also enjoy it. Odesa region is rich in interesting and unique places: cultural, historical, architectural and picturesque. One of the determining factors for this is its great location with access to the sea.
Here are some of the places that may interest you.

Kagul Lake

Huge beautiful lake called Kagul lies near the village of Nagirne and it is the southernmost geographical point of continental Ukraine. The lake has a connection with Danube River by the channel. It separated from the Danube by a dam which regulates water level. A very small northern part of it belongs to Moldova. Picturesque view of the Kagul lake and its warm water with wild beaches attract tourist from all around the region. A water temperature reaches +30˚ in summer and in winter it gets frozen.
Just next to the lake there is a canyon. From small hills, you can enjoy a stunning view of the water and the surrounding nature.

Kurysiv palace

A big 200 years old estate is situated in the village of Kurisove in about 65 km to the north from Odesa. Kurysiv palace reminds a medieval castle and it was built in 2 stages. The eastern part of the palace was erected in 1810-1820 by an unknown architect and the western part by architect Tolvinsky from Odesa in 1891-1892. Estate belonged to the major-general Ivan Kurys.
Kurysiv palace is very good located next to the forest and the pond. It was a favorite place to rest for everybody. The beauties of the estate were artificial lakes, flowerbeds, fountains, and arbors. A famous Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko loved to come to Kurysiv estate and walk in the park.
Unfortunately, the palace was badly damaged during a fire caused by a lightning strike. But thanks to the efforts of locals, the palace, and fragments of the park have survived to nowadays.

Vylkove

A small town of Vylkove is located at South-West of Ukraine next to the border with Romania in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. The administration of the Ukrainian Danube Biosphere Reserve is based in Vylkove. The largest river in Europe – Danube, with a length of almost 3000 km is a main local attraction. It crosses about 10 countries including Ukraine. One of the most important sources of income for local residents is fishing. The Ukrainians used to call Vylkove “The Ukrainian Venice” thanks to a number of channels excavated inside its territory. Unfortunately, many channels have dried up for the last 50 years. But, despite this, boating is a more common way of transport than cars.

Things to do in Vylkove:

• Visit the place where the Danube flows into the Black Sea (“Zero Kilometer”);
• Take a boat trip through the town;
• Try a local vine;
• Fishing;
• Watch birds and animals on the unique Ermakov island;
• Learn more about local culture, visit the church of old believers.

Touristic complex “Frumushyka-Nova”

Complex Frumushyka-Nova was founded in 2006 on the site of a former Moldavian village. Now it includes an open-air ethnographic museum, one of the biggest sheep farm in Eastern Europe, a zoo. The ethnographic village is represented by huts and farmsteads of the historic region - Bessarabia. Frumushyka-Nova is a good option for a family holiday. On the zoo, you can find pheasants, peacocks, fallow dears, domestic and wild pigs, and black swans.

Things to do in Frumushyka-Nova:

• Visit traditional huts of Bessarabia of XIX-XX centuries;
• Try fresh sheep cheese on the farm;
• Walk in the fields;
• Fishing and hunting;
• Watch birds in the zoo.

Bilgorod-Dnistrovska fortress

In about 80 km from Odesa to the South-West is located a big medieval fortress. It was named by the city of Bilgorod-Dnistrovskyi where the fortress is situated. Another name of it is Akkerman fortress which means “white stone”.
Bilgorod-Dnistrovska fortress is a historical and architectural memorial of XIII-XV centuries. It is one of the biggest medieval buildings nowadays in the territory of Ukraine. The fortress was built in the ruins of the ancient city called Tira. The total length of defensive walls, which are well preserved is 2,5 km. The fortress has 34 towers with different shapes, purposes, and names.

Odesa catacombs

Odesa catacombs is a network of underground labyrinths in the length of about 2,5 thousand km. It is one of the biggest underground labyrinths in the Earth. The history of catacombs dates back to the 30th years of the 19th century. It was a period of active develops of Odesa and it took a lot of building material. Most of the catacombs (95-97%) are quarries for the building needs. The system of catacombs also includes natural cavities - karst and dilatation caves, geological research and construction shells, bunkers, drainage tunnels and collectors, and other underground cavities.
To enter the labyrinths you have to go to the village of Nerubaiske located 15 km from Odesa. There is also the museum of Soviet partisans who used the catacombs as a shelter during The Second World War.

Ovidiopol fortress shafts

Going 40 km southwest of Odesa you arrive in the town of Ovidiopol. It stands on the banks of the Dniester estuary. At the end of the 18th century here was set up a fortress to protect the entrance to the Dniester River from the Black Sea and to build a harbor on the Dniester estuary. The fortress in Ovidiopol was important and was called "boundary" because it had to protect the entire lower part of the new border.
Nowadays about the fortress in Ovidiopol reminds only the so-called Suvorovsky Shaft - the remains of the fortress wall in the northwestern part of the town.