Odessa Sightseeing Tour: Top 4 Options

Odessa sightseeing tour is well worth taking if you want to get under the skin of the city. Of course, making the most out of your time and budget is critical. Therefore, a few insider tips directly from the local guides can be rather helpful.

Three things make any sightseeing tour a long lasting experience: guide’s personality, an effort a guide puts into the tour and an itinerary. Let’s start with a few ideas of a great tour itinerary.

City Tour Option #1
Walking Tour of the Historical Quarter

The most frequently booked by our customers Odessa city tour is a walk of historical quarter. Sounds pretty routine, ah? The truth is that Odessa’s historical city center is very beautiful. Although quite a few buildings look rather “tired” and need to be restored. Hidden behind the marvelous architecture is an interesting story of a place, which in several decades became the major southern port and the fourth ranking city in the Russian Empire. City guests are interested in hearing the story, while strolling along beautiful old streets and looking at grandeur buildings.

Furthermore, Odessa’s historical city center is very compact and flat. Some areas are pedestrian only. So, the best way to see the historical quarter is on foot. Another question – is it worth it to arrange a tour. Or “do it yourself” is a better option?

Similar to any tourist destination, main Odessa sights are well described in the guidebooks. Brief city history is publicly available as well. The value of the guide is the stories he can share. Each sight has a lot of interesting stories and facts to tell, which are known only to the locals. Moreover, a guide who is passionate about his job, puts his own memories and emotions into the story. And isn’t it the reason why you get a private guide? To connect with the city through the eyes of a local. This makes even a routine city walk a memorable experience.

Odessa Sightseeing Tour Option #2
Food Tasting tour

Another highly popular city tour option is a Food Tasting tour. Odessa is a perfect place to explore through food. Its rich culture and cosmopolitan character are reflected in the absolutely delicious and diverse cuisine. (Among the city’s first settlers were Italians, Greeks, French, German, Jews, Russians and Bulgarians). And what can be more fun than eating your way through the historic quarter, mixing sightseeing with food tastings?

City Tour Option #3
Moldavanka

A super cool Odessa sightseeing tour option is a walk through Moldavanka. Especially among those travelers, who prefer to see old Odessa off-the-beaten path. Moldavanka is a historical neighborhood, which used to be an Odessa’s suburb. It’s as rich in culture and history as the city itself. The neighborhood has preserved most of its old look, unique flavor and cute old courtyards. And it’s famous for its red cats☺

An exciting part of the Moldavanka tour is a visit to Privoz. It’s Odessa’s largest and most famous market. Privoz can be called the gates into Moldavanka and “Odessa’s stomach”. Endless stalls of home made local sausages and feta-cheese (aka brinza), fish from the Dniester, Danube and the Black Sea, local fruits and vegetables – the market tells a lot about local lifestyle and eating habits. On top of that, you can try food at each stall and save on lunch.

City Tour Option #4
On Foot and by Car

Those travelers, who’re looking to get a feel for Odessa in one day, usually combine a walking tour of the old quarter with a tour by car to other neighborhoods, including the beach area, French boulevard and Arcadia. With such a tour, visitors see it all: an old city, modern districts and beach area.

There’s not much “contemporary” city in the historical quarter. Usually, city guests are interested in seeing modern apartment blocks and shopping malls. A drive along French boulevard and in Arcadia gives a good idea of contemporary Odessa and does “eat up” a lot of time. Arcadia has an image of Odessa’s hot spot. Although when most of the tourists get to Arcadia, they understand that there’s not much to see and do there. It’s all about nightclubs on the beach. But a quick visit is still worth it.

We hope this blog helps you plan your visit to Odessa and enjoy your time in our beautiful city.

Safe Travels!

Odessa Walks team