When making your travel plans to Nikolaev, Getting Thereis the first thing that you want to figure out because it will be one of the biggest components of your travel budget. Nikolaev is called the "city of shipbuilders," but despite this reference, there is no passenger boat travel to and from the city. Since Ukraine was part of Russian territory before it became independent, you may find Russian spelling for various places.

Geting There by Plane

The city of Nikolaev is served by one of the largest and more modern airports of southern Ukraine, the Nikolaev International Airport (also identified in Russian as the Mykolaiv International Airport with IATA airport code: NLV). This airport only receives international flights from four cities, two in Turkey (Istanbul and Ataturk via Tayrey Airlines) and two in Russia (Moscow and Vnukovo via UTair-Ukraine). An alternative airport is the Odessa International Airport (IATA airport code: ODS), however, you will have to travel by train to Nikolaev from Odessa.

Getting There by Train

There is train service from Moscow, Kiev, Odessa and towns in the Crimea. Travel by train is quite slow and you can expect to spend between 10 to 24 hours if traveling from Russia and between five and eight hours if traveling from within major cities in Ukraine.

Getting There by Car

If you have access to a rental car, travel by car can be quite inexpensive as gas prices are quite affordable in Ukraine. However, it is not recommended that you travel by yourself, especially during the harsh winters. If you decide to drive, make sure to listen the radio for weather advisories and have a charged cell phone.