Odesa

Одеса-мама | Odesa-Mama (the city's historic Yiddish-Russian endearment)

Why visit

Odesa is one of Europe's great port cities. Climb (or photograph) the well known Potemkin Stairs sweeping down to the harbor, made famous by Eisenstein's 1925 film 'Battleship Potemkin.' The Odesa Opera House is one of the most ornate in the world. Walk Deribasivska Street's tree-lined cafes, browse the Privoz Market for Black Sea fish and Bessarabian wines, and visit the Catacombs of Odesa, 2,500 km of WWII-era tunnels that hid partisans. The Odesa Fine Arts Museum and Pushkin's residence trace the city's literary legacy. Beaches at Lanzheron and Arkadia line the coast.

When to avoid

Ukraine is at war, Odesa has suffered repeated Russian missile and drone attacks targeting port infrastructure and the historic center. The UK FCDO and US State Department advise against all but essential travel to Ukraine. Air-raid sirens sound regularly. Learn the shelter routine. International flights to Odesa are grounded. The only entry is overland via Moldova or Romania. Insurance won't cover most travel-related claims. Curfews are in effect. Many sights are closed or sandbagged. If you do visit (humanitarian, journalism), follow Ukrainian authority guidance and check current frontline status.

Plan Odesa

Current conditions and the practical reference material that helps turn the saved places into a trip.

The next week in Odesa

7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).

Today

Partly cloudy

33° / 24°

UV High

Wed

Partly cloudy

32° / 23°

UV High

Thu

Partly cloudy

33° / 24°

UV High

Fri

Partly cloudy

33° / 25°

UV High

Sat

Overcast

32° / 25°

UV High

Sun

Overcast

28° / 21°

UV High

Mon

Partly cloudy

30° / 19°

UV High

Climate

Summer (Jun-Sep)

Typical highs around 27°C, lows around 18°C.

Winter (Dec-Mar)

Typical highs around 4°C, lows around -2°C.

In August 4

Drag to scrub across the year.

JFMAMJJASOND

Weather

29° / 20°

Typical high / low

1 mm rainfall this month

Daylight

14.2h

05:54 – 20:09local

Holidays coming up

Public holidays from Nager.Date.

Getting around Odesa

Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.

Local transit operators

FlixBus-euStadtwerke Schweinfurt

Operators and modes are aggregated from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications come from each feed’s route type codes.

About Odesa

Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third-most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537. On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city.

Area: 237 km²
Mayor: Hennadiy Trukhanov
Airport codes: ODS

Ukraine basics →Country context, advisories, and entry links for the practicalities shown above.

References5

The links below support the changing or licensed reference material on this page. Personal notes and ordinary geographic facts are not footnoted individually.

City background