Vorontsov Palace Live Cam

One who visited Odessa can never forget it. Gentle sea and warm temperate climate make this city a respectable resort where everyone from Northern Ukraine and Russia strives to go. Moreover, Odessa is an important business and trading centre harbouring numerous branches of big international companies of various profiles. No wonder that quite a number of visitors arrives here every day in any season of the year, and they all need to stay somewhere during their trip or vacation.

Odessa is the second most popular tourist place in Ukraine after Kiev. It offers to tourists, which number 170,000 per year, its museums and theatres, lots of entertainments, vivid nightlife and beautiful beaches. American Business Center does all for foreign tourists to implement its motto - "Feel yourself as at home". You can ask us for solving any of your problem you meet here as a tourist.

Some countries still require an official invitation before you can get an actual tourist or business travel visa. Citizens from the USA, Canada and Western Europe countries do not need any invitation and US citizens do NOT need a visa. As of the summer of 2005, US passport holders do not need a visa to enter Ukraine.

Literally in several decades after its foundation, Odessa became a cultural center of European importance. This process was sponsored by economic and trade accessibility of the new city as well as the fact that the city was governed by such progressive, highly-educated and intellectual people as Duke de Richelieu and prince M.Vorontsov. A beginning of theatr, musical, literary and artistic biography of Odessa refers to the first decades of the 19th century while at the eve of the 20th century Odessa became one of the first cities that entered the history of the world cinematography.

Bright episodes of biographies and creative activity ofA.Pushkin, A.Mitskevich, N.Gogol, I.Vazov, Sholom-Aleikhem, I.Nechuy-Levitsky and L.Ukrainka are connected with Odessa. It is here that creative talents of Odessa literary school writers were formed - E.Bagritsky, Yu.Olesha, V.Inber, K.Paustovsky, I.Babel, V. Kataev, L.Grossman and S.Kirsanov.

In the 60-ies of the 19th century musical classes were organized in Odessa and, later in 1897, they were reorganized in a musical college to become the Odessa conservatory in 1913.

The first movie was shown in Odessa on 11 July, 1896, just in 6 months time after Lumiers brothers in Paris have demonstrated their first film manifesting a birth of cinema. In 1912 M.Grossman opened the city first cinema studio "Mirograph", Other film factories and studios followed and Odessa became a famous center of cinema industry. By the end of the 20-ies A.Dovzhenko, a script writer and producer, began his work here and his name nowadays is given to the Odessa Film Studio.

Ukraine's restaurants peculiarities

There are restaurants and cafes featuring a wide variety of cuisines from around the world. Good and even average quality food can be expensive here, especially where ingredients are imported, but with new eating places regularly opening, at least there is more choice for the consumer. There are several curious aspects to a typical bill in Ukraine restaurants.

The first is that bread, fruit baskets, and even butter or cream which in other places might be complimentary can appear on the bill with inflated prices attached: to avoid this unpleasant surprise, inquire before consuming such 'gifts'. The second is a 5-10% charge at the end. Be assured: this is not a tax. This is the service charge, and you can freely tip in addition - or not -depending on how happy you are with the services provided. Remember all restaurants, cafes, pubs etc. in Ukraine take payment in Hryvnas only, many restaurants accept Credit Cards.