Photo Illusions Museum
If your child quickly gets bored in museums where exhibits can only be looked at, the Photo Illusions Museum works on a different principle. On Sahaidachnoho Street, you’ll find 3D sets and optical illusions in which visitors themselves become part of the exhibits: for example, you can “escape” from a giant shark, try a levitation effect, flee from a volcanic eruption, look into a looking glass or become part of a Van Gogh painting.
There is also a separate Crazy Room — a space with additional sets and visual effects. It is worth allowing about an hour for the visit, although with children who get carried away with taking photos, it is easy to spend even longer here.
Address: 41 Petra Sahaidachnoho St.
Price: UAH 250 on weekdays, UAH 300 — on weekends and public holidays
SpaceVR
SpaceVR is a virtual reality club near Kontraktova Square. You can come here to play VR games or take part in a virtual reality quest — on your own, together with your parents or with a group of friends. The catalogue offers different formats, from arcades and simulators to adventure games and puzzles.
Before playing, you can consult an administrator and choose an option based on your child’s experience and preferences. It is better to book your time in advance — the club offers online booking on its website.
Address: 2 Prytysko-Mykilska St.
Price: VR games — UAH 400 per hour per player, VR quests — UAH 450 per hour per player
“Museum of Emotions”
This is a new museum in Podil that opened in September 2026. The exhibition mainly consists of items from the 1960s–1980s: vintage toys, old telephones and radio equipment, household items, children’s vehicles, scooters and even product packaging. So with children, you can come here not so much for a traditional museum tour as to see what kinds of things people used and what they played with several decades ago.
Another reason to visit is the collection of vintage toys. When the museum opened, it was registered as a Ukrainian record: the collection consists of 1,412 exhibits. The museum is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00.
Address: 37 Petra Sahaidachnoho St.
Price: full-price ticket — UAH 250, discounted — UAH 150
Pharmacy Museum in Podil
A small building on Prytysko-Mykilska Street is home to a museum dedicated to the history of pharmacy and medicine. It was established on a site associated with Kyiv’s first private pharmacy: pharmacist Johann Geiter received permission to open it in 1728, and the pharmacy itself began operating in Podil in the early 1730s. The museum opened here in 1988, recreating pharmacy interiors from the 18th–19th centuries.
With children, it is interesting to look at old medicine containers, mortars, grinders and other pharmaceutical and medical instruments, as well as explore the basement rooms.
The museum also offers special quest tours for young visitors. For example, during “In Search of the Secret Recipe,” children solve puzzles and learn how medicines were made in the past. Participation in this quest must be booked in advance.
Address: 7 Prytysko-Mykilska St.
Price: adult ticket — UAH 200, for schoolchildren, students and pensioners — UAH 100. “In Search of the Secret Recipe” quest tour — UAH 300 per group + admission tickets
Kyiv Opera
Kyiv Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theater for Children and Youth
2 Mezhigorskaya str., Kyiv
Kyiv Opera in Podil specializes, among other things, in performances for children and young audiences, so its repertoire regularly includes ballets and musicals for children and families. In October, for example, the theatre is showing the ballet “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio” and “Aladdin,” while the November schedule includes the fairy-tale musical “How the Cossacks Tamed the Dragon.”
You can choose the format depending on how you would like your child’s introduction to theatre to begin: the repertoire includes both classical ballet and musical performances with fairy-tale plots.
Address: 2 Mezhyhirska St.
Price: depends on the performance and seat
Kyiv Clay Space
The pottery studio on Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street offers special classes for children aged 5 to 12. The format is designed as a single session: the child chooses what to make, and after creating the piece, they can immediately paint it with engobes — clay-based paints.
The workshop lasts 1.5 hours, during which participants can make one or two pieces. After the class, the items are fired and coated with a transparent glaze. The finished pottery can be collected approximately four weeks later. Materials and firing are already included in the price.
Address: 10A Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska St.
Price: children’s class — UAH 900
One Street Museum
The museum at the beginning of Andriivskyi Descent tells the story of the street itself and the people who lived and worked here. The exhibition features old photographs and postcards, documents, manuscripts, autographs and household items. Separate displays are dedicated to the descent’s landmark buildings, including St. Andrew’s Church and Richard the Lionheart’s Castle.
This museum is best suited to school-age children who are already interested in Kyiv’s history, as there is no permanent children’s exhibition. The collection can be explored independently — QR codes next to the displays provide access to a free audio guide in Ukrainian and English.
Address: 2B Andriivskyi Descent
Price: regular ticket — UAH 200, discounted — UAH 100
Kyiv Funicular
A ride on the funicular can be a separate part of a walk around Podil, especially with younger children. It connects Poshtova Square with Upper Kyiv and has been operating in Kyiv since 1905. The track is 222 meters long, with a 75-meter difference in elevation between the stations.
The funicular is easy to incorporate into a longer route: from the lower station, you can walk around Poshtova Square and along the waterfront, or ride up and continue your walk through Volodymyrska Hill. After scheduled maintenance, it resumed operation on August 21, 2026.
Address: lower station — near Poshtova Square
Price: UAH 30 per ride. For students of Kyiv schools, rides are free during the school year when their student ID is validated
Samosad
Samosad is a small community garden near Kontraktova Square, created and maintained by Podil residents and other Kyiv locals. For children, there is a playground with a rubber surface, a lawn and raised garden beds where strawberries, herbs and vegetables are grown. Children can watch the plants grow and take part in caring for them.
Address: intersection of Spaska and Voloska streets
Price: free
ARTdventure
ARTdventure is a painting studio at the 9¾ School of Audiovisual Arts in Podil. During classes, children and teenagers try different painting techniques, work with perspective, portraits and still lifes, while also learning about art history. Activities include reproducing works by Van Gogh, Dalí, Andy Warhol, Magritte, Malevich and Picasso.
The workshops are designed for participants aged 7 and older, and parents can paint alongside their children. All necessary materials are included in the price.
Address: 62 Verkhnii Val St.
Price: single workshop — UAH 350, four-class pass — UAH 1,000
And if you’re looking for a place not just for a family outing but for a children’s birthday party, check out our separate guide “TOP 13 Ideas for Where to Celebrate a Child’s Birthday in Kyiv” — we’ve gathered VR clubs, creative studios, parks and other options for different ages.
