VIOLETTA DIDUK

 

“This profession… it’s the most peaceful one I know. I used to think it was impossible to practice it during a war. But I was wrong    — and I’m proud to have been wrong.

Many of my fellow guides have  become true ambassadors of Ukraine abroad. Some travel to the frontlines with foreign journalists. Others volunteer tirelessly.

As for me — I stayed in my beloved Odesa. I help new Odesites, who lost their homes in other cities, fall in    love with this city and feel at home again. I reveal hidden chapters of    our history to lifelong locals.
And I show foreign guests — journalists, volunteers, travelers —   the strength, the resilience, and the beauty of our heroic city.

Over these two years, my work has gained a depth and meaning I never could have imagined. It has become something more than just a job —    it’s my way to stand for Ukraine. And   I love it more with every single day.

I know — I believe — that peace will return with our victory.
And when it does, the meaning we’ve found in the hardest times will shine through for everyone who comes here as a tourist and falls in love with my beautiful Ukraine.”

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“First Date with Odesa” (Introductory City Tour)

I invite you… not just to a tour…, but on a DATE! A date with our beloved city. And it will take place along the central streets and squares of Odesa: Soborna, Derybasivska, Katerynynska, and Langeronivska.

No dry facts or boring statistics. Dates, events, and historical figures will come alive before your eyes. I’ll show you the city’s grand façade, but I’ll also share details you won’t find even in the best guidebooks.

You’ll hear the most flavorful stories about iconic people and places of Odesa.

— What was built from the stones of the first Cathedral
— Where the architect is depicted in the design of the Passage
— Who the “son of a Turkish subject” really was
— Why young Leonid Utyosov was expelled from school
— How many floors the Opera House really has

Tour type: walking
Duration: 2–2.5 hours

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Love is in the Air, or I Love You, Odesa

The air of Odesa is literally charged with love. It sets the mood for romance — especially in spring. And also in summer, autumn, and even winter. Let’s try to uncover the secret formula of the air that inspires the world’s greatest romantics. We’ll also hear some of the most heartfelt love confessions ever made to our eternally young beauty — Odesa. And we’ll create our own declaration of love to leave behind in one of the city’s romantic spots.

What’s included:
— Love stories that happened in Odesa — with famous people and not-so-famous ones
— Romantic confessions about Odesa by Jabotinsky, Paustovsky, Kozachinsky
— Photos at the most romantic locations in the city
— Emotions, memories, and a surprise from your guide!

Tour type: walking
Duration: 2–2.5 hours

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“Bon Appétit, Odesa-style”

If you’re torn between going on a tour or heading to the market first, my answer is: start with the tour “Bon Appétit, Odesa-style” — and only then go to the market.

This way, you’ll learn:
— What people ate and sold in Odesa in the 19th and early 20th centuries
— What was available in the city’s bazaars and how many passages Odesa had
— And most importantly: that Pshonka is not a porridge, and definitely not a former prosecutor general…

In short, you’ll hear the juiciest stories about Odesa’s food culture. Just don’t come hungry — it’ll be tough! The tour ends at a cozy local café where, if you wish, you can order a cup of coffee. Or simply relax and enjoy my stories.

Tour type: walking
Duration: ~2–2.5 hours

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“Courtyards of the Center” (Backyards of the Tourist Core)

This tour is for those who want it all at once — here and now: to admire Odesa’s grandeur and also to peek into the everyday lives of its residents. To feel the true spirit of Odesa, you don’t need to dive deep into the Moldavanka district — it’s all here in the very center. Just take a few steps off the beaten tourist path, and you’ll find oases of real, untouristy Odesa.

Tour type: walking
Duration: 2–2.5 hours

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“Odesa Courtyards and Their Inhabitants” (Non-Touristy Backyards)

This is a tour for those who want to peer into the soul of the city. Away from the central tourist routes, we’ll enter the world of the Odesa courtyard: wooden galleries, courtyard wells and columns, janitors, colorful neighbors, and streetwise cats. You’ll see it all with your own eyes — and maybe even hear it with your own ears (if you’re “lucky,” you might witness a real courtyard argument). All Odesites came from one courtyard — and then spread across the world, carrying a piece of Odesa with them wherever they went.

We, however, will go in the opposite direction — back to the roots, to the Odesa courtyard, where it all began.

Tour type: walking
Duration: 2–2.5 hours

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The Other Moldavanka

Here, everything is too much: color, flavors, chatter and meaningful silence, beauty and kitsch, splendor and poverty. Sometimes, it’s like stepping through the looking glass. This is a district where Odesites have lived for generations — from zero generation to infinity. Students, professors, and underworld figures have all started their climb here. Some make it to the elite areas like French Boulevard or Tsarske Selyshche. Others stay in the gritty, dazzling labyrinths of Moldavanka forever.

It may not always smell like roses… but if you haven’t been to Moldavanka, you haven’t truly seen Odesa.

Why “The Other Moldavanka”? Because it’s not about gangsters. Or rather, not only about gangsters.

Tour type: walking
Duration: 3 hours

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“Treasures of French Boulevard”

A street that could be called Odesa’s anthem — French Boulevard. Especially beautiful in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Let’s enjoy its grandeur, breathe in its aromas, and listen to the echoes of its glory. We’ll learn:

— How this stunning street came to be
— About its famous residents
— Romantic stories that happened here
— The films and songs that were born here

We’ll remember: Vera Kholodna, Volodymyr Filatov, Valentyn Kataiev, Oles Kozachynskyi…

Tour type: walking
Duration: 3 hours

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“Through the Alleys of Our Memory” — Second Christian Cemetery

This isn’t just a tour. It’s a tribute to those who shaped the face of our city. The quiet alleys of the Second Christian Cemetery have become a CITY of their own — home to people of the past without whom the future of Odesa would be unimaginable.

We’ll remember the names of Righteous Among the Nations, inventors, writers, scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, actors — true Legends. And we’ll talk not only about great achievements, but also about their human stories: joyful, sad, and tragic.

Names you’ll hear: Oleksandr Deribas, Oleksandr Shevalyov, the Katayev family, Borys Lytvak, Vasyl Navrotskyi, Heorhii Holubenko — and many others.

Tour type: walking
Duration: 2.5 hours
Dress code: comfortable, sporty
Group size: limited due to the nature of the tour