Odessa ‘Runseeing’ Tour: Shevchenko Park, Potemkin Stairs, & More

This 11 km route has it all: grand parks, iconic bridges and stairs, and some of Odessa’s main sights. We recommend starting in Shevchenko Park — Odessa’s largest park, featuring important monuments and sports facilities. Do a loop of the park’s paths, ~3.5 km, running the grand, landscaped ‘Alleys’ (Suvorivska Alley, Holvna Alley). Add-on with a loop around the Fitness Stadium track!  Exit the park and head north into Greek Park, then down the iconic Potemkin Stairs, then out the pier to the Sailor’s Wife sculpture, enjoying great water views. Get the heart rate up by coming back up the stairs, crossing the Tioschin Bridge, heading south on Viys’kovy descent to the Catherine the Great monument, then RIGHT (West) along Lanzheronivs’ka St. past the Fountain to the Tree of Love, Monument to Ilf and Petrov, and Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral. Then, return to Shevchenko Park, using Bunina St., passing the grand Pushkin Museum and Odesa Regional Philharmonic.

Note: Potemkin Stairs – Odessa’s most iconic symbol, the Potemkin Stairs, is a vast staircase that conjures an illusion so that those at the top only see a series of large steps, while at the bottom all the steps appear to merge into one pyramid-shaped mass. There are 192 steps.

Options:  For a shorter run, eliminate the ‘central Odessa’ section and enjoy a run in Shevchenko Park, Greek Park, and out to Sailor’s Wife. For a longer run, take the ‘Health Path‘ along the water.