International Museum Day. Which museums in Kyiv are free to visit today

International Museum Day is a worldwide celebration that preserves cultural heritage and highlights the vital role of museums in cultural exchange, education, and societal development. On this day, many museums operate free of charge and invite visitors to come and enjoy their exhibits. Ukrainian News will share where to go in the capital on May 18.

A bit of history

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established this holiday in 1977 to showcase how important museums are to society. Each year, a specific theme is chosen to reflect current issues or challenges museums face. In 2025, the theme is “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” aiming to find ways for museums to adapt and thrive amid social, technological, and environmental changes.

This year, International Museum Day falls on a Sunday, so everyone can choose the best place to visit.

Admission will be free at the following museums in Kyiv:

• National Museum of Natural History (15 B. Khmelnytsky Street)
• National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve (15 Lavrska Street). From 11:00 to 18:00, a Cossack camp with various activities for children and adults will be set up.
• Andriyivska Church (23 Andriyivskyi Descent)
• St. Sophia Cathedral (24 Volodymyrska Street)
• National Museum of Ukrainian Literature (11 Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street)
• Golden Gate (40A Volodymyrska Street)
• Pharmacy Museum (7 Prytytsko-Mykilska Street)

• Open-Air Museum in Pyrohiv (1 Akademika Tronka Street)
• National Museum of History of Ukraine (2 Volodymyrska Street)
• National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery” (9 Tereshchenkivska Street)
• Taras Shevchenko National Museum (12 Taras Shevchenko Boulevard)
• Taras Shevchenko House-Museum (8A Shevchenko Lane)
• “Khata na Priortsi” (5 Vyshhorodska Street)
• Kyrylivska Church (12 O. Telihy Street)

Museum and Exhibition Center of the Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv:

• May 18 — Quest expedition “Secrets/Mysteries of the building at 7 Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street.”
• May 18 — Express tour “Women’s education on Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street in the 19th century” led by senior researcher Nataliya Pinchuk.
• May 18 — Two lectures on “New acquisitions in the collections of the Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv.”

Mykhailo Hrushevsky Historical and Memorial Museum (9 Pankivska Street):

May 18 – for International Museum Day: presentation of the publication “Mykhailo Hrushevsky. Under the Starry Sky.”

Pavlo Tychyna Literary and Memorial Apartment Museum (5 Tereshchenkivska Street):

May 15–31 – museum exhibition project “In the Circle of Friends” for International Museum Day;

May 16–25 – international painting exhibition “For International Museum Day.”

National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine (9 Lavrska Street):

May 18 – program of events for International Museum Day and the anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars:

• curator-led tour of the exhibition “Living Crafts”;
• workshop “Hand Block Printing”;
• tour of the exhibition “Ivan Honchar. The Podillian Jester”;
• workshop “Spring Paper Cutouts”;
• tour “Secrets of the Metropolitan Chambers and the Annunciation Church”;
• workshop “Toy ‘Grasshopper’ Made of Threads.”

Hetmanship Museum (16V Spaska Street):

May 18 – free admission to the Hetmanship Museum;
May 18 – scholarly lecture by PhD historian Dmytro Hordienko: “The Black Council of 1663: The Triumph of Disaster”;
May 18 – thematic tour “History of the Old Stone House.”

Maria Zankovetska House-Museum (121 Velyka Vasylkivska Street):

May 18 – cultural and artistic project “Creative Gatherings at Maria’s Museum.”

Museum of Book and Printing of Ukraine (9 Lavrska Street, building 9, territory of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve):

May 18 – for International Museum Day:

• Open Doors Day;
• virtual tour “Museum Magic of Numbers” with augmented reality – using VR glasses;
• museum quest “Secrets of Ancient Books.”

National Historical and Architectural Museum “Kyiv Fortress” (24A Hospitalna Street):

• Until May 18 – for the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II (1939–1945): exhibition of documentary photographs and thematic graphic posters “Immortal Memory. Moment of Victory”
• May 16–31 – for International Museum Day: exhibition “Kyiv Fortress on Maps and Drawings”

Museum of Outstanding Figures of Ukrainian Culture (97 Saksahanskoho Street):

May 18 – XII Assembly of Ukrainian Choral Music, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of O. Koshyts’s birth, “With a Song Across the World.”

Communal Institution of the Kyiv City Council (KCSA) “Pharmacy-Museum”:

May 18 – Open Doors Day, guided tours.

Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts (15-17 Tereshchenkivska Street):

May 18 – for International Museum Day: opening of the Museum Courtyard.

For the full list of cultural events until the end of May, please visit the KCSA website.

Antonina Solovyova