Jewish Odessa Tour: Exploration of Jewish History and Culture

Uncover the fascinating story of Odessa’s Jewry on a 3-hour walking tour. Explore the landmarks and sights that shaped the Golden Age of Odessa’s Jewish community.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Primorsky Boulevard - We’ll talk of Odessa’s early Jewish settlers. What attracted them to Odessa? Who were they? Where did they come from? Small craftsmen and traders. Some of them later became affluent merchants and bankers. Like the famous Ephrussi.
  • Odessa Synagogue - We’ll see the two temples - the Brodsky synagogue and the Main Choral…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Discover the history of Jewish Odessa from the time of the city’s inception until the late 19th century in this 3-hour walking tour. Unearth the landmarks associated with the city’s Jewish Golden Age.
Starting with the earliest Jewish settlers, we trace the journey from the formation of the Jewish merchant society, through the enlightenment period, to…

Location
Prymorskyi Blvd, 7
Prymorskyi Boulevard
Alternatively, we can pick up from your address if it's in the historical quarter
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
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Wanderer_scotland
Nov 16, 2021
Fantastic tour of Odessa with Olga - I have been visiting Ukraine since 2004, and in that time I have only ever visited Odessa once, and it was only a rainy afternoon in the summer of 2005, where I saw next to nothing. Fast forward to 2021, and I was traveling to Moldova via Odessa, so used the chance to see the city. Looking around I found Odessa Walks, and the reviews were good, so decided to book a tour through them. I know Odessa has a lot to see (both rich and poor sides) plus a very rich Jewish history on top of that, and this tour seemed right up my street as it covered EVERYTHING in Odessa, and when I asked if the Catacombs could be added in to my tour, they were more than happy to accommodate. Olga was a complete joy to work with from first approach right through to the day itself, and really brought Odessa to life for me, with a very in depth history of the city, as well as taking me to find some more off the beaten track locations that I would never have found. First part of the tour was a walk around the heart of Odessa, leaning about the origins of the city and the beating heart of Odessa, this was followed with a bit of insight into the writer Isaac Babel (I strongly recommend reading his Odessa Stories book, as you will visit a lot of the places that influenced his stories, and the people who potentially were the basis that were characters in his stories). After a lovely stop off at a Georgian Restaurant for lunch, the afternoon section was a trip by car around Moldavanka, with more insight into area's away from the city. Highlight of the day was the Odessa Catacombs, which were about a 15 minute drive outside of Odessa, but very much worth it. Covering around 2km's underground, you get to learn about the history of the caves as a mine for building Odessa as it expanded with people moving into the area from other regions, and then during WW2 where it was used as a shelter for the Partizans fighting against the Nazi's. Really amazing stuff. The day started at 10am, and I asked if I could be dropped off at Odessa train station for 6pm, and it was 5:45pm when I was dropped off at the front steps of the train station. Olga is amazing guide and will teach you a lot about Odessa, so highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $35
up to 10 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).