It is thought that Odessa's history dates back to ancient Greece. The area was captured from the Turks in 1789 by General Grygory Potemkin for Catherine the Great.
Odessa is accessible via air (Odessa International Airport, or ODS), train (located on Privokzalnaya Ploshad), bus (located at Kolontayevska 58), or by sea (the seaport is located at Tamozhnaya Ploshad 1).
You can travel around Odessa via trolley or bus. You can get to the city center by hopping on a bus that says "Ploshcha Hretska."
The Odessa Ballet Company and Odessa Opera are world-class performing groups. A number of performances are held throughout the year. Be sure to check the ticket booth located next to the opera house (intersection of Lanzherovskaya and Chaikovskovo streets) to find out what is on stage during your visit.
Odessa is home to a number of monuments, museums, churches, parks, and of course, beaches. Be aware that the waters and beaches tend to be fairly polluted. Cleaner beaches (relatively speaking) include Delphin and Fontan. The city's main street, Deribasovskaya, lined with restaurants and shops, is the place to go for people-watching.
