A friend will be stationed next year in Kiev, Ukraine. I would like to visit her, and then both of us would like to travel somewhere else in Europe for a week or two. Are there easy train connections from Kiev to anywhere? I'm just now starting to research this, and am not sure where to start looking. Both of us would like to spend some time in Italy (Venice, Lake Como etc.) but this is just one idea...we're pretty much open to anything that is easily reached from Kiev.

On my bucket list is Kiev, St. Petersburg and Moscow for a trip.

Moscow and St Petersburg would require a visa. Should imagine a train to St Petersburg to be a very long trip. Does it have to be by train?

Odessa
Gulag
Romania
Poland
Prague

I found a web site, tryukraine.com, with a good summary of train options from Kiev. It appears nothing is really close. Alternatively, I checked out air options...there is a carrier called WizzAir that offers direct flights from Kiev to Venice. Any one have any experience with Wizz Air? The name isn't too confidence-inspiring.

I've been to Kiev and L'vov. I recommend both before they become westernized and overpriced. However, they are not "tourist" places. You will be roughing it.

Wizz Air are a low cost carrier. There are alot of low cost carriers that you might not have heard of in Europe but doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them.

What time of year are you travelling? It makes a difference as winters are quite harsh. Sochi is a well known resort on the Black Sea. I doubt somehow Kiev and L'vov are in danger of becoming westernised anytime soon and as for roughing it, there are tourists who can only see the world from a tour bus or a 5 star hotel and those pampered and/or nervous travellers might be disappointed.

Before you give a lot of thought to where you may want to go, check into how long it will take to get there using bahn.de.

Ukrainian (and most Eastern European) trains are very slow. The trip to Odessa (about 300 miles) ,for example, is overnight.

I likely won't be "roughing it" in Kiev as I'll be staying at friend's apartment in a State Department complex! As for the travel planning from there, I am seriously considering Wizz Air (!) from Kiev to Venice, and then maybe a train to Rome, flying home from there.

Not sure why spaarne thinks Lviv (its current name) is roughing it. I stayed at a nice hotel there and ate very well. Also loved the town - see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html for my TR and http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/Europe-2006 for photos. You might look at the Baltics - I enjoyed Vilnius - or Poland - Krakow is getting very popular.