I Traveled To Ukraine As A Tourist, Here’s What It’s Like Right Now
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I keep in mind not that way back, Ukraine was one of many solely nations on this planet open to tourism restriction-free. In fact, it was a really totally different world again then, what with the well being disaster raging on, and all these loopy, sophisticated border guidelines in place.
Whereas most of Europe shut itself off fully to tourism, Ukraine flung its doorways open to everybody, People included, with little to no necessities.
I additionally keep in mind reserving flights from London, the place I used to dwell on the time, to Lviv, in Western Ukraine, in the beginning of 2022, earlier than there have been even talks of conflict looming.
This was a really promising time: COVID guidelines had been dropping like dominoes, and Ukraine had solely not too long ago completed lifting the remaining health-related checks.
Then the strangest factor occurred.
Russian troops began amassing at Ukraine’s Japanese borders, and the subsequent factor I knew, my plans of visiting Ukraine fell by way of as soon as a full-scale invasion was launched.
I noticed myself observing my cellphone display screen blankly, watching a sequence of horrendous occasions unfold; on the identical time, my flight, scheduled for 3 days from then, acquired canceled.
I didn’t assume I’d be ticking Ukraine off my bucket listing for an extended whereas, particularly when an answer to the battle appears so intractable.
Quick ahead 2 and a half years, and right here I’m, lastly, in Lviv.
I’m one of many only a few vacationers who are brave—or perhaps reckless sufficient—to enterprise into war-torn Ukraine whereas a decision hasn’t been reached, and perhaps you’re questioning:
Is it already secure to go to Ukraine, and the way is it that I even managed to enter the nation within the first place when Russian troops proceed pushing ahead with their aggression?
I’m right here to let you know the whole lot I’ve seen, and what I’ve realized from my temporary 2-day go to to Lviv in occasions of conflict:
First, Why Go To Ukraine In 2025?
There are lots of a purpose why I, as a passionate traveler, would embrace the thought of touring to Ukraine in 2025.
The primary I can consider is plainly narcissistic in nature: it’s one in every of solely three European nations I’ve but to go to, the opposite ones being a Russian-friendly Belarus and an offbeat Moldova, and I am undecided about you, however I do not like puzzle maps lacking necessary items.
The second purpose why is I undergo from overwhelming FOMO: the notorious Concern of Lacking Out.
Ukraine is a rustic at conflict, and I watched in dismay as bombs showered down within the Black Sea port metropolis of Odesa in current months, to the purpose one in every of its most traditionally important church buildings, the Transfiguration Cathedral, had its ceiling partially collapse back in 2023.
Naturally, the human tragedy is immeasurable and needs to be our major concern as this ungodly battle rages on.
Nonetheless, I’d argue harm to centuries upon centuries of amassed heritage, a testomony to a rustic’s wealthy previous, and that can’t be so simply reassembled as soon as it is diminished to rubbles, is simply as heart-wrenching.
Lviv is one in every of Ukraine’s most culturally wealthy cities, generally known as Paris of the East, and residential to a UNESCO-protected historic middle filled with magnificent Baroque church buildings and lesser-known medieval treasures.
I fearful that the longer I waited, the upper the possibilities an escalation may end in Lviv sustaining irreparable losses: although not as closely bombarded as Odesa, or different cities on the Japanese entrance, it, too, had survived its share of drone assaults.
Should you knew someplace like Paris was liable to being severely broken, and even fully flattened, within the worst-case state of affairs that may’t ever be dominated out, would not you bounce on the alternative to go and see it with your personal eyes earlier than… nicely, it’s now not?
I do know I’d.
Why Lviv?
It is One Of The Most Lovely Cities I’ve Been In Europe
I assume I’ve already given you some indication as to ‘why Lviv’.
For starters, it was a vastly widespread vacation spot in Ukraine previous to the conflict, and because the Western portion of the nation’s largest metropolis, residence to over 710,000 folks, it is a cultural middle second solely to the capital Kyiv in significance.
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Web site since 1998, in recognition of its eclectic structure and plethora of richly embellished church buildings and cathedrals: to be extra exact, there are precisely 103 of them.
Which of them left a deep impression on me?
Should you’re brief on time, I’d go together with the Seventeenth-century Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, primarily on account of its brightly-painted chapels, and the medieval Armenian Cathedral, the centerpiece of Lviv’s bustling Armenian Quarter.
With an intricately embellished inside and a hovering vaulted ceiling frescoed in light pastel tones, the 14th-century Latin Cathedral is celestially stunning, and in my books, it was solely rivaled in magnificence by the gold-clad altars of the Bernardine Monastery.
The gathering of Baroque and Renaissance choices right here is really unmatched, and actually, you could possibly spend a whole week solely exploring Lviv’s spiritual monuments and nonetheless not see all of it, or stop being mesmerized.
Not removed from the middle, there’s a stately Potocki Palace, constructed within the extravagant French model, now a museum housing numerous European artwork items––in summer season, the gardens are mentioned to be slightly nice to walk––and there isn’t any Lviv with out its landmark Nationwide Opera:
Located on Prospekt Svobody, an avenue flanked by Belle époque additions, it is a routinely photographed patrimony for its columned facade and opulent most important corridor.
Oh, and if Prospekt Svobody is town’s most important vein, one may argue its beating coronary heart is Rynok Sq..
Bordered by colourful facades and comfortable cafes and dominated by a centrally-placed Metropolis Corridor, which dates again to the nineteenth century in its current type, this sq. is Lviv’s most easily-distinguished sightseeing spot, more likely to function on magnets and memento mugs.
Should you occur to be in Lviv for the weekend, climbing up the Metropolis Corridor tower is a must-do: it solely opens on Saturdays and Sundays, and from the very high, you may be rewarded with a panoramic panorama of the dome-dotted Leopolitan skyline.
Alternatively, you may make your approach up Excessive Citadel Hill at no cost, the place extra sweeping views of Lviv Outdated City await, together with the rows upon rows of communist-era condominium blocks that encroached throughout it throughout Soviet occasions.
To sum it up, Lviv is downright beautiful, and that alone piqued my curiosity, however there’s one other necessary piece of knowledge I intentionally unnoticed till now:
It is One Of The Most secure Cities In Ukraine
Lviv is the most secure metropolis in Ukraine proper now, and as a matter of truth, it is likely to be safer than sure Western European cities.
Hear me out.
An enormous false impression amongst people who find themselves not following this carefully is that every one of Ukraine is one large, Dantean ninth Circle of Hell strewn with battered and bruised our bodies, land mines and World Warfare I-style trenches, the place epic battles are fought on the each day.
Should you’re a kind of folks, my reply to you is, life is not a conflict film, pal.
I imply, take a look at the photographs on right here, all of which I took myself: does Lviv look war-torn to you?
Excluding Russia, Ukraine is Europe’s most sizable nation, with a complete space of 233 sq. miles––in case you had been to stick it over a map of america, it will lengthen from the state of Missouri all the best way to the Atlantic Ocean, and from Ohio to Georgia.
For a little bit of context, Lviv sits on the far west of Ukraine, a stone’s throw away from the Polish border, and a complete 335 miles from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and a fair farther 494 miles from Odesa, on the Black Sea Coast.
Contemplating many of the Russian advances have been targeted on the jap entrance and the predominantly-ethnic Russian areas of Luhansk and Donetsk, in addition to already-occupied Crimea and the broader Black Sea area, Lviv has been largely spared the brunt of the warfare.
Earlier than going, I weighed in all the professionals and cons and ended up deciding Lviv was a low-risk vacation spot:
You are Extra Probably To Get Knifed In London Than Bombed In Lviv?
I Beg Your Pardon?
Since 2022, ‘solely’ 68 civilian deaths had been reported within the metropolis, and a further 276 wounded.
Sure, I agree, that is already 68 too many, however in considering that, in Kherson Oblast alone, 566 deaths have been recorded up to now, whereas Kharkiv logged in 1,699, and even within the capital area, 1,569 fatalities are reported, I made the knowledgeable determination Lviv was much less harmful to go to.
Between 2023 and 2024, the variety of knife-related crimes in London, England was a whopping 15,016, based mostly on Statista figures.
Some would declare that is apples and pears and probably not an trustworthy comparability, so let’s take a look at Lviv’s crime charges:
Based on Numbeo, the present degree of crime in Lviv is a low 36.90, whereas London’s is 64.55, Paris 62.03, and Barcelona 57.29.
You positively will not be blown to bits enjoyable by a park in London, except… nicely, by no means thoughts.
However you might need an irregular resident––is that the politically right time period these days?––put a pointy object to your neck and wipe your pockets clear.
You may depend your self fortunate in case you’re not, hem, punctured.
In different phrases, you are successfully at a larger threat of dying in a mugging incident in Lambeth or Islington, crime-ridden areas of London, than because of Russian shelling over Lviv.
Based mostly on the information at hand, earlier developments, distance from the frontline, and its standing as a cultural middle with much less navy significance, likelihood is Lviv is not going to be struck as onerous as Kyiv, Kherson, or Odesa may.
This doesn’t imply it should positively not be on the firing line:
This Does not Imply Lviv Is Secure
It could be irresponsible and despicably tone-deaf of me to downplay the state of affairs on the bottom.
Ukraine continues to be a rustic battling an aggressor, and as a part of the involved entity, Lviv has seen a lot of strikes since 2022, with civilian and navy infrastructure focused.
On September 4, 2024, 7 folks misplaced their lives, and 64 had been injured in numerous levels of severity following a tough evening for strikes within the residential space surrounding the practice station, the place I arrived myself only recently.
I’m telling you this to make one factor clear:
It is a slightly unpredictable state of affairs, and if somebody someplace decides to push a giant pink button, you will not get a lot of a warning earlier than the sky fairly actually falls down over your head…
Even in Lviv.
All it takes is taking a tram into the suburbs, the place you are way more more likely to come across ruined buildings, but to be reconstructed following current raids, and newly-added memorials in reminiscence of Lviv’s fallen heroes.
What’s The Vibe Of The Individuals Proper Now?
This ties into my subsequent level: what is the vibe of the folks proper now in Lviv?
I should not have a happiness index to discuss with, so I will depend on my firsthand account solely:
The lengthy bus journey I used to be on to Lviv, the place mostly-Ukrainian passengers had been chatting amongst themselves gleefully, youngsters had been being their annoying selves, kicking and screaming, with little to no intervention from unbothered dad and mom;
And a youngster sat subsequent to me blasting podcasts in Ukrainian with out their headphones on (whatever the disapproving seems to be I shot at them once in a while), as if we weren’t all about to formally enter a conflict zone, set the temper for what was to return subsequent.
Ukrainians, at the least these based mostly within the Western portion of the nation, are of their overwhelming majority unfazed by the battle.
Throughout my brief 2-day stint in Lviv I noticed teams of adolescent women with an excessive amount of make-up gossiping idly as they trotted down damaged cobblestones, Starbucks cups in perfectly-manicured palms, the same old terminally-bored bus terminal girl, caged behind her walk-up window, promoting tickets with the identical enthusiasm I’ve for submitting my taxes, and lovey-dovey {couples} kissing in snow-dusted park benches.
It virtually felt too… regular.
If it weren’t for the younger males casually passing by me with their service uniforms or the conflict posters plastered onto the aspect of buildings, you’d hardly be capable to inform there may be even a rustic being assaulted in any respect.
My affirmation got here with the primary air alarm:
I used to be taking footage of myself by Rynok Sq., nearing sunset, when abruptly sirens go off, and an unsettling male voice emanating from invisible loudspeakers encourages (in Ukrainian) that we search the closest underground shelter.
I would not have a clue what was happening, had I not requested a 20-something lady standing by the bus cease close to the place I used to be, and her response left me fully baffled:
After revealing the content material of the alarm to me, that continued to sound loud and clear, she turned to the aspect and acquired misplaced once more in her infinite TikTok scrolling, till her bus lastly confirmed.
I turned to the aspect, and different folks had been simply as unalarmed, both carrying their groceries residence at their regular tempo or smiling as they stepped out of a restaurant with buddies.
From that second onward, I spotted this was merely their new actuality, and except hit with a main growth, the occasional Russian focusing on of buildings within the industrial suburbs doesn’t precisely make them panic.
However then once more, that is Lviv.
It is likely to be a really totally different story in Japanese Ukraine.
How About Costs?
Ukraine has all the time been one of many least costly nations to journey to in Europe because of low wages and a decrease price of dwelling.
I have never been to Ukraine previous to the battle erupting to have the ability to examine, although I can say that it’s about as cheap to visit as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and the like:
Together with lodging, meals and transportation, my two nights in Lviv set me again by precisely US$145, in January 2025: meals in native eating places price a mean $6-7, tram tickets are just a few cents, and lodge overnights begin from an affordable $28.
A 3-bedroom apartment, Royal Italian model, with a balcony opening up onto the Outdated City and nice metropolis views, will price you $44 per evening, and in case you do not thoughts splurging a bit of, seeing the whole lot is filth low cost, the 5-star Grand Hotel Lviv Casino & Spa has nightly charges from solely $143.
I stayed at Sunny Hotel, to the tune of $34 an evening, a brief tram journey away from town middle, and comfy sufficient for a brief séjour.
The rooms are modest however cozy: there is a cozy mattress with loads of blankets, a central heating system, and a functioning bathe, and on this bleak period, friends have entry to a close-by shelter ought to they should take cowl within the occasion of a nighttime assault.
It does its job.
Examine Out This Wonderful Bunker Restaurant Serving Low cost Meals
For a standard Ukrainian eating expertise in a Soviet-era labyrinthian bunker, Kryivka is the place to go:
As welcoming as Ukrainians are, English audio system in Lviv are positively a minority, which makes ordering at eating places and conveying your wants tougher when you may’t use Google Translate as roaming has failed of a sudden, and I used to be happy to seek out English-speaking employees right here.
@vinigoesglobal 📍 Kryivka Lviv Probably the one restaurant I’d go all the best way to a w4r zone for 😋 I imply, these pork ribs and wonderful compote?? Undoubtedly definitely worth the threat in my guide 🫣 #lviv #ukraine #easterneurope #ukrainetiktok ♬ son original – Vini | Travel Blogger
I ordered myself a giant jug of compote––a standard Japanese European mushy drink comprised of items of pink fruit and recent syrup––a basic potato soup for starters, and a pork rib most important, and I could not consider my invoice: roughly US$15, suggestions included.
Kryivka might be one of many trendiest, most touristy eateries on the town, so that ought to provide you with an thought of what to price range food-wise.
For dessert, head subsequent to Lviv Do-it-yourself Chocolate, a well known chocolaterie just a few meters away from Rynok Sq., situated inside a five-storey Outdated City edifice that simply exudes medieval appeal.
There is a cafe on the very high with a view of Lviv’s many church spires, and their scorching chocolate is the precise melted stuff.
How I Entered Ukraine
Pardon me.
It simply occurred to me that I have never but detailed my precise journey into Ukraine.
Lately, information got here out that Lviv Airport may reopen by the end of January, additional solidifying town’s standing as Ukraine’s most secure on the minute, however as of proper now, Ukrainian airspace is closed, so the one choice for me was to resort to an extended, dreadful bus journey, beginning in Warsaw, Poland.
Lviv is barely 31 miles from the Polish border, and 245 miles from the capital of Poland.
Buses proceed operating between each nations, costing round $12 when booked upfront, and carrying principally Ukrainian passengers who’re both going into Poland to make use of one of many worldwide airports to journey, or returning residence quickly to go to household.
Opposite to widespread perception, the Ukrainian border is not closed: you are allowed to enter as a vacationer, offered you fulfill the same old visa necessities.
People, Canadians, and most Europeans don’t want a visa to enter Ukraine, and they’re welcomed with open arms.
The border expertise itself was really probably the most irritating a part of my journey to Ukraine, and never for the explanations you’d assume.
The Border Expertise
The drive from Warsaw to Lviv takes, in concept, 5 hours––in actuality, you could be sitting square-bottomed in a barely-cushioned Flixbus seat for 8-10 hours, as border formalities are lengthy and irritating, involving getting on and off the automobile at the least twice, two passport checks, and at the least one bag screening.
That is much more enjoyable within the useless of winter, once you’re compelled to face outdoors, when it is a freezing 26.6°F, as a grumpy-looking Ukrainian border officer goes by way of everybody’s belongings, opening each zipper of each internal pocket, and taking his candy time in doing so.
I assume it is a good factor Flixbus has free WiFi on this route to maintain you entertained within the meantime.
Ukraine could also be open, nevertheless it’s not like vacationers are flocking in when bombs preserve raining down, so I am guessing that is why border guards checked out my non-Ukrainian passport puzzlingly.
Should you’re crossing that border, you are both returning residence from overseas or visiting household, so when requested why I used to be touring to Ukraine as a foreigner proper now, I hesitantly responded, ‘I am touring as a vacationer’.
The officer did not utter a single phrase, although his split-second, razor-sharp stare deep into my eyes, by way of to my soul, felt like a thousand phrases had been being mentioned, though his lips did not transfer, and never a single muscle in his stone-cut, stoic face twitched.
, in basic Japanese European trend.
He wished me a ‘secure journey’, and handed me my passport again stamped.
Ought to You Go to Ukraine In 2025?
Should you normally observe security recommendation issued by governments, such because the U.S. State Division or the U.Ok. Residence Workplace, you may wish to postpone your goals of exploring Ukraine, at the least for now, till the state of affairs improves:
To the State Division, Ukraine is a Level 4 destination, which means U.S. residents ought to keep away from touring there in any respect prices.
Personally, I am not the sort to observe security advisories solely:
They supply me with a much bigger image of what to anticipate, particularly when planning a visit someplace deemed high-risk, after which I coloration in mentioned image myself with extra in-depth, unbiased analysis.
The security recommendation pages will not let you know, for instance, that Lviv is in a a lot better place strategically than closely bombarded cities to the east or that the variety of casualties domestically could be very low––so low it will make you ponder whether you are safer within the streets of this Ukrainian metropolis than strolling alone at evening in a Western European capital.
The identical may very well be mentioned of quite a few different no-go zones globally:
Assume Mexico: for years now, authorities have informed People to rethink touring to states like Sinaloa and Jalisco, citing crime and gang exercise.
Should you’ve ever set foot in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta, you realize it is a very different scenario than that portrayed within the mainstream media.
Sure, some areas in these particular states are ridden with violence––this does not imply all over the place is unsafe.
On the finish of the day, deciding on visiting Ukraine in 2025 is a strictly private evaluation of the dangers concerned, one you will need to do your self.
Bottomline
I am not right here to encourage you to journey to a rustic at conflict: if something, my purpose is to supply some nuance, and present you Lviv specifically will not be a full-fledged battlefield.
Based mostly alone expertise, the largest menace right here is getting on the mistaken aspect of a religious Orthodox babushka, in case you by accident take an image with a flash in a church, and interrupt her communion with the Almighty.
Do not concern the balding grandpa in his Moscow bunker enjoying chess with the prowess of a 5-year-old.
Concern the angry-looking Ukrainian babushka in her flowery huska scarf.
Placing issues into perspective, 0.009% of Leopolitan civilians have misplaced their lives for the reason that conflict began, and 0.03% had been wounded (some gravely).
That does not sound numerically important.
On this regard, I can perceive the detached, bordering-on-nonchalant perspective of the bus cease lady earlier:
You may solely change into one of many unfortunate few in case you’re ever within the mistaken place on the mistaken time, and you will by no means know till it is already occurred.
At that time, there’s nothing you are able to do about it, in any case.
Some Security Ideas For Visiting Ukraine Throughout The Warfare
Going to Ukraine in 2025?
Listed below are some security suggestions:
- Enter from licensed factors solely, such because the Hrebenne – Rava Ruska border, the principle crossing level between Poland and Ukraine proper now
- Give desire to frame cities, and areas which have direct bus and practice connections out of Ukraine into neighboring nations, within the occasion of an escalation
- No space in any metropolis might be deemed secure, however cultural facilities like Lviv Outdated City are usually better-surveilled by Ukrainian forces, and haven’t seen as a lot destruction
- If staying in a single day in Ukraine, guide a lodge or guesthouse that’s geared up with an underground shelter
- Obtain the Air Raid Alert Map of Ukraine, to maintain updated with all the newest developments on the security entrance, and discover out whether or not there are ongoing assaults in your area
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Opinions expressed listed here are the creator’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, lodge, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, accepted or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included throughout the put up.