An interesting, safe, and challenging travel destination many have probably not considered in recent years is Ukraine. Memories of burning tires, Rebels, Russians, armed conflicts in the capital, and passenger airlines being shot down surly permeate the consciousness of most. The wounds of the conflict appear healed but the occasionally visible scars are still tender when probed. This is of course looking past the massive chunk of territory which has been torn away from the the nation. After spending some time in this beautiful locale it is obvious that Ukraine is ready and willing to take on travelers looking for a mild challenge in an interesting, and cheap location off the beaten path.

Lviv Upon Arrival
Fly into Lviv to experience a slightly more artistic and fun side of a former Soviet territory. Lviv is choked full of restaurants, cafes, bars/pubs, clubs, and even some street food. It is a town where a good time can be had for fairly cheap. The town is also fairly easy to get around in.

Couldn’t land soon enough

Airport and Arrival
The airport has the typical assortment of venders, restaurants, bars, and shops you would expect to find anywhere, and similar to anywhere the prices in the airport are nothing short of extortion. I would recommend not buying anything after landing and waiting to get into town. The airport also has the typical range of useful accoutrements. There are a number of different rental car agencies, I would recommend Sixt if you do not know Ukrainian and do know English as they at the time had a very helpful representative. The airport has a good currency booth which had no commission. There are also ATMs if that is your preferred method for getting foreign currency.

Transportation
The city center is about a 15 minute drive away from the airport. A cab ride from the airport to the city center can and probably should be negotiated. This ride should not cost much more than 200 Hryvnia (and this is probably about double what it should in reality cost). Uber is another option and works exceptionally well. An interesting thing about Uber in The Ukraine is that there is a cash option. The cash option is nice because your credit card will not be charged resulting in foreign transaction fees if that is a concern. Also the cash option allows more control to be exerted over the ride. The one time with Uber the cash option was not used was in Kiev and it was the only time that I have ever experienced an Uber driver taking the “long” way somewhere using the traffic as an excuse. Use the cash option!

There is also the public transit option. Lviv has busses and trams which effectively cover most of the city. If this option is appealing ensure that your accommodations are close to a stop and ideally one of the regular running main lines. Typically tickets can be bought from kiosks for a couple Hryvnia these then need to be validated onboard.

Where to stay
In and near the city center there are plenty of places to stay. These can range from $8.00 a night hostels to comfortable Airbnbs in the $20 to $50 dollar range, to $100 a night name brand hotels. The closer to the city center the better as this is where the action is.

Apartment Stairwell

Don’t judge a room by it’s wiring

Room in Lviv Apartment

What to do
Lviv is full of restaurants, cafes, pubs, and street stalls. What separates Lviv’s restaurants, cafes, pubs, and street stalls from Kievs is the weird/fun factor.

One example is the restaurant Kryivka. This is a unique location, strategically unsigned, poorly located, and incredibly sketchy to enter. None of these things should be off-putting. Expect reasonably priced, delicious Ukrainian dishes, and a fun memorable family friendly atmosphere. The food and atmosphere are worth the struggle to enter. Research it just enough to find it and no more, don’t ruin the fun, and keep in mind SLAVA UKRAINE!

Playing with guns at Kryivka

Ice cream stand