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 the planet open to tourism restriction-free. Of course, it was a really totally different world again then, what with the well being disaster raging on, and all these loopy, difficult border guidelines in place.
While most of Europe shut itself off utterly to tourism, Ukraine flung its doorways open to everybody, Americans 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, firstly of 2022, earlier than there have been even talks of battle 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 Eastern borders, and the following factor I knew, my plans of visiting Ukraine fell by as soon as a full-scale invasion was launched.
I noticed myself gazing my telephone display blankly, watching a sequence of horrendous occasions unfold; on the identical time, my flight, scheduled for 3 days from then, obtained canceled.
I didn’t assume I’d be ticking Ukraine off my bucket checklist for an extended whereas, particularly when an answer to the battle appears so intractable.
Fast ahead 2 and a half years, and right here I am, lastly, in Lviv.
I am 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 am right here to inform you every thing I have seen, and what I have discovered from my temporary 2-day go to to Lviv in occasions of battle:
First, Why Go To Ukraine In 2025?
There are many a cause why I, as a passionate traveler, would embrace the concept of touring to Ukraine in 2025.
The first I can consider is plainly narcissistic in nature: it’s one among solely three European nations I have but to go to, the opposite ones being a Russian-friendly Belarus and an offbeat Moldova, and I’m undecided about you, however I don’t love puzzle maps lacking essential items.
The second cause why is I undergo from overwhelming FOMO: the notorious Fear of Missing Out.
Ukraine is a rustic at battle, and I watched in dismay as bombs showered down within the Black Sea port metropolis of Odesa in latest months, to the purpose one among its most traditionally vital church buildings, the Transfiguration Cathedral, had its ceiling partially collapse back in 2023.
Naturally, the human tragedy is immeasurable and needs to be our main concern as this ungodly battle rages on.
Still, I would argue harm to centuries upon centuries of amassed heritage, a testomony to a rustic’s wealthy previous, and that can not be so simply reassembled as soon as it is diminished to rubbles, is simply as heart-wrenching.
Lviv is one among Ukraine’s most culturally wealthy cities, generally known as Paris of the East, and residential to a UNESCO-protected historic heart full of magnificent Baroque church buildings and lesser-known medieval treasures.
I nervous that the longer I waited, the upper the probabilities an escalation may lead to Lviv sustaining irreparable losses: although not as closely bombarded as Odesa, or different cities on the Eastern entrance, it, too, had survived its share of drone assaults.
If you knew someplace like Paris was prone to being severely broken, and even utterly flattened, within the worst-case situation that may’t ever be dominated out, would not you bounce on the alternative to go and see it with your individual eyes earlier than… effectively, it’s not?
I know I would.
Why Lviv?
It’s One Of The Most Beautiful Cities I’ve Been In Europe
I guess I have already given you some indication as to ‘why Lviv’.
For starters, it was a vastly standard vacation spot in Ukraine previous to the battle, and because the Western portion of the nation’s largest metropolis, residence to over 710,000 individuals, it is a cultural heart second solely to the capital Kyiv in significance.
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage 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 ones left a deep impression on me?
If you are brief on time, I would go together with the Seventeenth-century Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, primarily because 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 mild pastel tones, the 14th-century Latin Cathedral is celestially lovely, and in my books, it was solely rivaled in magnificence by the gold-clad altars of the Bernardine Monastery.
The assortment of Baroque and Renaissance choices right here is really unmatched, and truthfully, you can 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 fashion, now a museum housing varied European artwork items––in summer season, the gardens are mentioned to be reasonably nice to walk––and there is not any Lviv with out its landmark National Opera:
Situated on Prospekt Svobody, an avenue flanked by Belle époque additions, it is a routinely photographed patrimony for its columned facade and opulent foremost corridor.
Oh, and if Prospekt Svobody is the town’s foremost vein, one may argue its beating coronary heart is Rynok Square.
Bordered by colourful facades and comfy cafes and dominated by a centrally-placed City Hall, which dates again to the nineteenth century in its current type, this sq. is Lviv’s most easily-distinguished sightseeing spot, prone to characteristic on magnets and memento mugs.
If you occur to be in Lviv for the weekend, climbing up the City Hall 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 can also make your approach up High Castle Hill free of charge, the place extra sweeping views of Lviv Old Town await, together with the rows upon rows of communist-era condo 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 essential piece of data I intentionally disregarded till now:
It’s One Of The Safest Cities In Ukraine
Lviv is the most secure metropolis in Ukraine proper now, and as a matter of reality, it could be safer than sure Western European cities.
Hear me out.
A large false impression amongst people who find themselves not following this intently is that each one of Ukraine is one big, Dantean ninth Circle of Hell strewn with battered and bruised our bodies, land mines and World War I-style trenches, the place epic battles are fought on the day by day.
If you are a type of individuals, my reply to you is, life is not a battle film, pal.
I imply, have a look at the images 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––if you happen to had been to stick it over a map of the United States, it could prolong 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.
Considering a lot of the Russian advances have been centered on the japanese 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.
Before going, I weighed in all the professionals and cons and ended up deciding Lviv was a low-risk vacation spot:
You’re More Likely 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.
Yes, I agree, that is already 68 too many, however in taking into consideration that, in Kherson Oblast alone, 566 deaths have been recorded to date, whereas Kharkiv logged in 1,699, and even within the capital area, 1,569 fatalities are reported, I made the knowledgeable choice 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, primarily based 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:
According to 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 stress-free by a park in London, until… effectively, by no means thoughts.
But you might need an irregular resident––is that the politically appropriate time period these days?––put a pointy object to your neck and wipe your pockets clear.
You can rely your self fortunate if you happen to’re not, hem, punctured.
In different phrases, you are successfully at a larger danger of dying in a mugging incident in Lambeth or Islington, crime-ridden areas of London, than because of Russian shelling over Lviv.
Based on the info at hand, earlier developments, distance from the frontline, and its standing as a cultural heart with much less navy significance, likelihood is Lviv is not going to be struck as laborious as Kyiv, Kherson, or Odesa may.
This doesn’t imply it can positively not be on the firing line:
This Doesn’t Mean Lviv Is Safe
It could be irresponsible and despicably tone-deaf of me to downplay the scenario on the bottom.
Ukraine continues to be a rustic battling an aggressor, and as a part of the involved entity, Lviv has seen plenty of strikes since 2022, with civilian and navy infrastructure focused.
On September 4, 2024, 7 individuals misplaced their lives, and 64 had been injured in varied levels of severity following a tough night time for strikes within the residential space surrounding the prepare station, the place I arrived myself only in the near past.
I am telling you this to make one factor clear:
This is a reasonably unpredictable scenario, and if somebody someplace decides to push a giant purple 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 much more prone to come across ruined buildings, but to be reconstructed following latest raids, and newly-added memorials in reminiscence of Lviv’s fallen heroes.
What’s The Vibe Of The People Right Now?
This ties into my subsequent level: what is the vibe of the individuals proper now in Lviv?
I do not need a happiness index to consult with, so I’ll depend on my firsthand account solely:
The lengthy bus journey I was on to Lviv, the place mostly-Ukrainian passengers had been chatting amongst themselves gleefully, kids 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 I shot at them now and again), as if we weren’t all about to formally enter a battle zone, set the temper for what was to return subsequent.
Ukrainians, at the very least these primarily based within the Western portion of the nation, are of their overwhelming majority unfazed by the battle.
During my brief 2-day stint in Lviv I noticed teams of adolescent ladies 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 woman, caged behind her walk-up window, promoting tickets with the identical enthusiasm I have 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 battle posters plastered onto the facet of buildings, you’d hardly have the ability to inform there may be even a rustic being assaulted in any respect.
My affirmation got here with the primary air alarm:
I was taking footage of myself by Rynok Square, 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 was, and her response left me utterly baffled:
After revealing the content material of the alarm to me, that continued to sound loud and clear, she turned to the facet and obtained misplaced once more in her infinite TikTook scrolling, till her bus lastly confirmed.
I turned to the facet, and different individuals had been simply as unalarmed, both carrying their groceries residence at their ordinary tempo or smiling as they stepped out of a restaurant with pals.
From that second onward, I realized this was merely their new actuality, and until hit with a main growth, the occasional Russian focusing on of buildings within the industrial suburbs doesn’t precisely make them panic.
But then once more, that is Lviv.
It could be a really totally different story in Eastern Ukraine.
How About Prices?
Ukraine has all the time been one of many least costly nations to journey to in Europe because of low wages and a decrease value of dwelling.
I have not been to Ukraine previous to the battle erupting to have the ability to evaluate, although I can say that it’s about as cheap to visit as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and the like:
Including lodging, meals and transportation, my two nights in Lviv set me again by precisely US$145, in January 2025: meals in native eating places value a median $6-7, tram tickets are just a few cents, and resort overnights begin from an affordable $28.
A 3-bedroom apartment, Royal Italian fashion, with a balcony opening up onto the Old Town and nice metropolis views, will value you $44 per night time, and if you happen to do not thoughts splurging slightly, seeing every thing is grime 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 the town heart, 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.
Check Out This Amazing Bunker Restaurant Serving Cheap Food
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 more durable when you may’t use Google Translate as roaming has failed of a sudden, and I was happy to search out English-speaking workers right here.
@vinigoesglobal 📍 Kryivka Lviv Possibly the one restaurant I’d go all the best way to a w4r zone for 😋 I imply, these pork ribs and superb compote?? Definitely well worth the danger in my e book 🫣 #lviv #ukraine #easterneurope #ukrainetiktok ♬ son original – Vini | Travel Blogger
I ordered myself a giant jug of compote––a standard Eastern European mushy drink made out of items of purple fruit and contemporary syrup––a basic potato soup for starters, and a pork rib foremost, and I could not imagine 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 Homemade Chocolate, a well known chocolaterie just a few meters away from Rynok Square, positioned inside a five-storey Old Town edifice that simply exudes medieval attraction.
There’s a restaurant on the very high with a view of Lviv’s many church spires, and their sizzling chocolate is the precise melted stuff.
How I Entered Ukraine
Pardon me.
It simply occurred to me that I have not but detailed my precise journey into Ukraine.
Recently, information got here out that Lviv Airport may reopen by the end of January, additional solidifying the 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 working between each nations, costing round $12 when booked upfront, and carrying largely 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.
Contrary to standard perception, the Ukrainian border is not closed: you are allowed to enter as a vacationer, offered you fulfill the same old visa necessities.
Americans, 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 tense a part of my journey to Ukraine, and never for the explanations you’d assume.
The Border Experience
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 tense, involving getting on and off the car at the very least twice, two passport checks, and at the very least one bag screening.
That’s much more enjoyable within the lifeless of winter, whenever you’re compelled to face exterior, when it is a freezing 26.6°F, as a grumpy-looking Ukrainian border officer goes by everybody’s belongings, opening each zipper of each internal pocket, and taking his candy time in doing so.
I guess it is a good factor Flixbus has free WiFi on this route to maintain you entertained within the meantime.
Ukraine could also be open, however it’s not like vacationers are flocking in when bombs maintain raining down, so I’m guessing that is why border guards checked out my non-Ukrainian passport puzzlingly.
If you are crossing that border, you are both returning residence from overseas or visiting household, so when requested why I was touring to Ukraine as a foreigner proper now, I hesitantly responded, ‘I’m touring as a vacationer’.
The officer did not utter a single phrase, although his split-second, razor-sharp stare deep into my eyes, by to my soul, felt like a thousand phrases had been being mentioned, although his lips did not transfer, and never a single muscle in his stone-cut, stoic face twitched.
You know, in basic Eastern European vogue.
He wished me a ‘secure journey’, and handed me my passport again stamped.
Should You Visit Ukraine In 2025?
If you often observe security recommendation issued by governments, such because the U.S. State Department or the U.Ok. Home Office, you may need to delay your desires of exploring Ukraine, at the very least for now, till the scenario improves:
To the State Department, Ukraine is a Level 4 destination, that means U.S. residents ought to keep away from touring there in any respect prices.
Personally, I’m not the type to observe security advisories completely:
They present me with an even bigger image of what to anticipate, particularly when planning a visit someplace deemed high-risk, after which I colour in mentioned image myself with extra in-depth, impartial analysis.
The security recommendation pages will not inform you, 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 could make you ponder whether you are safer within the streets of this Ukrainian metropolis than strolling alone at night time in a Western European capital.
The identical could possibly be mentioned of quite a few different no-go zones globally:
Think Mexico: for years now, authorities have instructed Americans to rethink touring to states like Sinaloa and Jalisco, citing crime and gang exercise.
If you’ve got ever set foot in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta, you already know it is a very different scenario than that portrayed within the mainstream media.
Yes, some areas in these particular states are ridden with violence––this does not imply all over the place is unsafe.
At the tip of the day, deciding on visiting Ukraine in 2025 is a strictly private evaluation of the dangers concerned, one you have to do your self.
Bottomline
I’m not right here to encourage you to journey to a rustic at battle: if something, my purpose is to supply some nuance, and present you Lviv particularly is just not a full-fledged battlefield.
Based by myself expertise, the largest risk right here is getting on the improper facet of a religious Orthodox babushka, if you happen to by chance take an image with a flash in a church, and interrupt her communion with the Almighty.
Don’t worry the balding grandpa in his Moscow bunker taking part in chess with the prowess of a 5-year-old.
Fear the angry-looking Ukrainian babushka in her flowery huska scarf.
Putting issues into perspective, 0.009% of Leopolitan civilians have misplaced their lives because the battle began, and 0.03% had been wounded (some gravely).
That would not sound numerically vital.
In this regard, I can perceive the detached, bordering-on-nonchalant angle of the bus cease lady earlier:
You’ll solely turn into one of many unfortunate few if you happen to’re ever within the improper place on the improper 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 Safety Tips For Visiting Ukraine During The War
Going to Ukraine in 2025?
Here are some security suggestions:
- Enter from approved factors solely, such because the Hrebenne – Rava Ruska border, the primary crossing level between Poland and Ukraine proper now
- Give choice to frame cities, and areas which have direct bus and prepare connections out of Ukraine into neighboring nations, within the occasion of an escalation
- No space in any metropolis may be deemed secure, however cultural facilities like Lviv Old Town are typically better-surveilled by Ukrainian forces, and haven’t seen as a lot destruction
- If staying in a single day in Ukraine, e book a resort or guesthouse that’s geared up with an underground shelter
- Download the Air Raid Alert Map of Ukraine, to maintain updated with the entire newest developments on the protection entrance, and discover out whether or not there are ongoing assaults in your area
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This article initially appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed listed here are the writer’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, resort, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, accredited or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included throughout the submit.