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 earth open to tourism restriction-free. After all, it was a really completely 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, Individuals included, with little to no necessities.
I additionally keep in mind reserving flights from London, the place I used to stay on the time, to Lviv, in Western Ukraine, initially of 2022, earlier than there have been even talks of conflict looming.
This was a really promising time: COVID guidelines have been dropping like dominoes, and Ukraine had solely lately completed lifting the remaining health-related checks.
Then the strangest factor occurred.
Russian troops began amassing at Ukraine’s Jap 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 looking at my telephone display screen blankly, watching a sequence of horrendous occasions unfold; on the similar time, my flight, scheduled for 3 days from then, bought 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.
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 protected 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 inform you all the things I’ve seen, and what I’ve realized from my temporary 2-day go to to Lviv in instances of conflict:
First, Why Go To Ukraine In 2025?
There are a lot of a purpose why I, as a passionate traveler, would embrace the concept of touring to Ukraine in 2025.
The primary I can consider is plainly narcissistic in nature: it’s certainly one 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 unsure about you, however I do not like puzzle maps lacking vital items.
The second purpose why is I endure 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 latest months, to the purpose certainly one of 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.
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 certainly one of Ukraine’s most culturally wealthy cities, generally referred to 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 apprehensive that the longer I waited, the upper the possibilities an escalation might end in Lviv sustaining irreparable losses: although not as closely bombarded as Odesa, or different cities on the Jap entrance, it, too, had survived its share of drone assaults.
In the event you knew someplace like Paris was prone 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 leap on the alternative to go and see it with your individual eyes earlier than… effectively, 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 suppose I’ve already given you some indication as to ‘why Lviv’.
For starters, it was a vastly well-liked vacation spot in Ukraine previous to the conflict, and because the Western portion of the nation’s largest metropolis, house to over 710,000 folks, it is a cultural heart 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 adorned church buildings and cathedrals: to be extra exact, there are precisely 103 of them.
Which of them left a deep impression on me?
In the event you’re brief on time, I’d go together with the Seventeenth-century Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, primarily as a consequence of its brightly-painted chapels, and the medieval Armenian Cathedral, the centerpiece of Lviv’s bustling Armenian Quarter.
With an intricately adorned inside and a hovering vaulted ceiling frescoed in mild 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 actually unmatched, and truthfully, you could possibly spend a whole week solely exploring Lviv’s non secular 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 varied European artwork items––in summer season, the gardens are stated to be moderately nice to walk––and there is not 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 fundamental corridor.
Oh, and if Prospekt Svobody is the town’s fundamental vein, one might argue its beating coronary heart is Rynok Sq..
Bordered by colourful facades and comfy cafes and dominated by a centrally-placed Metropolis Corridor, which dates again to the nineteenth century in its current kind, this sq. is Lviv’s most easily-distinguished sightseeing spot, more likely to function on magnets and memento mugs.
In the event 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 prime, you will be rewarded with a wide ranging panorama of the dome-dotted Leopolitan skyline.
Alternatively, you can also make your approach up Excessive Citadel Hill without cost, the place extra sweeping views of Lviv Previous City await, together with the rows upon rows of communist-era condominium blocks that encroached throughout it throughout Soviet instances.
To sum it up, Lviv is downright beautiful, and that alone piqued my curiosity, however there’s one other vital piece of knowledge I intentionally not noted 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 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 Warfare I-style trenches, the place epic battles are fought on the every day.
In the event you’re a type of folks, my reply to you is, life is not a conflict 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 have been to stick it over a map of the US, it could 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 an entire 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 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.
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 Seemingly To Get Knifed In London Than Bombed In Lviv?
I Beg Your Pardon?
Since 2022, ‘solely’ 68 civilian deaths have 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 resolution 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 not likely an trustworthy comparability, so let’s take a look at Lviv’s crime charges:
In accordance with Numbeo, the present stage 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… effectively, 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 if you happen to’re not, hem, punctured.
In different phrases, you are successfully at a increased danger 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 info at hand, earlier developments, distance from the frontline, and its standing as a cultural heart with much less navy significance, chances are high Lviv won’t be struck as arduous as Kyiv, Kherson, or Odesa might.
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 scenario on the bottom.
Ukraine remains to be a rustic battling an aggressor, and as a part of the involved entity, Lviv has seen quite a few strikes since 2022, with civilian and navy infrastructure focused.
On September 4, 2024, 7 folks misplaced their lives, and 64 have been injured in varied levels of severity following a tough evening for strikes within the residential space surrounding the prepare station, the place I arrived myself only recently.
I’m telling you this to make one factor clear:
It is a moderately unpredictable scenario, and if somebody someplace decides to push a giant crimson 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 more likely to encounter 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 Folks Proper Now?
This ties into my subsequent level: what is the vibe of the folks proper now in Lviv?
I shouldn’t have a happiness index to consult with, so I will depend on my firsthand account solely:
The lengthy bus experience I used to be on to Lviv, the place mostly-Ukrainian passengers have been chatting amongst themselves gleefully, kids have been being their annoying selves, kicking and screaming, with little to no intervention from unbothered mother and father;
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 from time to time), 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 primarily based 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 ladies with an excessive amount of make-up gossiping idly as they trotted down damaged cobblestones, Starbucks cups in perfectly-manicured fingers, the same old terminally-bored bus terminal woman, 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 facet of buildings, you’d hardly be capable to inform there’s 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 out of the blue 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 woman 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 facet and bought misplaced once more in her infinite TikTok scrolling, till her bus lastly confirmed.
I turned to the facet, and different folks have been simply as unalarmed, both carrying their groceries house at their standard tempo or smiling as they stepped out of a restaurant with mates.
From that second onward, I noticed this was merely their new actuality, and except hit with a main growth, the occasional Russian concentrating 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 completely different story in Jap Ukraine.
How About Costs?
Ukraine has at all times been one of many least costly nations to journey to in Europe because of low wages and a decrease value 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 value a mean $6-7, tram tickets are just a few cents, and lodge overnights begin from a reasonable $28.
A 3-bedroom apartment, Royal Italian model, with a balcony opening up onto the Previous City and nice metropolis views, will value you $44 per evening, and if you happen to do not thoughts splurging just a little, seeing all the things is dust 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 experience 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.
Test Out This Superb Bunker Restaurant Serving Low cost Meals
For a conventional 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’ll be able to’t use Google Translate as roaming has failed of a sudden, and I used to be happy to seek out English-speaking workers right here.
@vinigoesglobal 📍 Kryivka Lviv Presumably the one restaurant I’d go all the best way to a w4r zone for 😋 I imply, these pork ribs and wonderful compote?? Positively 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 conventional Jap European comfortable drink made out of items of crimson fruit and recent syrup––a basic potato soup for starters, and a pork rib fundamental, and I could not consider my invoice: roughly US$15, ideas included.
Kryivka might be one of many trendiest, most touristy eateries on the town, so that ought to offer you 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., positioned inside a five-storey Previous City edifice that simply exudes medieval attraction.
There is a cafe on the very prime 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 never but detailed my precise journey into Ukraine.
Just lately, 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 possibility for me was to resort to an extended, dreadful bus experience, beginning in Warsaw, Poland.
Lviv is just 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 house briefly to go to household.
Opposite to well-liked perception, the Ukrainian border is not closed: you are allowed to enter as a vacationer, offered you fulfill the same old visa necessities.
Individuals, Canadians, and most Europeans don’t want a visa to enter Ukraine, and they’re welcomed with open arms.
The border expertise itself was actually probably the most disturbing 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 principle, 5 hours––in actuality, chances are you’ll be sitting square-bottomed in a barely-cushioned Flixbus seat for 8-10 hours, as border formalities are lengthy and disturbing, involving getting on and off the car 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 interior pocket, and taking his candy time in doing so.
I suppose 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 maintain raining down, so I am guessing that is why border guards checked out my non-Ukrainian passport puzzlingly.
In the event you’re crossing that border, you are both returning house 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 have been being stated, regardless that his lips did not transfer, and never a single muscle in his stone-cut, stoic face twitched.
You realize, in basic Jap European vogue.
He wished me a ‘protected journey’, and handed me my passport again stamped.
Ought to You Go to Ukraine In 2025?
In the event you normally observe security recommendation issued by governments, such because the U.S. State Division or the U.Okay. Residence Workplace, you may wish to postpone your goals of exploring Ukraine, at the least for now, till the scenario improves:
To the State Division, Ukraine is a Level 4 destination, that means U.S. residents ought to keep away from touring there in any respect prices.
Personally, I am not the type to observe security advisories solely:
They supply me with an even bigger image of what to anticipate, particularly when planning a visit someplace deemed high-risk, after which I colour in stated image myself with extra in-depth, impartial analysis.
The protection 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 regionally could be very low––so low it could make you wonder if 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 stated of quite a few different no-go zones globally:
Suppose Mexico: for years now, authorities have informed Individuals to rethink touring to states like Sinaloa and Jalisco, citing crime and gang exercise.
In the event you’ve ever set foot in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta, you already know 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 doesn’t suggest in all places is unsafe.
On the finish of the day, deciding on visiting Ukraine in 2025 is a strictly private evaluation of the dangers concerned, one it’s essential 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 offer some nuance, and present you Lviv specifically will not be a full-fledged battlefield.
Based mostly alone expertise, the most important risk right here is getting on the mistaken 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.
Do not concern the balding grandpa in his Moscow bunker taking part in 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 because the conflict began, and 0.03% have been wounded (some gravely).
That does not sound numerically vital.
On this regard, I can perceive the detached, bordering-on-nonchalant perspective of the bus cease woman earlier:
You may solely grow to be one of many unfortunate few if you happen to’re ever within the mistaken place on the mistaken time, and you may 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 Suggestions For Visiting Ukraine Throughout The Warfare
Going to Ukraine in 2025?
Listed here are some security ideas:
- Enter from licensed factors solely, such because the Hrebenne – Rava Ruska border, the primary crossing level between Poland and Ukraine proper now
- Give desire 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 could be deemed protected, however cultural facilities like Lviv Previous City 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 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 writer’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 publish.