Crowds got you down? This post is part of a series of 10 European Discoveries for 2019 — off-the-beaten-path gems where you can escape the tourist rut and find a corner of Europe all your own.
I visited Ukraine this year for the first time. Planning the trip felt like taking my medicine — one of the last big European countries to check off my list. But once I arrived, Ukraine was a revelation.
Lovely Lviv — with its cobbled old town, Baroque churches, thriving coffee culture, kitschy theme restaurants, and cozy main square — is a time capsule from a simpler age of tourism. It’s lively with Polish, German, and Ukrainian tourists…but virtually no Americans.
The capital, Kiev, feels like a more manageable, more colorful Moscow on a human scale — a mix of stately Soviet Gothic architecture, vibrant Art Nouveau townhouses, lush parks with stirring views, and gold-domed Orthodox churches on every corner. And from Kiev, it’s an easy day trip to one of the most powerful and thought-provoking sites anywhere in Europe: Chernobyl.
Throughout my visit, Ukraine continually surprised me with its shockingly low prices (a high-end dinner for two for $25, an Uber ride across town for $4), its unexpected sophistication, its sense of burgeoning national pride, and its fully-ready-for-prime-time confidence.
How can such a huge country (Europe’s second-biggest) be so overlooked by travelers? Beats me. But for now, I am more than happy to be in on this particular secret.
I recently shared this post about the experience of visiting Chernobyl, and I’ll be sharing more about Ukraine in the coming weeks. To make sure you don’t miss anything, be sure to follow me on Facebook — and check out my 10 European Discoveries for 2019 for nine more suggestions on where to get away from the crowds.
My wife is Ukrainian by birth and became a US citizen many years ago. We’ll be in Ukraine the entire month July 2019. We’re staying mainly in her town Sokilets-Pechera 1hr south of the city Vinnitsa. My first trip, so will be meeting many family members for the first time as well. Staying with family, so it will be a kinda “living” experience rather than darting around on an itinerary. Many historic sites just in a 1hr radius of Sokilets-Pechera. …But, we will go to Lviv for 3 days to visit more family and take in a few sights. Once my “living experience” is done I’ll gladly share some interesting thoughts and pictures.
Went to Ukraine – what a delightful surprise.
Prices were astonishing low. It opens up a whole new world of tourism – only have a spare hour? You might balk at paying 15 Euros for the Louvre, but what if it was 0.5 Euros? With the prices that low there is nothing not worth trying, and every minute can be filled with adventure.
Quirky restaurants don’t cover the half of Lviv – the entire downtown is a delight. The cemetery is also worth a look.
Kiev is also mostly walkable from the downtown. Especially in the early morning.
Chernivtsi University is amazing.
Kamyanets-Podilskyi is a great place to hang your hat.
The Carpathian mountains- even Ukrainians don’t know what the heck they are saying!
Be prepared for one odd thing – lots of different names for the same place. Ukrainians can’t even seem to agree on the correct pronunciation of their capital. Key-ev or Kay-eve, or perhaps Kvev. Lviv is pronounced La-viv, or Lu-vo, or even Lemberg.
Also, culturally, Ukrainians are a little suspicious of strangers, especially taking photos of them unasked. But, once they understand who you are and why you are there they become very lively and fun. They are fascinated by Americans especially, while not really liking Germans or Poles. They are quite amazed you would come to visit and feel very honored by it.
I’ve rarely had more fun for less money than Ukraine.
My son has been living in Kyiv for the past year and a half. We will be making our second trip there shortly. Ukraine has not yet been overrun by American tourists; if you are adventurous, this is an excellent opportunity to explore a country in transition.
Lviv is marvelous; reminds me of Krakow, but less overrun by tourists. OTOH, there is infrastructure that makes it easy to take in the history and beauty of the town. While we were there, there were hourly weddings at almost every church in town. Brides and grooms wandered the streets and squares with family after the ceremony. Beautiful and intimate, and apparently a tradition.
Language is a political act; there are places where speaking Russian will get you the side eye; in others, speaking Ukrainian will do the same thing. English isn’t widely spoken. My son was fairly conversational in Russian when he arrived; he’s now fairly fluent in Russian and Ukrainian. Makes expat life much easier.
We hired individual guides on a couple of occasions — one for three days in the Carpathians and western Ukraine, and one in my husband’s ancestral town to visit Jewish sites and the places his family lived before coming to the US. The cost was incredibly reasonable, enabled us to navigate the language barrier, and added depth to our adventures.
Part of Ukraine’s affordability (to Westerners) is brought about by the devaluation of the hyrvnia over the past five years and the conflict with Russia; local people have a hard time economically. Infrastructure can be challenging — driving in Ukraine is an adventure if you’re not on a major highway. However, the rewards are great.
We are planning to visit Ukraine and the Carpathians in October. We would like to hire a private guide. Can you share the name of the one you used?
Karen
They weren’t “overrun” by Americans who, by the way, aren’t those old, stereotypical “ugly Americans,” and tourism by visitors from all over the world brings in much-needed revenue. Instead, Ukraine’s now been overrun by Russian conscripts who thought they were just going on a short training mission, and are blatantly committing war crimes. Which do you prefer: polite tourists from other countries who want to learn about a peacetime Ukraine’s local culture and national pride… or a invading military that’s 90% poorly-trained conscripts and are violating international human rights laws? Tourism is one way to create mutual understanding. Studies show that when people actually learn about each other on an interpersonal basis, they become more understanding and sensitive to each other.
Great to see that Ukraine is finally making it on to the “Europe” scene. There are alot more reasonably priced flights, like WizzAir, from other European cities to Lviv and Kyiv, making it easier to get there for a short visit.
Lviv can be crowded in the summer. Kyiv is more spread out, so harder to feel crowded, and finally they have restored the buildings and much of the destruction on and near the Maidan, that happened during 2014/2015.
Get out of the main cities and take the train to other locations (of course you can always fly as well to Kharkiv and Odessa, but try train travel if you have time. It has become so much easier for those who do not speak the language, to purchase tickets. Most likely the wagon steward will not speak english, but no worries, you will get by. Most cities have hotels that cater to tourists and can help you get around. As well, most mid-size cities will have a portion of the population that speaks english, ask around for help. People will be happy to help you.
My first trip to Ukraine in 2002 was like going to another planet. I was in culture shock for sure. The hotel was well keep but was very old which did have charm too. There was a building around the corner that was bomb in W W 2 . Public transportation was very cheap & for sure I was very safe with the English speaker interpreter. I did not say 1 word while on the bus. You can never fake that you are a traveler any where in Ukraine. 1 look & they know. Just the way you walk gives it away. There are Americans living in Ukraine now. You are like a King in Ukraine, because American $$ goes much farther in Ukraine. It is a true survival culture. Be safe by being careful of what you do. Ukraine gives me a great knowledge of what is right in America & what is wrong in America as well.
When the WWll had come to an end, the Western Allies allowed Communist Russia to take control of eleven Eastern Block countries. Unfortunately also my family got stuck in East Germany. I would be the last person wanting to ever live under communist rule.
Just two short weeks before Ukraine was invaded, I’d been on YouTube looking at “tiny houses” and tiny apartment spaces, a favorite pastime, and while many of these places are interesting but not memorable, there was one video that stuck in my mind: of a tiny apartment in Kyiv lived in by a woman. Looked bright, modern, sunny, inventive, peaceful, and much more spacious than its square footage. Two weeks later, the city was being bombed out. I will always wonder and worry: is she still alive…