Lviv, Ukraine: The next hot European tourist destination?

Lviv is one of the most interesting places I have been to. It is located in western Ukraine, near Poland. It is spelled many different ways such as Lviv, L'viv, Lvov, Lwow, Львів, Lemberg, Leopoli, Leopolis. It is one of the most authentic and beautiful old towns in Europe that I have been to. Unlike most places in Europe, Lviv hasn't been overrun with tourists yet. Most of the tourists you see here are Russian. Also unlike many towns in Europe, the buildings and roads seem to be the original ones, not rebuilt like so many European cities that were destroyed during the wars.

Just getting here was an adventure. From Warsaw, I took a train to Krakow then Przemyśl. Then I took what must have been a 50 year old bus from Poland into Ukraine. The bus was old, dirty, and smelly. Try to sit near the front if you take the bus. The border crossing into Ukraine was over 2 hours. It is not really far from Przemyśl to Lviv, but the border crossing takes several hours. I did not get into Lviv until 4 am. From there, I had to take a taxi to my hostel. I was very fortunate to meet a young Ukrainian woman who spoke English and helped me negotiate a fare from a taxi driver at the train station. She was very uncomfortable in Przemyśl with the Polish men there and wanted someone to wait with at the bus station. I was very fortunate to run into her as she understood a little Polish. She was able to help me get a bus ticket and find out price to Lviv.

Next time, I will try flying to Kiev instead of crossing the border by bus or train. Crossing the border by train takes 3-4 hours because they need to change wheels because the train tracks in the former Soviet Union are different than the West. You will need to fill out a entry and departure form and get it validated by the border police. Do not lose this departure card! Police in military uniforms may ask you for this at any time, especially if you look like a foreigner like myself! Near the border, you may notice some shady people engaging in smuggling. Keep to yourself and stay alert.

I stayed at the Central Square Hostel. The hostel was located on the second floor. The staircase to the hostel was so old that it felt like it was going to collapse as soon as an overweight person is on it. It definitely wouldn't pass any modern building code! The hostel itself is very small with only 3 rooms. It was a nice, small, clean place to stay. Just remember to bring cash because they don't take cards.

Once you take the effort to get here, you will be rewarded with one of the most beautiful and original old towns in Europe with very cheap food, beer, cigarettes, and a lively nightlife. However, very few people speak English here. It is mostly Russian and Ukraine. Stop by the tourist information office if you need help. Information is often hard to get here and you may get conflicting information like I did. Most of the people working the ticket counters do not speak English and may be reluctant to help you. It took me quite a bit of effort to purchase a ticket to Slovakia as I got conflicting information on where to go to purchase train tickets. Buy an international ticket at the main train station at counter No. 2. Make sure you bring cash because they do not take credit cards.

You will notice that food, beer, and cigarettes are extremely cheap. Here is the place to eat out at expensive restaurants because it is often half the price of the equivalent restaurant in Europe or America. Lviv has a nice selection of places to eat from budget to high end restaurants. However, not all restarants have English menus (the upscale restaurants do) and I had a really hard time deciphering Cyrillic. Almost everything is written in Cyrillic here, so it is difficult to guess what the signs and menu's say. Beer is around US$1 for a half liter bottle. Cigarettes are also around US$1 if you smoke. I usually spent around 25-50 UAH for a meal. My hostel did have a kitchen, but eating out is so cheap that it almost isn't worth it.

It takes quite of bit of effort to travel here, but if you are adventurous and willing to put up with some challenges, it is well be worth it. It is definitely one of the more unique European experiences!