Ukraine travel guide

If you've been searching for a Ukraine travel guide then right here is where your quest comes to fruition. Our Ukraine travel guide offers advice on how to make the most of your time by way of our popular Ukraine map & highlights section. From the Carpathians and Chernivtsi to Odessa and Zhovkva find out where in Ukraine you'd like to go to make the most of your time.

Home\Europe\Ukraine

UKRAINE TRAVEL GUIDE

We look forward to running trips to Ukraine again and in the meantime, we wholeheartedly support the people of Ukraine during this unjustified invasion by Russia.

Ukraine’s cities, such as Chernivtsi, Lviv and Kyiv (not Kiev as the Russians say), the capital, are surprisingly contemporary although you can still expect to find pretty pastel shaded facades, intricate churches and pedestrianised boulevards reminiscent of central Europe and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As Ukraine is pretty flat, any undulations are instantly impressive, with the Carpathian Mountains standing out both for their height and for their waterfall-filled forests, as well as the wooden churches, constructed without nails by indigenous Hutsuls.

Religion plays a huge part in Ukrainian philosophy, almost as large as potatoes, which is why small group tours feature numerous examples of elaborate ecclesiastical architecture. They also whisk you off to some of UNESCO's finest heritage sites, including St Sophia Cathedral and the Lavra cave monastery, both in Kyiv.

Find out more in our Ukraine travel guide.

See all our Ukraine Vacations

Give us a call

Ukraine is…

the largest country entirely in Europe, and the west actually used to be part of Poland, not Russia.

Ukraine isn't…

'the Ukraine', it's just 'Ukraine'.

Our Ukraine Vacations

UKRAINE MAP & HIGHLIGHTS

Ukraine is a country of two halves with the west – where our vacations focus – providing a much more modern outlook in cities like Kyiv and Lviv; whereas the east, on the border with Russia, still largely identifies with Soviet times past. The Dnieper River physically cuts the country in half from Chernobyl, on the Belarus border in the north, through Kyiv and onwards to Odessa and the Black Sea. A full day's drive northwest of Odessa takes you around the Moldovan border to the cosmopolitan city of Chernivtsi and access to the Carpathian Mountains whereupon you can continue on to Lviv. Ukraine is also conveniently placed for trips onwards into Moldova and Belarus, for a real exploration of this largely unvisited part of Eastern Europe.

Give us a call to help with your itinerary

1. Carpathian National Nature Park
2. Chernivtsi
3. Chernobyl
4. Kyiv
5. Lviv
6. Odessa
7. Zhovkva & Krekhiv

Carpathian National Nature Park

1. Carpathian National Nature Park

Access the alpine meadows, spruce, fir and beech forests of the Carpathian Mountains via touristy Yaremche and you'll find yourself amongst not only waterfalls, such as Probiy and Huk, but also the Dovbush rock carvings and wooden churches steeped in traditional Hutsul culture. Stay in a village guesthouse and find out more about the folklore and the food of those living deep within the Carpathians.

Carpathian National Nature Park

Chernivtsi

2. Chernivtsi

Set within the Carpathian foothills on the River Prut, Chernivtsi is one of Ukraine's cultural epicenters with a collection of theatres, museums and architectural grandeur leading back to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chernivtsi University is certainly worth a visit, although sitting in Theatre Square with a slice of cherry solozhenik can be just as rewarding.

Chernobyl

3. Chernobyl

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster continues to cast a spectre over the nuclear industry to this day. Scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident, the site is now considered safe for visitors. Guided tours here also take you around nearby Pripyat, which had to be abandoned by its residents in the blink of an eye and now stands hauntingly desolate, and amazingly reclaimed by nature.

Chernobyl

Kyiv

4. Kyiv

You cannot come to Ukraine without taking in Kyiv with an overnight train journey across the border from Minsk or a high-speed equivalent from Lviv just a couple of ways to arrive in style. Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kreschatyk thoroughfare, Independence Square, the Lavra cave monastery, the wooden windmills and churches of Pyrohiv Folk Museum; slice open Kyiv and gorge on what lies inside.

Lviv

5. Lviv

Life in the UNESCO-rated center of Lviv takes place upon a cobblestoned stage against a curtain of Renaissance architecture and market squares decorated with statues and fountains. Elsewhere Lviv features Jewish heritage sites, green parks and gardens, overlooked by the shadows of High Castle and St. George's Cathedral. Lviv is a cultural delight and blissfully unaware of mass tourism.

Lviv

Odessa

6. Odessa

There's an overnight train from Lviv to Odessa which leads to a cultural crossroads bound by the Black Sea and intrinsically tied with revolution and Soviet Russia. Odessa opens up to limestone catacombs, 12th century Shabo vineyards and the coastal fortifications of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky as well as the city's Opera House, Potemkin Steps and monumental Alley of Glory.

Zhovkva & Krekhiv

7. Zhovkva & Krekhiv

As the Ukraine's only gas-free city (preferring wood-powered heating instead), Zhovkva knows a thing or two about progressive policies. However, it's the historical sites of the Holy Trinity wooden church and the town's largest building, Zhvkva Castle, which most tourists come to see. From here, make the pilgrimage to the village of Krekhiv, just 10km away, and its highly impressive 16th century Basilian Monastery.

Zhovkva & Krekhiv

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Ukraine or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

1-866-821-6866

Call toll free

Calling from outside the USA

rosy@responsibletravel.com

1-866-821-6866

Call toll free

Calling from outside the USA

rosy@responsibletravel.com

More about Ukraine

Best time to visit Ukraine

Find out the best time to visit Ukraine in terms of temperature and rainfall as well as reading about what to do and what not to do in Ukraine.

Visiting Chernobyl, Ukraine

The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 became one of the most affecting human catastrophes of the late 20th century.

Things to see & do in Kyiv

Kyiv is a vital destination for anyone hoping to better understand the history and culture of Ukraine, Russia, indeed all of Eastern Europe.

Moldova & Ukraine

If you’re traveling to the far east of Europe, it makes sense to explore both Moldova and Ukraine in a single trip, gorging on Soviet history, baroque architecture, amazing wine and ancient monasteries.

More relevant guides

Written by Chris Owen

Ukraine travel guide