Q: When to Visit Ukraine?

The best time to visit Ukraine is from June - September , when the weather is nice and warm, and summer activities are in full swing in vibrant cities like Kyiv and Lviv. Usually, I do not recommend traveling in the mid-summer months in Europe due to the number of tourists you will encounter. But thankfully, Ukraine is not suffering from overtourism. In order to maximize sunny days while you are in Ukraine, it is best to travel around this period. That said, the locals do still travel in their own country, so if you want to avoid the local crowd, be sure to visit touristic towns like Chernivtsi and Kamianets-Podilskyi on weekdays and spend your weekends in cities like Lviv and Kyiv, where all the cool events are happening.

Question 1

When to Visit Ukraine?

Accepted Answer

The best time to visit Ukraine is from June - September, when the weather is nice and warm, and summer activities are in full swing in vibrant cities like Kyiv and Lviv.

Usually, I do not recommend traveling in the mid-summer months in Europe due to the number of tourists you will encounter. But thankfully, Ukraine is not suffering from overtourism. In order to maximize sunny days while you are in Ukraine, it is best to travel around this period.

That said, the locals do still travel in their own country, so if you want to avoid the local crowd, be sure to visit touristic towns like Chernivtsi and Kamianets-Podilskyi on weekdays and spend your weekends in cities like Lviv and Kyiv, where all the cool events are happening.

Question 2

How to Get to Ukraine?

Accepted Answer

There are several ways you can get to Ukraine: flying directly to Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine; taking an overnight train across from Poland to Lviv; or hopping on an international bus from Moldova or Romania to Odesa.

Depending on where you are coming from, you can use this itinerary and travel in a circle from any of these 3 big cities, but for the sake of this one-month itinerary, I will recommend you start from Kyiv and go from there.

From the US, there is a direct flight from New York to Kyiv via Ukrainian Airline that you can take directly to Ukraine, or you can fly via several European airlines like KLM, Lufthansa, and Air France and transit through European airports to go to Kyiv.

From Europe, you can either fly with a low-cost airline like Ryanair or WizzAir, or you can simply travel by train from any of the main European hubs like Berlin through Poland. However, the time it takes to travel will increase considerably if you choose trains (24 hours from Berlin to Kyiv).

From Asia, the simplest option is to fly directly from Bangkok to Kyiv via Ukrainian Airline. It is cheap (costs me 300 USD) and flies directly to Kyiv in 11 hours.

To find a cheap flight to Ukraine, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so that you can compare and pick the best one.

Getting from Kyiv Airport to Kyiv Central Train Station:

Kyiv Airport has an easy and affordable connection to the city center (Kyiv Central Train Station) directly from the airport via Skybus.

Skybus will take you from the airport bus terminal (follow the BUS sign, and you will find Skybus waiting for you outside the terminal) to Kyiv Central Train Station. The bus number is 322, so make sure you get on the right one.

Skybus operates from 5:40 to 23:30, and it runs every 30 to 60 minutes or so. The bus will cost you around 100 UAH, and they only accept cash. The journey will take you around 1 hour, depending on the traffic and the time you arrive.

Question 3

How to Get Around Ukraine?

Accepted Answer

Getting Around in Cities:

Walking is free and fun to do when you arrive in a new city in Ukraine. In most cases, the tourist attractions in Ukraine are within walking distance of the accommodation I recommended here, so you won't need to take any local transportation. However, if you want to, there are a few options available for you.

Local Buses/Marshrutkas are the main way you can get around in most cities in Ukraine. They are cheap and easily navigable with Google Maps, even if you don't read Cyrillic. However, you will need a local SIM card to navigate the Ukrainian bus lines.

To find the correct bus/marshrutka number to take in any city in Ukraine, you will have to enter your destination on Google Maps. The app will then recommend the route to take and the bus stop to reach. It is recommended to have Internet access if you plan to travel by local bus.

The way local buses work in Ukraine is pretty straightforward. It usually costs around 3 - 7 UAH per trip (depending on the city you are in). You get on, take a seat, and when you are about to arrive at your destination (use Google Maps to know where to get off), press the red stop button by the door, pay the driver, and get off.

Sometimes, there might be a person coming to collect the money while you are on the bus, so keep an eye out for that. If not, just pay the driver as you get off. They accept only cash.

For marshrutkas (minivans), you will have to tell the driver to stop. Just tap the driver on the shoulder and say "stop," and they will drop you off at the next stop.

Metro is a great way to get around a large city like Kyiv and Kharkiv. It's easy, straightforward, and you get to see the beautiful metro stations that you often find in post-Soviet cities like Kharkiv.

Trams/Trolleybuses are also a great way to get around a city. The Trolleybus works the same way as the regular bus, where you can pay the driver at the end. For trams, you will get the ticket from the driver when you get on, and you will have to stamp the time yourself with a manual stamp lever inside the tram. Both cost around the same price as the local bus (3 - 7 UAH per trip depending on which city).

Uber and Uklon are also great ways to travel around the city if the places you are going are a bit further or if you are in a rush. They are very cheap and quite reliable. Uber and Uklon are available in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Kharkiv.

Traveling Between Cities in Ukraine:

Trains are my recommended way to travel long distances from one city to another. It's cheap, easy to book online, and Ukraine's train stations are very easy to navigate with a clear main schedule board that includes a platform number and time. Most of the signs at all train stations are also in English, as well as the ticket you receive, which should have all the information you need.

Unfortunately, the ticket is in Cyrillic, but do not sweat. I have mastered the ticket-reading skills through trial and error (lots of errors), and the image above shows you how to read the Ukrainian train ticket properly.

You can book your trains online through 12Go or Tickets.ua. You can simply pay with your credit card, and you will receive an email with a QR code. All you have to do is show it to the ticket master when you are on the train.

That said, trains may not run as often to some of the cities I have recommended here, and as I had hoped, and some routes, the train may only run overnight, which is not ideal. That's where the intercity Marshrutka/bus comes in.

Marshrutkas/Buses are an interesting and alternative way to travel short distances around Ukraine. It is a little harder to navigate, especially when it comes to finding the right marshrutkas/buses to get on at a busy bus station like Kyiv, but it is not impossible. You just need to be patient and spare some time for confusion and panic (just kidding 😂).

You can book your bus ticket online from 12Go. Depending on which bus you take, you will have to find the right one and board the correct bus. Make sure to be at the bus station at least 30 minutes before your bus departure time as you may need to ask locals, who rarely speak English, where your bus is.

I found that learning what your destination name is in Cyrillic, writing it down, and asking other bus drivers where your bus is by showing the bus company name, destination, and time shown on your bus ticket is the most effective way to get around their chaotic bus system.

This is why I recommend you take the train instead, if you have the option. But if not, for example, for the route from Kyiv to Lutsk and Lutsk to Lviv, simply follow the instructions above and you should be fine.

Planes are also an option if you do not fancy traveling overnight on a train, but it will be more expensive. Fortunately, with my itinerary breaking your trip into many stops, you won't be required to take a plane at all if you don't want to.

Question 4

How Much Money Do I Need for Ukraine?

Accepted Answer

Ukraine is quite affordable, and with the one-month itinerary I have in mind, we can calculate approximately how much money you will need for the entire trip. Let's start with the basics:

Accommodation: 25 nights x 10 USD = 250 USD (6,043 UAH)

Food: (100 UAH x 3 meals per day) x 26 days = 7,600 UAH (322 USD)

Transportation: 1,912 UAH (6 trains) + 485 UAH (2 buses) + 100 UAH (local transportation) = 2,497 UAH (100 USD)

Activities: 3,825 UAH (158 USD)

Total Budget for 30 Days in Ukraine: 21,877 UAH (905 USD)

Keep in mind that these are very rough estimates and may vary depending on activities (I've included Chernobyl as well as Wild Odesa Catacomb tours under activities) you want to do and where you choose to stay. Please use this only as a guide to your budget for spending one month in Ukraine.

Question 5

Is it Safe in Ukraine?

Accepted Answer

You may have heard many bad things about what was happening in Ukraine from the news of the revolution that broke out in 2014, but that was a long time ago and most of the conflicts are contained only in the most eastern front of the country where we are not going, so rest assured, traveling to Ukraine is very safe, even more so than Western Europe, as pickpockets and petty thefts are not as rampant as in big cities like Cologne and Prague.

Just keep in mind the dropping money scam in Kyiv where someone will walk in front of you, drop a stack of money, and ask if you want to share the money with them.

Someone will then approach you and claim that you stole his money and will ask to see your wallet as proof. He will then empty all the contents of your wallet and disappear. When this happens, simply ignore and continue on.

As mean as it sounds, if someone drops something in front of you, do not stop and pick it up. Just walk on as if nothing happened and you will be fine.

One Month Backpacking Ukraine Itinerary

Planning

10 BEST Things to Do in Kharkiv, Ukraine

8 Most Beautiful Metro Stations in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Top 10 Things to Do in Odesa, Ukraine

8 Great Things to Do in Kamianets Podilskyi, Ukraine

7 BEST Things to Do in Chernivtsi, Ukraine

The Ultimate Hiking Guide to Ukraine's Carpathians

10 BEST Things to Do in Lviv, Ukraine

10 BEST Cozy Cafes in Lviv, Ukraine

How to Get to the Tunnel of Love in Ukraine

18 BEST Things to Do in Kyiv, Ukraine

8 BEST Things to Do in Lutsk, Ukraine

10 BEST Indie Cafes to Try in Kyiv, Ukraine

How to Apply for a Ukrainian E-Visa

A Complete Travel Guide on How to Visit Chernobyl, Ukraine