A 5-Day Ukraine Travel Guide

It had been almost exactly 1 year since we planned this trip. In September 2017 we bought our return tickets for 2 from Ukraine's local airline FlyUIA, paying 76$ in total. Of course, that meant we had plenty of time ahead of us for both planning and budgeting. We tried to make the best possible plan, and the result was a tour of 1 day in Odessa, 2 days 1 night in Lviv and 2 days 2 nights in Kiev. Apart from that, we spent 2 nights on the train.

A Ukraine very different from what we'd watched and read greeted us. Its nature, its people, its fields stretching beyond sight...

Let us say now that Ukraine has its own currency, the Ukrainian Hryvnia, which can also be written UAH. Throughout the post I'll give expenses in Ukrainian currency and dollars. As you know, the Turkish lira can't stay where it is these days!

As of 4 August 2018 1₺ = 5.30 UAH, 1$ = 26.80 UAH

How Many Days for Ukraine, Which Cities to Visit?

So why did we give Ukraine 5 days? Our holiday plan fell on the 2018 Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha), and we could get the best plane ticket on a 5-day plan. So we gave it 5 days, and when we looked at the places we wanted to go on the map, Lviv, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkiv came up. But on a 5-day route, Kharkiv was far enough away to turn our plan upside down. So we took Kharkiv off the route. If you want a route that includes Kharkiv, you should plan a tour of at least 6 days.

Our favourite cities were Odessa, Lviv and Kiev. Especially for Lviv you need to set aside at least 24 hours.

If you want a detailed city guide, you can read our posts on Odessa in 1 day, Kiev in 2 days and Lviv in 2 days.

When to Go to Ukraine?

Our plan fell at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Generally most tourists flock to Ukraine from midsummer until the start of autumn. So much so that Ukraine is the 8th most visited country in Europe. For people like us, who don't like walking around in the summer heat, our suggestion is September - October! Oh, and those curious about a snowy Ukraine should definitely go between December - January for a snow-covered country. Winter weather can apparently reach -30 degrees; let us warn those going now.

Where to Stay in Ukraine?

Airbnb, which we've now tried in many cities in Europe, is our favourite accommodation option. You get to meet and chat with locals, and through cultural exchange you get the chance to know the country or city better. That's why we chose Airbnb here. We usually choose to stay close to the centre so we don't have problems if we come back late at night.

How to Get to Ukraine, and How to Get Around in Ukraine?

There are direct flights from Turkey to most cities in Ukraine. For example, there are non-stop flights to Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kiev and Odessa. We flew to Odessa and flew back from Kiev. You can make different combinations depending on your route.

Ticket prices vary a lot, but I claim that if you buy in advance you'll definitely find the cheapest ticket with FlyUIA. Maybe not 19$, but it'll be much cheaper than Atlas Global, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines. Flying to Atatürk Airport is also an advantage! Flights take about 1 hour 30 minutes on average.

As for getting around in Ukraine, the train network is very extensive and the ticket buying process is very systematic. Let us tell you here how to buy an intercity train ticket in Ukraine..

When we learned the journeys from Odessa to Lviv and from Lviv to Kiev were long, we thought travelling by night train was the more sensible decision. Indeed, we saved both time and accommodation money. Killing two birds with one stone fits this situation perfectly. To buy a train ticket

• First we go to Ukrainian Railways ' official website, UA . When you click the link, you'll see that the page language is already English. Don't panic!
• We bought both Odessa - Lviv and Lviv - Kiev train tickets. Let us warn you here that tickets go on sale up to 45 days before. So you can't buy tickets 2 months in advance. We bought our tickets for the 21.17 - 09.33 Odessa - Lviv train as soon as they went on sale.
• When buying a train ticket, 2 or 3 options come up. Let's see what they are:
  • De Luxe / First Class Sleeper - You have a 2-person compartment with no one else in it. We can call it the sleeper carriage on TCDD trains. On the Odessa - Lviv train our choice was the suite compartment. When buying the ticket we also added bedding and drinks. For 2 people we paid 968 UAH, 37$.
  • Compartment / Second Class Sleeper - We can call it the carriage known as the compartment or couchette carriage on TCDD trains. There are beds for 4 people in the compartment. There are spaces under the beds and at the very top where you can put your things. Usually groups of 2 or 3 can book the whole compartment. At home people do this often on the Eastern Express or the Lake Van Express. A ticket for 2 people 345 UAH, 17$.
  • Berth / Third Class Sleeper - The pullman carriage on TCDD trains, a carriage with only seats to sit on, as if travelling by bus. A ticket for 2 people 280 UAH, 10.5$.

• As we said above, since it wasn't very expensive, our choice for a comfortable journey was the sleeper carriage. You get personal bedding and towels. The ticket we bought included extra bedding and tea.
• Once you've completed the final step, payment, the ticket is sent to your email address. You can print out the online ticket and board the train with it.
• Some attendants collect the tickets, some check them on the spot and move on, but a comfortable journey awaits you..
• As soon as you board the train, the bedding is handed out. Then let the pleasure of the journey begin. You can't get enough of looking at Ukraine's nature.

• We follow the same steps for the Lviv - Kiev train. Since Lviv - Kiev tickets are a bit more expensive, we bought tickets in a compartment-type carriage. Here we chose the 22.50 - 07.31 train and paid, for 2 people, 880 UAH, 33$. Again, bedding and drinks were included in the price.

By the way, if you like you can go between Lviv and Kiev on fast trains. The trains called Intercity and Intercity+ take 7 hours and 5 hours respectively. On the 7-hour one, a ticket for 2 people is 745 UAH, 28$. On the Intercity+, the train that's 2 hours faster, a ticket for 2 people is 705 UAH, 26$. The prices seemed a bit strange to us. The faster train appears at a lower price.

Is Ukraine as Cheap as People Say, What Budget Do You Need?

Honestly, Ukraine, once known as cheap, isn't that cheap any more. Why? A 2-person Lviv - Kiev ticket (compartment carriage) bought for 80₺ towards the end of 2016 now comes to 160₺. In under 2 years, a price rise of %100! So naturally, Ukraine is getting more expensive for us by the day. If you're thinking of going, buy your tickets and hit the road without wasting much time..

Apart from train fares, if we look at coffee prices, filter coffee or Americano ranges between 15 and 35 hryvnia. Despite the Turkish lira losing value, coffee prices in Ukraine are still cheap for us. I can't imagine how cheap it used to be.

Accommodation in an average-quality hotel ranges between 40$ and 60$. If you mean hostels, you can stay somewhere between 10$ and 15$.

As for food, we can say Ukraine was a friend to our pockets. There are dishes that are both affordable and delicious.

Ukraine still isn't very expensive for us, but it's much more expensive than before. We can say it's still among the countries Turks can travel cheaply.

What Comes to Mind When You Think of Ukraine

• Most of our people saying Ukranya! :)
• The once-famous footballer Shevchenko
• Especially in Lviv, the delicious coffee, one of the flavours you mustn't leave without tasting.
• Blonde, light-eyed: the people of Ukraine
• The Ukrainian flag: the endless plains that help us understand where it comes from. Especially the Kherson region
• In Lviv, on a par with the one in Vienna, the Ukrainian National Opera House
• The Chernobyl nuclear disaster
• The recent Orange Revolution
• In Ukraine, taxi drivers are apparently even worse than ours. Don't forget to use UBER instead of taxis!
• The farming nation Ukraine! Third in the world in barley exports, fourth in corn and fifth in wheat.
• Crazy nightlife

Places to Visit in Ukraine, What Was Our Route Like?

Briefly, about our route: we drew ourselves a 5-night, 5-day route. We flew from Istanbul to Odessa on tickets costing 18 $ per person. We explored Odessa during the day without staying there. Then we gave 2 days 1 night to Lviv and 2 days 2 nights to Kiev. We described above in detail how we travelled between Odessa, Lviv and Kiev.

Wishing you a lovely trip to Ukraine..