Train Routes

Lviv or as russians say it Lvov, is a major city in western Ukraine, the administrative center of Lviv Oblast, and designated as its own raion (district) within that oblast. It is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. In 2001, it had 725,000 inhabitants, of which 88% were Ukrainians, 9% Russians and 1% Poles, with a further 200,000 commuting daily from suburbs.

The city has many industries and institutions of higher education such as the Lviv University and the Lviv Polytechnic. It has a philharmonic orchestra and The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary in September 2006.

The public bus network is not well-developed: it has few lines. A cheap alternative are the marshrutki, small private buses which go where the city buses do not. Marshrutki have no fixed stops or timetable but are cheaper (1 hryvnia ?20US cents) and fast. The marshrutki also run on suburban lines to most nearby towns e.g. to Shehyni at the Polish border.

The city centre tramway lines were replaced with trolleybuses on 27th November 1952. Later, new lines were opened to the blocks of flats at the city outskirts. The network now runs 200 trolleybuses, mostly of the 1960s 14Tr type.

Modern Lviv remains a hub on which nine railways converge, providing local and international services. Several trains cross the nearby Polish-Ukrainian border (mostly via Przemy?l). There are good connections to Slovakia (Košice) and Hungary (Budapest). By western standards, the trains are slow but cheap. A journey to the western border with Hungary or Slovakia (several hundred kilometres) costs a few euros/dollars. Many routes have overnight trains with sleeping compartments.

Lviv’s historic churches, buildings and relics date from the 13th century. Its architecture reflects various European styles and periods. After the fires of 1527 and 1556, Lviv lost most of its gothic-style buildings, but it retains many buildings in renaissance, baroque, and classic styles. There are works by artists of the Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco styles.

The buildings have many stone sculptures and carvings, particularly on large doors, hundreds of years old. The remains of old churches dot the central cityscape. Some 3-5 story buildings have hidden inner courtyards and grottos in various states of repair. Some cemeteries are of interest, for example the Lychakivskiy Cemetery. Leaving the central area, the architectural style changes radically as Soviet-era high rises dominate. In the centre, the Soviet era is reflected mainly in a few modern-style national monuments and sculptures.

The most notable of the museums and art galleries are the National Gallery, the Museum of Religion (formerly the Museum of Atheism) and the National Museum (formerly the Museum of Industry).

Lviv was an important centre for sport in Central Europe and it is regarded as the cradle of Polish football. First known official goal in a football match in Poland was scored there on July 14, 1894.

In January of 1905 first Polish ice-hockey match took place here, two years later first ski-jumping competition was organized in nearby Slawsko, in the same year first Polish basketball games were organized in Lviv’s gymnasiums.

Lviv is the hometown of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 winner Ruslana, who has since become very popular in Europe.

Lviv has lots to offer the tourists visiting this city, amongst these are; the Old Town and the Ploshcha Rynok Market Square which is about 18,300 square metres.

The old city with its urban fabric and its architecture, makes Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.

The political and commercial role of Lviv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, evidence for which is still discernible in the modern townscape.

The Black House and the Armenian Cathedral together with the Orthodox Cathedral with Korniakt Bell Tower are other sights worth visiting.

The Latin Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , St. George’s Cathedral of the Greek-Catholic Church and the Dominican Church of Corpus Christi are churches and monuments that offer some nice architectural styles.

The Chapel of Boim family together with Lviv High Castle hill overlooking the historical center are really giving something else to the visitor.

Union of Lublin Mound and the Lychakivskiy Cemetery should not be missed either. After World War II the city was annexed by the Soviet Union to the Ukrainian SSR and the majority of the surviving pre-war inhabitants of the city were expelled to former German areas annexed to Poland. This started a period of devastation of historical monuments located at the cemetery. Up to 1971 many of the sculptures were destroyed; the cemetery of Lwów Eagles was completely destroyed and turned into a truck depot. However, in 1975 the cemetery was declared a historical monument and the degradation ended. Since late 1980’s the cemetery has seen constant rebuilding and refurbishment and continues to be one of the principal tourist attractions of Lviv.

Restaurants and pubs together with a night life makes this place a nice place to visit for tourists in all ages.

Odessa city being the administrative center of the region of the same name with its over 1 million inhabitants population and satellite cities of Illyichevsk and Yuzhny is an important industrial and trading complex.

The city is situated on the Black sea north-western seashore on the trading routes from the Central and Northern Europe to the Close East and Asia crossing. Developed highways network, city location near Danube, Dnestr, Southern Bug, and Dnepr rivers, as well as large seaports of Odessa, Illyichevsk and Yuzhny with Odessa international airport and railway create the unique favorable conditions for loads accepting, processing, saving and transporting and the powerful passenger flows processing.

The city is the major seaport on the Black Sea, the largest port in Ukraine.

From 1819–1858 Odessa was a free port (porto franco). During the Soviet period it was the most important port of trade in the U.S.S.R. and a Soviet naval base. On January 1, 2000 the Quarantine Pier of Odessa trade sea port was declared a free port and free economic zone for a term of 25 years.

In the 19th century it was the fourth city of Imperial Russia, after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Warsaw. Its historical architecture has a flavor more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles.

Odessa is a warm water port, but of limited military value. Turkey’s control of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus has enabled NATO to control water traffic between Odessa and the Mediterranean Sea. The city of Odessa hosts two important ports: Odessa itself and Yuzhny (also an internationally important oil terminal), situated in the city’s suburbs. Another important port, Illichivs’k (or Ilyichyovsk), is located in the same oblast, to the south-west of Odessa. Together they represent a major transportation junction integrated with railways. Odessa’s oil- and chemical-processing facilities are connected to Russia’s and EU’s respective networks by strategic pipelines.

Odessa is a popular tourist destination, with many therapeutic resorts in and around the city.

Most of the city’s 19th century houses were built of limestone mined nearby. Abandoned mines were later used and broadened by local smugglers. This created a gigantic complicated labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath Odessa, known as “catacombs”. They are a now a great attraction for extreme tourists. Such tours, however, are not officially sanctioned and are dangerous because the layout of the catacombs has not been fully mapped and the tunnels themselves are unsafe. The tunnels are a primary reason why a subway system was never built in Odessa.

Urban public transit in Odessa is currently represented by trams (streetcars), trolleybuses, buses and fixed-route taxis (marshrutkas). Odessa also has a cable car, cable-way, and recreational ferry service. Odessa International Airport is served by major airline carriers, including Aerosvit, Ukraine International, Austrian Airlines, El Al, and Turkey Airlines. These and other airlines provide flights to numerous locations in Europe and Asia. Passenger trains connect Odessa with Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, St.-Petersburg, the basic cities of Ukraine and many other cities of the former USSR. Intercity bus services are available from Odessa to many cities in Germany (Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), Greece (Saloniki and Athens), Bulgaria (Varna and Sofia) and several cities of Ukraine and Europe.

Passenger ships and ferries connect Odessa with Istanbul, Haifa, and Varna.

Odessa offers a waste amount of hotels for the visitors, in all price classes and qualities. Read my separate article about these in order to select the one you would like to stay at in your next stay in Odessa.

A large variety of theatres, music halls, and museums makes Odessa an exiting tourist goal. The outstanding monuments including the Potemkin stairs are worth the trip alone.

Odessa offers monuments of history, architecture, culture and arts, so it should be enough to choose from.

If you want to enjoy the beaches, Odessa can offer you this as well with its numerous beaches in its surroundings.