badoo lviv

Date: 15 April 2024

with the current situation in ukraine, with a heavy heart, i strongly advise not visiting the country this is the older, pre-war article and you can use it for future inspiration and information to plan a trip when it’s safe to visit ukraine again lviv old town looks like straight from a fairy tale and visiting lviv is always a pure pleasure some of the international buses stop at the main train station too and i highly recommend you go there if you can as the main bus station is located a bit away lviv international airport is well connected with the center by trolleybus no 9 (it arrives at the university, at the edge of ivan franko parkbut don’t let this intimidate you, the prices are very affordable the rooms are simple and the toilet or shower are not in the room but the interior of the hotel, the history and the perfect location make me return there over and over again i guess everyone has heard of borshch, a red beets soup with other vegetables and some meat, it must be the most popular and famous ukrainian dish but there’re so many options worth trying, also for vegetariansthere’re many restaurants spread around the old town, serving traditional ukrainian food they are focused on tourists but still are worth checking other famous pubs include a place where you need to know the secret password to get in, the place where midgets serve or the one full of legends of lvivyou can visit lviv with a guide (highly recommended as this city is full of stories and legends), there are also numerous tours with various themes available click here to see the best lviv tours!it’s just your regular european country in the safety standards so there’s not much to worry about, just use your common sense like everywhere else they have many discounts and excellent customer service

click here to look for the place to stay in lvivnever travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry you can check the insurance policy for ukraine herei recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip you can find a great selection of tours at get your guide – click hereif you enjoyed that post why don't you share it with your friends? that would mean so much to me! also be sure to join 30000+ fellow travelers and follow me on facebook, twitter, or instagram for travel updates and even more pictures! if you don't want to miss new posts sign up to my newsletter or follow on bloglovin!as always kami, thanks for your lovely tips! i’m catching up on all your old lviv posts as we have a trip planned there in mid-february can’t wait to explore this cute city! :-)you will love it for sure! it’s really one of the most beautiful and underrated cities in europe and with the current exchange rate it will be crazy cheap! i’m slightly jealous you’re going there, lviv is in my top3 cities :) and lot can have such a good prices sometimes!!hello kami! thank you for all your efforts explaining these citieshi kamican you tell me if there are christmas markets etc in lviv i have never been and would hope to go in december taking the train from polandyes, there is a really nice christmas market in the center :) i think december might be a nice time to visit lviv, especially when there is snow around! hopefully traveling will be easier then!a friend of mine from the lviv area says wait until may when the weather is better and it would be safer as a usa tourist as it would be tourist season etc what do you think? new year’s in lviv with snow or wait until summer when the weather is perfect and there is more people around?while lviv is enjoyable all year long i would definitely wait until the weather gets better, especially for your first visit there either way, i’m sure you will enjoy lviv! :)with the current situation in ukraine, with a heavy heart, i strongly advise not visiting the country some might think it gets boring but i disagree – the more times i visit lviv, the more amazing places, beautiful architecture and interiors, charming corners and cozy cafes i keep finding for centuries it’s been mainly the polish city, one of the most important cultural, educational and political centers in the region, especially during austria-hungary time (then it was the capital of kingdom of galicia and lodomeria) after world war 2 lviv became part of the soviet union (and polish citizens were deported to what is now western poland, mostly to and around wrocław) and after ussr collapsed – ukraine i always feel like in a fairy tale there, like the time around me has stopped (and old school trams rolling slowly through the narrow streets only consolidate this feeling)

right now my list of places to see during my future trips to lviv is just neverending: all the art nouveau buildings, all the breathtaking interiors, remnants of polish past and, on top of that, all the amazing cafes and restaurants and then return there at the golden hour in the evening – climb the town hall tower (prepare for climbing over 300 steps!) or walk up to the high castle hill – the highest point in the city for the best views during the day explore some of the most amazing interiors or walk to lychakiv cemetery – one of the most beautiful necropoleis you will ever see and a true testimony of the polish and ukrainian history here are some of the best photography spots in lviv (you will find the map with them at the end of the post, i limited it to the old town mostly as again, the list would be too long):it’s possible to visit the building during the day, the ticket is 40uah and you’re free to take the pictures inside chances you will be the only person there are very high! the former noble casino is known especially for its stunning wooden stairs, straight from the fairy tale (it’s not hard to imagine a princess walking down) built at the end of the 19th century it used to be galician savings bank the building is beautiful from the outside but what you find inside is yet another gem try to be there in the morning, when the light comes in through the window – during one of my visits i was there around 11 am and could witness a beautiful play of lightthere are so many amazing stories about the place as back in the time some of the most important people in the world have stayed there now it’s a very affordable accommodation in the center of lviv, the one i most often choose when i visit the city click here to look for the place to stay in lvivi recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip000+ fellow travelers and follow me on facebook, twitter, or instagram for travel updates and even more pictures! if you don't want to miss new posts sign up to my newsletter or follow on bloglovin!i went to lviv for my birthday in december but i only managed a day and a half because i got unexpectedly sick and had to go home your post helped me a lot to make up my mind! it’s very inspiring and good could you recommend me other beautiful cities in ukraine apart from lviv and kiev? i would appreciate your advicehi ivan, i’m glad to hear that! you will definitely enjoy ukraine, the country is so beautiful but underrated

you can find articles about most of them on my blog too! happy travels!hello again kami!i take note of the cities, thank you so much for your answeri’ve been to poland 3 times (gdansk, warsaw, torun, poznan, krakow, wroclaw and poznan) and i fell in love with your amazing country i hope to have some good feelings about ukraine as well i’m really glad you enjoyed lviv and i truly hope you will return to this part of europe soon, when it’s safe to travel again! all the best!with the current situation in ukraine, with a heavy heart, i strongly advise not visiting the country each of us has a place that has a special place in our heart, that we love returning to i have a few of those places and one of them is lviv, ukraine even if i know the city inside out i still tremendously enjoy every trip to lviv it is located in the western part of the country, not far from the border with poland (85 km) kyiv, the capital of ukraine is around 500 km away from lviv and krakow (poland) is 320 km away the number of picturesque and interesting places to visit in lviv is overwhelming, it’s impossible to be disappointed with this city there are also so many quirks and hidden gems (literally, you have to know where to look for them – i’m sharing the best ones below) that make lviv such a unique destination and the cafe and food scene is amazing, with so many places to choose from and now let me tell you about all the great things to do in lviv there are many of them but fortunately, most of lviv attractions are near each other and you can see most of them in 2 days in lviv of course, more is better but if you go only for a weekend in lviv you will still be able to get to know the city fairly well

lviv is, hands down, one of the most beautiful cities in europe you will find the most stunning buildings in the historical old town, with impressive grand townhouses painted in pastel colors, but other parts of the city are worth a visit too before you start a proper lviv sightseeing go for a walk around to get a feel of the place and to enjoy winding cobbled streets and all the beautiful houses aroundthe center of lviv is rynok square – the main square with the town hall in the middle this is probably the most stunning place in lviv, with 44 townhouses in different styles, from the renaissance to modernism in the four corners, you can find fountains from the beginning of the 19th century with four greek mythological figures: neptune, diana, amphitrite, and adonis if you are fit enough you should climb to the town hall’s tower for the best view of the lviv old town there are 408 stairs leading to the tower, they are often creaky and can make your heart beat faster but it’s worth all the effortusually, somewhere along the way, i hate myself for the idea of climbing up but as soon as i see the amazing lviv panorama i forget about all the tiredness the view from up there is stunning and lets you see lviv from another perspective not only you can admire the rooftops of the old town but also numerous church towers and grand buildings you will soon discover the center was today’s staroievreiska street, where you can also find remnants of the former golden rose synagogue it was the oldest synagogue in ukraine but was destroyed by nazis in 1941 together with other badoo lviv in the city these days the jewish quarter is one of the hubs with cafes and restaurants, most of them located along staroievreiska street which also happens to be one of the most picturesque streets in lviv old town another quarter worth exploring is the former armenian quarter with its main street – virmenska (which means “armenian” in the ukrainian language)

it’s full of beautiful houses (some of them are from the 16th century) and charming corners, like the hidden alley dedicated to the famous armenian director sergei parajanov when exploring the armenian quarter be sure to visit the armenian cathedral, it is such a gem the entrance is located at krakivska street and it’s easy to miss it – the gate is rather unobtrusive, hidden a bit in the back between souvenir shops the first armenian church was built here at the end of the 14th century but the current building comes from the 16th-17th century the interior of the cathedral is just stunning, with rich decorations and paintings it is actually the second most beautiful armenian church i’ve ever seen, after isfahan, iran (and i’ve seen many armenian churches in my life, i visit armenia very often) you will find there some beautiful cafes, in the old style or just with an interesting design there are also minimalist cafes that serve amazing coffee if you would like to take some of the good coffee back home with you, you can purchase it in many cafes all over the city the good news is – the coffee here is very affordable so you can stop in every second cafe while sightseeing in lviv lviv is one of the best cities i know when it comes to themed restaurants lviv has a strong position in the ukrainian beer scene the local beer – lvivske – has been produced since 1715 and you can find it all over the city but the brewing tradition in the city is even longer if you would like to learn more about the history of brewing in lviv you can visit the museum next to the brewery – it’s a bit away from the center but worth the tripbut even in the old town and its close surrounding, there are so many amazing places where you can try the beer, also craft one

on the weekends there are live concerts and the atmosphere is just amazing another place worth visiting is the kumpel restaurant, where beer is made on spot they have three locations, my favorite one is at volodymyra vynnychenka 6 but the one at rynok 18 has the best interior and viewlviv is the city of churches – you will find so many of them in the old town and each one is just stunning be sure to go inside to be amazed by the incredible interiors, rich in detail even if you are not a religious person you should visit them while the most important churches are located in the old town and are easy to visit, there is one place you need to go a bit further – st george’s church, (a unesco heritage site) – the baroque-rococo cathedral built in the mid-18th centuryuntil recently one of the biggest alternative attractions in lviv was the yard of lost toys i loved this place too, it was full of old toys strewn around unfortunately, when i was writing this article, all the toys were removed and the popular yard of lost toys is gone but there is one more cool yard you should check – yard of soviet nostalgia, with artifacts from the times when ukraine was part of the soviet union the collection isn’t very big but still cool enough to see it!high castle is the highest point in lviv, located at 413 meters above sea level in the past, an impressive castle was located on the hill (hence the name) but it was destroyed in 1704 but it’s still worth climbing all the way up as this is one of the best viewpoints in lviv, not only to the old town with its towers and spires but also to more regular parts of the city you most likely wouldn’t see otherwise

the best way to get here is by tram no 1, 2 or 7 to vulitsa mechnykova stop and then walk a bit up the museum was founded in 1971 to preserve the architecture, everyday life items, and folk objects of all historical groups in western ukraine you can see here beautiful wooden churches, houses and more – altogether there are around 150 historical buildings, the oldest one being from 1749 you might also join the tour of the museum of folk architecture and rural life to learn more about the customs and traditionslychakiv cemetery is one of the most beautiful necropolis you will see in central europe it was established in 1786, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in europe you can find there beautiful graves of notable polish and ukrainian people many of the graves are real masterpieces, made by famous sculptors, and wandering around lychakiv cemetery is like a walk through the history of lviv lychakiv cemetery, together with rasos cemetery in vilnius, is one of the most important necropolis for polish people, especially the section with lviv defenders – so-called eaglets – young men who were fighting for lviv between 1918 and 1921 you can combine the visit at lychakiv cemetery with the trip to the museum of folk architecture and rural life as those places are located near each other to reach the cemetery take the tram no 7 to lychakivskyi tsvyntar stopthe opera house is one of the most beautiful buildings you will find in lviv it was built at the end of the 19th century and is stunning both outside and inside – a true masterpiece not only of architecture but also sculpture and painting i highly recommend going to the lviv opera to see the play – tickets are very affordable, starting only at a few $, and it is such an unforgettable experience a former casino for the local elite, the house of scientists is a marvelous building in neo-baroque style

each of the rooms is beautiful and richly decorated but everyone visits the place for the incredible wooden stairs and they surely are amazing! the house of scientists is located at lystopadovoho chynu 6 – you need to enter the second gate when coming from the university’s direction and then the door on your left be sure to take a closer look at the main building with its many details and beautiful door as well as the part with the platforms that were designed in the art nouveau style as well lviv has a long tradition of higher education, the local university was founded in 1661 and for years has been one of the finest educational institutions in ukraine the main lviv university building dates back to 1881 and was built in the neo-renaissance and neo-baroque styles it was used by the diet of galicia and lodomeria, the university was moved here only in 1920 be sure to go inside too to see the beautiful interior another higher education institution worth visiting is lviv polytechnic, founded in 1843 in its main building, built in the mid-19th century, you can admire 11 paintings by famous polish artist jan matejko the local flea market is rather small but you can find here all sorts of things – old books (mostly polish, russian or ukrainian), newspapers, pictures, prewar coins and banknotes, military souvenirs and many more random things if you like this sort of things the flea market in lviv will be a paradise for you and a perfect place for shopping, especially with very affordable prices the flea market is open every day from the morning hours it is located at the square at pidvalna street, around the statue of ivan fedorov, behind the dominican church, only a few minutes away from rynok squareoriginally it is arkhivna street (and that’s how you will find it on the map) but you will see signs with different names there: fellini, bergman, tarkovsky, truffaut, illienko, chaplin, and parajanov the tradition to give names to this street came from the kinolev independent film festival that takes place in lviv each year the new name was added to this little street, the one honoring the director that the festival is honoring in this particular edition

this is such a quirky place!while the old town surrounding rynok square is amazing you should also venture beyond it, to see more of lviv since the city wasn’t really destroyed during world war 2 you will find beautiful townhouses, impressive buildings of the public use and charming cobbled street in the big part of the citysome of the restaurants offer a great view of the city the most popular one – house of legends – was recently closed but apparently you can still go to the rooftop (and find a car parked there) you can also go for a tour that will take you to some of the rooftops in lviv – i did it a few years ago and really enjoyed it! click here for more details about the tourhotel george is the oldest hotel in lviv, inviting guests since 1901 some of the well-known people of this world have stayed there during their trips to lviv today you can stay there too, i do it often when i visit lviv badoo lviv prices are very reasonable and you can get a taste of the good old lviv with its grand and fancy buildings even if you are staying somewhere else you should still stop by here (the restaurant is open for non-guests) and see the beautiful interior and the stained glass windows this is still a working pharmacy, the oldest one in lviv, operating since 1775 there are 16 rooms with over three thousand exhibits showing the history of the pharmacy and medicine but even the original interior is already a good reason to visit the museum many of the beautiful buildings we can admire in lviv today were built at the beginning of the 20th century when art nouveau was popular in architecture and so you can see some really splendid examples of this style all over the city

both, the townhouse and buildings of the public use were built in art nouveau, similar to the one in vienna but with the local influence, especially folk motivesyou will find stunning art nouveau houses mostly outside of the old town, not only on the main streets keep your head high when wandering around so you can admire all those stunning details in lviv art nouveau buildings however, on the wall on the right side when walking from rynok you will find a map of the kingdom of galicia and lodomeria – part of the habsburg empire that lviv (together with krakow, przemysl or stanislaviv, now ivano-frankivsk) was in even is the center of lviv is this picture-perfect place with beautiful pastel houses don’t forget that for years lviv has been part of the soviet union since 2009 the place works as the museum where you can learn more about the tragic events that took place here it’s not an easy museum to visit but i definitely recommend stopping here lviv has some exceptional nightlife and affordable prices make going out even better not only there are numerous bars and pubs to enjoy a drink in, but the streets of lviv are also busy with people until late night hours you will find most of the pubs and bars in the old town, with the most popular being drunk cherry – you will notice it right away on the corner of rynok square and serbska street – it’s always busy with people hanging out outside this bar with cherry liquor the passage was created at the end of the 19th century as hausmann’s passage but today’s name – kryva lypa comes from the tree that grows right in the middle – the curved linden the memorial of heavenly hundred heroes is dedicated to the victims of the revolution of dignity that took place in ukraine (especially in the capital, kyiv) in winter 2014 you should visit the place to reflect the tragic events that took place not so long ago boim chapel is such a masterpiece! from the outside, it looks like a small chapel that you might even not pay too much attention to (although the front facade is rich in decoration) but inside it is stunning inside you will be amazed by the coffered dome – the optical illusion makes it look much bigger and higher than it actually is

there are so many details you will be overwhelmed where to look as everything is so pretty the legend says if you rub his nose your dream come true nikifor was very much neglected throughout his life so at least now he gets a deserved recognition if you wish to buy some local souvenirs from your trip to lviv you can do it in some shops in the old town (there are a few in rynok square and on krakivska street) but you should also visit vernissage – the souvenirs market for more than just magnets and postcards you will find here not only typical souvenirs but also paintings, crafts or beautiful ukrainian shirts – vyshyvanka lviv has some of the cutest old, rusty trams that roll slowly through the cobbled streets of the city going for a tram ride is one of the coolest lviv experiences you get the ticket from the driver – you insert the money in the small hole in the driver’s window inside the tram and get the ticket you need to stamp many tourists are confused when they see old validators, i remember those from my childhood in poland you put the ticket in the validator and push it really hard so there are holes in the ticket if you have problems locals will help you for sure controls are often so you should always travel with a valid ticket be sure to go inside the gate at rynok square 6 to see the stunning italian courtyard this townhouse was built in 1580 and used to belong to one of the polish kings – john iii sobieski

from the outside, it looks like many other beautiful buildings in rynok square but the italian courtyard is a real gem many people seem to miss it is often called “small wawel” referring to the wawel castle in kraków and indeed it looks similar to the courtyard there for years lviv has been a polish city, one of the greatest, and still today you can find many polish remnants from that time this is especially seen in the old signs you can see on the walls and buildings of the public use if you see the open door you can quietly peek inside to see the staircase but keep in mind to respect the locals living there most of the churches you will find in lviv were built in the baroque style but there is one exception worth mentioning – sts it is located a bit away from the old town, towards the main train station the church was built at the beginning of the 20th century and back then was one of the best examples of the new sacral architecture in lviv it represents the neogothic style and is characteristic of its three towers the nearest one is ivan franko park in front of the university, the oldest city park not only in lviv but in ukraine it’s full of neat spots and is a perfect place to relax be sure to put your hand in his pocket to see what you can feel inside i’m not going to spoil you the fun but i’m sure you will be laughing hard it was built at the end of the 19th century for the potocki family and today it hosts a branch of the lviv national art gallery you might also use lviv as your base for day trips in south-west ukraine

there are a few interesting places that most likely you’ve never heard about but are worth visiting impressive castles, beautiful carpathian mountains, spa town truskavets – all these places are near lviv i recommend joining tours for a few hours to get to know the city better i think that now, after reading about all the great lviv attractions you can understand why i like this city so much and why i try to visit it whenever i have a chance despite my twenty or more trips to lviv i always find something new there and i use every opportunity to visit lviv (like when i stopped there for 3 hours at 6 in the morning on my way from kyiv to uzhgorod) i’m sure that you will enjoy visiting lviv too, it’s hard not to like this city and that’s when i educate them about l’viv! love this city i have a blog “travels with the red suitcase and stories from l’viv i’m really surprised not so many people still know about itkami, you are an angel! no one gives such practical and useful insights as you do, you are the best whenever i need to look up a destination or just looking for the next one, the first site that i look up is your keep up the good workyour come from a wonderful country with wonderful people i do hope that some day i will be able to come close to your figure of 72 countries on 6 continent (which i wish that you will keep on increasing with exciting new places and keep writing about ) as i watch the terrifying news unfold, i am grateful for my chance to visit lviv i am prompted to return to your blog to say it very helpful to me during my solo visit in october, 2022

i pray for the safety and freedom for all of ukraine!thank you! it’s really heartbreaking to see what’s happening in ukraine now the events in my country are completely tragic and my heart is broken for my people i don’t know how to express my gratitude to europe and especially to poland for everything you have done for us i will be forever grateful to my polish brothers and sisters for their kindness and generosity i spent a year living in nowy sacz and have great memories of that time