I love travelling so much! If I could I would travel the world nonstop !! Last month I came back from my 10 day Ukrainian gateway. If you never visited Ukraine before ( event though it is only a few hours flight from Manchester the country is still rather too “exotic” for the British traveler) I would definitely recommend going . Ukraine’s most cultural and elegant city Lviv is just 40 miles from the Polish border. Its more tourist friendly, with prices considerably lower than in the capital, Kiev, and with great standards of hospitality .
Rynok Square ( Market Square ) is Lviv’s main tourist attraction, there you can sample the best coffee , chocolates, strudels and buy Ukrainian souvenirs. With architectural styles from Renaissance to Modernism these 44 tenement houses now acting as restaurants, hotels coffe shops and museums .
I wound highly recommend visiting local Town Hall , its clock tower is equipped with an observation deck, for just 10 UAH ( approximatly 2 pounds ) you will get a breathtaking view on the unique architectural ensemble of the historical centre .
If you a foodie and love discovering local food the next place is for you! Kryivka is a traditional food restaurant which acts as an underground bunker with a hidden entrance. Even though I was born in this country and am quite familiar with all sort of eastern european “abnormalities”, I still found this place and the whole experience totally unique: to be able to come in you have to know the password «Slava Ukrayini!» ( Glory to Ukraine!) which is passed exclusively by word of mouth, once you entered you’ll be greeted by a watch man in an army uniform who will give you a shot of home made vodka ( samogonka) and only after drinking it down you will be allowed to enter the bunker. Military accoutrements, and portraits of soldiers decorate the walls plus food is served in original tin army pans. This restaurant /bar was definitely the highlight of out trip .
If you have a sweet tooth then you should visit Veronika bakery on Shevchenka Ave, 21 . Beautiful contemporary caffe where you can sample famous Western Ukraine’s deserts. All sweets made by old Austrian-Hungarian recipes and are extremely delicious. You won’t find any other bakery in Lviv with such a wide selection of candies, biscuits and cakes.
Lviv is a real treat for museum lovers. There are so many to choose from, including the Historical Museum, the National Museum and Lviv Art Gallery. This city has to offer a lot of different activities to everyone and is quickly becoming a cool new Christmas destination; the main square looks mesmerising in December with its lively Christmas market, romantic skating rink and famous snow
I can’t wait to come back to Ukraine soon and explore Kiev, Odessa and Lviv again. X
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