Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Captivating beauty of the Carpathian landscapes and clear mountain air create perfect atmosphere for a recreational holiday. www.flickr.com/zillich Western Ukraine is rich in culture, diversity and history. This is partly due to a history of being ruled in the past by different countries, including Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It offers numerous opportunities for a perfect summer holiday.

You can explore its cities, blessed with a rich mix of architecture and monuments, or go hiking and rock climbing in the very green Carpathian Mountains. Mineral water spas and their hotel complexes at the foothills of the Carpathians offer a good option for vacationers looking to be pampered and improve their health via traditional methods.


Lion City

Lviv, the largest and most famous city in western Ukraine, was founded in the mid-13th century. Legend has it that Ukraine’s only King, Danylo, founded and named the city in honor of his son, Lev, which means a lion in Ukrainian.

Occupied for centuries thereafter by Poles and Austro-Hungarians, the city is just 70 kilometers from the Polish border, making Lviv a perfect stopover for any trip planned to Poland. Due to its history, the city’s architecture resembles medieval European towns, such as Poland’s Krakow and the Czech Republic’s Prague, more than any other place in Ukraine.

It’s a great town for walking. The ‘old city,’ located in downtown Lviv, is dominated by cobble-stone streets, each with its own unique mix of three-story buildings and churches of various styles and from various centuries. Baroque, renaissance and classical styles, as well as Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, all blend and beautifully coexist in this city center, which has been included into the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Starting in the 15th century, monks of different orders flocked to Lviv, a busy trading town between east and west. They built churches of various denominations leaving a lasting impression on the city’s picturesque skyline.

The oldest church in town, dating back to the Kyiv Rus empire days, is St. Mykola’s. But the crown jewel of all Lviv churches is the Armenian Cathedral, built in 1363. Other must see sites, all just blocks apart, include the Market Square (16th-19th centuries), Kornyakta Tower and the citadel. Don’t miss the opportunity to see Lviv from above, by venturing up to the High Castle Park, all the way to the top of Vysoky Zamok tower. It offers an eye-opening panoramic view of this magnificent city.

If you’re into the art, Lviv has much to offer from opera and ballet at its famous Opera Theater, to dingy drama theatres scattered throughout the city. If you want to enjoy Lviv like the locals do, just wander all day from one cafe to another and sit for hours chatting with friends. Lviv is famous for its coffee-shops, confectionaries and restaurants.

Recommended venues include Kumpel (6 Vinnichenka, www.kumpel.biz), designed in Polish style with a touch of retro; exotic Masoch-cafe (7 Serbska, www.masoch-cafe.com.ua), named and themed after the famous Lviv-born writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and Kryivka (14 Ploshcha Rynok, www.kryjivka.com.ua) that bears a partisan theme. To enjoy the best of Lviv coffee, go to Pid Synyoyu Plyashkoyu (4 Ruska), a remake of the first Vienna coffee house, Zolotiy Ducat (20 Ivana Fedorova), Italiyskiy Dvoryk (6 Ploshcha Rynok) and Cafe No. 1 (5 Kafedralna). Some of the best desserts in Lviv are found in Tsukernya (3 Staroyevreyska) and Veronica (21 Prospekt Shevchenka, www.veronica.lviv.ua). Lviv’s popular art cafes include Pid Klepsydroyu (35 Virmenska) and festival-restaurant Livy Bereh inside the Opera House (45 Prospekt Svobody).

Truskavets, located 100 km from Lviv along the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, is a breath of fresh air mixed with 14 natural mineral water springs believed to have healing qualities.

Along with Lviv, Chernivtsi is considered a cultural center of Western Ukraine. Its architecture is a blend of Byzantine, baroque and gothic styles. There are also remnants of Romanian and Turkish presence in Chernivtsi, which winding streets and buildings are literally built upon a hill. About an hour drive northeast, travelers can get a glimpse of two of Ukraine’s best preserved castles, in Khotyn and Kamyanetsk-Podilsk. Also in the area, in Podvirne, you’ll find Zolushka cave, which has three levels and about 90 kilometers of underground labyrinths.


Ivano-Frankivsk region

If you wish to spend your holidays climbing mountains, breathing fresh air, picking mushrooms and berries, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattya regions have everything you need. The highest mountain of Ukraine, Hoverla (2,061 meters high) stands tall bordering both regions and other scenic peaks in this mountainous home to the Hutsul people, a proud and ancient ethnos.

A popular tourist center where you can start off your trip is Yaremche, located just 60 kilometers from Ivano-Frankivsk. It has both budget and upscale accommodation, traditional Kolyba-styled mountain restaurants, souvenir markets and a picturesque water fall. From there, you can hitch a ride on the Carpathian Tram, a diesel train running between Ivano-Frankivsk and Rakhiv, near the Romanian border. On the way you can stop at Vorokhta, a lovely village spread out on various mountain slopes. It has one of the oldest bridges in Ukraine – a railway bridge built under the Austro-Hungarian rule. Further down the road is Yablunytsya village, located high up on a plain with a spectacular view of Ukraine’s highest peaks. Not far away is the famous town of Verkhovyna, where the Hutsul culture has been strongly preserved. Surrounded by high peaks, the village seems to have escaped the invasion of modern civilization. Ancient customs, legends and fairy tales still flourish here. If you decide to venture up the mountain from Verkhovyna region, Pop-Ivan peak, home to an old Polish observatory, is a good choice.

Picturesque Kryvorivnya village, which also stretches along the Cheremosh River, was a popular resting place and a source of inspiration for Ukrainian writers and historians, including Ivan Franko, Mykhailo Kotsyubynskiy, Mykhailo Hrushevskiy and Lesya Ukrayinka. It was also the setting for the cult movie “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors,” made by the legendary Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov in 1964. Local Hutsuls played extras in the movie. You can visit a small museum dedicated to the movie with artifacts preserved by the local enthusiasts.

Further towards Romania one finds the secluded Burkut and Zelene villages, famous for their mineral water springs. Not far from Zelene there is one the most beautiful Carpathian lakes, Maricheyka.


Zakarpattya

Zakarpattya borders Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, and was influenced by each in some way. Locals also claim that one of its towns, Rakhiv, is the geographical center of Europe. Engulfed by mountain peaks, a stone sign with a description in Latin dating back to 1887 stands in downtown Rakhiv as proof of the city’s claim to fame. The beauty of this town situated along the Tisa River, can’t be questioned.

Uzhgorod, located along the border with Hungary and Slovakia, is a capital of the Zakarpattya region. Uzhgorod Castle stands prominently downtown and above much of this city, which was the residence of an ancient Slavic prince called Laborets.

In nearby Hust you can climb up Zamkova Mountain for an amazing view of the Tisa River, much of the Transylvania region, even into Romania. “Daffodil Valley,” the only reserve of daffodils in Europe, is located five kilometers from Hust.

Tyachiv, founded in 13th century on the right bank of Tisa River is a small, quiet town with four different churches – Reformatory, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic and Orthodox.

Vynohradiv, founded in the 9th century by the Hungarians, who still live in the region and speak little Russian or Ukrainian, has many wineries. Isabella and Leanka vines are cultivated here. Visit the ruins of Kanko Castle (13th century) and Franciscan Church of the 15th century.

A popular tourism center deep in Zakarpattya region’s Carpathian Mountains is Mizhhirya, from where you can get a tour to Sinevyr Lake, known as the “pearl of the Carpathians.” Close to town is Shepit waterfall and Verkhovyna sanatorium in Soimy village, where mineral water of Yessentuki type is believed to cure many ills. The town is surrounded by mountains with beautiful panoramic views opening from two passes.

If you plan on doing a lot of hiking and mountain climbing, Yasinya village, with its several tourist bases, cafes and kolybas is a perfect place. Touristic routs spread from the village towards mountains Hoverla, Petros and Bliznitsa. Zakarpattya region also has a popular mineral water resort that can be reached by train, Svalyava.