Lviv is the most "European" city of Ukraine. There are many beautiful cities with ancient architecture in Western Ukraine. But Lviv is the only truly big city, even by Ukrainian standards where a city with 500,000 people means a medium-sized city. Tourists love Lviv for its narrow streets, old stone blocks - brukivka - and cozy atmosphere.
Lviv is perfect for weekend tours from Kyiv. It's quite easy to get there by daily train.
Vast majority of tourists come to the city by train and then move towards the Market Square (Ploshscha Rynok). I am sure that the first major attraction of the city on the way from the railway station to the downtown is the Church of St. Olga and Elizabeth.
Church of St. Olga and Elizabeth ©Yuriy Buriak
The downtown is perfect for a long walk - just explore all old streets and alleyways around the Market Square. Be sure to buy the travel guide, as without it you won't be able to find all interesting information. Lviv City Hall ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak Merry little train ©Yuriy Buriak Rynok (Market) Square ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak Latin Cathedral ©Yuriy Buriak View of the Vysoky Zamok (Tall Castle) Hill ©Yuriy Buriak Dominican Cathedral ©Yuriy Buriak Lviv Opera House ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak View from the Lviv City Hall tower ©Yuriy Buriak Beer Marathon in Lviv ©Yuriy Buriak
Don't miss an opportunity to visit the Lviv City Hall tower. There is no elevator, you have to go on foot, but the views are very scenic. It is best to go up in the evening.
During the "Day of the City" (first or second Saturday of May) a beer marathon for beer lovers is held in Lviv (official website only in Ukrainian). In the first pub, you get a map, a beer mug and beer coupons with which you go around a dozen pubs and receive a free beer in each of them. This is a good opportunity to see many interesting streets in the downtown.
Lviv is one of the first cities in Ukraine that implemented the QR codes. These are the square bar codes from which you can get information about a specific object by using your smartphone.
Obligatory part of the program is to climb the Vysokyi Zamok (Tall Castle) Hill, which offers the best views of the city.
On the way to the Vysokyi Zamok (Tall Castle) Hill ©Yuriy Buriak
On the way to the Vysokyi Zamok (Tall Castle) Hill ©Yuriy Buriak
TV tower ©Yuriy Buriak
View of the old city from the Vysoky zamok (High Castle) ©Yuriy Buriak
Also I would recommend visiting the Stryisky park and Lychakiv cemetery, where buried many famous Ukrainians like poet Ivan Franko and composer Vladimir Ivasjuk. I haven't mentioned the Opera House as I'm sure everyone knows about it, even those who haven't been to Lviv before.
You definetely need to visit one building. It's the "Lviv House of Scientists" (Lystopadovogo Chynu str, 6). Many times we were near this house and made pictures of a beautiful facade, but had no idea that it's possible to go inside. The building, constructed in 1897-1898 by Austrian architectural company, served as the casino until 1939. Probably because of that fact its interiors are really incredible and were involved in many movies.
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv House of Scientists ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv is also famous for its thematic cafes - "Kryjivka", "Mazokh", "Pid zolotoyu rozoyu" - as well as numerous coffee and chocolate houses. During our last visit we went to three such cafes.
"Kryjivka" - 14 Market Square. The most known, unusual and a bit scandalous restaurant in the city. We chose a place in the courtyard, under the anti-aircraft gun and around a huge robot. The food here is ordinary, despite the interesting titles, but still it is better than in other restaurants of this chain.
Kryjivka restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Kryjivka restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Anti-aircraft gun in the Kryjivka restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Anti-aircraft gun in the Kryjivka restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Anti-aircraft gun in the Kryjivka restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv City Hall ©Yuriy Buriak
"Gasova Liampa" - 20 Virmenska St. This is a multilevel restaurant designed as a mine. We managed to find a free table on the top level and watched the beautiful sunset.
"House of Legends" - 48 Staroevreiska St. This is a multilevel restaurant and museum. Each floor hides various Lviv legends. The main problem: too little space and a huge number of tourists who go up and down. That's why we decided not to have a dinner here, but it was interesting to see the interior.
"Dim Legend" ("House of Legends") museum and restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
"Dim Legend" ("House of Legends") museum and restaurant ©Yuriy Buriak
Сhimney sweep in the House of Legends ©Yuriy Buriak
We spent the night in Lviv a few times and during the last visit choose not a hotel, but an old mansion on 2 Technichna (Technical) St. If you travel with a large company, we recommend this place. The entire house can be rented for $250 per day. You can also book one room (information). Guest house on 2 Technichna St., where we stayed overnight. ©Yuriy Buriak
Check out the new tourist website of Lviv, created specially for Euro 2012. For sure it stands out among the websites of other host cities.
More photos of Lviv:
Lviv Opera House ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv Opera House ©Yuriy Buriak
Svobody (Liberty) Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
St. George. Monument to the police officers who died while being on duty. ©Yuriy Buriak
Taras Shevchenko memorial ©Yuriy Buriak
Rynok (Market) Square ©Yuriy Buriak
Rynok (Market) Square ©Yuriy Buriak
Rynok (Market) Square ©Yuriy Buriak
City Hall ©Yuriy Buriak
Rynok (Market) Square ©Yuriy Buriak
Monument to the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz ©Yuriy Buriak
Stryiskyi park ©Yuriy Buriak
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv ©Yuriy Buriak
Skateboarders near the University ©Yuriy Buriak
Fire station ©Yuriy Buriak
Mateika Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Management of Lviv Railway on the Lystopadovogo Chyna Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Sichovykh Striltsiv Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Armenian Church ©Yuriy Buriak
This is not Italy, it's a courtyard on the Lesi Ukrainky Street in Lviv. ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Sichovykh Striltsiv Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Balcony in the house on the Stefanyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Svobody (Liberty) Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
Coat of arms of the Masons ©Yuriy Buriak
Architectural monument on the Lesia Kurbasa Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Generala Grygorenka Square ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Svobody (Liberty) Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv Academic Theatre of Les Kurbas ©Yuriy Buriak
Green house on the Johara Dudayeva Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Hnatyuka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House with majolica on the Lesia Kurbasa Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Johara Dudayeva Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Creative advertising in Lviv ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Svobody (Liberty) Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
Kryva Lypa passage ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Tarasa Shevchenka Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Petra Doroshenka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Engine with chestnuts ©Yuriy Buriak
This is not Italy, it's Lviv! ©Yuriy Buriak
©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv balcony ©Yuriy Buriak
Monument to Ivan Franko and advertisement of the local chocolate "Svitoch" ©Yuriy Buriak
Svobody (Liberty) Avenue ©Yuriy Buriak
Hippie bus in the center of Lviv ©Yuriy Buriak
Monument to Danylo Galytsky and the Cossacks ©Yuriy Buriak
Kaboom ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Stefanyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Lviv Polytechnic University ©Yuriy Buriak
On our last visit, we walked around the streets outside the central part of the city and, of course, found a lot of interesting places and buildings.
Lviv courtyards ©Yuriy Buriak
Villa on the corner of the Melnyka and Konovaltsia streets ©Yuriy Buriak
House with an owl on the Gvardiyska Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House with an owl on the Gvardiyska Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House with an owl on the Gvardiyska Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Сhuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Сhuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Chuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Villa on the Chuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Sakharova Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Briullova Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Сhuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Сhuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Сhuprynky Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Panteleimona Kulisha St. ©Yuriy Buriak
Panteleimona Kulisha St. ©Yuriy Buriak
Attic on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
House on the Kopernyka Street ©Yuriy Buriak
Church of St. Mary Magdalene (House of Organ and Chamber Music) ©Yuriy Buriak
Maps of Lviv:
Tourist map of Lviv ©@
Getting there: The day train runs three times a day. Map of Lviv with public transport.
Promo Videos of Lviv:
Video about Lviv in timelapse format.
EURO 2012 Promo video 1
EURO 2012 Promo video 2
EURO 2012 Promo video 3
