Truskavets

Truskavets is the main treatment and spa resort in Ukraine. There are 14 sources of mineral water right in the town, some of which are unique. We stayed in Truskavets for 12 days to drink the "Naftusya" water. The taste of hydrogen sulfide contained in this water is not very pleasant, but with time we got used to it.

In connection with Euro 2012 Truskavets was chosen as additional accomodation for football fans. This fact contributed to further development of the resort, and, most important, to repair of the Lviv - Truskavets highway.

Interesting fact: The number of hotel rooms in Truskavets exceeds 14,000 - more than in any other place in Ukraine - and this number is constantly growing.

Well-room ©Yuriy Buriak

Rixos-Prykarpattia ©Yuriy Buriak

Pigeons on the central square ©Yuriy Buriak

©Yuriy Buriak

Shameless pigeons ©Yuriy Buriak

It's not that easy to have fun in Truskavets if you are young, but still possible. There's a cinema where we watched the first "Transformers". Also we took the bikes and rode around the town and in the park. Once we went to the swimming pool at the nearby Karpaty (Carpathians) hotel. We stayed in Perlyna Prykarpattia (Pearl of Prykarpattia) because of its picturesque location.

For elderly travelers numerous concerts of folk artists of Ukraine are organized. In the center of the town you can even see the artists themselves, advertising their concerts and selling the tickets. Some famous Ukrainian athletes spend their holidays in Truskavets as well.

We found little kittens in the park. ©Yuriy Buriak

Spend half an hour, and the birds will take food from your hands. ©Yuriy Buriak

Spend half an hour, and the birds will take food from your hands. ©Yuriy Buriak

Impressions of the resort are mostly positive. However, it can be seen that most sanatoriums (sort of "hotels" where you can stay and receive treatment) still live in the Soviet Union. Rooms, food, procedures and staff are the same as they were 20 years ago.

However, tourist industry is well developed in the town. The number of trips is enormous, as Lviv and the Carpathian Mountains are nearby. We traveled with local travel agencies almost every day.

Among interesting observations is the change of weather. Never trust the forecasts! It's impossible to predict the weather in the mountains. In Truskavets, it changed literally every hour, from clear blue skies with sun to severe thunderstorms.

Recently, five-star hotels have started appearing in Truskavets. Of course, the prices are significantly higher than in the "Soviet" sanatoriums. For example, we paid $30 per day per person for accommodation, meals and medication. In Rixos the cheapest room with the same services would cost 150 euros. But accommodation and medical care is of course much better.

Getting there: There's a good highway from Lviv to Truskavets. You can go by a direct night train from Kyiv. Since 2014 there is a direct Intercity+ from Kiev to Truskavets (via Lviv) that runs daily (travel time 7 hours 12 minutes).