Current Travel Options to Ukraine
At the moment, all airports in Ukraine are not operational. Land transport is, therefore, the only means of reaching Ukraine. The nearest Polish airport to Lviv is Rzeszow (RZE) Airport which is 146 km away from Lviv City. Other nearby Polish airports include Lublin (LUZ) (181.3 km) and Krakow (328 km). From Rzeszow and Krakow, there is a train connection to Ukraine via Przemysl (see below).
Ways to get to Ukraine from Poland:
By Bus:
You can reach Ukraine by bus from any Polish city. Lviv is located closest to the Polish border and is one of the biggest cities in Ukraine.
Recommended bus companies to use:
By Train:
Many trains from Poland to Ukraine are intercity trains (Ukrainian: ІНТЕРСІТІ+). Available train routes from Poland to Ukraine. Przemysl city in Poland is the closest transit point to Ukraine:
- Przemysl - Lviv: train route #706, (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #33013 (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #54 or #90.
Duration: 2-6 hrs, depending on the time required for border passage. - Przemysl - Kyiv: train route #706 (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #33013 (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #54 or #90.
Duration: 11-16 hrs. - Przemysl - Kharkiv: train route #74.
Duration of route: ~25 hrs. - Przemysl - Kharkiv: train route #74.
Duration of route: ~25 hrs. - Przemysl - Zaporizhzhia: train route #32.
Duration: ~22hrs. - Przemysl - Odesa: train route #36 (БІЛА АКАЦІЯ).
Duration: ~19hrs. - Warsaw - Kyiv: train route #68.
Duration: ~20 hrs. - Warszawa Wshodnia - Rava-Ruska(change train) - Lviv: train route #768Л - 867О/865O
Duration: ~8 hrs. - Chelm - Kharkiv: train route #94.
Duration: ~22 hrs. - Chelm - Kyiv: train route #120, #94, #20.
Duration: 12-16 hrs.
To buy train tickets via the Ukrainian Railways website, please use a VPN service set to Ukraine or another European country; otherwise, the official website for purchasing tickets may not work. Some VPN services, like Mullvad.net, have options in Ukraine, making your IP address look like it's in Ukraine.
(On the payment page, you will have the choice to pay through three different banks. It is worth trying all of them, even if the first one is rejected by your bank.)
Access the Ukrainian Railways ticketing site using this link: Train Ticket Booking - Ukrainian Railways
Tickets for the Warszawa Wshodnia - Kyiv train are available only in the app and can be bought 20 days before the planned departure date. Sales open at exactly 08:00 a.m., and you have approximately 5 minutes to purchase. Tickets usually sell out within 2-5 minutes.
Also note that in order to register with the app you need a Ukrainian phone number, so this may not be an option if you don't have a Ukrainian SIM card (yet).
Ways to get to Ukraine from Slovakia:
By Bus:
- Kosice - Lviv
Duration: 9 -10 hrs. - Kosice - Kyiv
Duration: 17-24 hrs. - Bratislava - Lviv
Duration: 17-20 hrs. - Bratislava - Kyiv
Duration: ~26 hrs.
Recommended bus companies to use:
By Train:
- Kosice - Mukachevo: train route #960 or #962. Duration: 5-6 hr.
Change train Mukachevo - Lviv/Kharkiv/Kyiv. Duration: depends on the final destination.
Ways to get to Ukraine from Romania:
By Bus:
- Bucharest - Lviv
Duration: 14-15 hrs. - Bucharest - Kyiv
Duration: 19-22 hrs.
By Train:
- Bucharest - Chişinău: train route #106.
Duration: ~20 hrs.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Bucharest/Chi%C8%99in%C4%83u#r/Train/s/0
- Chişinău - Kyiv; train route #351.
Duration: ~13hrs.
Ways to get to Ukraine from Hungary:
By Bus:
- Budapest- Lviv: FlixBus
Duration: 12-17 hrs.
By train:
- Budapest-Keleti - Kyiv: train route #149 (through-train).
Duration of route: 20-21hrs.
- Debretsen - Chop: train route #6284; #34 (train company: ЛАТОРИЦЯ) or #149 (through-train).
Duration of route: 4-5hrs.
Ways to get to Ukraine from the Czech Republic:
By Bus:
- Prague- Lviv: FlixBus
Duration: 20-24 hrs.
By Train:
- Prague - Przemysl (tickets can be bought via https://regiojet.ua/)
Przemysl- Lviv train route #706, (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #33013 (ІНТЕРСІТІ+); #54 or #90
Duration of route: 12-14hrs.
Note: RegioJet advertises that the trains wait for each other in Przemysl in both directions.
Crossing the border
Essential requirements to cross the border and enter Ukraine:
- A valid passport with more than 90 days remaining before expiration for the entirety of your stay in Ukraine. Citizens of Turkey and Georgia can enter Ukraine based on an ID card.
- An entry visa, if required. You can check whether you need a visa to Ukraine on our page here.
Note: If you are from a country which requires Visa to Ukraine, you should also have an active health insurance policy. You can purchase insurance at: VisitUkraine.today.
For more information about safety and visiting rules in Ukraine, see: VisitUkraine.today.
Caution! Be prepared to confirm the purpose of your entry and stay in Ukraine.
Crossing the border on foot:
If you're thinking of crossing the border on foot to avoid long queues you can refer to this Google Doc created from the firsthand experience of our volunteers.
Crossing the border by train or bus:
When travelling to or from Ukraine via train or bus, navigating border crossings becomes hassle-free by adhering to essential requirements. Customs officers will board your bus or train to conduct document checks upon arrival. They might inquire about your visit's purpose, the contents of your luggage and ensure no prohibited items are present. Specifically, Ukrainian border guards and customs officers collect all passengers' passports for around 30 minutes to an hour on train journeys to complete necessary procedures. Despite this temporary collection, rest assured that your passports will be returned promptly afterwards.
When you travel by train from Przemysl, the polish border control is performed in the train station. Ukrainian customs and passport control is performed either while the train is stopping at the Medyka/Shehyni border station, or, for some InterCity trains, on the train itself while it is travelling. In this case, Ukrainian border guard and customs officers enter the train in Shehyni, and a border control officer will come to your seat to check and stamp your passport.
Estimated waiting times at the border (bi-directionally):
Long queues can cause delays at the border. Here are some useful links to estimate times:
⚠️Please note that the waiting time indicated on the websites below is an approximate and could be longer than stated.
- State Customs Service of Ukraine: https://kordon.customs.gov.ua/en
- Poland border: https://granica.gov.pl/index_wait.php?v=en
- Slovakia: https://www.financnasprava.sk/sk/infoservis/hranicne-priechody
- Hungary: https://www.police.hu/en
- Romania: https://www.politiadefrontiera.ro/ro/traficonline/
- Moldova: https://border.gov.md/en/camere-web
⚠️ Information on the length of queues at passing points with neighbouring states for exit from Ukraine are announced everyday on the Facebook page of the Western Regional Department of the State Border Service of Ukraine-Western Border at: https://www.facebook.com/zahidnuy.kordon
At the train station in Przemysl, the trains to Lviv wait until all passengers have passed through polish border control. If you are travelling to Ukraine, and there is a long queue of passengers who are all speaking Ukrainian, waiting for the border control to open, there is no need to worry about the situation as long as they don't seem worried.
In the other direction, passengers pass through polish border control one wagon after the other, and the whole procedure can take 2-3 hours. If you are worried about your connecting train, try to book a place in one of the wagons in the front of the train.
Travelling within Ukraine (train, bus, subway, taxi, trolleybus, tram): basic rules
Train
Ukrzaliznitsya is the national Ukrainian railway. Ukraine has a well developed railway network, with a total coverage of over 22,000 kilometers.
You need to buy tickets in advance, either on the official website or at the railway ticket office. To buy train tickets to travel around Ukraine, use this website: https://booking.uz.gov.ua/en/. While using the official mobile app is more convenient, you need to have a Ukrainian phone number to use it:
Also note that in order to register with the app you need a Ukrainian phone number, so this may not be an option if you don't have a Ukrainian SIM card (yet).
Local buses (marshrutkas) within one city
For buses and marshrutkas, you always pay the driver directly. Tickets cost from between 10-50 UAH (depending on the city and distance). Try to have the exact amount ready, or at least close to that. You may or may not get a ticket back.
Apps for checking schedules and bus routes:
Tram and trolleybus
Tickets cost from 10 UAH (roughly 25 Euro cents). Usually, you need to buy a ticket from the driver or a dedicated person with exact or near change.
Or you can use Easypay App (Apple , Android) to purchase through it tram, trolleybus tickets for Kyiv, Lviv cities. Note: In order to register with the app you need a Ukrainian phone number.
For travel in Lviv, a useful app sells monthly passes for electric transport (trams and trolleybuses): https://tickets.lvivelectrotrans.com.ua/en
In Lviv, you can buy tickets for trams and trolleybuses in the tourist information on Rynok square. There, the tickets cost 9 UAH, and the people in the tourist information speak English.
To buy a ticket in trams and trolleybuses, go to the driver and put the exact amount in the tiny box or drawer in the door to the driver's compartment, and then push it in. The driver will take the money and put your ticket in the same drawer as soon as she has a moment.
If the tram or trolleybus is very full, you give the money to the person in front of you, and point in the direction of the driver with a pleading face. They will pass the money to the front, and your ticket will travel back to you the same way. (This may also happen to you when you already have a ticket: someone taps you on the shoulder and gives you 10 hryvnias. Pass the money to the person in front of you, and when the ticket travels back, pass it in the other direction.)
Either way, when you have your ticket, you have to validate (punch) it, or it is not valid. To do so, find a so-called ticket composter that looks like this:
Put your ticket in the slot, and push the lever down. Your ticket will have a pattern of holes punched into it, and will be valid for this one trip. If you change trams, you need a second ticket.
For buses and marshrutkas, you always pay the driver directly. Try to have the exact amount (15 hryvnias) ready, or at least close to that. Paying with a 50 hryvnia bill should be fine, with 500 maybe not. You may or may not get a ticket back.
Taxi
Taxis might cost a little more than the bus, but compared to most of Europe and the USA, they are still a bargain and 2 euros will often be enough to get you to your destination. You’re unlikely to find the stereotypical yellow taxis common in other countries, so your best bet is to download one of the many popular mobile apps such as Bolt, Uklon, OnTaxi, or Uber. Using an app will also ensure that you're getting a ride from a licensed legitimate taxi service.
You can find further information about travelling within Ukraine here.
Exiting Ukraine
You can exit Ukraine using any of the train or bus travel routes available for entry.
By Bus:
Recommended bus companies to use:
By Train
To buy train tickets to travel from Ukraine, use this website: https://booking.uz.gov.ua/en/. While using the official mobile app is more convenient, you need to have a Ukrainian phone number to use it:
