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I will be in Warsaw for a few days and wondering about a side trip to Ukraine.

  1. Is it safe? This is not my question, I am willing to take the risk

  2. Is it reasonably easy? Google Maps shows a bus and train route taking 14 hours but are the services really running?

  3. Is it a reasonable thing to do at the moment? Are tourists welcome as a sign of normality and an injection of foreign money? Or are they a nuisance or disliked as gawkers?

I am a dual UK and Irish citizen. I guess that either passport would be suitable. However, I would be using my Irish one in Poland.

Obviously my second question is rather subjective but has anyone travelled to Lviv or Kyiv recently and can they report on their reception?

badjohn
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2 Answers2

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I'm from Kyiv.

  1. My son traveled between Kyiv and Warsaw last year. Take a train from Warsaw to Chelm (from Polish railways app) and buy ticket from Chelm to Kyiv (from Ukrainian railway app). There are 3 trains per day on this route. It's a better way to travel than bus. I have listed more options to consider in the blog post here https://ukrainefrominside.wordpress.com/2023/03/13/%f0%9f%87%ba%f0%9f%87%a6-ukraine-nothing-flies-there-how-can-i-visit-as-of-2023/
  2. Tourists are welcomed here. Even though there are less people visiting than before the Russian failed attack on Kyiv of 2022, it's not impossible these days to hear people speaking English in the city center. Local people are happy and excited.
riwnodennyk
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It's safe to travel through the western border - Poland or Hungary.

My friend traveled by car from Budapest. He's Ukrainian. No problem with the border.

My family lives in Ukraine and my sister recently traveled from Kyiv to Warsaw by train. I myself am planning to travel there in next few months and I've done quite a bit of research on this so far and spoke to many people who travel to Ukraine and back through Europe on the regular basis.

It's very save. It's better to do it by train (I am told) as there are longer wait times at the border on the bus or a car. But this is not always, just statistically longer per those who actually travel. There can be traffic on the border (if traveling by car or bus). Apparently sometimes it can be between 2-5 hrs.

Trains are easier because they cannot get stuck in traffic. That's what I was told by those who travel all the time on those routes.

In terms on physical safety with regards to the war, as long as you stay in the West or Kyiv or one of the center areas of the Ukraine, you're fine. Right now they turn off the light in the country routinely for at least 2 hrs daily. And there is emergency sirens all the time throughout day and night. But no other physical danger as long as you don't go to areas of warfare - East and further South.

The links in the previous answer are very helpful in my opinion.

Tanya Kryvoruchenko
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