If we take a pair of compasses, place their one arm in the circle with the name “Lviv” written beside it, the other arm – in the circle that says “Feodosiya” (the medieval trade city of Kafa), and start rotating this latter arm in the western direction, it will soon hit another circle labelled “Venice”. It is truly amazing that Lviv lies at the same distance from Crimea and Southern Italy. This almost magic, mystical geographical location of Lviv brings the East and the West, Asia and Europe closer together.

Lviv is the city of the West and of the East at the same time. It owes its unique location at the mystical intersection of global cultural and civilizational influences to its historical karma.  The city is advantageously and conveniently located at the geopolitical junction of two civilizations, at the tectonic fissure of two different and, at times, hostile cultures. For centuries Lviv has been trying to reconcile the irreconcilable. It was the place where the mysterious, irrational and despotic East merged with the heroic, romantic and pragmatic West. The principles of tolerance and respect to that of foreign origin, which can become factors of establishing the same ideas in the New Europe of the future, have been developing in the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural smelter of Lviv for centuries.  

Lviv became the point of contact of two cultural worlds, an equidistant cultural and trading Mecca, which always worked as an invisible magnet attracting extremely talented people: architects, sculptors, artists, craftsmen, merchants, and public figures. They came here not only for innumerable and wondrous riches – majestic temples, luxurious palaces, stores filled with the most diverse goods from all over the world – but for the high level of culture and education, for intensive intellectual life. No matter where you came from – Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Greece or Armenia, – behind the walls of Lviv you would always find safe refuge and the opportunity to do what you liked most, to develop your skills and talents to the fullest …

The History of Lviv

The Shortest History of Lviv

The stormy and extremely interesting history of the unique Ukrainian city of Lviv is seven and a half centuries long. Lviv emerged in mid-13th century as the capital of a powerful Eastern European state – the Halychyna-Volyn Principality.

Owing to its unique geographical location at the intersection of the main trade routes between the West and the East, in the 15th-17th centuries Lviv became the leading trade centre of the Eastern Europe and the largest city in Ukraine. Having spent half a millennium in the European cultural space, the city turned into a genuine architectural pearl, a centre of book printing, crafts and arts. 

In the 18th-20th centuries Lviv as a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire became known as the city of technical innovations. For instance, kerosene and the kerosene lamp were invented here for the first time in the entire world. In early 20th century Lviv became the capital of the third largest oil producing region after the USA and Russia. Lviv spent the period between 1939 and 1991 under the reign of totalitarian Soviet Union. From the first days of Ukraine’s independence Lviv obtained the status of the cultural and spiritual capital of the Ukrainian state. In 2004 Lviv acted as the principal social catalyst of the democratic Orange Revolution. Quite recently, in 2006, Lviv celebrated its 750th birthday.

How can you get to Lviv?

By air

Lviv Airport is situated in Lyubinska Street just 7 kilometres from the city centre. Lviv is included in international flight routes from Vienna (Austrian Airlines), Frankfurt am Main (Ukraine International Airlines), Warsaw (LOT Polish Airlines), and other cities.

There are several direct international flight routes to Lviv (for instance, from Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Napoli, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, Warsaw, Tirana, Istanbul, and Moscow) as well as a few domestic ones. The most up-to-date information about the flight schedule and prices can be obtained by calling the Airport Enquiry Service at +38 (032) 229-81-12, 69-21-12 (Ukrainian, English, German and Russian languages are supported).

You can get from the airport to the city centre and vice versa by:
– Trolleybus No. 9 (stops in the centre near Ivan Franko University).
Fare: 0.75 UAH (general) and 0.35 UAH (for schoolchildren and students).

– Fixed-route taxi No. 9 (High Castle – Kryvonosa Street – Torhova Street – Horodotska Street – Kulparkivska Street – Vyhovskoho Street – Lyubinska Street – Ariport);
No. 95 (Airport – Vyhovskoho Street – Volodymyra Velykoho Street – Knyahyni Olhy Street – Sakharova Street – Kopernika Street – Doroshenka Street – Svobody Avenue – Chornovola Avenue – Mazepy Street – Mykolaychuka).
Fare: 1.5 UAH.

– Taxi. The fare will depend on the route, time of the day etc. We recommend negotiating the fare with the taxi driver before the ride.

By car

If you travel to Lviv by your own car, it will be best for you to follow E-40 International Highway (from the western border to Lviv it is M-11 Ukrainian Highway, and from Kyiv it is M-06).

E-50 International Highway and its part E573 may also suit you, especially if you are travelling from the direction of Hungary.

Speed limit within towns and cities is 60 km/h. In all other areas it is usually set to 90 km/h, but we still recommend following the road signs carefully.

By bus

You can get to Lviv by bus from almost every place in Europe or Ukraine.

Many regular bus routes in Western Ukraine (both direct or transit) run to Lviv from virtually every city, town or village. As a rule, they start at bus stations in large cities and railroad stations or other important administrative buildings in small towns and villages. Therefore, we recommend that those travelling from the eastern directions inquire about the situation in the nearest town or city.

A number of regular bus routes run from the largest cities of the European Union to Lviv. It is easiest to get to Lviv from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. For instance, you can ride a regular bus to Lviv from such cities of Poland as Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Katowice, Rzeszow, Lublin, Tomaszow Lubelski, and Przemysl.

There are also customs checkpoints on the western border of Ukraine (for instance, Korczowa-Shehyny on the border with Poland). You can get to the customs checkpoint by bus, and after you have cleared the customs and entered Ukraine you can use the buses running to the nearest cities including Lviv.

As a rule, regular international buses stop at the Central Bus Station in Lviv (AS-1 in Stryiska Street). However, there are some exceptions – the termini of several routes are located in the square in front of the Central Train Station (1 Dvirtseva Sq.) or behind the Opera Theatre (24 Svobody Avenue). We recommend inquiring about this information when purchasing tickets or obtaining it directly from the driver.

You can get from the Bus Station to the city centre and vice versa by:

– Trolleybus No. 5 (Shota Rustaveli Street – Stryiska Street – the Bus Station).
Fare: 0.75 UAH (general) and 0.35 UAH (for schoolchildren and students).

– Fixed-route taxi No. 7 (Bus Station – Stryiska Street – Khutorivka Street – Sykhivska Street – Zelena Street – G. Washingtona Street – Pasichna Street – Lychakivska Street – Halytska Sq.).
No. 37 (Halytske Perekhrestya Market – B. Khmelnytskoho Street – Mazepy Street – Chornovola Avenue – Kulisha Street – Horodotska Street – Kulparkivska Street – Okruzhna Street – Lyubinska Street – Vyhovskoho Street – V. Velykoho Street – Stryiska Street –Bus Station).
No. 57 (Bust Station – Stryiska Street – Naukova Street – Kulparkivska Street – Vyhovskoho Street – Horodotska Street – Chornovola Avenue – Lypynskoho Street – B. Khmelnytskoho Street – Opryshkivska Street – Korduby Street – Staroznesenska Street).
No. 71 (Bust Station – Stryiska Street – Sh. Rustaveli Street – I. Franka Street – Svobody Avenue – Horodotska Street – Shevchenka Street – Zolota Street).
Fare: 1.5 UAH.

– Taxi. The fare will depend on the route, time of the day etc. We recommend negotiating the fare with the taxi driver before the ride.

You can get from the Central Bus Station to the Central Train Station in Dvirtseva Square and vice versa by bus No. 18.

By rail

Lviv has been able to receive trains since 1861 and can boast one of the oldest railways in Ukraine. In that year the railroad construction was finished, and the first train arrived to Lviv from Vienna on November 4, 1861.

If you travel to Lviv by rail from Western and Central Europe, the most convenient route will be to get to Polish cities of Warsaw or Krakow and then take a direct train to Lviv. You can also board a train that runs to Lviv several times a day in the Polish border city of Przemysl.

For a long time different gauge width in Ukraine and Europe was an obstacle to quick and comfortable border crossing. However, this is no longer a problem owing to SUW2000 which is one of the most proven systems for automatic transfer of carriages between railways of different standards. This system is now used at Mostyska customs checkpoint.

If you are travelling from Southern Europe we recommend that you come to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. As a rule, trains coming from Slovakia and Hungary to Kyiv also stop in Lviv. For those travelling from Middle Asia we recommend getting to Kyiv and boarding one of the trains which run to Lviv several times per day. Besides, some of the cities from those parts have direct rail service to Lviv.

As for domestic rail service, the majority of trains running to Western Ukraine go through Lviv – you only have to choose the one that suits you beStreet 

You can get from the train station to the city centre and vice versa by:

– Trams No. 1 or 9 (stopping in the centre in Rynok Square and Ruska, Franka, Doroshenka, and Kopernyka Streets).
Fare: 0.75 UAH (general) and 0.3 UAH (for schoolchildren and students).

– Fixed-route taxi No. 2 (Sykhivska Street – Chervonoyi Kalyny Avenue – Uhorska Street – P. Myrnoho Street – Chmoly Street – Stryiska Street – Volodymyra Velykoho Street – Vyhovskoho Street – Lyubinska Street – Horodotska Street – Central Train Station);
No. 66 (Halytske Perekhrestya Market – Hrinchenka Street – Mazepy Street – Chornovola Avenue – Kulisha Street – Horodotska Street – Central Train Station);
No. 67 (Central Train Station – Horodotska Street – Vyhovskoho Street – Kulparkivska S. – Naukova Street – Khutorivka Street – Chervonoyi Kalyny Avenue – Zubra Shopping Centre);
No. 68 (Central Train Station – Horodotska Street – Vyhovskoho Street – Kulparkivska Street – Naukova Street – Khutorivka Street – Chervonoyi Kalyny Avenue – Sykhivska Street – Zelena Street – G. Washingtona Street – Pasichna Street – Lychakivska Street – the town of Vynnyky.
Fare: 1.5 UAH.

– Taxi. The fare will depend on the route, time of the day etc. We recommend negotiating the fare with the taxi driver before the ride.

You can get from the Central Train Station to the Central Bus Station in Stryiska Street and vice versa by bus No. 18.