I just returned from an extraordinary trip to Ukraine. I've been wanting to go for a while & decided it was time.
Prep: a little more than usual. Identity verification to book trains in Ukraine (DIIA); medical & war coverage insurance specific to Ukraine; air raid alert app; update will; PolarSteps app so friends could track me. Phone plan Verizon Ultimate for int'l travel
Travel: flew into Kraków; train next day to Przemyśl on the border & overnight. Train following day to Kyiv. Polish immigration at the station; Ukranian immigration on board & at my seat. On the way back, Ukranian border guards collected passports & my hand carry bags were searched.
Hotels: booked online through Booking; booked only the first week; the rest when I figured out more of a schedule
Money: tap to pay everywhere. Cash needed only for tours in Chernivtsi & the flat there
Route: Kyiv to Kamienets to Chernivtsi to Skole to Uzhhorod to Lviv & then back to Przemyśl & Kraków. Train to Kyiv & from Skole to Uzhhorod to Lviv to Przemyśl. Car Kyiv to Skole.
Misc: 16 days in Ukraine: solo traveler. Flexibility & patience needed in abundance. Trains will be late; Google translate is your friend. Always ask when getting on trains if this is the one you should be on...
Ukraine has my heart now. The war is more obvious & present in Kyiv now than the other cities, but the streets are crowded, cafés & restaurants are full. Memorials to the fallen defenders are ever present, especially on Independence Square. There is so much life, joy, sorrow & heartache present everywhere. Air raid alerts are common in Kyiv, not so much the other cities. 4 of the 5 nights in Kyiv were partially spent in my hotel's bomb shelter for red alerts, usually indicating a ballistic incoming; 1 night was for 3 alerts from 8pm until 5am. I want to thank Mr E for his recommendation of my guide in Kyiv & then down to Chernivtsi. If anyone is thinking of visiting Kyiv or the rest of Ukraine, I would recommend without hesitation, Ekateryna Prokhorchuk. We talked on WhatsApp several times & she told that coming to Ukraine at this time would be "an unforgettable experience". It certainly was.
Ekateryna Prokhorchuk
Your Kiev Guide
+38 067 710 55 89
Available on WhatsApp, text, web