Absolutely Outstanding Tour, Must Take.
I have travelled the world and availed of many a tour and guide but this one stands out. I cannot say enough about how good the guide Sasha was, conversationally, in vehicle comfort, knowledge and hospitality setting up a well-paced schedule with just the right amount of seeing and showing with local guides at each stop, yet enough time to oneself. I was amazed that we were able to cover beautiful Western Ukraine in a 5-day circuit originating and ending in Kyiv.
DAY ONE picked up at the hotel and we drove west on fairly good roads, by small towns, golden domed churches, blue domed churches, sunflower fields, to the gorgeous town of Kamyanets-Podilsky around a deep canyon with a most picturesque castle even more alluring with night illumination, a historic Dominican monastery, a Cathedral and Armenian curch.
DAY TWO we drove by the Dniester River to the strategic Khotyn Fortress which had its strategic role in many an empire over centuries. On to the city of Chernivsti with its iconic City Hall, a distinctly border feel adjacent to Romania, the impressive National University campus buildings a UNESCO heritage site. It had personal significance for me as the birthpalce of my physician mentor. From there we drove by small towns to the foothills and then into the gateway town of Yerimche nestled in the cooler Carpathian mountain geography, dined at a memorable place by the river.
DAY THREE started with enjoying a waterfalls ( ?on the River Prut), a wooden church, drive to the city of Ivano-Frankivsk with its beautiful city center sqaure, a great pedestrian shopping street full of people! and the old town hall. On way to Lviv we went by Galicia of erswhile kings, along the Dniester River with its pedestrian bridge. We hotelled in pretty much the center of Lviv with its cobblestone streets, a distinct ambience, charm, milling with people, surely half of them visitors. We dined at a "partisan" restaurant fully in character with servers in rebel uniforms, kalasnikovs and all. Coffee was in a dungeon-like relication of a mine! Friday evening throngs around the Opera House made me take note that Lvivians and their visitors know how to have fun.
DAY FOUR was spent seeing Lviv, a large city-----St George's Church, the Hill with views of the city, the cemetery which is a worthy tourist site in itself, the Mayoral building, time to wander and admire the squares, the architecture and people-watching, ending in a delicious dinner at a Rib place.
DAY FIVE was driving back to Kyiv stopping at two Castles, the ruins of an Army fortress, a unique straightline railtracks with a canopy of trees making a "tunnel of love" popularized in a Japanese film, an excellent lunch stop along the highway for borsch and dumplings, fields of sunflowers in bloom till the eye could see, going by roadside stalls selling fresh produce, fruit. We got back into Kyiv at about 930pm. It had been the most memorable 5-day tour I have ever taken anywhere.
Credit goes to the guide Sasha and the company Green Tour Ukraine. I can't believe that more people do not know of this gem of an offering. No better way to see Western Ukraine------and it is worth seeing.