We crossed the Poland - Ukraine border after 4 hours of waiting in the car and regular trips to the porter potty on the side of the road. It was incredibly crowded and the process to get in an out of the EU takes longer. Driving around Ukraine is an interesting experience, as you get to pass by old Lada cars, but also a Tesla will pass you by from time to time. The roads in Western Ukraine were generally better than expected, with some segments in bad conditions (especially closer to the borders) and others under construction.
The first city we visited in this trip was Lviv, close to the border. We were glad to finally reach the city and our accommodation, park the car and just walk around. We really needed the exercise after being in the car for so long.
1. Lviv Lviv is the largest city in Western Ukraine and a very important cultural center of Ukraine. The historic city center is on the UNESCO World heritage list for the incredible fusion of Eastern and central European influences, together with Italian and German. Baroque and classic arhitecture blend with art deco and art nouveau. Apart from Ukrainians, the city is home to Jewish, Polish, Russian, Belarusian and Armenian ethnic groups.
I really did like the city. There's much to be told about the quirky bars and pubs, quaint hotels, cheap drinks and pretty sights. I'm just going to mention a few: the Old City Center, of course, with Rynok Square with Pravda Beer Theater and other cool pubs, the Lviv High Castle up on the hill overlooking the city, the Opera House, or the Ethnographic Museum with the dome that displays a statue similar to the Statue of Liberty.
I recommend taking the small Chudo Train for a tour around the main points of the city center. They also have an English program, but the earphones are not that great. Climb the tower of the city hall for a better view and then go have sour cherry liqueur at the Drunken Cherry, right across the street. And if you get hungry, we also had a fantastic meal at the Gas Lamp.
2. Ivano-Frankivsk Next on the list was Ivano-Frankivsk, a city further south, smaller, cheaper and less touristic than Lviv. While there's stuff to see in the Market Square, the one place that really got our attention (and money) was Muliarovyi's House. The building has a double function: restaurant and museum. The house of Lady Muliarova was preserved and her recipes turned into a fancy menu. The place is decorated with original furniture from the 18th and 19th centuri and pieces were brought in to complete the feel, all belonging to the period and the region of the Muliarovyis: embroidery, pottery, little tables, painted tiles, old radios. The food was good and the alcohol samples even better.
3. Uzhhorod Right at the border with Slovakia and close to the Hungarian border as well, the city of Uzhhorod was our next pit stop. The city has a great Hungarian influence as it was under Hungarian occupation for like, 1000 years (no, really, from 895 to 1945, when it became part of the Soviet Union). Up on the hill there's Uzhhorod Castle, which is an impressive citadel, built between the 13th and 18th centuries, combining different architectural styles. It was the best sight of the city; outside the castle you can see cathedrals and the former synagogue, or walk around the old and cross the bridges over Uzh river and discover the mini sculptures scattered around.
A pleasant surprise was finding a really good Georgian restaurant, Khinkalnya, while wandering around. They have excellent food (sorry, I was too hungry for pictures), English menus and it's really not expensive.
4. Mukachevo Mukachevo was also under Hungarian rule, up until the 18th century, when it was Austria who controlled it. Starting with 1920, when it was incorporated into Czechoslovakia and then into Soviet Ukraine after World War II.
During the Hungarian reign, the Palanok Castle (also known as Mukachevo Castle) was built, in the 14th century. It had many functions over centuries, being used as a prison, residence for several noble European families, barracks and agricultural college, finally becoming a museum that you can visit.
5. Khust Khust is a small town close to the Romanian border, and spending a few hours there is enough for a tourist, as there's not a lot to visit. A lot to photograph, though.
Probably the most interesting thing to do is hike up to the castle ruins, where you can have a pretty view of the city and the Tisa and Rika rivers. After the hike we walked around for a bit, had a meal and then headed home.
On the way back we actually came across a few super interesting restaurants that didn't even have English menus (one Uzbek and one Ukrainian with craft beer) and we had no idea what we ordered, but the whole experience ended up being fantastic. But about that, in another article.