Take the train from the UK to Ukraine...

It's easy to travel by train from London to Ukraine, an adventurous journey that's also safe, comfortable & affordable, far superior to any soulless flight.  Eurostar and German Railways link London with Warsaw, then there is the comfortable and safe daily sleeper train Kiev Express from Warsaw to Kiev.  Change in Kiev for Odessa.  This page explains train times, fares and how to buy tickets.

Important COVID-19 update:  See COVID-19 updates & travel information.  Eurostar has a reduced service from London to Paris/Brussels.  Trains beyond Paris/Brussels all the way to Ukraine are running close to normally.

For obvious reasons, travel to Ukraine is now inadvisable, www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine.

Train times, fares & information...

  London to Kiev & Odessa - times, fares & tickets.

  London to Lviv - train times, fares & tickets.

  Train travel in Ukraine, a beginner's guide

  How to buy Ukrainian train tickets online

  Trains from Kiev & Lviv to other European cities

  Trains from other European cities to Kiev & Lviv

  Useful country information: visas, currency...

  Starting from other UK towns & cities

  Kiev station

  Holiday packages to Ukraine by train

  Hotels in Kiev, Lviv, Odessa & Ukraine

  Odessa-Istanbul by ferry

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Useful country information

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London to Kyïv (Kiev), Lviv & Odessa

Which route to choose?

It's easy to travel from London to Lviv or Kyïv by train - that's Lviv & Kyïv in Ukrainian, Lvov & Kiev in Russian.  It takes just 2 nights, taking Eurostar & luxurious German ICE trains from London to Berlin on day 1, a EuroCity train from Berlin to Warsaw on day 2, then the safe & comfortable Kiev Express sleeper train from Warsaw to Kyïv overnight arriving on the morning of day 3.  Or you can now travel by fast & comfortable daytime trains with overnight stops in Berlin & Krakow.  The journey is an adventure in itself.  Why not spend some time in Berlin, Warsaw or Krakow on the way?

  Option 1, London to Kiev & Odessa via Warsaw - using the daily Warsaw-Kiev sleeper train, the most time-effective option, taking 2 nights...

  Option 2, London to Lviv & Kiev via Krakow - by comfortable daytime trains with overnight hotel stops in Berlin & Krakow...

  Option 3, London to Lviv & Kiev via Vienna - using the daily direct sleeping-car from Vienna to Lviv & Kiev.

Option 1, London to Kiev & Odessa via Warsaw...

This is the most time-effective option.  Departures are daily all year round except Christmas Day.  You get some time to see a bit of Warsaw, too!

London ► Kyïv & Odessa

• Day 1, travel from London to Berlin using any of the options shown on the London to Germany page.  For example:

  Leave London St Pancras at 08:55 by Eurostar, change at Brussels Midi & Cologne Hbf onto high-speed ICE trains arriving Berlin Hbf 19:08.

  Leave London St Pancras at 11:04 by Eurostar, change at Brussels Midi & Cologne Hbf onto high-speed ICE trains arriving Berlin Hbf 21:09.

  Eurostar has a cafe-bar, ICE trains have a restaurant car, all these trains have power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

• Stay overnight in Berlin.  The 3-star InterCity Hotel (my favourite) or Meininger Hotel are right next to Berlin Hbf, a 10-minute walk from the Reichstag or 15 minutes from the Brandenburg Gate, relatively inexpensive with good reviews.  The Steigenberger Hotel is more upmarket, also right next to the station with great reviews.  If you want to push the boat out, the famous & historic Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is next to the Brandenburg Gate.  If you're on a tight budget, the cheaper Motel One Berlin-Hbf is behind the station or see www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 2, travel from Berlin to Warsaw by EuroCity train, leaving Berlin Hbf at 09:38 and arriving Warsaw Centralna at 15:11.

  The Berlin-Warsaw EuroCity trains are comfortable air-conditioned trains with a trolley refreshment service and a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and full meals.  Treat yourself to lunch in the restaurant car with a beer or two...

  Alternatively, on Mondays-Saturdays you can take the early 05:43 Berlin-Warsaw EuroCity train arriving 11:11, which will give you an afternoon in Warsaw, see the Warsaw Centralna station & city information.  A left luggage office and lockers are available.

  Warsaw's historic old town is a 20 minute walk from Centralna station - if you fancy a modest splurge, the celebrated Ufukiera restaurant (www.ufukiera.pl) is excellent and right on the square in the heart of Warsaw's old town.  The Palace of Culture (a wedding cake style Soviet skyscraper and distinctive Warsaw landmark, www.pkin.pl) is right next to the station and has a viewing terrace on the 30th floor.

• Day 2, travel from Warsaw to Kyïv by Kiev Express, leaving Warsaw Wschodnia at 17:48 arriving Kyïv main station 11:00 next morning.

  The Kiev Express has comfortable Ukrainian sleeping-cars with 3-berth compartments, you can book all 3 places for single or double occupancy.  There may be a buffet car serving tea, coffee, beer & snacks, but it's a good idea to take your own supplies of food, water and wine or beer.  Late at night, around 00:30, the train is shunted into the gauge-changing shed at Yagodin (on the Ukrainian border) and jacked up to have its wheels changed from standard European (4' 8½") gauge to Russian 5' gauge.  You remain on board while this is done, an interesting experience.  See Tim Richards excellent blog entry about of the Kiev Express.

• Onwards to Odessa:  A daily fast train (Intersiti 763) leaves Kiev at 16:30 and arrives in Odessa at 23:44.  If you make a same-day connection in Kiev, you can leave London on day 1 and arrive in Odessa late evening on day 3.  Alternatively, a daily high-quality sleeper train (train 105) leaves Kiev at 21:15 and arrives in Odessa at 05:59, with 1st class 2-berth & 2nd class 4-berth sleepers.

Odessa & Kyïv ► London

• Coming from Odessa:  A daily high-quality sleeper train (train 106) links Odessa with Kiev, leaving Odessa at 22:25 arriving Kiev at 07:10.  It has 1st class 2-berth and 2nd class 4-berth sleepers.  Alternatively, Intersiti 764 leaves Odessa at 05:40 and arrives in Kiev at 12:46.

• Day 1, travel from Kyïv to Warsaw by Kiev Express leaving Kyïv main station at 19:13, arriving Warsaw Wschodnia at 10:06 next morning.

  The Kiev Express has comfortable Ukrainian sleeping-cars with 3-berth compartments, you can book all three berths for single or double occupancy.  There may be a buffet car serving tea, coffee, beer and snacks, but it's a good idea to take your own supplies of food, water and wine or beer.  Around 4am, the train is shunted into the gauge-changing shed at Yagodin (the Ukrainian border point) and jacked up to have its wheels changed from Russian 5' gauge to standard European (4' 8½") gauge.  You remain in your sleeping-berth on board while this is done, an interesting experience.  See Tim Richards excellent blog entry about of the Kiev Express.

  On arrival, you may have an hour or two to explore Warsaw, see the Warsaw Centralna station & city information.  A left luggage office & lockers are available.  Warsaw's historic old town is a 20 minute walk from Centralna station, if you fancy a modest splurge, the celebrated Ufukiera restaurant (www.ufukiera.pl) is excellent and right on the square in the heart of Warsaw's old town.  The Palace of Culture (a wedding cake style Soviet skyscraper and distinctive Warsaw landmark, www.pkin.pl) is right next to the station and has a viewing terrace on the 30th floor.

• Day 2, travel from Warsaw to Berlin by EuroCity train, leaving Warsaw Centralna daily at 12:33 and arriving Berlin Hbf at 18:16.

  Alternatively, daily except Saturdays there's a later EuroCity train leaving Warsaw Centralna at 16:34 and arriving Berlin Hbf at 22:16, giving you more time in Warsaw.

  The Warsaw-Berlin EuroCity trains are comfortable air-conditioned trains with a trolley refreshment service and a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and full meals.  Treat yourself to a meal in the restaurant:  Three courses, a beer and a coffee only come to around €11.

• Stay overnight in Berlin.  The 3-star InterCity Hotel (my favourite) or Meininger Hotel are right next to Berlin Hbf, a 10-minute walk from the Reichstag or 15 minutes from the Brandenburg Gate, relatively inexpensive with good reviews.  The Steigenberger Hotel is more upmarket, also right next to the station with great reviews.  If you want to push the boat out, the famous & historic Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is next to the Brandenburg Gate.  If you're on a tight budget, the cheaper Motel One Berlin-Hbf is behind the station or see www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 3, travel from Berlin to London using any service shown on the London to Germany page.  For example:

  Leave Berlin Hbf at 06:46, change at Cologne Hbf & Brussels Midi, arriving London St Pancras at 17:00.

  Leave Berlin Hbf at 10:46, change at Cologne Hbf & Brussels Midi, arriving London St Pancras at 19:57.

  Eurostar has a cafe-bar, ICE trains have a restaurant car, all these trains have power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1, book your London-Berlin tickets following the step by step instructions here.

• Step 2, book your Berlin to Warsaw ticket using the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone.

• Step 3, now buy a ticket for the Warsaw to Kiev Kiev Express. 

  First, see if you can book online at Ukrainian Railways booking.uz.gov.ua/en.  This can (just about!) sell tickets in the Warsaw to Kiev direction, but listen up:  First thing to note, booking only opens 30 days ahead.  If you look further ahead than this, no train appears.  Next thing to note:  Only a tiny allocation of 6 eastbound places (2 x 3-berth compartments) is loaded onto the Ukrainian ticketing system for sale by Ukrainian Railways.  If you find a berth available, great, if not, it does not mean the train is fully-booked, it just means that the tiny Ukrainian allocation of eastbound berths has sold out.  Next thing to note, it only finds this train if you book from Warszawa Zachodnia to Kyiv.  If you enter Warsaw Centralna, no train appears.  So book from Warszawa Zachodnia even if you plan to get on at Centralna, that's fine. Final thing to note, if you want dual or sole occupancy of a sleeper compartment, you'll need to buy all 3 tickets in a compartment (if available).  You can see on a carriage plan where the free berths are.  You print your own ticket.

  In the Kiev to Warsaw direction there's no problem booking at booking.uz.gov.ua/en, because in this direction the whole train is held on the Ukrainian system (apart from a few berths allocated to the Polish system) and you can book to Warsaw Centralna, that works fine.

  If you don't succeed in booking at the Ukrainian website, order tickets via reliable and highly recommended Polish train ticketing agency Polrail, at booking.polrail.com.  They book using the Polish system so can access all the berths eastbound.  Tickets can be collected in Warsaw or (at extra charge) shipped to any address worldwide.  Polrail are also pretty good at arranging the return reservation back from Kiev as they have close contacts with Ukrainian Railways.

• Step 3, you can buy tickets for trains within Ukraine online at either the official Ukrainian Railways site booking.uz.gov.ua/en (see the advice below) or you may find it easier to use Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com) which connects to UZ's ticketing system to sell in plain English.  A number of seat61 correspondents have successfully booked tickets this way, using UK or other foreign credit cards.

How to buy tickets by phone...

• It's better to book online.  But you want to book by phone, the best agencies to call for this trip are:

• Deutsche Bahn's UK phone line on 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04, lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings.  However, their staff aren't always as familiar with more exotic bookings like this, so make sure you are clear about exactly which trains you want to book before calling.

• A note about booking westbound trains from Kiev back to Warsaw:  All the outward reservations from London to Kiev can easily be booked from the UK.  However, for the return journey, the sleeper reservation from Kiev back to Warsaw is sometimes difficult to obtain from outside the Ukraine.  Deutsche Bahn can sometimes book your return train from Ukraine using a small allocation of berths for the return Kiev-Warsaw journey held on the German reservations system, but not always.  If they are unable to book this part of the return journey for you, simply ask them to book the section from Warsaw back to London.  You can easily book the return leg at the reservations office when you reach Kyïv or by contacting reliable Polish train travel agency www.polrail.com in Warsaw who can easily book tickets back from Kiev to Warsaw or Berlin, and either send them to you for a fee or (if your outward journey arrangements permit) you can pick them up in Warsaw on your eastbound journey from the Polrail agency desk at Warsaw Centralna open 08:00-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 08:00-14:00 Saturdays, closed Sundays & holidays.  Yet another possibility is to ask local travel agency www.arktur.ua to buy Kiev-Warsaw/Berlin tickets for you.

• Buy a special add-on ticket from almost any station in Britain to London International (St Pancras)

• To buy onward tickets from Kiev to Odessa & other Ukrainian cities, see the section below...

What's the journey like?

1. London to Brussels by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Brussels in just 2 hours, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph).  There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi.  Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00).  There's a 30-minute minimum check-in (10-minutes for business premier) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train.  More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure.  St Pancras station guide.  Brussels Midi station guide & short cut for changing trains in Brussels.

2. Brussels to Cologne by ICE3...

Germany's superb ICEs have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  In 1st class, bistro orders are taken at your seat.  50 minutes after leaving Brussels the ICE calls at Liège, where you can admire the impressive station designed by celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava.  As you approach Cologne Hbf you'll see the twin towers of Cologne Cathedral on the right, next to the station.  More information about ICE3.  Brussels Midi station guide.  Cologne Hbf station guide.

3. Cologne to Berlin by ICE2...

ICE2 trains have a restaurant car, bar car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. In 1st class, bistro orders are taken at your seat.  Immediately after leaving Cologne Hbf, the train crosses the Hohenzollern bridge over the Rhine.  It passes through the industrial Ruhr via Wuppertal & Hamm.  After leaving Hannover, the train passes non-stop through Wolfsburg - look out for the original Volkswagen factory on the left, built in 1938.  The train then travels at up to 280 km/h (174 mph) on the high-speed line to Berlin Hbf, where it arrives at the low-level platforms.  More information about ICE2.  Cologne Hbf station guide.  Berlin Hbf station guide.

5. Warsaw to Kiev by Kiev Express...

The Kiev Express has modernised Ukrainian sleeping-cars with 2-berth & 3-berth compartments.  All bedding is supplied, and washrooms and toilets are at the end of the corridor.  Berths convert to seats for daytime use.  A smartly-uniformed Ukrainian railways sleeper attendant travels with each car.  There's no dining-car, so take a picnic and your own supplies of wine or beer.  Photos courtesy of www.andybtravels.com.  See Tim Richards excellent blog entry about of the Kiev Express.

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Option 2, London to Lviv & Kiev via Krakow...

It's now possible to reach Kiev using comfortable air-conditioned daytime trains with an overnight hotel stop in Berlin and Krakow, using the modern air-conditioned Przemysl-Lviv-Kiev fast train introduced in December 2016.  If you prefer daytime trains and hotels to sleepers, and fancy a morning (or more) in Krakow on the way, this is ideal.

London ► Lviv & Kiev

• Day 1 & 2, travel from London to Krakow as shown on the London to Poland page.  You travel from London to Berlin on day 1, stay overnight, then travel from Berlin to Krakow on day 2.

• Stay overnight in Krakow - ideally longer so you can see the city!  Hotels next to the station with great reviews include the PURO Hotel or for something inexpensive, the Polonia Hotel.  For a longer stay, see suggested hotels in the old town here.

• Day 3, travel from Krakow to Ukraine on one of two new fast air-conditioned daytime connections:

  Leave Krakow Glowny at 09:14, change at Przemysl (arrive 12:08, depart 13:10) and arriving Lviv at 16:00 & Kiev at 23:08. 

  Leave Krakow Glowny at 11:45, change at Przemysl (arrive 14:38, depart 15:45) and arriving Lviv at 18:35 and Kiev at 23:57. 

  The Krakow-Przemysl trains are comfortable Polish Intercity trains.  The Przemysl-Lviv-Kiev trains are smart air-conditioned Ukrainian Intercity trains, introduced in 2016.

  To check times, first check the Ukrainian train at www.uz.gov.ua/en/passengers/timetable.  Then check times for a suitable Polish connecting train at Polish Railways www.intercity.pl.  Or you can cheat and check times from Krakow to Lviv or Kiev all in one go using the German Railways all-Europe timetable at www.bahn.de.

Kiev & Lviv ► London

• Day 1, travel from Kiev to Krakow on one of two new fast air-conditioned daytime connections:

  Leave Kiev at 05:52 or Lviv at 11:20, change in Przemysl (arrive 12:32, depart 13:54) and arrive Krakow Glowny at 16:38.

  Leave Kiev at 06:50 or Lviv at 13:55, change in Przemysl (arrive 15:03, depart 16:27) and arrive Krakow Glowny at 19:12.

  The Kiev-Lviv-Przemysl trains are smart air-conditioned Ukrainian express electric trains, introduced 2016.  The Przemysl-Krakow train is a comfortable air-conditioned Polish Intercity train (the 13:31 from Przemysl) or a comfortable slower TLK train (the 15:50 from Przemysl).

  To check times, first check the Ukrainian train at www.uz.gov.ua/en/passengers/timetable.  Then check times for a suitable Polish connecting train at Polish Railways www.intercity.pl.

• Stay overnight in Krakow.  Hotels next to the station with great reviews include the PURO Hotel or for something inexpensive, the Polonia Hotel.  For a longer stay, see suggested hotels in the old town.

• Day 2, travel from Krakow to London as shown on the London to Poland page.  You travel from Krakow to Berlin on day 2, stay overnight in Berlin, then travel from Berlin to London on day 3.

How much does it cost?

• London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

• Brussels to Berlin starts at €27.90 each way in 2nd class, €69.90 each way in 1st class.

• Berlin to Krakow starts at €27.90 each way in 2nd class, €39.90 each way in 1st class.

• Krakow to Przemysl costs around €9.

• Przemysl to Lviv costs €7.10, Przemysl to Kiev costs €13.40.

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1, book from London to Berlin & Berlin to Krakow following the step-by-step instructions on the London to Poland page.

• Step 2, book the Krakow-Przemysl-Kiev tickets through reliable Polish ticketing agency www.polrail.com.  Tickets can be collected in Krakow or for an extra fee, sent anywhere worldwide.

  Alternatively, you can book the Krakow to Przemysl train at the Polish Railways website www.intercity.pl, then book the train from Przemysl to Lviv or Kiev at the Ukrainian Railways website, booking.uz.gov.ua/en.  In both cases, you print your own ticket.

• To buy onward tickets from Kiev to Odessa & other Ukrainian cities, see the section below.

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Option 3, London to Lviv & Kiev via Vienna...

This is a convenient and comfortable option which can easily be booked online.  It takes 2 nights, with a day to explore Vienna.  See Ukrainian news report showing the new Vienna-Kiev sleeping-car service.

London ► Lviv & Kiev

• Day 1, travel from London to Vienna using any option shown on the London to Austria page.

  For example, you can travel from London to Vienna on high-speed trains in a single day and stay overnight.  Or you can take an afternoon Eurostar from London to Brussels and catch the 3-times-a-week Nightjet sleeper train from Brussels to Vienna overnight in comfort.  Either way, you then have the best part of Day 2 to explore Vienna.

• Day 2, travel from Vienna to Ukraine by direct sleeping-car, leaving Vienna Hbf at 16:42 every day & arriving Lviv 10:26 & Kiev 16:21 next day.

  Introduced in 2017, there are one or two Ukrainian sleeping-cars with comfortable 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin, see the photos below.  At Chop on the other side of the border the through sleeping-car is jacked up to have its wheelsets changed from European standard gauge (4'8½") to Russian gauge used in Ukraine (5').  A restaurant car operates between Vienna and Zahony (on the Ukrainian border just before Chop), treat yourself to dinner.

Kiev & Lviv ► London

• Day 1, travel from Kiev to Vienna by direct sleeping-car, leaving Kiev at 13:07 & Lviv at 20:00 every day, arriving Vienna Hbf 11:21 next day.

  The sleeping-car has 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, see the photos below.  At Chop on the border with Hungary the through sleeping-car is jacked up to have it's wheelsets changed from Russian gauge used in Ukraine (5') to European standard gauge (4'8½").  A restaurant car operates between Zahony (on the Ukrainian border just after Chop) and Vienna, treat yourself to breakfast.

• Day 2, travel from Vienna to London using any option shown on the London to Austria page.

  For example, you can travel from Vienna to Brussels overnight by 3-times-a-week Nightjet sleeper train then take a morning Eurostar to London (Day 3 from Kiev).

How much does it cost?

• For fares between London & Vienna, see the London to Austria page.

• Booked through oebb.at:

  Vienna to Kiev costs €80.50 in a 3-berth sleeper, €90.50 in a 2-berth sleeper or €152.90 in a single sleeper.

  Vienna to Lviv costs €62.10 in a 3-berth sleeper, €70.10 in a 2-berth sleeper or €119.30 in a single sleeper.

• Booked through Polrail:

  Vienna to Kiev costs around €138 in a 3-berth sleeper €149 in a 2-berth sleeper, or €241 in a single-berth sleeper.

  Vienna to Lviv costs around €120 in a 3-berth sleeper €129 in a 2-berth sleeper, or €207 in a single-berth sleeper.

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1, book from London to Vienna as shown on the London to Austria page.

• Step 2, book the train from Vienna to Lviv or Kiev online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.  This will only book one-way or round trip starting in Vienna because tickets need to be collected from an ÖBB station in Austria.  They cannot be collected in Ukraine.  Booking this way you pay no fee or mark-up, just the official fare.  Book well in advance as this sleeping-car has become popular!

• If you have any problems or want a one-way ticket starting in Ukraine, you can also book the Vienna-Kiev train via reliable agency www.polrail.com, with tickets posted or couriered to you for a small fee.  Polrail are based in Poland so charge in zlotys, but as they have access to Ukrainian ticketing system they are good for booking this train.

What's the journey like?

The Vienna-Kiev sleeping-car arrived at Lviv.  Photo courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler.

Lviv's magnificent and recently-renovated station.  Photos courtesy DiscoverByRail.

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Train travel in Ukraine

	Kupé.  Lockable 4-berth compartments.  This is an older train - newer coaches have more modern compartments.  Courtesy David Smith		Platskartny.  54 bunks per coach, arranged open-plan in bays of 4 (left of photo) & longitudinal bays of 2 above & below the window (right of photo).  Courtesy David Smith
	Spalny vagon 2-berth, with two lower berths. This is on the overnight Lviv to Kiev train.  Courtesy of Tim Makins

What are Ukrainian trains like?

Classic Ukrainian sleeper trains offer the normal 'Russian' range of sleeping accommodation:

• Spalny Wagon 2-berth compartments (1st class).  Some trains have Russian-style compartments with both beds at the lower level, other trains use European-style cars with an upper and lower berth plus a washbasin.

• Kupé 4-berth compartments (2nd class), 9 compartments per coach.  Toilets and washrooms are at the end of the corridor.

• Platskartny open-plan dormitory cars (3rd class).  Bunks are arranged in bays of four on one side of the aisle, in bays of 2 alongside the coach wall on the other side of the aisle, 54 bunks per coach.

Whichever class of travel you choose, each coach is looked after by a pair of attendants called a provodnik (male) or provodnitsa (female).  The provodnik will check your ticket at the door to the sleeper when you board.  Shortly after departure, the provodnik will come round to take your ticket.  You may be asked if you would like a glass of black Ukrainian tea ('chai') - this costs about 10 Hyrvnia, about 30p/€0.35.  Bedding (two sheets, pillowcase and towel) is then handed out in sealed packs - blankets and mattresses will already be stacked in your compartment.  After a few journeys, you will become quite proficient at making up your bed!

A samovar with unlimited free hot water is available at the end of the corridor - pack some tea or coffee, sugar, cuppa soups or water-based drinking chocolate and bring your own mug.   Most long distance trains have a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks, and inexpensive full meals - reckon on less than £6 for two courses and a couple of bottles of beer.

There is no need to worry about security on Ukrainian trains, it's the way Ukrainians themselves travel, including families and women travelling alone.  Just use the same common sense that you would use anywhere, use the locks on your compartment door at night and don't leave valuables unattended.  In addition to the normal lock on the compartment door, spalny vagon and kupé compartments have a security latch which stops the door opening more than an inch or two, and which cannot be released from outside.  There's also a safe place for your bags at night - if you have a bottom bunk, there is a metal box underneath the bunk which you can only get to by lifting up the bunk - in other words, for anyone to get to your bags, they will have to shift you off your bunk first!

Kupé.  Lockable 4-berth compartments.  This is an older train - newer coaches have more modern compartments.  Courtesy David Smith		Platskartny.  54 bunks per coach, arranged open-plan in bays of 4 (left of photo) & longitudinal bays of 2 above & below the window (right of photo).  Courtesy David Smith
Spalny vagon 2-berth, with two lower berths. This is on the overnight Lviv to Kiev train.  Courtesy of Tim Makins

Fast InterCity+ trains...

Fast air-conditioned day trains branded InterCity+ (IC+) now link a number of Ukrainian cities, in addition to the traditional overnight sleeper trains.  These InterCity+ trains have 1st & 2nd class and a bar counter.  For example:

• Kyiv to Lviv:  There are two fast intercity+ trains, one early morning and another early evening taking as little as 4h59, fare around 590 UAH in first class, about €18.  There's also an afternoon IC train (without the '+'), which consists of older stock but with a modernised interior.  There are several classic sleeper trains taking almost 8 hours, the best sleeper to take is train 91 (Kiev-Lviv) & 92 (Lviv-Kiev) which has 2-berth (lux) sleepers and 4-berth (kupé) sleepers.

• Kyiv to Odessa:  There's one fast InterCity+ (IC+) train leaving Kiev late afternoon and taking 6h56, fare around 670 UAH in 1st class, about €21.  There's also a classic overnight sleeper with 2-berth (lux) and 4-berth (kupé) sleepers.

To check train times use Omio.com (easy to use, small booking fee) which connects to UZ's ticketing system, or Ukrainian Railways website booking.uz.gov.ua/en.

The 06:50 IC+ train from Kiev to Lviv.		1st class. Larger photo. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.

2nd class. Larger photo. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.		Cafe counter. Larger photo. Courtesy DiscoverByRail.com.

How to buy tickets...

• Booking opens 45 days or now sometimes 60 days in advance for any journey within, or originating within, Ukraine.

• It's now easy to buy tickets online, as shown below.  Alternatively, you can buy tickets in person at any Ukrainian railway station.  If your Ukrainian or Russian isn't up to scratch, write down your requirements, using the Cyrillic (Russian) script if you can.  Alternatively, to avoid the queues and any language hassles, you can book rail tickets through travel agencies, for example those located in the lobbies of certain major hotels.

	The internet ticket collection window at Kiev station.  Note the break times, so don't leave it till the last minute to collect tickets & find them closed!  Though for many front-rank trains you'll now get a print-at-home e-ticket, so no need to collect.  Courtesy of David Aspa.

Option 1, buy online at Omio.com...

• Omio.com has a direct connection to UZ's ticketing system so can sell Ukrainian domestic train tickets in plain English with a small booking fee.  You may find this easiest to use this.

Option 2, buy online at booking.uz.gov.ua/en...

• You can book Ukrainian train tickets direct from Ukrainian Railways (UZ, www.uz.gov.ua) at booking.uz.gov.ua/en.

• It has a few quirky translations, but it's the cheapest way to buy tickets as there are minimal fees.  Remember that Kiev in Ukrainian is Kyiv.  Suite / First-Class Sleeper means beds in 2-berth Spalny Vagon sleepers.  Coupe / Coach With Compartments means beds in 4-berth kupé sleepers.  Berth/Third-Class Sleeper means Platskartny open-plan bunks.  InterCity trains are clearly marked in the search results.

• At the end of the booking you might get a print-at-home e-ticket for some trains which you can just print and board the train, or for other trains you might get a voucher which must be exchanged for a ticket at the station before departure, for example in Kiev main station there's a collection counter at window 12, hall 4 in the old wing of the station, with a self-service collection machine installed there too. Just read the confirmation page carefully to see what you have to do once you have made your booking.

• Several seat61 correspondents have successfully used this to book tickets, using UK or other non-Ukrainian credit cards.  Feedback if you use this service would be appreciated!

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Kiev station

Kiev-Pas:  See location map

Kiev has one main central station, usually known as plain Kiev, officially Kiev Passazhyrsky, often abbreviated to Kiev-Pas.  It's one big central station but it has two terminal buildings, one each side of the tracks.  The classic station building on the northern side of the tracks was built in 1949.  The terminal on the southern side (sometimes misleadingly referred to as Kiev southern station) is a striking glass-and-steel building dating from 2002.  You'll find all the usual main station facilities at Kiev-Pas.  The metro station for Kiev-Pas is called Kiev Vokzalna.  Location map showing station.

Kiev station, northern side.  This is the magnificent 1949 building on the northern side of the tracks.  The sign on the facade reads vokzal, which is simple Ukrainian - and Russian - for station.  But yes, it really does come from the English place name Vauxhall, see here for an explanation.  Photos courtesy of www.andybtravels.com.

Kiev station, southern side.  This is the modern building on the southern side of the tracks, dating from 2002.  An overbridge connects southern and northern buildings, with escalators down to each platform.  Courtesy of www.andybtravels.com.

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Ferries from Ukraine

Various ferries used to run between Istanbul and Odessa, appearing and disappearing.  Further feedback always appreciated!

Istanbul - Odessa ferry:  www.ukrferry.com

• Sails twice a week between Istanbul (= Haydarpasa, on eastern side of the Bosphorus) and Odessa (= Chernomorsk, just south of the city), a 23 hour voyage across the Black Sea.

• Departure from Odessa on Tuesdays & Fridays, usually evening.  Departure from Haydarpasa on Thursdays & Sundays, usually midday.  You can check this at www.ukrferry.com although it takes a bit of effort.  The English selector is top left.

• The company is Ukrferry and the vessels are the Vilnius Seaways & Kaunas Seaways with a range of cabins available, fares from $90 with bunk in a shared 6-berth, deluxe private cabins also available.

• This ferry is operating in 2017 and taking foot passengers, you can contact them to check the current status.  Feedback appreciated!

• Traveller Silvan Wyss took this ferry in July 2017:

  "I booked the ferry some weeks in advance and paid 2580 UAH (€85).  The online booking tool on www.ukrferry.com works quite smoothly and some moments after payment I had the confirmation in my spamfolder.  Foot passengers have to check-in in an office building some kilometres from the actual port in Chornomorsk and the time for that seems to be 2pm no matter when the ship actually leaves.  After some waiting me and around 15 fellow passengers were brought to the port by minibus.  Here I had to go through customs and passport checks which included some waiting in not very welcoming rooms without windows.  Finally at around 5pm I arrived in my cabin which I shared with another passenger, with the scheduled departure at 9pm.

  During the 27 hour trip the restaurant served four meals without any choice, you just have to eat what they cook but this was perfectly OK. Apart from that there is a duty-free shop selling spirits and a bar selling drinks and some crisps at some times during the sailing. The cabin was nice with a small but very clean washroom.  All information aboard the ferry, whether written or spoken is in Russian only.  Foreigners sometimes really had to fight for some info in English.

  While the actual cruise could be described as "boring", sailing through the Bosphorus late in the evening was very nice.  Turkish immigration was rather weird with some officers entering the ship and controlling the passports in the bar area.  After some more waiting time, foot passengers were then guided out of the ship and finally left alone in the middle of the desert of Haydarpasa port.  Not that nice at around 1am.  I decided to walk to Kadiköy, other travellers may prefer a taxi here.

  Did I like it? - Well, yes. the journey itself was very nice.  However, all the procedures before and after are very time consuming with little or no information and medium friendly staff.  After all, it seems as if foot passengers are rather tolerated than actually welcome...
  Would I recommend it? - Yes!  To everyone who has the time and wants to experience something different.

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Holiday packages to Ukraine

A holiday package to Lviv, Kiev & Odessa, by rail...

• Incredibly, there's a rail travel specialist who offers a holiday package to Ukraine by train!  This can be customised your own requirements, and as it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike.  They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

• Tailor Made Rail's suggested itinerary from London to Lviv, Kiev & Odessa is at www.tailormaderail.com/itinerary/ukrainian-explorer, but they can arrange a trip with any stopovers you want, one-way or round trip, via any route you like.  They welcome complex itineraries!

• Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461.  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.

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Definitely invest in a good guidebook. For the serious independent traveller the best guidebook is probably the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.

Buy Lonely Planet Ukraine online at Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

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European Rail Timetable & maps

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide).  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted.  See an extract from the map.  Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or for £9.67 at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

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Hotels in Kiev & Ukraine...

Recommended hotel in Lviv:  The George Hotel...

• In Lviv, look no further than the classic & excellently-located George Hotel.  Wonderful - and cheap by western standards, doubles from £36.

• For something upmarket and still inexpensive go for Lviv's Grand Hotel, also classic and well located, around £90 a double.

Other hotel sites worth trying...

www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Backpacker hostels...

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Copenhagen and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & VPN...

Always take out travel insurance...

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I use an annual policy myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & covers you even if the FCDO advises against non-essential travel.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.

You can use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get a Curve card to save on foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give a poor exchange rate, then charge a currency conversion fee as well.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I use a Curve Blue card myself - I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

 

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