Lviv Oblast · Ukraine
Lviv travel guide
Lviv is a city in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, home to about 717,000 people.
- Best months
- May, August and September
- Nearest airport
- RZE147 km · Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport
- Currency
- UAHhryvnia
- Time zone
- Europe/Kyiv
- Language
- Ukrainian
About
About Lviv
Lviv (German: Lemberg,Polish: Lwów; ) is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine, as well as the largest city in the western part of the country, with a population of 723,403 (2025 estimate). It serves as the administrative center of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centers of Ukraine.
The city has a multicultural history but little of the evidence of this has survived until today. It was founded in 1256 by King Daniel of Galicia (Ukrainian: Король Данило Галицький - Korol' Danylo Halytskyy) and fell under Polish control in the 14th century. Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Armenians, Germans and others lived there together for centuries. This multicultural experience virtually came to an end during and after WWII. Germans killed most of the Jews (about one third of Lviv's population at that time).
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Lviv
See
- Jesuit Roman-Catholic Church
- Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord
- Armenian Cathedral
- Dominican Roman-Catholic Church
- Assumption Church
- Cathedral (Latin)
- Bernardynskyi monastyr
- Remains of the former Golden Rose Synagogue
- Saint George (Jura) Cathedral
- Tsori Gilod Synagogue
- Temple of Svaty Apostola Andriia
- St. Parasceva Pyatnitsy Church
Do
- S. Krushelnytska Opera House
- Lviv philharmonic Society Concert hall
- Mini "People and Dolls" Theatre
- Les Kurbas youth theatre
- The first Ukrainian theatre for children & young people
- Lviv State Circus
- Stadiumn Torpedo
- SKA Stadium
- Pliazh Aquapark
- Lviv hippodrome
- Ivan Franko Park
- Bohdan Khmelnytsky Culture and Recreation Park
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Lviv to stay in
Lviv has a variety of hotels, hostels and apartments to suit all budgets and needs. The best deals for budget travellers (2-3 people) are found with the lovely apartments for rent all over town. These can be found online (preferably in Russian) or on arrival at the train station. Expect to pay 6,000-8,000 грн/month for a nice studio apartment with a kitchen, TV and a nice warm-water bathroom. The hostel scene is quite new in Lviv so be sure to check reviews of hostels using well known booking agents and forums.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Lviv
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Vlasta | 1.6 km | |
| Apartment Delux Leopoli | 1.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Lviv
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Lviv are May, August and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 25 °C; July is the wettest, with about 96 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Lviv: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport (RZE), about 147 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine's airspace is closed to civil aviation. The closest operating airports are in Poland. From the airport, take a train or a bus to Lviv, that will bring you into Ukraine across the border.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
RZE · Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Lviv
Eat
Life in Lviv is very cheap. It's not difficult to find a place where you can have a full meal for 200 UAH. The challenge is rather ordering if you don't speak Ukrainian.
Drink
Ukraine in general (and Lviv in particular) have developed a fantastic beer and wine scene since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. In addition to mass-market brands like Chernihivske and Lvivske (which has its brewery in Lviv at Kleparivska 18 and includes a lovely beer museum), there is a wide variety of craft brands. Highlights include Pravda (an iconic Lviv brand with excellent beer and legendary bottle art, with its flagship location at the bottom of Ploscha Rynok), Mova, Ten Men, Varvar, Tsypa, and First Dnipro. Cheap beer on tap in Lviv is in the range of 60-80 UAH (~1.25-2.00 EUR). Crafty, expensive beer is in the 120-160 UAH (3-5 EUR) price range.
Stay safe
Wartime dangers in Lviv are low. It is quite rare that drones or missiles actually attack the city (2-3 times per year, compared to nearly nightly raids against Kyiv), but it has happened before, tragically killing innocent people. To be notified of air raids and the type of possible incoming threat, download the Повитряна Тривога (Air Raid Alert) app (Google Play, Apple) and set the location to wherever you are in the country. It has full English functionality and is voiced by Mark Hammill (who will sternly remind you to take shelter when an air raid is announced and assure you when the all-clear is given). The app also announces when drones or missiles are flying in your general area.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Lviv: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Lviv?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Lviv are May, August and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 25 °C; July is the wettest, with about 96 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Lviv?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport (RZE), about 147 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Lviv?
hryvnia (UAH).
Nearby
Destinations near Lviv
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.