How To Reach Ukraine

If you think Ukraine is the same as Russia, then you are in for a big shock. Here’s the news: it is not. Yes, Ukraine does share some common borders and history with USSR and Russia, but it has always held its own when it comes to culture, habits, language and religion since time immemorial. Ukraine is an East European country that is famous for its beaches by the Black Sea, churches, ancient cathedrals, monasteries and the disastrous Chernobyl Plant. How to reach Ukraine? Here’s how.

The capital city Kiev is home to Ukraine’s most important international airport - Borispol International Airport. The two main national carriers here are Air Ukraine and Ukraine International Airlines. There are also a few other international airports in cities like Odessa and Lviv, all connected well to European cities like London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, Rome, Istanbul and Barcelona. From India, stopover flights operate regularly from Mumbai and Delhi, or you can fly to any of the above mentioned European cities and take a connecting flight to Kiev or Lviv.

There are great rail routes linking Ukrainian cities to major European star destinations like Warsaw, Berlin, Budapest, Moscow etc. Kiev and Lviv form the major hubs for these trains. From most of Western Europe, there are no direct trains but a change of trains that happens at Berlin in Germany.

Ukraine shares it land borders with countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia and Belarus. Hence it is possible to drive into Ukraine from any of these countries. Buses are frequently operating to the major Ukrainian cities like Kiev, Lviv, Odessa etc and one of the best ways to get into the country by road is by bus. Personal cars can also be hired if you want to put comfort over budget.

Ukraine lies by the Black Sea so major mail and cargo transport by water happens regularly between Turkey, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine. Some cruises from the Mediterranean also find their way to Ukrainian ports, which means you can reach the country by sea from destinations like Piraeus Port (Greece), Haifa (Israel), Port Said (Egypt), Istanbul, Surmene (Turkey) and Batumi (Georgia).

Ukraine is not the best country to travel between cities by road. The highways are bumpy and there aren’t too many petrol pumps in sight. Even so, there are car-rental shops as well as hotels on highways to pull an overnighter. Taking flights or trains is much more convenient, as is the water route between ports like Kiev, Odessa and Sevastopol by ferry or cruise.

Within cities you can use public buses, subway trains or hail cabs.