Lviv

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

1. The beautifully restored parts of the center are very welcoming, charming, with an authentic Central European vibe

2. No tourist crowds

3. Taxi is cheap, no rip-offs

4. The Art Nouveau buildings

5. The thematic Café Masoch (Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the eponymous exemplar of masochism, was born in Lviv in the 19th century)

6. The walk up to the Castle Hill and the spectacular view from there

7. Many nice street musicians

8. Good, strong coffee in the old Atlas Café and in the trendy (and now permanently closed) Coffeshop Company

Dislikes

1. The ugly Soviet-era housing estates in the outskirts

2. Many buildings in the center are still neglected, run-down

3. I didn’t like the Borscht (beetroot soup)

4. Many potholes, the pavements badly need repairing

5. Slow service in many restaurants

6. Too many meals are spiced with dill (although that may not be a problem for everyone)

Opinions

“L’viv is a great little city. It’s worth visiting the folk village (in summer, at least) – you could easily spend a whole day there. The train station is also very pretty, though it’s quite a long way from the city center.

Fortunately it isn’t so focused on separating tourists from their money as similar European cities further west (Krakow, Prague, etc.) but this will probably change as more low-cost travel options lead to a rise in tourist numbers, so I’d say the sooner you visit, the better! 😉 (R. B. 2018)”
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“Lviv is a gorgeous, romantic, old-world city with very few tourists. It buzzes with life, though, and you’ll find a young person playing music on almost every street corner. Even at 9 o’clock on a Sunday evening the streets are full of strolling families, with children and grandparents. Because of the university there are also a lot of young people, and it’s worth pointing out that everything is ridiculously cheap, even compared with countries like Poland and Hungary. Even in better bars, a large beer costs about $0.60, and a box of ‘big brand’ cigarettes costs $.0.80, while a four-course meal for two in a fancy restaurant costs about $17, drinks included. (2017)
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“The city isn’t ‘worth’ more than a couple of days. The interesting sights are all in a fairly small area. We didn’t find Lviv particularly special, and the four days we spent there were too much.
Still, you can get delicious food, and it’s definitely excellent value for money. They’re clearly trying to spruce the place up and attract more tourists, but as far as I can see, the potential is quite limited. (L. A. 2019)

Practicals