[DutchieDutch]

Since the topic of travelling from Poland to Ukraine by land comes up regularly in the topics about Lviv/Ukraine, it might be handy to have a topic specifically dedicated to this journey.

From Poland to Ukraine
I've travelled from Poland to Lviv numerous times and can say without a doubt that the fastest and cheapest way to make this journey, is to:

1. Take a train to Przemyśl.
2. Take a bus to Medyka.
3. Walk past the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing.
4. Take a bus or train from Shehyni to Lviv.
5. Take a train to Kiev.

1. Train to Przemyśl
You can easily find schedules and buy tickets at the (English) website of the Polish train company PKP.

2. Przemyśl - Medyka (bus)
Costs: 2 złoty (~ € 0,50). You simply hand the money to the driver when getting into the bus. There are no extra costs for luggage. Some of the buses are quite small though, so it could happen that there's no room for your luggage, although this has never happened to me (generally I was the only non-local taking this bus). In this case you could wait for a new bus or take a taxi; there are generally some taxi's waiting at the same place as the bus station.
Duration: ~ 20 minutes.
Place of departure: at the 'back' of the main station of Przemyśl. You can get there by first walking through the (small) main hall of the station and then walking through the underground. Walk all the way to the end and take the stairs up again. There you will see several buses, which all have a sign at the front which indicates the destination. Pick the one which says 'Medyka'. It could be that this bus isn't there yet; then you'll have to wait, but generally for no longer than 30 minutes.
Place of arrival: right at the border. It's the final stop of the bus and the destination for almost all of the people taking this bus, so you can't miss it.
Frequency of departure: my guess would be every 30 minutes, but I'm not sure. There seems to be no official schedule. The last bus seems to depart somewhere around 18:00 (6 PM). The first one around 6:00 (6 AM). Take into account that this might be different for Polish holidays.

3. Medyka - Shehyni (walk)
Costs: free.
Duration: for people with a passport from an EU-country, EEA-country or Switzerland: 10-15 minutes. It might be more for others.
Process: once in Medyka, you will see a pizzeria and Kantor (exchange office -- with terrible exchange rates). Just walk past them until there is a 'split' in the road. One line is for people with a passport from the EU, an EEA-country (Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland. People with other passports have to take the other line. I only have experience with the EU-line. Generally, there is hardly any line, so the whole process (including two passport checks, one or zero luggage checks and generally a short 'interview' with an Ukrainian border guard that can only speak ~10 words in English) will take only 10-15 minutes. The border is actually open 24/7. However, it makes little sense to cross the border at night by foot, since there's no public transport at night.

[DutchieDutch]

4a. Shehyni - Lviv (train)
Costs: 15 hryvnia (~ € 0,50), but prices seem to vary. Just hand a bill of 50 hryvnia to the conductor. You won't be ripped off, no worries here; you'll actually receive a receipt. If you don't speak Ukrainian or Russian, then you could make your life (and that of the conductor) easier by bringing a piece of paper that says "Шегині - Львів" (Shehyni - Lviv).
Duration: ~ 30 minutes to get to the train station + 2 hours and 15 minutes in the train. Believe it or not, but trains in Ukraine actually (generally) depart and arrive on time.
Place of departure: the train station is about 30 minutes from the border. The sidewalk and road to there is in a surprisingly good condition. You can easily roll a large suitcase on it. Also, it's all down-hill. With Google Maps (download the map before getting there) it's easy to find the way. You will pass some 'amateur taxi drivers' that will offer you a ride; best thing is to simply ignore them (they won't be able to speak English anyway). Once at the station, all you will see is a sign with the name of the station ("Держкордон"). That's it; no station hall or ticket service (as explained above, you buy the ticket from the conductor). Here's the map:



Attractiveness of scenery during trip, for general public (scale of 0-100): 0
Attractiveness of scenery during trip, for people with a fetish for trees and pastures (scale of 0-100): 100
The train itself: it will probably be the shittiest train you have ever been on. All chairs are made of wood and are shaped in seemingly a 90 degrees angle. So, don't expect comfort. Still, if you are young and in good health, it shouldn't really be a problem. Also, there is a toilet on the train (if you dare...).
Place of arrival: you will arrive at the Suburban Train Station of Lviv. This is a small train station close to the Central Train Station. From there you can easily get to the tram. Try to avoid taxi drivers close to the central train station; they'll rip you off. Taxi drivers in Lviv in general are nice though; just agree on a price before getting in the car. Or use Uber/Uklon.
Frequency of departure: well, it's all written on the website of the local train company, but unfortunately this website only exists in Ukrainian language. If you go to this subsite, you can fill in "Держ.Кордон" at "Від" (from) and "Львів" at "до" (to). There you'll see that there are five trains per day: from 05:49, 07:48, 11:39, 16:24 and 20:14. As far as I can remember, this has been the train schedule for years now, but be sure to check it before planning your trip.

4b. Shehyni - Lviv (bus)
Costs: 20-30 hryvnia (~ € 1). Again, just hand a bill of 50 hryvnia to the driver. He sometimes will ask you where you are going to, just say "Lviv". More likely, he will just assume you are going to Lviv and charge you accordingly.
Duration: ~ 10 minutes to walk to the bus station + 2,5 hours in the bus. Sometimes a little more.
Place of departure: the bus station is near the border crossing. There's really no chance you can miss it. Just follow the road and take the first real chance to go the left. While walking, you will pass some small shops (exchange offices (again, terrible rates) and ABC's). Here's the map:



Attractiveness of bus ride, generally (scale of 0-100): 50. It's what you would call an interesting ride. Generally, it will be crowded in the bus from start to finish, so you can amuse yourself with some people-watching. Also, the bus stops at small towns as well, which could be interesting to see too.
Attractiveness of bus ride, in the summer (scale of 0-100): 0. Just imagine a small bus, many people and a warm sun. If you can speak Ukrainian or Russian, then please ask the bus driver to turn on the air-conditioning. You might score some laughs.
The bus itself: the buses are mini-buses. More or less the same kind of buses you'll see in Kiev and Lviv. There is no special place for luggage, so you will have to improvise something. Generally, the bus driver will ask you to sit at the back, which makes sense, since then your luggage won't block the path for others. The roads are mostly average, sometimes terrible. So expect some 'turbulence'.
Place of arrival: at the parking lot in front of the Central Station of Lviv. There is a tram stop nearby. Avoid the taxi drivers here.
Frequency of departure: there actually is a time schedule, but I always forget to take a picture of it. It's more or less a departure every 30 minutes, but no buses in the late evening or night.

[DutchieDutch]

5. Lviv - Kiev (train)
There are several night trains and two day trains from Lviv to Kiev. You can buy the tickets online at the website of the Ukrainian train company. Make sure you spell Kiev as "Kyiv" (the 'Ukrainian spelling'). The day trains are modern and very comfortable. If you have never travelled by train in Ukraine, then the information on Tripadvisor (here and here) is useful; I won't repeat it here. At these kind of trains, you can't buy a ticket on the train. This is only possible at the 'regional trains' (like the one from Shehyni to Lviv).

From Ukraine to Poland
Well, everything the same, only the other way around. The lines for people without an EU/EEA/Swiss passport at the border crossing can be extreme though. I've heard of Americans asking the Polish border guard to let them take the EU-line. Having a ticket to an air plane you have to catch on time will surely help. Also, I've seen the old Ukrainian ladies at the non-EU-line (that all bring some alcoholic drinks to Poland, to sell it there with a small profit) letting tourists go first.

Some final general remarks

• Visa free: people from the EU, the US and many other countries, can stay in Ukraine without a visa, but only for 90 days in every 180 days period. Ukrainian border officials take this rule seriously. 'Visa runs' don't work in Ukraine.
• Fines and bribes: the fine for overstaying is 900 hryvnia (~ € 30). You will get a receipt after paying it. Keep this receipt when you have plans to visit Ukraine again, because border officials will ask for it. If you can't show the receipt, then you will have to pay the same fine again... For this reason you don't want to 'bribe' the border official, because then you won't get the receipt.
• Travelling from Hungary to Ukraine is much easier: there is a train from Zahony (Hungary) to Chop (Ukraine). You can buy a train ticket at the station of Zahony, but also in e.g. Budapest. In Chop there will be no lines nor any other checks which will take much of your time. So if you can chose, travel to Ukraine from Hungary in stead of Poland.
  

[eck]

Oh my, thanks chap! gracias! grazie mille! GREAT job.

[Rossi]

Thank you so much for detailed info. But one questions, instead of making all these, isn't it just easier to book bus ticket?

For example, I got one from Warsaw to Lviv for 69 zl, which is 15 Euro. I'll be taking the bus tomorrow, let's see what happens. I hope we don't get stuck at the border too long.

[Giacomo Casanova]

Thanks for the detailed post, very helpful and accurate!
Anyway I don't think that this way is faster than crossing the border with a direct bus Krakow-Lviv. Krakow-Przemyśl takes generally 4 hours by train to add.
What might be interesting is arriving in the evening in Przemyśl (I met plenty of attractive girls from this city) - don't know if there is at least a club for some debauchery - then staying the night and doing the journey to Lviv that you describe since the morning of the following day.

[DutchieDutch]

(08-09-2017 12:45 AM)Rossi Wrote:  

Thank you so much for detailed info. But one questions, instead of making all these, isn't it just easier to book bus ticket?

For example, I got one from Warsaw to Lviv for 69 zl, which is 15 Euro. I'll be taking the bus tomorrow, let's see what happens. I hope we don't get stuck at the border too long.

The border checks are more thorough from Ukraine into Poland than the other way around. I have never taken a bus for this trip, but I did once take a train from Lviv to Kraków. The border check took several hours; they not only checked the luggage of every person, but also literally took the train apart to check for cigarettes or other smuggled goods. From Poland into Ukraine the checks are less extreme; so taking a bus could indeed be equally fast as the trip I suggested. Let us know how the trip went.

[Giacomo Casanova]

Yes on point for that, crossing the border Ukraine / Poland takes a couple of hours more than the other way due to the extreme checks of the customs. So for coming back to Poland the journey that you described should be the fastest option.
Anyway it is interesting to notice the price (1€) for the bus from the border to Lviv. How much would we pay in West for a trip of 2.5h?

[Rossi]

So, I'll be going to Lviv from Poland tomorrow via bus.

How does that work? Custom Officier comes to bus and check it one by one?

[Rossi]

I did my trip last weekend. I'll write few details.

First of all, I was with 2 of my American college buddies. They were in EU for 88 days and they wanted to do border run and I tagged along with them since I like Ukraine very much even though I went there last time around 5 years ago.

I was in Vilnius with my friends at the time. I think we left Vilnus all 3 of us on Wednesday night with Lux Express. Trip was around 8 hours to Warsaw. We paid around €11-12 each. Bus was very comfortable, each seat even had tv, air condition, leather seats, basically anything you would need on a bus.

We left Vilnius around 10 pm. I watched a movie and fell to sleep but I remember driver making an announcement around I guess, like 4 am or something. He said, "Passport check. Please everyone get your passports ready."

2 Polish police came on the bus. I looked at my iPhone to see where we are. We were in Poland and actually like 100-150 km in. So, it wasn't at the border. Polish police came around, I took my Italian passport and American friend pulled his passport out too, he only looked at our passport. Didn't even flip the pages to see if it's our passport. It took about like 2-3 minutes for whole bus to get checked.

We arrived to Warsaw at 6 am, like planned but we got off at central station. Our bus to Lviv was from Zachnovia (or something like that) bus station and it was at 7 am. So, we had 1 hour to find that bus station and it was 2 km away. We walked there and we were there at 6.30 am.

But compared to Lithuania where there are screens that say "Warsaw Bus 22:00 Platform 1", Warsaw was a lot different. There was no signs, no info desk, pretty much nothing. Not a lot of people speak English either. It was already 6:30 am and we were trying to find our bus to Lviv since it departs at 7:00 am

In the end, somehow we found it. Prior booking our bus from Polski Bus website, I sent them an e-mail saying if they have a wifi because I do online business, so I could have answered some e-mails from customers. They confirmed saying that they have wifi 2 weeks before.

So, we found the bus but bus was from 1970 style Lada bus. Forget about Wi-Fi, if it would take us to Lviv all safe, we'd be happy So, it wasn't very pleasant ride to Lviv under 35 degree heat with no ac on. Somehow, we made it to Poland/Ukraine border.

Polish Officer comes to bus. Collects all the passports. Around 1 hour later, he came back on the bus to give them back. Bus went ahead, then hot Ukrainian officer came to bus, collected passports again. She gave them back within half hour this time. With the line and everything, we were through passport-check within 2 hours. Not bad.

We stayed in Lviv 2 nights, I'll write that to another topic since this is travelling topic.

On the way back to Poland is the real deal

We took the bus back to Warsaw from Lviv train station around 22:00 again. Within an hour, we were at the border. We were exactly at the border 23:10. Due to really long line, Ukranianian officer comes to bus to collect passports at 02:00 this time, unlike last time. He got all the passports, he came back at 3:00 am to give them back.

I fell to sleep at that point. I woke up around 7 am. Everyone on the bus was sleeping including the driver who was sleeping on top of the wheel. I said, what the hell is going on? Front door of the bus was closed but middle door was open. I got out from there, walked around little.

Then I saw the whole scenario there

Basically, on the way to Poland, there are 3 gates for Polish police to check. They use 2 gates for normal cars, 1 gate is for buses. I stood there almost 2 hours and watch them why it takes so long. Basically this is how it works for bus:

Bus pulls up to gate. Everyone gets off (When we were exiting to Poland to go to Ukraine, nobody got off. Officer came to bus to get all the passports) Police tell them pick up their bags, everyone proceeds to building. Just like airport, you go through booth and they stamp your passport and ask questions. And then, they want you to put your luggage to x-ray.

It's totally different procedure. Nobody checked our bags when we were going to Ukraine from Poland. Not Polish customs, not Ukrainian customs.

So, stamping 40 people' passports and checking luggages on x-ray takes good 1 hour at least. Then, Polish Police go on to empty bus. They asked driver to open the hood, trunk, even told driver to unscew some part with the screwdriver to look for some stuff there. They even removed the carpet in our bus to look for something under and stuff.

We had exactly 6 bus on the line in front of us. Time was around 8 am.

So we've been waiting already 7-8 hours on the border and we had 6 bus ahead of us on the line. I spoke with the Polish police and I said about the situation. He said if you have 6 bus in front of you and you're on the 7th bus, you will wait another minimum 8 hours.

On our itinenary, it was saying that we would arrive in Warsaw at 6:20 am but it was already 8 am, we were at the border.

Then, I went to bus. I woke up my American friends. They picked up their stuff, we went to 1st bus on the line before getting checked. We asked them if they have any free-spot for us on the way to Warsaw. Driver yes, we gave him €10 and we jumped to bus that was in front of the line. We got checked with that bus and went to Warsaw.

After I got to Warsaw, I met with Spanish dude on the bus. I texted him if he waited too long at the border. Guy said they were in Warsaw at 6 pm. So, if we would have stayed on that bus, we would have waited at the border for more than 10 hours.

I think best way to do this by foot, like it's described in this topic.

[This Is Trouble]

Great and informative post man.

[Rossi]

I'm gonna take Warsaw to Przemysl next time and pass the border by foot but Warsaw to Przeymsl is only 370 km. How does train take 8 hours to there?

[Rossi]

(08-08-2017 11:59 AM)DutchieDutch Wrote:  

From Poland to Ukraine
I've travelled from Poland to Lviv numerous times and can say without a doubt that the fastest and cheapest way to make this journey, is to:

1. Take a train to Przemyśl.
2. Take a bus to Medyka.
3. Walk past the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing.
4. Take a bus or train from Shehyni to Lviv.
5. Take a train to Kiev.

1. Train to Przemyśl
You can easily find schedules and buy tickets at the (English) website of the Polish train company PKP.

Why can't I buy ticket from this website? I search for it but it doesnt give me option to buy.

[Strelka]

(09-06-2017 02:59 AM)Rossi Wrote:  

(08-08-2017 11:59 AM)DutchieDutch Wrote:  

From Poland to Ukraine
I've travelled from Poland to Lviv numerous times and can say without a doubt that the fastest and cheapest way to make this journey, is to:

1. Take a train to Przemyśl.
2. Take a bus to Medyka.
3. Walk past the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing.
4. Take a bus or train from Shehyni to Lviv.
5. Take a train to Kiev.

1. Train to Przemyśl
You can easily find schedules and buy tickets at the (English) website of the Polish train company PKP.

Why can't I buy ticket from this website? I search for it but it doesnt give me option to buy.

I believe international tickets must be purchased in person from the cashier.

[Rossi]

But, it's not international ticket. It's from Warsaw to Przemyśl, within Poland.

[DutchieDutch]

(09-06-2017 03:21 AM)Rossi Wrote:  

But, it's not international ticket. It's from Warsaw to Przemyśl, within Poland.

The site works without problems here, with daily three direct trains from Warszawa Centralna to Przemyśl Główny and several options where you have to switch trains once. In the latter case you'll have to buy two tickets separately, because it are different 'type' of trains (TLK, IC, EIC or regional trains).

If you post a printscreen of where it goes wrong in your case, it will be easier to help you out.

[Rossi]

(09-08-2017 03:55 PM)DutchieDutch Wrote:  

The site works without problems here, with daily three direct trains from Warszawa Centralna to Przemyśl Główny and several options where you have to switch trains once. In the latter case you'll have to buy two tickets separately, because it are different 'type' of trains (TLK, IC, EIC or regional trains).

If you post a printscreen of where it goes wrong in your case, it will be easier to help you out.

Check your private message's man, I sent you one.

So, I have to book Warsaw Centralna to Przemysl Glowny right? Once I get there, how long does it usually get to cross the border?

I'll be going on next Wednesday.

[Matt Forney]

Tried out DutchieDutch's method for traveling from Ukraine to Poland and it went off without a hitch. Since his post focuses on going from Poland to Ukraine, I figure I'll share my thoughts on my trip.

The suburban train schedule from Lviv to Shehyni/State Border kind of sucks. There's only three trains per day, each leaving at five in the morning, 8:50 am, and around 2 in the afternoon. I took the 8:50 train so I'd be able to get to Krakow by 6pm.

Unlike with those leaving from Shehyni/State Border, if you leave from Lviv, you have the option to buy the ticket at the station. The ticket office is to the right of the entrance to the train platforms. The clerks don't speak English, so just write "Львів - Держ.Кордон" ("Lviv - State Border") on a piece of paper and they'll get you the right ticket. I believe they're cash-only.

The train is both less and more horrible than DutchieDutch described it. The good: it arrives and leaves on time, and the seats are fine (the train I rode had regular plastic seats with soft coverings). On the other hand, you'll be surrounded by smelly old people for most of the trip, the train looks like it hasn't been cleaned since Brezhnev was still alive, and the toilets are nightmarish. After finding the bathroom (I smelled it before I saw it), I opened the door and turned away after seeing a gigantic puddle of piss on the floor.

The State Border stop is on a dirt road a little bit off the main drag through Shehyni. The actual main road is well-paved and has a shoulder for pedestrians. Just get off the train and follow the Ukrainians and you won't get lost. It's about a twenty minute walk, longer if you have a big suitcase. Expect to run into many Ukrainians carrying boxes of shoes and other high-end consumer goods coming from the border checkpoint.

Once you get to the cluster of fast food restaurants near the border (and the shady taxi drivers looking to make a fast buck off you), the sidewalk diverges from the road and goes north. You walk down a path hemmed in with fences, enter the Ukrainian border station, get your passport stamped after a brief interview (real brief in my case since the lady at immigration clearly didn't speak English), and exit to no man's land.

The Polish border station has two lines: one for EU/Schengen Area passports, one for everyone else. The EU line was empty. The All Passports line was completely full and moving at a snail's pace, as the Poles took their sweet time admitting Ukrainians and searching their luggage for smuggled vodka and cigarettes. Both lines had their own bathrooms. I really had to go after the train ride, but I was so far back in the line that I couldn't get to the door. Then I saw Ukrainians going into the EU bathroom and casually getting back in line. That's what I get for playing by the rules.

Every so often, a Polish border guard would unlock the door separating the EU and All Passports line, take a half-dozen Ukrainians with him (mainly babushkas with their legal allotment of vodka and smokes), then lock the door again. I also noticed people being allowed to force their way ahead in line according to some secret protocol the Ukrainians have worked out among themselves. I couldn't even begin to parse the logic of all this.

After a while, I pulled out my U.S. passport and nervously held it in my left hand. The lady behind me saw it and started barking at me in Ukrainian, motioning for me to move up in line. When I didn't get the hint, she and the other people began shoving me forward. I moved up enough to get to the bathroom, slipped in, and when I came out, a young guy began asking me "Pосійський or Англійська?" ("Russian or English?") I said English, and he said "Follow me."

He knocked on one of the closed doors to the border station, then when the Poles opened it, led me to a closed customs checking line so I could get through immigration faster. I thanked him. After a light check of my bag, the Poles stamped my passport and I was through the door to freedom. I'd budgeted two hours to get through immigration and I got through in about 20-30 minutes, giving me more time to hang around Przemyśl to take pictures.

At the end of the primrose path leading from Poland's border station, you get a currency exchange booth and six million babushkas who will descend on you, hocking discount vodka and cigarettes. I yelled "Nyet!", my favorite Ukrainian word, at every one who came up to me.

The buses are also located here, parked on the sidewalk. Go up to the nearest one, give the driver 0.50 zł, and you're on your merry way to the Przemyśl train station. Walk through the underground passage from the bus terminal and you're at the station.

[Rossi]

I was about to try this path with 2 American friends and I couldn't. We took bus straight from Warsaw to Lviv. We'll try it in 2 weeks. Did anyone cross like that recently?

[This Is Trouble]

If you're asking if it's still running, the guy who runs Seat61.com usually keeps this kind of stuff up to date if it shuts down or there are issues.

For example, I was gonna take a train from Belgrade to Romania, and his was the only site that clearly explained why those trains are no longer in service.

[Rossi]

I looked at the prices now. This train thing doesn't make any sense much unless you're going for the adventure. I mean, buses are like 15 euro, from Warsaw to Lviv.

If you take this train-bus-etc, it's going to be way more than 30 euro, plus you have to hassle little.

[Matt Forney]

An update for those of you planning to use this method: as of January, the Ukrainian government has changed the train and bus schedules to make the Medyka/Shehyni pedestrian crossing more difficult to access.

The two most convenient trains that go from the border to Lviv---the 12:29 and 16:24 eastbound ones and the 8:50 and 14:05 westbound ones---no longer originate or terminate at Shehyni, but at Mostyska-2, about nine kilometers northeast of Shehyni. This makes taking them more cumbersome because you'll need to find a way to or from Mostyska-2, since it's too large a distance from the border to walk. I have no idea what kind of transportation is available there.

The only trains that still originate/terminate from Shehyni/State Border are either very early in the morning or late at night: 5:49, 7:48, and 20:27 eastbound and 5:25 and 17:55 westbound. This makes fitting them into a longer travel itinerary way harder.

Not only that, the bus/marshrutka schedule has been cut back as well. Instead of originating/terminating at the Lviv railway station, it now goes to/from Zakhidna station, a shithole on the far end of the M11 motorway, the literal edge of town (the address is Horodotska Street, 359). In order to get to or from there, you'll either have to take a taxi or ride a shitty local bus.

I'm all but certain the government did this in order to force people to take the more expensive Ukrainian Railways InterCity+ trains that run between Przemyśl and Kiev (passing through Lviv), since the timetables of those trains overlap the two suburban trains that now go to/from Mostyska-2. They may have also done it to cut down on smuggling since a lot of the people who use the Shehyni pedestrian crossing try to sneak booze and cigarettes into Poland and meat into Ukraine.

I recommend taking the InterCity+ train from Przemyśl if you need to go to Ukraine; I actually took it today and it was quite nice. They're fast, clean trains with new seats, modern facilities, and WiFi (though the quality is dodgy depending on how far you are from the router and it doesn't work when you're in Poland). Also, unlike most international trains that originate outside of Ukraine, you can buy tickets on the Ukrainian Railways site instead of having to do it in person at the station.

Immigration and customs procedures are streamlined as well. Polish immigration starts doing checks as soon as people board, and when you cross the border, instead of stopping the train for half-an-hour for border formalities, Ukrainian immigration officers board at Mostyska-2, then stamp everyone's passport while the train hurtles at full speed towards Lviv (it took less than two hours to get there).

The InterCity+ trains are considerably more expensive (first-class fare from Przemyśl to Lviv is around $12), but worth it. I don't know what things are like going from Ukraine to Poland on the InterCity+ train, but the Przemyśl to Kiev train was fantastic.

(03-26-2018 01:24 AM)This Is Trouble Wrote:  

If you're asking if it's still running, the guy who runs Seat61.com usually keeps this kind of stuff up to date if it shuts down or there are issues.

For example, I was gonna take a train from Belgrade to Romania, and his was the only site that clearly explained why those trains are no longer in service.

Seat61.com doesn't have information on Lviv suburban trains (or any suburban trains) since his specialty is long-distance, intercity trains. For that matter, most of the info about these trains is in Ukrainian only, so not many people period know about these trains.

(03-26-2018 12:26 PM)Rossi Wrote:  

I looked at the prices now. This train thing doesn't make any sense much unless you're going for the adventure. I mean, buses are like 15 euro, from Warsaw to Lviv.

If you take this train-bus-etc, it's going to be way more than 30 euro, plus you have to hassle little.

The main reason to use DutchieDutch's method is to avoid long holdups at the border when going to Poland, since their immigration officers are known to delay trains and buses while they search for smuggled goods. Maybe the InterCity+ train from Kiev/Lviv to Przemyśl doesn't have this problem anymore; I don't know for sure.

[mcgooie]

I did the train from Lviv to Przemyśl last week. Train was 230 UAH and took just over 2 hours. You can book via the Ukrainian Railways app. Arrived in Przemyśl with plenty of time before the IC+ train going through Krakow - Wroclaw - Poznan. One way to Poznan (10 hours) booked a couple of days in advance cost 100 PLN.

I have done the bus before from Warsaw to Kyiv and being stuck at the border for 3 hours from 1-4 AM is not fun at all!

[Matt Forney]

Just an update: I took the InterCity+ train from Lviv to Przemyśl yesterday and it was just as fast as the train from Przemyśl to Lviv. Like when we were going in, Ukrainian immigration handled our passports while the train was going at full speed, only stopping to be let off at Mostyska-2 just prior to the border. On the other side, the Poles only took half an hour to process everyone, so we arrived in Przemyśl on time.

I'm guessing Poland and Ukraine made an agreement to expedite customs searches on the InterCity+ trains so they wouldn't get held up for hours while officers laboriously searched every nook and cranny for smuggled goods. The Poles also likely assume that smugglers are unlikely to take trains that are expensive by Ukrainian standards.

In any event, while DutchieDutch's method was useful for me in the past, I'm going to be taking InterCity+ trains across the border from now on. They're more expensive, but they're faster and more comfortable, and thanks to the Ukrainian government messing with the suburban train and bus schedules, they're more convenient too. It certainly beats having to stand for hours in the cold at a pedestrian crossing (during my last trip to Ukraine around New Years, I was trapped in line for four hours going back to Poland and ended up missing my bus).

[Kale_anonymous]

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