When is the best time to visit West Ukraine?
So, when is the best time to travel to the West Ukraine? Of course, it’s up to you. Every person has own preferences. My husband and I just would like to share our preferences with you; so these tips are based on experience of our travels to the Western Ukraine. We made a list of the best months for touring to Ukraine and the worst as well. So, the best are December, January, April, May, June, September, October; the worst are February, March, July, August, November.
Ok, let’s start from a winter. I am sure that many of you associate the word “winter” with “Christmas”. If you want to see all the unique West Ukrainian traditions of celebrations Christmas, to feel a magic of Ukrainian Christmas Eve, to enjoy Ukrainian Christmas Carols,
you better go in January (Ukrainian Christmas is January 7). Well, you can start your trip in December, because both December and January are really two nice winter’s months in Western Ukraine, especially in small towns and villages. There are usually snowing, like it suppose to be in winter, but I remember one or two Christmas Holidays when we did not have snow at all (I am originally from West Ukraine).
Ukrainian weather is different than, for example, North American weather. When my North American husband came to Western Ukraine in winter time, he said, “I am cold!” It was only minus 10 outside. I could not believe it said by husband who feels okay in minus 20 in North America. The reason why he felt so cold is a very high humidity in Western Ukraine, almost 100 percents, so it is very damp out.
Next two months, February and March, are the dampest in Western Ukraine. The weather is changes every day, one day it is sunny, next day it is snowing, besides, it is snow with a rain, mud is everywhere; so instead of enjoying of local sightseeing you are thinking about closest café and cup of tea or even bowl of hot soup. There is the highest risk to catch cold in February and March in Ukraine. So we would not recommend February and March for traveling to West Ukraine. But, again, if you are not scared of damp weather and mud, of course, you can go.
Or maybe you will wait until April, May or June? Oh, they are our favorite months for traveling to West Ukraine! Why? Because it is already not that damp and cold, like in February or March, but still not that hot like in July or August. April it is a month when trees and flowers start to blossom and high West Ukrainian humidity becomes a benefit: you can SMELL SPRING.
You can smell aroma of blossomed cherry trees (apple trees, lilac, chestnuts or tulips) even walking on the street. All the aromas are enhance at nighttime: what a romantic nights in Western Ukraine!
April, May and June (mostly fist part of June) is great for excursions and adventures, because the weather is just perfect.
So, what about next two months, July and August, which are the busiest months for world tourism? Well, they are very good months to visit Western Ukraine, but… They are not my family’s preferences, because of this West Ukrainian humidity again. If April, May and June's middle temperature (I mean mostly first part of June) is up to plus 20 in West Ukraine, the temperature of July and August is up after plus 20. So after plus 20 the Ukrainian humidity becomes bad again: it makes weather even hotter than it appears. Besides, there are no air-conditioners in many hotels, houses, apartments and public transportation in West Ukraine. You are sweating, your hands are always sticky, you want cold shower all the time, what is not make you a happy tourist at all. Well, maybe somebody doesn’t pay an attention for such small things, but not me! For my husband either, he hates too hot weather. There is only place in Western Ukraine where we can feel ourselves very comfortable even in July or August: the Carpathians Mountains.
We forget about damp hot weather of July or August, enjoying a clean mountains air, watching an incredibly beautiful sightseeing and listening to wild hutsul music
But, anyway, if life is giving us a choice, we better wait to September and October to go to the West Ukraine. September and October are two amazing months for traveling to Ukraine, for our family’s opinion. Ukrainians that are romantics calls this season a Golden Fall, it is because of lots of yellow leafs on the trees.
What a magnificent views for tourists! Fall is also a wedding season in Western Ukraine.
Realistic Ukrainians call these months as potato season, because almost every Ukrainian landowner is growing potatoes and other veggies to have an own food supplies for winter. So you can go to any village or dacha (dacha is a property in a suburb area) and to see how Ukrainians are digging, picking and sorting potatoes. You can even ask to help, if you want. Believe me, it will be an experience of lifetime for you, because people in rural area of Western Ukraine do not have machines for digging, so they dig with shovels.
Yes, hurry up to visit West Ukraine in September and October, because November on the way, with damp weather again, with a mud under your feet and with naked trees instead of golden beauty. But don’t be so disappointed, because December and January are coming again :)
Read also:
Before you go to Ukraine: Travel Tips
Ok, let’s start from a winter. I am sure that many of you associate the word “winter” with “Christmas”. If you want to see all the unique West Ukrainian traditions of celebrations Christmas, to feel a magic of Ukrainian Christmas Eve, to enjoy Ukrainian Christmas Carols,
you better go in January (Ukrainian Christmas is January 7). Well, you can start your trip in December, because both December and January are really two nice winter’s months in Western Ukraine, especially in small towns and villages. There are usually snowing, like it suppose to be in winter, but I remember one or two Christmas Holidays when we did not have snow at all (I am originally from West Ukraine).Ukrainian weather is different than, for example, North American weather. When my North American husband came to Western Ukraine in winter time, he said, “I am cold!” It was only minus 10 outside. I could not believe it said by husband who feels okay in minus 20 in North America. The reason why he felt so cold is a very high humidity in Western Ukraine, almost 100 percents, so it is very damp out.
Next two months, February and March, are the dampest in Western Ukraine. The weather is changes every day, one day it is sunny, next day it is snowing, besides, it is snow with a rain, mud is everywhere; so instead of enjoying of local sightseeing you are thinking about closest café and cup of tea or even bowl of hot soup. There is the highest risk to catch cold in February and March in Ukraine. So we would not recommend February and March for traveling to West Ukraine. But, again, if you are not scared of damp weather and mud, of course, you can go.
Or maybe you will wait until April, May or June? Oh, they are our favorite months for traveling to West Ukraine! Why? Because it is already not that damp and cold, like in February or March, but still not that hot like in July or August. April it is a month when trees and flowers start to blossom and high West Ukrainian humidity becomes a benefit: you can SMELL SPRING.
You can smell aroma of blossomed cherry trees (apple trees, lilac, chestnuts or tulips) even walking on the street. All the aromas are enhance at nighttime: what a romantic nights in Western Ukraine!April, May and June (mostly fist part of June) is great for excursions and adventures, because the weather is just perfect.
So, what about next two months, July and August, which are the busiest months for world tourism? Well, they are very good months to visit Western Ukraine, but… They are not my family’s preferences, because of this West Ukrainian humidity again. If April, May and June's middle temperature (I mean mostly first part of June) is up to plus 20 in West Ukraine, the temperature of July and August is up after plus 20. So after plus 20 the Ukrainian humidity becomes bad again: it makes weather even hotter than it appears. Besides, there are no air-conditioners in many hotels, houses, apartments and public transportation in West Ukraine. You are sweating, your hands are always sticky, you want cold shower all the time, what is not make you a happy tourist at all. Well, maybe somebody doesn’t pay an attention for such small things, but not me! For my husband either, he hates too hot weather. There is only place in Western Ukraine where we can feel ourselves very comfortable even in July or August: the Carpathians Mountains.
We forget about damp hot weather of July or August, enjoying a clean mountains air, watching an incredibly beautiful sightseeing and listening to wild hutsul musicBut, anyway, if life is giving us a choice, we better wait to September and October to go to the West Ukraine. September and October are two amazing months for traveling to Ukraine, for our family’s opinion. Ukrainians that are romantics calls this season a Golden Fall, it is because of lots of yellow leafs on the trees.
What a magnificent views for tourists! Fall is also a wedding season in Western Ukraine.Realistic Ukrainians call these months as potato season, because almost every Ukrainian landowner is growing potatoes and other veggies to have an own food supplies for winter. So you can go to any village or dacha (dacha is a property in a suburb area) and to see how Ukrainians are digging, picking and sorting potatoes. You can even ask to help, if you want. Believe me, it will be an experience of lifetime for you, because people in rural area of Western Ukraine do not have machines for digging, so they dig with shovels.
Yes, hurry up to visit West Ukraine in September and October, because November on the way, with damp weather again, with a mud under your feet and with naked trees instead of golden beauty. But don’t be so disappointed, because December and January are coming again :)
Read also:
Before you go to Ukraine: Travel Tips
Old Cars Downtown Of Lviv
Looks like the city of Lviv (Western Ukraine) is a paradize for the vintage cars lovers. This is one of reasons why my husband and I love Lviv so much: because we are big classic car fans.
Lviv Brides
Photo by: Nazar Koval A husband and wife, who are my friends, were invited to a wedding, but wife was too busy to attend it (she had a very important business-trip), so her husband went to the wedding by himself. When his wife came back from her business-trip, she asked her husband, “So how was the wedding? What was the bride’s dress?”. “White”, he answered. I must say, he was not joking at all, he said it absolutely honestly. It was a typical man’s vision of the women’s “gadgets”. Of course, a woman’s curiosity meant “what was the dress?” the cut of the dress, the skirt's shape (classic or fishtail), the features of dress’s top and many other details that men usually don't pay attention to.
But! There are some men who know very well the differences between bridal dresses; even if all of the dresses are white :) These men should know the differences for sure, for showing these differences in the best light and settings, because these men actually make living knowing ALL about a wedding. I am speaking about wedding photographers.
I saw hundreds, maybe even thousands of wedding pictures (I love weddings very much because my hobby is matchmaking) and I understand very well, that it is really a big art to find something special in each “white dressed” bride and to show this something special in the wedding pictures.
As I was looking at all these pictures, my eyes stopped at the Lviv brides. Lviv is a city with a unique cultural background; people of Lviv are crazy about the history of their city, including the history of Lviv’s fashion. Lviv brides are very picky in choosing their wedding dresses and outfits for the their grooms as well. Actually, there are three trends in Lviv’s wedding fashion now: classic (traditional white dress for the bride and black suit for the groom), ethnic (traditional Ukrainian costumes or modern outfits with ethnic elements) and retro (wedding attires in the style of the 1920-1930 era or even from the 19th century). Most of Lviv brides prefer white dresses though, but! Each white dress is sprinkled with something special, like details of a different color or unusual cut.
So, now it is the task of good photographers to enhance this beauty and to show in the wedding pictures, all of the uniqueness and gorgeousness of each white dress and the loveliness of each of the brides.
First one, a picture by Nazar Koval, you can see above. Seems to me, the photographer has found the best background for showing all of the grace and sensuality of the bride.
Another background, picked by Alexandr Donchak, is matched so well with a bride’s attire! Her dress and hairdo are made in 18-19 centuries style and she look soooo gorgeous on this museum-like background.
Photo by: Alexandr Donchak And finally, my favorite pictures of Lviv's bride are by Roman Myshkovets.
Photos by: Roman Myshkovets
Wow, what a bride! First, she has a very elegant outfit, and second, as I can see on the pictures, she got an incredibly energetic personality (I never saw before a picture of the bride who is entertaining people!). Everything (posing of the newlyweds, catching bride’s emotions) is showing that Roman Myshkovets did a really good job!
Ukrainians have a saying, “Unpretty brides do not exist”. Which is true, all the brides are beautiful, but the best of them exist too. Like on the pictures of Lviv photographers…
Limos In Western Ukraine
Back in 1999-2000, a limo was rather “exotic” car in Western Ukraine. Of course, local people saw a limousine on TV many times before, but not in real life yet. After 2000 first limos finally started to appear on the streets of West Ukrainian cities of Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. Now is 2009 and it is not a big problem at all in any of these cities to rent a limo for a wedding, for example. All you need it is money, because limo rental is expensive pleasure in Ukraine: average cost of one hour of limo rent is about $100. But I know very well, that Ukrainian attitude to the weddings will not let to quit to any of the companies, which are running a limo rental business. I mean that Ukrainian parents, arranging a wedding for daughter or son (in Ukraine parents usually pay for the weddings of children), even ready to take a loan for giving the best marriage ceremony for their kids, including a gorgeous car's rent. Actually, now to rent a limousine for the wedding became like a fashion in Western Ukraine. There are number of companies in Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk, who offer a limos for rent. You can choose now a model (Lincoln or Mercedes) and color of limousine you want to rent (black, white, silver, red).
Also West Ukrainian locals started to rent limos not for weddings only, but for other special celebrations as well. I remember, back in 2007, co-workers of my good friend Anna from Ternopil rented a limo for her birthday: to take her from work to the birthday party in restaurant. Anna did not expect such a surprise, she was so touched that she cried. “I am in limo for the first time in my life”, she said. She was 50 years old in 2007.
On the pictures above:
wedding limo downtown of Ivano-Frankivsk;
wedding limos waiting for bride and groom by the Opera House in Lviv.
Read also:
Old Cars Downtown Of Lviv
Gogol Bordello in Lviv!
Here are some videos from the Gogol Bordello’s performance in Lviv (Western Ukraine) at the “Stare Misto” festival, June 29, 2009
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