Chernivtsi - how to get: by plane, train, bus and car.

By plane

The best way to fly into Ukraine is through the Boryspil International Airport (KBP) near Kyiv. The main international hubs for these flights are Budapest, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Munich, Oslo, Prague, Rome, Vienna, Warsaw and Istanbul with several flights a day of Austrian AUA, CSA Czech Airlines, LOT, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Air France, British Airways, KLM, Norwegian; also Ukraine International, which code-shares on these routes with the respective carriers, and another Ukrainian carrier, AeroSvit. Special offers on flights come and go, depending on the whim of the carrier. As of 2015, Ukraine has suspended all flights from Russia due to Crimea occupation, so you can't reach Ukraine from Russia in any way via air.

Chernivtsi airport has direct flight to Kyiv Boryspil (KBP) only.

Airport

By train

Travelling by train in Ukraine with Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) is easy, safe and cheap. The network covers all the main cities in the country. Sleepers enable you to make long distance journeys while having a relaxing night's sleep. Trains have booking classes, different types of carriages & compartments, the most comfortable is 1st class (SV). It is a compartment for two people only with two lower berths and a table near the window. It is possible to buy two tickets and you will have the whole compartment for yourself. The 2nd class (kupe) compartment has two lower berths and two upper berths. Like the SV, it can be locked from the inside for your safety and comfort.

If you arrive in Ukraine by plane with an international flight, you will land at the airport Kyiv Boryspil or Lviv International. There are direct trains from Kyiv and Lviv to Chernivtsi.

Schedule

By bus & car

There are some bus routes in Europe to Chernivtsi: from Prague (Czech Rep.) and Wroclaw (Poland) etc.

Foreign nationals crossing a Ukrainian border by car must have the following:
– Car registration documents;
– Driver's license;
– Vehicle registration plate with information written in Roman characters;
– Your country's two-letter country code bumper sticker;
– Green Card insurance certificate.

You are not required a temporary registration document for your vehicle, unless you intend to stay in Ukraine longer than you are permitted by your travel document (EU nationals can stay in Ukraine for up to 90 days). Drivers from the UK, please note: you must also have headlamp converters. These are the stickers you put on your headlamps to prevent dazzling drivers who are coming the other way, when you are driving on the right.

Please note that the rules for crossing Ukrainian border by air are slightly different from rules for crossing a Ukrainian border by car. The following is a list of items you are not required to pay custom fees and tax for while crossing Ukrainian border:
– Goods that cost up to 500 Euros, and weigh less than 50 kilos (110 pounds);
– Personal belongings such as phones, digital cameras, clothing and computers;
– Cash up to 10,000 Euros does not need to be declared;
– 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars;
– 1 liter of strong alcoholic beverage (vodka, liquor etc.), 2 liters of wine and 5 liters of beer;
– Groceries for personal consumption worth of up to 200 Euros per person, up to 2 kilos (4.4 pounds);
– Medical drugs for personal use, not more than stated in a subscription provided by your doctor.

Once you cross Ukrainian border, you are not permitted to drive unless your vehicle is equipped with a fire extinguisher, a medical emergency kit and an AAA emergency warning triangle. You will have to wear your seatbelts at all occasions while driving within Ukraine.

Speed Limit for driving outside of populated areas:
– You can drive up to 70 km/hour if you have less than 2 years of driving experience;
– You can drive up to 130 km/hour on roads marked with a sign "Highway";
– You can drive up to 110 km/hour on roads with at least 1 lane in each direction separated by a solid white line;
– And up to 90 km/hour on other roads.

Speed Limit for driving within populated areas:
– You can drive up to 60 km/hour in populated areas marked with a sign "Populated Area on white background";
– You can drive up to 90 km/hour in populated areas marked with a sign "Populated Area on blue background".

More Tidbits:
– There are very few traffic police officers in Ukraine who speaks any English at all;
– Many roads have potholes. These are hard to spot when the road surface is wet;
– Road markings are either in a poor condition, or permanently missing;
– Crossing the border might take a long time, so don't plan to accomplish too many things on that day;
– Driving a car with a lot of ground clearance is a very good idea.

Comments

Alex King, 01.03.2020
An express goes to Lviv from Chernivtsi everyday, here is its schedule. Tickets are booked and bought either online no earlier than a week, or at the box office of Chernivtsi rail station.

Josette St-Onge, 27.02.2020
Hi,
I am from Canada and I am not familiar with travelling by trains.
My daughter and I , will visit Chernivtsi june 2-3-4.
I would like to know if it is easy to book 2 seats to go to Lviv on june 5th. Is there always available seats? How long in advance should we booked ?
Is there express trains ?
Any information will help me , I looked viarail but it says nothing concerning my questions.
Many thanks!

Arrivals to Chernivtsi and Bucovina by plane, train, bus and car

How to get

By plane

By train

By bus & car

Comments

Your Name
Comment
Enter code