Lviv- Ukraine’s hidden little Europe

Lviv is one of my favorite cities in Ukraine.  Tucked in the corner of Western Ukraine, bordering Poland, it is a refreshing city, in much contrast to the more soviet block cities of the east.  I first went to Lviv 3 years ago and fell in love with it’s quaint yet European feel.  I thought it would be the perfect destination to take my parents so they could see another flavor of Ukraine- it also made a good stop on our way westward towards Krakow, Poland.

What I love about Lviv is the western European influence in architecture, and since Lviv was almost untouched by bombs during WWII, most of the baroque and renaissance structures remain. Lviv also varies quite a bit from the rest of Ukraine because of it’s Catholic influence. Whereas the majority of Ukraine remains largely Orthodox, Lviv in contrast has Catholic cathedrals everywhere and the population looks more west than east in regards to their faith.   With cute cafes on almost every corner and only one day to spend exploring, I told my parents we were in for a day of lots of walking and lots of eating!!  So we made sure to eat at some of my favorite spots- which included Veronika, an adorable patisserie with great coffee and breakfast.  We also explored one of the largest cemeteries I’ve ever been in with thousands of graves of Polish, Ukrainian and Russian people who died from the 18th century on.  The mix of names written in the three languages throughout three centuries is fascinating.

We rounded off our day with a yummy dinner in an eclectic restaurant full of antiques from Poland…which was quite fitting since we would be up early the next morning to board our train headed towards Krakow!