Ukraine, while one of the largest countries in Eastern Europe, is often overlooked by tourists. Many of them believe that it is not a safe country to travel, but please note that the troubles people run from are in the east. The rest of the country is safe to travel to.

Besides, Ukraine has a rich culture and plenty of things to see and do. Below, you will find a few of the top tourist destinations in Ukraine that you will surely enjoy.

Lviv

If you plan on going to western Ukraine, Lviv should definitely be on your list of ‘must-see’ locations. It is the largest city in the area, and it was named after the eldest son of King of Ruthenia, Leo. The fact that the establishment had different leaders from Poland and Russia make this city rich in culture and historic sites. Exploring it will enrich your whole experience.

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Topilnytsya is a village with a population of about 1,500 people located in the southwest of Lviv Oblast, near the border with Poland.

There is a beautiful monument of wooden architecture in this village – the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin (1730). This church with other buildings forms a unique monastery complex of the 18th century. Topilnytsya on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque wooden church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

Zbarazh Castle (1626-1631) is located in a park near the center of the town of Zbarazh in the central part of Ternopil Oblast, about 24 km northeast of Ternopil.

In 1649, this fortification played a key role during the uprising of the Zaporozhye Cossacks led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky. As a result of the siege of Zbarazh and the ensuing Battle of Zboriv fought between the combined Cossack-Crimean force and the Crown army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Treaty of Zboriv was signed. Zbarazh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over Zbarazh Castle

Tags: Ternopil oblast

Svirzh Castle, a picturesque fortified aristocratic residence, is a unique monument of defense architecture of the 15th-17th centuries located in the village of Svirzh in Lviv Oblast, about 44 km southeast of Lviv.

First mentioned in 1484, it was originally a purely defensive stone building. After numerous renovations, the castle acquired its present form in the middle of the 17th century. In Soviet times, this building was used as a school of tractor drivers. Svirzh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over Svirzh Castle

Tags: Lviv oblast

Rosokhy is a small village with a population of about 150 people located in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine near the border with Poland, about 123 km southwest of Lviv.

The main attraction of this village is a complex of buildings of the fortified Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary built in the 15th-16th centuries and included in the list of monuments of architecture of national importance. At that time, this region was within the reach of the raids of the Crimean Tatars, therefore there was a need for such fortifications. Rosokhy on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque fortified church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

Turka is a town with a population of about 7,000 people located in Lviv Oblast, about 135 km south-west of Lviv, near the border with Poland.

One of the architectural sights of the town is the wooden Church of St. Nicholas (1739) – a monument of architecture of national importance. Inside, there is a preserved carved wooden iconostasis with a red background, gilded carvings, and icons created in 1739. Turka on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

beautiful wooden church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

Rozluch is a village with a population of about 1,200 people located in Lviv Oblast, about 128 km southwest of Lviv.

The main attraction of the village is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Borgia (1901-1902) – the former chapel of German colonists and a unique for Ukraine example of a wooden church built in the Neo-Gothic style. Rozluch on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque wooden church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine is an open-air museum, an architectural and landscape complex of all historical and ethnographic regions of Ukraine. It is located on the southern outskirts of Kyiv, near the village of Pyrohiv.

The exposition devoted to the Carpathians is located on three hills covered with spruce and beech trees resembling the natural conditions of the original localities of the exhibits in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Chernivtsi regions. Pyrohiv on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque wooden buildings

Tags: church · Kiev city · museum

Pushcha-Vodytsya is a historical place and a climatic resort located mainly in pine forests in the north-western part of Kyiv. This locality got its name from the word “pushcha” (a dense, impenetrable forest) and the Vodytsya River, which no longer exists.

Today, it is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the capital of Ukraine. You can find a cascade of lakes with sandy beaches, boat and catamaran rental stations, as well as shops and ATMs here. Pushcha-Vodytsya is connected to Kyiv by a unique historical tram line running through the forest, which makes it probably the most scenic tram line in Ukraine. Pushcha-Vodytsya on Google Maps. Photos by: Igor Golovach.

unique forest tram

Tags: Kiev city

Ostroh, first mentioned in 1100, is a town with a population of about 15 thousand people located in the south of Rivne Oblast. The main attraction of the town is its old castle located on the top of the hill.

In the 14th-16th centuries, this was the ancestral nest of the Ostrogski family – one of the greatest Polish-Ruthenian families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Ostroh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the Ostroh Castle

Tags: fortress · Rivne oblast