You may have only 1 day or half a day to do some sightseeing. But even with such a limited time you can get acquainted with the Lviv’s top sights. Here are those things that we recommend you see and do.

1. Walk along Prospect Svobody (30 minutes).

Starting point: Lviv Opera House

Route: Walk along the Prospect Svobody from the Opera House to Mickiewicz Square.

Prospect Svobody is one of the most beautiful and most prestigious avenues in town, the epicenter of Lviv’s business and cultural life. There you’ll find a lot of significant and interesting sights.

Must-have photos:

• Lviv Opera House and fountain
• Shevchenko Monument
• Statue of Madonna
• Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• There are many spots along Prospect Svobody, but it’s hard to top Vienna Coffee with its large terrace that’s especially wonderful during warmer weather.

Activities:

• You can hire a horse-drawn carriage near the Opera House fountain and tour the city center.

2. Walk around the Old Town of Lviv.(1-1.5 hours)

• After finishing your walk around Prospect Svobody enter Lviv’s Old Town through Ivan Pidkova Square (near Vienna Coffee).
• Start with viewing the Jesuit Church. Then take Teatral’na Street to the Latin Cathedral.
• Next see Boim Chapel (for a small fee you can walk inside).
• Walk down the Halyts’ka street to Soborna Square to see the Bernadine Monastery.
• From the Bernadine Monastery walk through the Hlynyans’ka Gate to reach Pidval’na Street to see the Assumption Church and the Dominican Monastery.
• Make your way back to Virmens'ka Street to the Armenian Church.
• Walk and along the Krakivs’ka Street come to the Rynok Square.

Must-have photos:

• Jesuit Cathedral
• Latin Cathedral
• Boim Chapel
• King Danylo Halyts'kyi Monument
• Bernadine Monastery
• Hlynyans’ka Gate
• Kornyakt tower (Assumption Church)
• Chapel of the Three Hierarchs (Assumption Church)
• Ivan Fedorov Monument
• Dominican Cathedral
• Drovniak Monument
• Armenian Courtyard
• Monument to Smile (Virmens’ka Street)

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• Café Mapa and Kredens on Halyts’ka Street both offer coffee to go.

Activities:

• Listen and watch numerous Lviv street musicians and street performers.
• Explore the antiquarian book market near Ivan Fedorov’s monument.

3. Walk Around Rynok Square (30-45 minutes)

• Rynok Square is the gem of Lviv, where every building is a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and deserves your attention for its architecture and history.
• You will find many museums and souvenir shops.
• Rynok Square is also a principal venue for festivals and major events.

Must-have photos:

• Bandinelli Palace
• Black House
• Kornyakt Palace
• Fountains of Rynok Square
• Street vendors in medieval costumes
• Ratusha Tower (the top offers sweeping panoramic views of the city)
• Lions at the Ratusha entrance

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• Café Mapa and Kredens on nearby Halyts’ka Street both offer coffee to go.

Activities:

• Make a memory keychain at the machine near Kornyakt Palace.

4. Go to the top of the Ratusha (30-45 minutes)

• For a panoramic view of Lviv and great photos, climb to the top of the Lviv’s Ratusha.
• This is best done in the morning before the crowds.
• The Ratusha opens at 9 a.m. in summer and 10 a.m. in winter.
  The steps are steep, but the view is well worth it.
• You can visit the top of the Ratusha year-round even in the dead of winter, but be warned that it can get windy up there.

Must-have photos:

• Panoramas of the city
• Bells at the City Hall Tower
• Clockwork inside City Hall Tower.

Activities:

• Rent binoculars in a small souvenir shop on the top of the tower.

5. Visit one of Rynok Square’s museums (About 1 hour)

We suggest you visit the Royal Halls and Italian Courtyard, where you can combine an interesting tour with a cup of coffee, and make nice photographs of the courtyard, and the ancient Lviv lion and a pillory, which date from the Middle Ages.

You can also opt for any of these other museums on Rynok Square:

• Pharmacy Museum with its alchemist laboratory
• Museum of Ancient History of Lviv
• Furniture Museum
• Jewelry Museum

6. Do some quick souvenir shopping (30 – 60 minutes)

• There are many souvenir shops right on Rynok Square.
• Inside Coffee Manufacture you can buy typical souvenirs like T-shirts and mugs.
• The shop at 26 Rynok Square offers a diverse assortment of gifts including higher-end items.
• For art and handicrafts, you should definitely visit the “Vernisazh” open-air art market; you can find it across the street from the Lviv Opera House.
• Chocoholics won’t want to miss Lviv Handmade Chocolate just off Rynok Square on Serbs’ka Street.

For more helpful advice, see our Souvenir Shopping Guide.

7. Have a quick lunch, drink a coffee at one of Lviv’s best sweet shops.

• Lviv is beyond all doubt Ukraine’s coffee capital.
• You’ll find an endless amount of coffee houses in Lviv; and each one strives to create its own unique atmosphere.
• Try a cup of excellent coffee with delicious Galician desserts like syrnyk (cheesecake) or strudel at places like Vienna Coffee, Svit Kavy, Veronika or Cukiernia.
• And there are many more places for coffee lovers in Lviv’s center.

8. Have Ukrainian food for dinner.

• Ukrainian national cuisine is known for its diversity.
• You may already be familiar with the names of dishes like borsch and varenyky (similar to Polish pierogi), but these dishes are prepared differently in Western Ukraine.
• There are also regional dishes like banosh and kruchenyky.
• You can try all the specialties of Ukrainian and Galician cuisine at places like Kentavr, Kryjivka, Kumpel, Panska Charka, Restoratsiya na Valoviy, and many other Ukrainian restaurants in Lviv’s center.

1. Walk to the Vysokyi Zamok (High Castle) (1.5 hours)

• Get an early start, when the majority of Lviv locations are still closed, and walk to the lookout point at Vysokyi Zamok (High Castle), which offers one of Lviv's best views.
• It’s best to begin your ascent from Pidval’na Street near the Powder Tower.
• Stroll through pleasant High Castle Park, look for the remains of the castle, where the entire history of Lviv began.
• Your exertions will be rewarded with an excellent panoramic view of Lviv from its highest point.

Must-have photos:

• Powder Tower
• Panoramas of Lviv in all directions
• The remains of the castle, park cave with stone lions

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• There’s is a bar-cafe Vysokyi Zamok right in the park, or pack your own snack and drinks.

Activities:

• The free telescope “Lev’s Eye” let’s you zoom in on Rynok Square.

2. Tour Lychakivsky Cemetery (3-4 hours)

• Visit Lychakiv Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe and one of the most beautiful places in Lviv.
• The Cemetery has evolved from a place of mourning into a magnificent open-air museum.
• The guided tour at the Lychakiv Cemetery is highly recommended if you don’t wish miss any of the sights. But it’s also possible to do the tour yourself with a little planning ahead.

Must-have photos:

• Gothic arch at cemetery’s entrance
• Several mausoleums near the entrance including those of Sukhodolski, Kyselky, and Adamsky
• War memorials especially the Lwów Eagles (Polish military graves)

Activities:

• Tour Lychakiv Cemetery on an electromobile.

3. Take a Stroll in Ivan Franko Park up to the Dnister Hotel and St. Yury Cathedral (45-60 minutes)

• In the center of Lviv there is the Ivan Franko Park, a pretty spot just in front of the National University.
• Make your way uphill through the park to the Panorama Bar atop the Dnister Hotel, which offers one of the best views of Lviv.
• Then visit the magnificent St. Yury Cathedral (St. George's) that features the marvelous sculptures of Johann Pinzel.
• Next to this rococco masterpiece you can find the palatial residence of the Greek Catholic Archbishop of Lviv.
• Both the park and the church look great year-round any time of day.

Must-have photos:

• Ivan Franko Monument
• The National University
• Park gazebo
• Panorama of Lviv from the Panorama Bar
• St. George’s Cathedral

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• There are a few cafés in or near the park, or make your way to the Panorama Bar.

Activities:

• In warmer weather you can often hear live music in the park on weekend evenings.
• There is a children’s playground and ponies for kids to ride in the park.

4. Lviv Art Gallery at Potocki Palace (1 hour)

• This imposing palace in French Neo-Renaissance style is one of the most interesting architectural monuments of Lviv, which houses the Lviv Art Gallery.
• The collection includes European art from 14th-18th centuries, including works by Marco Basaiti, Sebastiano Ricci, Jean-Étienne Liotard, and Francisco Goya.
• Make sure you see the Park of Castle Miniatures in the courtyard of Potocki Palace. You will see a historical model of the Lviv’s High Castle and Olesky Castle, and a number of other castles of western Ukraine.

Must-have photos:

• Potocki Palace
• Park of Castle Miniatures

5. Attend a performance at Lviv’s Opera House (2-3 hours)

The Opera House is the pride and glory of Lviv, one of the most beautiful theaters in Europe. Treat yourself and attend a performance at the Opera.

Must-have photos:

• Opera Hall
• Auditorium
• Mirror Hall
• Parnassus curtain

Note: You can only take photos during intermission or before or after performances. Photography during performances is prohibited.

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• Opera House cafe

Activities:

• You can usually take a guided tour of the theater, which begins an hour before most performances.

We recommend that you devote your third day in Lviv to places not often visited by tourists. See the city in a different light and learn about its great parks and other attractions.

1. Visit Shevchenkivsky Hai (2-3 hours)

• This open-air folk and rural life museum takes you back in time to a Ukrainian village.
• Shevchenkivsky Hai is a pleasant place for a long hike during nicer weather.
• It’s fun for all ages, but it’s especially great for tourists with young children.
• Keep in mind that the museum is located on the wooded hills, so be sure to wear sensible shoes.

Must-have photos:

• Kryvky Church
• Lemky’s Church
• The sawmill

Activities:

• Shevchenkivsky Hai has a regular calendar of events, including medieval tournaments, fairs, and religious festivals.
• Children will want to spend time at the small petting zoo.

2. Take a walk in Stryiskyi Park (1-1.5 hours)

Stryiskyi Park is Lviv’s most famous parks and was founded back in 1876. Stryiskyi was the subject of a saucy pre-war song about amorous adventures amidst the flowerbeds, and the park is still a favourite with young lovers.

Must-have photos:

• Swan Lake
• Kilinsky Monument
• Ivasyk-Telesyk Fountain

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• There are several a few small cafés at the top part of Stryiskyi Park.
• If you’re looking for something more formal, then the covered terrace at Delice Restaurant is delightful during warmer weather. Just make sure that you call ahead to make reservations since the restaurant often hosts private parties and banquets.

Activities:

• Besides walking and picnicking, children of all ages may want to feed the swans in the pond.

3. Bohdan Khmelnytsky Park and Ferris Wheel (About 1 hour)

• For a different type of park, you might try visiting Bohdan Khmelnytsky Park that’s just across the street from Stryiskyi Park.
• This park was a Soviet project that originally carried the unimaginative name: “The Park of Culture and Recreation.”
• There are plenty of relics from the Soviet era here, although the obligatory Lenin monument has been given boot.
• The Ferris Wheel in the attractions area offers one of Lviv’s best views and the chance to snap “off the beaten path” photos.

Must-have photos:

• Lviv panoramas from the Ferris Wheel
• The colonnade at the entrance to the park
• Fountains near the park entrance

Places a quick coffee or snack:

• During warmer weather, there’s a summer café near the park entrance.

Activities:

• Riding the park’s Soviet style attractions.
• There are often outdoor concerts on the park’s summer stage.

4. Lviv’s Neo-Gothic St. Elizabeth’s Church (30 minutes)

• If you take tram No. 1 near Bohdan Khmelnytsky Park, you can get a interesting experience with Lviv’s aging public transport, and you can travel to Pryvokzal’na Square to see the beautiful St. Elizabeth’s Church.
• The church was designed in neo-Gothic style, similar to that of Vienna’s Votive Church.
• This towering structure is Lviv’s first landmark that greets visitors, who arrive in the city by train.

Must-have photos:

• Elizabeth Church

5. Dance at Café Diana or Go Ice Skating on Rynok Square (1.5 hours)

• During warmer weather Rynok Square’s Diana Cafe morphs into a dance floor on  weekend nights. Master classes of waltz, tango or salsa dancing attract crowds of dance lovers. Feel a bit of romance and join them.
• If you visit Lviv in winter, open-air ice-skating on Rynok Square is a good option for a bit of exercise. You can rent you skates for a reasonable price and warm up afterwards with a hot drink at a nearby café.

Places to grab a quick coffee or snack:

• I Like, Café Mapa and Kredens on nearby Halyts’ka Street all offer coffee to go.

If you have more time in Lviv, do not miss the opportunity to become acquainted with other parts of Western Ukraine.

1. Take a Castles Tour in the Lviv Region (1 day)

• We recommend you to take a day-long tour of “The Golden Horseshoe of Lviv Region” and see the most prominent castles near Lviv: Olesky, Zolochivsky, Pidgoretsky.
• Tours include a visit to the Art Gallery exhibition at Olesky Castle.

2. See the Carpathian Mountains (1 or more days)

• Spend one or more days in the Carpathian Mountains.
  

  Rafting at Yaremche

• You can choose among more well-known resort towns like Truskavets, Slavs’ke, Yaremche or the Bukovel Ski Resort.
• Year-round these resort areas offer all kinds of active outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, biking and camping and a chance to relax at a spa hotel or something more rustic.

1. See the Icon collection at the National Museum (1 hour)

You’ll find The National Museum not far from Lviv’s Opera House. During Soviet times this building housed the Lenin Museum. After the fall of the Soviet Union the building passed to the National Museum. The National Museum holds Ukraine’s richest collection of icons and 19th and 20th century art. You can also find exhibitions of contemporary art.

2. Attend a performance at Lviv’s Philharmonic.(1.5-2 hours)

• Classical music fans will appreciate Lviv’s Philharmonic.
• If you plan to visit in May, then you won’t want to miss the annual “Virtuosi” Festival that features renowned international musicians.
• Most concerts at the Philharmonic usually begin after 5 p.m. and ticket prices can be quite reasonable.

3. Listen to Divine Music at the Organ Hall (1-1.5 hours)

• The Lviv Organ and Chamber Music Hall is known for its old organ, the largest in Ukraine.
• Treat yourself to the heavenly sounds of an organ music concert and you won’t leave you untouched by the experience.
• If you plan to visit in the fall, then the Festival of Ancient Music is something you won’t want to miss.
• Most concerts at the Organ Hall begin after 5 p.m. Photography is allowed.

1. Visit Lviv’s Beer Museum (45 minutes)

Ukraine’s first Museum of Brewing invites you to travel into the history of beer production and consumption. Every adult visitor can enjoy the variety of Lviv’s beer in the tasting room and watch a film about the oldest brewery in Lviv.

Activities:

• After your tour go to Robert Doms Beer House and enjoy more beer and live music.

2. Weapon Museum (45 minutes)

The Weapons Museum Arsenal in Lviv is the only museum of its type in Ukraine. There you will find a rich collection of weapons and firearms. The special lighting creates medieval setting. Photography is allowed.

Activities:

• Visit the museum’s small souvenir shop, where for a small fee you can try on vintage clothing and military uniforms and make fun photos.

3. Try Medovukha or Other Homebrews.

Medovukha is an strong alcoholic drink steeped in natural honey and herbs, which has been brewed the same way since the 18th century. It was the traditional brew drunk by the Ukrainian Cossacks and Striltsi (Riflemen). Visit Medivnya or Vulyk for medovukha and honey beers or Gasova Lampa and Kryjivka for other specialized homebrews.

If you’re of Ukrainian heritage or just interested in Ukrainian history and culture, here are some places that deserve your special attention.

1. Ethnographic Museum (45 minutes)

The Museum of Ethnography (15, Svobody Ave.) is one of the most beautiful buildings on Prospect Svobody. It’s adorned with a sculpture that locals refer to as the Statue of Liberty after the famous statue in America. However, the truth is less interesting: the author’s intention was to make the Statue of Thrift and it remains a mystery, why Lviv’s Thrift resembles the Statue of Liberty. The museum’s interior is strikingly beautiful. The marble staircase is decorated with stained glass, and the lobby is garnished with a statue of Fortune and carvings.

2. Ukrainian Liberation exhibit at the Historical Museum(45 minutes)

If you’re interested in the history of Western Ukraine, you may want to visit division of Liberation of Lviv Historic Museum. It is located in the famous Black House on Rynok Square. Its exhibit shows the most significant events in the history of Ukraine from the very beginning till 1940’s. You will learn about the battles of the Ukrainian Sichovi Striltsi, events of the national liberation revolution of 1917-1921 in East Ukraine and Galicia, of 1929-1939 in Western Ukraine and during the Stalinist regime from 1939-1941.

3. Make a Lyalka-Montanka Doll (1 hour)

Old folk traditions come alive in the hands of skilled craftsmen in Lviv. The lyalka-motanka (reeled doll) is an old Ukrainian toy and was used as an averter to ward off evil spirits and protect villagers’ homes. You can make a doll with your own hands at workshops, which are often held in Lviv during festivals and fairs, or contact the creative workshop Woolyk to make an appointment.

4. Visit Lviv at Christmas or Easter

Ukrainian Christmas and Easter are traditional family and public celebrations and Lviv is the best place to experience them. The family spirit soars in every Lviv church, in old squares and on the streets, where holiday shows, concerts, theatrical performances take place. Every Christmas or Easter Lvivites celebrate old national traditions, music and cuisine.

If you’re interested learning more about the rich and tragic history of Jews in Lviv, below are a few places we recommend visiting.

1. Yanivsky Cemetery (1.5-2 hours)

• As one of Lviv’s oldest cemeteries, Yanivsky Cemetery has a rich, but tragic history.
• This cemetery is marked of the most painful pages of Lviv’s history for the Jewish, Polish and Ukrainian peoples.
• The New Jewish Cemetery at Yanivsky Cemetery is part of the historical and memorial graves of Eastern Galicia, including many still unexplored artistic funeral monuments from the early 20th century.
  Admission is free, with no fee for photography.

2. Lviv Synagogue (1 hour)

Lviv’s only synagogue is one of the few survivors of the Holocaust (4, Bratіv Mіhnovskih Street). It was built in 1924 for the Tsori Gilod Society (“Healing Balm”) in the tradition of Lviv’s Renaissance synagogues from 17th century. It’s a remarkable building with interesting wall paintings from the 1930’s.

3. International Holocaust Center (45 minutes)

House number 12 on Sholem Aleichema Street with its neo-baroque facade was the property of the Lviv Jewish community in 1934-1940. Today this site is home to the International Holocaust Center named after Dr. Alexander Schwartz, as well as the B’nai Brith Society.

4. Monument to the victims of the Lviv ghetto (20 minutes)

Past the railway bridge on Prospect Chornovola there’s a small sculpture of an old Jewish man with his hand outstretched to heaven. This monument to the victims of the Lviv ghetto opened in 1992. One of the signs near the monument reads: “136,800 of Jews went along this Road of Death and were tormented by Nazi invaders in 1941-1943 in the Lviv ghetto.”

5. Attend the Festival of Jewish Music

• LvivKlezFest is an attempt to revive the musical traditions of Lviv’s Jewish community, which was an integral part of this Galician multi-cultural capital.
• The festival usually takes place in July and welcomes participants from Israel, Austria, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, who perform klezmer music (a musical tradition of the Eastern European Jews).
• The festival program also includes free tours to Lviv’s historical Jewish block, a chance to taste the delicacies of Jewish cuisine and Jewish handicraft workshops, where you can make your own souvenir.

If you don’t mind taking organized tours in larger groups, local tour operators offer a number of different options to see Lviv. These options include:

• Night Tours of Lviv’s Old Town and also Lychakiv Cemetery
• Tours of Underground Lviv
• Erotic Tour
• Genealogical and Ethnic History Tours
• Religious History Tours

If your time is limited and you want a quick group tour of Lviv, then the Miracle Train and Wonder Bus can be options for you.

1. Chudo Poyizd (“Miracle Train”) (1 hour)

• The Chudo Poyizd (Miracle Train) departs hourly (10 a.m. – 8 p.m.) from Rynok Square in front of the Ratusha (City Hall).
• The one-hour tour provides a quick overview of Lviv’s most interesting attractions.
• Tourists can listen to brief but interesting comments in several languages: English, Polish, German, Italian, French, Russian and Ukrainian.

2. Chudo Bus (“Wonder Bus”) (1.5 hours)

• The Wonder Bus carries up to 22 people and its roll-away roof and with windows, allows passengers to view high buildings and structures.
• The bus departs from the Ivan Fedorov Monument on Pidval’na Street.
• Tours are offered in several languages including: English, Polish, German, Italian, French, Russian and Ukrainian.