Beautiful and historic Lviv is located in western Ukraine.
Over the years it has been a part of Poland the USSR and finally independent Ukraine in 1991
Today, you will find a major cultural hub. There are museums galore a gorgeous town square and even an opera house
Love it is a fantastic weekend getaway. Join us as we explore the old town
Try some tasty food and have a drink in an underground bunker
If you have a trip to Lviv coming up soon
this is the guide for you and remember to check out our other Ukraine videos on Kiev and Chernobyl.
The historic centre has a vibrant atmosphere
Many bars restaurants and coffee shops sit along cobbled roads and green parks
The city is easily accessible with an International Airport and once in town, trams, buses and taxis are readily available.
In 1853 2 pharmacy employees work in the city
Invented kerosene by distilling alcohol out of oil and hence, the gas lamp was born.
Gasova Lampa is a quirky four-story restaurant playing homage to this great invention.
Upon entering at ground level a traffic light system tells you when to climb the spiral staircase.
At the top you are greeted with dozens of examples of different gas lamps decorating almost every surface.
The next two levels are decorated in a similarly wacky way and at the top you'll find a sunny roof terrace.
The food was nothing special but the beer is cold and we enjoyed the theater of the place.
Pretty much an institution in Lviv is the Drunk Cherry. This place was always busy when we walk past.
Come by here to satisfy your cherry liqueur cravings. They even have gift sets with branded glassware to take home.
The Italian courtyard is accessed via the historical museum of Lviv.
Built in the Renaissance style, the three storied opened galleries and cute cafe below really do make you feel like you're in Italy
Doing a bit on research online
We found out about a yard of forgotten toys. It began when a resident of one of the surrounding apartment blocks
found two lost toys nearby and placed them under a small roof in a shared courtyard
Since then the collection has grown but constantly changing with new toys being added and existing ones finding a new home.
Our accommodation the Grand Hotel was right over the road from the old town
We can really recommend this place. We love the well stocked bar.
You don't have to be a guest to come and enjoy drink here the bar staff are happy to knock up
your favourite tipple was to enjoy the modern sophisticated surroundings.
We are here in the Lviv post office, which is now an Italian restaurant, it's right off of the main square
We've come in and ordered a bottle of red wine, which we haven't had for a while not in Ukraine anyway.
The walls here are full of old Postcards of
Lviv charting it's history.
Some other kind of trinket things around like old telephones and it's a nice kind of vibe here. There.'s wooden floors wooden chairs
So we are lookin forward to some italian food. We haven't had anything other than
Ukrainian food for about a week now. It was kind of heavy going after a while. So yeah, some pasta and salad
So our starter has arrived, got some
pork and beef Meatballs in tomato sauce.
And some dark brown Rye bread.
Yeah, fresh chicken salad tomatoes sesame seeds, lettuce. Looking forward to that because we
We've been a bit sure and salad stuff, in Ukraine
I've got fettuccine with
mushrooms and chicken
and Simon has
Pasta stamps, it was described as with crackling and cottage cheese.
Yeah, so far so good. Nice cheap option. Just off of the main square
So, yeah, if you fancy a change from the standard Ukrainian fare, I think it's pretty good place.
The town continues to come alive after dark too. The bars and restaurants are all open well into the small hours
Whatever you fancy doing. You'll be able to find it here
The town is well lit and very safe to walk around
The Opera House is especially beautiful at night
After walking around we headed to a secret bar just off of the main square
We are at Kryivka , which is an underground bar just off the main square
It's an underground bar which has a bunker wartime theme
There's a password to get so look that one up online
But once you're in you're greeted with a shot of honey vodka, you walk downstairs and here you are.
We've ordered a couple of shots of vodka and beer
There's guns, helmets, jackets
kind of army style to wear, taking photos with
all in this wartime themed bunker setting.
Adding to the atmosphere and making 100% sure that you know, you're in Ukraine a folk band roams the bar singing songs
The Dominican Cathedral just east of the main square is adorned with the dome, tower and a very ornate interior.
It sas had a checkered history having burned down, housing a museum and even used as a warehouse.
Nowadays, it has been returned to its original use as a parish church.
We visited over Easter and outside, there was an egg art installation.
If you want to get an aerial view of the city you can take a fairly easy 20 minute
walk up the hill in high castle park.
The path winds around the hill with various metal staircases taking you up the steepest parts.
On your way up there are vendors selling souvenirs and drinks,
but once at the top you'll have 360 degree views over the whole city.
Take a seat under the flagpole to take it all in and catch your breath.
As soon as you walk through the door of coffee manufacturer you will immediately sense and smell the uniqueness of this place
Coffee is very popular all over town, but this place was our favorite
Open from 8:00 in the morning until 1:30 at night. The menu features classics such as flat white and espresso
But also some crazy things. Have you ever had your coffee served on fire?
There is a range of cakes to choose from - including cheesecake and apple pie
We're sure you'll be back more than once during your time in town
If you really enjoyed your coffee they were filling bags outside in the street for you to buy
We stumbled across a small flea market we found all manner of books on any subject you can think of
Most were in Ukrainian or Russian, but there were a few English ones if you dug deep enough
There were also old Soviet medals toys and posters for sale
Right next to this was an old tram converted into a tourist information shop
where we were able to pick up a few maps and get some advice in English
Famous throughout Ukraine Lviv handmade chocolate produces an exciting variety of sweet treats.
Since medieval times Lviv has been well known for its delicious
confectionery and here you will find a company still using the same traditional production technology of old times.
In this three-story building there is a cafe with a view into the factory area and
a two floor shop where you can buy a huge variety of chocolate to take away.
They have individual sweets of many different flavors all beautifully packaged and imaginative gifts.
Speaking of gifts you can pick up some really nice bits in stores and shops all over town. You'll find all the usual touristy stuff
but we really liked the more individual pieces more unique to Ukraine
Like these bee wax candles and colorful ceramics.
On that note it's time to say goodbye to Lviv.
We hope you enjoyed our weekend guide, please like and subscribe and remember to check out our other videos from Ukraine.
Until the next time happy travels from the memory seekers.