Transcarpathia and Carpathians Close your eyes and imagine your perfect vacation. Would it be spending a few days in a big engagingly energetic city with the magnificent architecture, picturesque views from the hills you could only dream about and a great number of fabulous cafes and restaurants? Or maybe it would be visiting romantic castles with their own legends and heroes. However it might be also admiring the beautiful nature of the mountains, learning about other country’s culture, do some traditional dancing and sample the dishes you’ve never tried. Or you would prefer an extremely active rest with the rafting, jeeping, horse-riding and climbing the mountain. Now open your eyes and try to realize that all these things are combined in just one 11-day tour to the most famous places of the Ukrainian Transcarpathian region and the . Start from the capital city Kyiv and head for the hills through the rustic West. After the Central European charm of Lviv, you’ll visit the most remarkable castles of the Transcarpathian region, then reach the highest Ukrainian peak and take in some native hutsulian culture before exploring the unique geological monument “Dovbush rocks”.

Day 1 Meeting at the airport in Kyiv. Transfer to a hotel. Accommodation at the hotel. Welcome dinner. Meeting with a guide and a short presentation of a tour.

Day 2, Kyiv

Breakfast. Kyiv - a 3-hour bus tour around the historical districts of Kyiv: Golden Gate (the unique monument which reflects the art of fortification of Kievan Rus), a majestic St. Sophia’s Cathedral, St. Volodymyr’s and St. Michael’s Golden Domed Cathedrals, an exuberant St. Andrew’s Church. A walk along Andriyivsky Uzviz (Andrew’s Descent) – Kyiv’s “Monmartre” - where the peculiar Ukrainian souvenirs may be bought. Lunch (optionally). Excursion to the museum-reserve and monastery Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (an ancient Kyiv Cave Monastery). A walk along the historical district of Lypky: the House of Parliament, Mariyinsky palace (an official residence of the President of for ceremonial purposes) and Mariyinsky park, the marvellous panoramic views over the Dnipro river; Khreshchatyk street (the main street of a city with its splendid architecture) and Maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). Dinner. Leaving for Lviv by a night train.

Day 3, Lviv

Arrival to Lviv. Breakfast. Lviv – a 3-hour tour around one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine – the Assumption Church (Uspinnya) and Three Saints Chapel, the Dominican Cathedral, the Rynok Square – the heart of the city (Renaissance period), the City Hall (Ratusha), the Latin Cathedral with the Chapel, the ancient Armenian quarter and the Armenian Cathedral, the Liberty avenue (Prospekt Svobody), the Opera House, Town Arsenal – a part of the city’s original fortification system. Accommodation at a hotel. Free time or visiting museums optionally. Dinner.

Day 4, Lviv – Urych – Chynadiyovo – , 320 km

Breakfast. Urych – the historic-cultural reserve “Tustan” – the Old Rus’ defense complex, the museum of the fortress history. Chynadiyovo – the 19th-century Shenborny Castle with the “astronomical” structure common for the European castles of those epoch, surrounded by the beautiful garden with a lake in the middle and the Spring of Youth and Beauty. Journey to Uzhhorod. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 5, Uzhhorod – Nevytske – Uzhhorod, 30 km

Breakfast. Leaving for the excursion. Uzhhorod – the main town of the Transcarpathian region famous for its delicious wines; visiting the 15th-century Uzhhorod Castle with massive walls and big bastions, situated on the hill overlooking the town; the Transcarpathian Museum of Local Lore inside the castle. Nevytske – one of the most romantic Transcarpathian castles upon river with the beautiful panorama, “Vagner’s garden” and the unfrozen fountain. Returning to Uzhhorod. Dinner.

Day 6, Uzhhorod – Mukacheve – – – , 300 km

Breakfast. Mukacheve – the city’s Castle Hill seems to pop up like a fairy-tale fantasy from the surrounding flat plain and its refurbished centre reinforces the picture-book impression with cobblestones and pastel-colored neoclassical facades; visiting the 14th-century with some interesting exhibits. Rakhiv – one of the popular tourist centers of Western Ukraine, the compositional ensemble “a geographical center of Europe”. Yaremche - visiting a pretty resort at the Carpathians with the beautiful waterfall „Probiy” and the hutsulian souvenir market. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 7, The Carpathians

Breakfast. A whole day free. Optionally Hiking the highest peak of Ukraine Hoverla (2061 m) – pretty straight and not the most remote trail in the Carpathians; the breathtaking views from the mountain. Otherwise a) Activities in Yaremche: horse-riding, cycling, rafting, jeeping, kayaking etc. b) Visiting Oleksa Dovbush rocks (huge rocks and stones reminding the mysterious creatures). c) A walking excursion to the waterfall “Girl’s Tears” (“Divochi slyozy”). d) A walk to the rocky outcrops of the Carpathian flysch. Dinner at the traditional hutsul restaurant, a master-class in the national dancing.

Day 8, Yaremche – Verkhovyna – – Kolomyya (140 km)

Breakfast. Verkhovyna – visiting the private museum of Roman Kumlyk and Ivan Franko’s homestead at Kryvorivnya. Kosiv – a town famed for its fabulous craft market, a great place to pick up hutsulian souvenirs (artisans from the hills roll down in their carts in the early morning to set up shops). Journey to Kolomyya. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 9, Kolomyya – Ivano-Frankivsk (65 km)

Breakfast. Kolomyya - National Museum of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttya Folk Art (one of the best exhibitions of its kind in Ukraine), the eye-catching “Pysanka” Museum, show-casing the colourful, hand-printed Easter eggs (Ukrainian tradition), the Old city. A master-class in Easter eggs painting. Ivano-Frankivsk – a city tour (Rynok square – a traditional heart of a city, where a mix of colourful buildings circle the star-shaped town hall, the cathedral of the Holy Resurrection, the former Armenian Church with an attractive, undulating baroque facade and twin, rounded bell towers). Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 10, Ivano-Frankivsk – Skyt Manyavsky – Bubnyshche – Lviv (250 km) Breakfast. Skyt Manyavsky – the ascetic monastery for men of the Eastern rite (Ukrainian Athos), an outstanding centre of spirituality, culture and art of Ukraine with a spring with healing water. Bubnyshche - a unique geological monument and a natural fortress of the 10th century - Dovbush rocks (caves and rocks complex) - a stone maze full of the ravines, secret passages and paths, formed by the huge rocks and stones reminding the mysterious creatures. Arrival to Lviv. Leaving for Kyiv by a night train.

Day 11, Kyiv Breakfast. Free time. Transfer to the airport. Leaving Kyiv.

*The organizer is entitled to the right to make the slight changes to the program without changing the general content of a trip.

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