The quickest way to get around big cities is the so-called
marshrutka - the minibuses which follow routes much like the regular
buses do. You can generally flag them down or ask them to stop at
places other than the specified bus-stops. The fare is paid as soon
as you get in, and is fixed no matter how far you want to go. This
is the same for the conventional buses, tram, trolley-buses and the
Metro. You tell the driver that you want to get off when you're
approaching the destination. Each city has an inter-city bus station
from which you can go pretty much anywhere in Ukraine. Fares and
quality of service vary widely.
By Train
Trains in Ukraine are really cheap. For example: Simferopol to Lviv
for 8 Euros ("platzkart") on overnight train with sleeping-car.
The problem is that trains are quite popular in Ukraine and you have
to buy the tickets well in advance. There are always 3 kinds of
ticket counters: 1 group for trains that go on the same day, 1 for
trains that go within 7 days and 1 for trains that go within 45
days. Buying tickets for the same day is usually not such a big
problem as long as they are still available. But tickets for trains
that leave not on the same day you usually have to stand in line for
a very long time. Sometimes up to 4 hours!
You might want to get the more expensive tickets ("SV" and "kupe").
Being a foreigner and traveling in "platzkart" (compartments without
doors) is not so safe, especially if you are traveling alone and
your appearance marks you out as a foreigner. People sometimes
stroll along the corridor looking for mischief. This coupled with
the fact drinking is perfectly acceptable, might make for an
unpleasant experience. If you keep your valuable objects somewhere
inside your sleeping bag or close to your body you should not
experience any problems with theft.
A first class cabin is a very good deal. The cabin has (staple)beds
for two persons and you have privacy and safety because you can lock
the door. The price from Lviv to Odesa was in 2004 round 25 Euro p.p!
Every wagon has its own "provodnik", the conductor. Spend some time
on building the relationship, that might make your journey more
comfortable. The provodnik serves tea, and sometimes even protects
you. We had an experience once in the Carpathian mountains, when
train musicians became aggressive after not getting the desired hard
currency. The provodnik speaks the language, and saved us with some
harsh words.
By Car
It is possible to get around in Ukraine by car, but one must be
aware of certain particulars:
The signs are all in Ukrainian (Cyrillic alphabet). Only a few signs
(every 200km or so) are written in the Latin alphabet, and indicate
main cities. It is recommended you have a good road map (those
available are mainly in Ukrainian, but Latin alphabet maps are
starting to appear), because place names aren't well posted on road
signs.
You are strongly advised to respect the signs, especially speed
limits. Be aware that unlike in Western countries, where limits are
repeated several times, in Ukraine, an obligation or a prohibition
is often indicated on a single sign, which you must not miss. And
even these signs are often far off the road, covered by branches,
etc. The police are always there to remind you.
Speed in cities is limited to 60km/h (40mph).
Speed in "nationals" is limited to 90km/h (55mph).
Speed on highways is limited to 110-120km/h (75mph).
Be aware that corruption is widespread among Ukrainian police, and
tourists are an especially profitable target. When you are stopped
for speeding or other offenses, officers might aggressively try and
extract ridiculous sums of money from you (€100 and up), offering
"reductions" if you pay on the spot (the proposed alternative being
some unpleasant and more expensive way, all made up). The highest
actual legal fine in the Ukraine, however, is the equivalent of
about $3. So if you're asked anything beyond that, demand a written
ticket for you to pay later instead. Don't let them intimidate you.
It's very useful to have an embassy phone number handy for these
cases. If you mention that, they'll let you off the hook quicker
than you know it. At any rate, write down the officers' badge
numbers, rank, plate number of the police car, and notify the
nearest embassy/consulate in detail, to help fight these corrupt
practices.
Fuel is no longer a problem in Ukraine, especially for those who
remember travelling to Ukraine during the early 1990s, when gasoline
was considered precious. Today, there are plenty service stations.
There are varying types of fuel, such as diesel, unleaded 95 octane,
and (more rarely) unleaded 98 octane; one finds also 80 and 76
octane. Note that if you choose to fill-up in a rural filling
station, you will need to pay first, and in cash. Even there many
stations do accept credit cards, however.
The state of the roads is a huge subject:
The main roads are okay for all cars, as long as you don't go too
fast. Numerous running repairs have created a patchwork road
surface, and it will seriously test your suspension - even on the
major dual carriageways.
Secondary roads are passable, but beware: certain zones can be full
of potholes and you must treat them with extra care, or avoid them
entirely. Roads between villages are often little more than dirt
tracks and not metalled. Treat as inaccessible unless you're driving
a 4x4.
Road works have been ongoing, but the quality of the roads is shy of
Western Europe (with the exception of Kyiv)...
Be careful when driving in towns or villages. Sometimes pets prefer
to walk on the road, and they are a hazard for all drivers. You're
likely to see plenty of animals hit by cars, so be prepared...
Bicycle traffic is not very common, but you will sometimes see an
aged man transporting a sack of grass on an old road-bike or a
cycling enthusiast in bright clothes riding a semi-professional
racing bike. Those are even more likely to be met on well-maintained
roads where the pavement is smooth. Also cyclists will use both
lanes of the road in both directions equally ie you are just as
likely to meet a cyclist coming towards you, riding on the verge, as
you will travelling in your direction. And almost invariably without
lights or bright clothing so be extra careful when driving at night
and dawn/dusk.
Also, don't be surprised to see plenty of horse drawn carts - even
on the dual carriageways.
If you need a good GPS navigation solution for Ukraine, look here :
http://www.gpsukraine.com , or just google for GPS Ukraine. It's not
as much detailed as in the western countries, but it's the best
available, quite precise and easy to use.
By Bus
There are two major bus companies that run buses from all of the
major cities to and from Kyiv, they are Avtolux, and Gunsel. Prices
run about 55-70 Hryvnia (11-13 USD) for service to Dnipropetrovsk
and Kharkiv.
The major advantage that the bus service has, is that it leaves from
Boryspil and stops in Kyiv, so if your destination is not Kyiv, its
easier then taking a bus to the Main Passenger Railway Station in
Kyiv.
They are standard coach buses, serve cold drinks and tea, show
movies, and make a stop about every 3-4 hours.
They run every few hours.
Avtolux has a VIP bus to and from Odessa that has nice leather seats
and is more less non-stop. It departs once a day, takes four hours
or so both to and from Kyiv, and costs about 130-150 Hryvnia.
By plane
Aerosvit offers some really cheap flights and prooved as a good, and
time-saving, alternative to the hellishly slow train service. For
example the flight Odesa-Kyiv (One-Way) was 18 USD (including Tax &
all fees) and took 1,5 hours. However, for the real cheapies you
have to book early. Be prepared to find yourself seated in a rather
historic airplane (AN-24 for example).
The flights can be booked online via www.aerosvit.ua comfortably in
English.
By Thumb
Hitchhiking in Ukraine is average. It's possible to go by
hitchhiking - usually cargo trucks will take you for free - but it's
still worth to try stop personal cars as well. Good people are
everywhere; you may be picked up in a Lada or a Lexus. (More usually
the former.)
The usual hitchhiking gesture (also used to hail taxis and
marshrutkas) is to face oncoming traffic and point at the road with
a straight right arm held away from the body. Sometimes, for
visibility, you may add a downward waving motion of the open right
hand.
