Travelling to Ukraine via Poland

Travelling to Ukraine via Poland is complicated because of the amount of options. I will share my experience with all three options [on foot, by bus, or by train] to get into Ukraine. I imagine this post is interesting for someone planning their journey or for the ones who are wondering how one gets into a country defending itself. I will also share a few tips at the end.
If you are one of those who want to travel and need some ideas or more suggestions, leave me a comment and I will reply either on the blog or, if you mention that you want to keep the comment private, by email.

First of all, one needs to fly to Poland, unless already in Poland. Poland is the best option for travelling to Ukraine because it has a very good transport system within the country, it is in the EU, it’s easy to find people who speak English almost everywhere. The journey within Poland is the same if you are travelling to Ukraine on foot or by train. The exception is if you take the bus to Ukraine, where some buses stop at the airport. I will talk about that later on.

After you arrive at the Polish airport, I personally prefer Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport because it is a small airport, allowing me to move fast. It is also closer to the Polish-Ukrainian border. But there are only a few flights to Rzeszów, and other cities, like Krakow offer more options. Regardless of where you touch down in Poland, you need to get a train to the city.
The trains are cheap, clean, and fast. You can buy tickets from the train, so no need to queue at the machine before getting into the train. Pictured above is the train from Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport to Rzeszów Glowny [main station]. It is modernised and new and on time. I wouldn’t take a taxi if the train was available.

From the main city one needs to hop on another train, to Przemyśl Glowny. There are trains every hour or so. Train tickets can be bought from the station, if you have time, or from the train if you are in a hurry. The price is the same if you buy on the train or in the station.
From Krakow is just over 2 hours and a half ride to Przemyśl, while from Rzeszów is only a bit over an hour.

Przemyśl Glowny is a gorgeous station, the last bigger city before crossing into Ukraine. There is a nice restaurant in the train station, open during the day, perfect for lunch.

From Przemyśl there are two options: on foot or by train.

Travelling to Ukraine via Poland on foot

Crossing into Ukraine by foot is my preferred choice and there are many other volunteers who are travelling often and prefer this option too. While it might seem difficult, it is very easy, even with luggage. This is how I went to Ukraine the first time, on foot, and I still think this is the best option from Poland. In that post there are pictures from that first trip, so it is worth having a look, if you missed it.

At Przemyśl Glowny, which is the main train station in the city, there is a platform for the trains and a bus stop. It is from where the buses leave, meaning that if you exit at platform 5 and take left, you are seeing the busses. One of them will leave for Medyka, the city on the border with Ukraine. They only accept cash for this and it is under £2, but they accepted hryvnias [Ukrainian currency], zloty [Polish currency], and pounds.
From Przemyśl to Medyka is a short 30 minutes drive.

The bus stops exactly at the border crossing, just where this pavement starts. This picture is taken after walking for a couple of minutes towards the border. The building in front is where the Polish border is, on the right is where the cars and lorries are passing. If you look closely the pavement splits in 2. On the right is for getting into Ukraine and on the left is used by people who are going to Poland from Ukraine. The same bus stop where I arrived to Medyka is used to get into Przemyśl.

This is a Google maps. While pictures are not allowed in some places, this is easy to see online, so there is no security issue to show it. From the bus stop in Medyka, Poland, to the bus stop in Shehyni, Ukraine, is a short 30 minutes walk, which includes the border crossing. There are people who moved fast and did it in 15 minutes, but if you are a bit tired and the luggage feels a bit heavy after all the travelling before that, allowing for 30 minutes is better.

Unless there is something unexpected or a particularly busy time of year, such as before Easter or Christmas, crossing the checkpoints is very easy and takes only a minute or two. The Polish border guards check the passport and the photo and that’s it. On the Ukrainian side they check the passport and the photo and stamp it with the visa. I was never asked anything, even if I’ve crossed a few times so far.

In Shehyni there are cafes if anyone needs to stop for half an hour or so. There are also a few exchange offices, as the bus to Lviv accepts cash.

There are buses every hour and a half. It takes 2 hours to get to Lviv because it is quite a long drive and there are many stops along the way. It can get rather busy, but I enjoy it. Seeing those small villages and some small cities is very interesting.

Travelling to Ukraine via Poland by train

Another option from Przemyśl is to take the train. Once, I did not find train tickets when I got to the station, so I walked as usual. If you want to take the train, tickets should be purchased in advance. There is an app for the Ukrainian railway service and they can also be bought online. They can be bought from the train station, but, as I said, I didn’t find any on that day.

The main issue with the train ride is that, even though it is only a 2 hours ride and the passports are checked on the train, there are only a few trains, so it might mean a longer wait to get one. There are 5 trains a day, but some are available only to Ukrainians. The tickets are cheap.

Travelling to Ukraine via Poland by bus

Unlike the other two options, travelling by bus can be easier for the first time someone goes to Ukraine. There are various companies and they all have apps. I bought my ticket from the driver, paid with the bank card, so it was easy and no fuss.

The main risk with the bus is the uncertainty. The border crossing can take 1 hour or 4 hours or 10 hours. It depends on how many buses are in front and if there are any issues with anyone in the bus. If the border guards see something suspicious, they would take all the luggage out to check and that can take a very long time.

When I went to Ukraine by bus, because it was very fast at the border, I arrived earlier. My husband and I spent an hour having coffee at the train station in Lviv because everything else was closed at that hour.

Travelling to Ukraine. Tips

I am sharing a few tips for going to Ukraine. Firstly, buy a Ukrainian SIM card. The price is much better than using roaming, and, even better, the price for roaming on the Ukrainian card is cheaper than on my British card, so I use the Ukrainian SIM in other countries, such as Poland and France. These cards are cheap and easy to top-up. I have the same Ukrainian number for over 1 year. If you only go to Ukraine once, it is still cheaper to get a SIM for the stay.

While you can pay by card almost everywhere, from buses to restaurants and shops, I suggest having some cash. I bought 2 children’s wallets for this – one for zloti and one for hryvnias. You need some cash on the road, if you want to use facilities like toilets or buy something cheap, like some water or a pretzel. I usually exchange only £10 or £20.

Lastly, let’s talk a bit about safety. Ukraine is under constant attack and, while some cities are safer, like Lviv, none are 100% safe from being bombed. Above is a screenshot of my phone. That’s Lviv Opera House.
These are the apps I am using in Ukraine: 2 for alerts, translate because my Ukrainian is still very basic, the Ukrainian railway app, and Bolt. The first app for alerts shows the threats in more detail, the second app – Alert! – is the one which notifies if an alert is starting where you are. You need to add the location you want and it will start automatically. Bolt is better than Uber, as there are more drivers available on it and it is also cheaper.

If you have any questions, let me know.