Visiting a war zone might not be everyones cup of tea, but then the Street Food Guy is not your average traveler. Some might question the morality of visiting right now, but from myperpsective not only do I have friends here, but I feel it is important to support in more practical terms than putting an f’ing Ukraine flag in your Facebook profile.
Kiev or Kyiv
This is a political area that I will stay the fuck out of, but it depends on who you ask. The world might have died it is Kyiv and I have no issue with this, but in the interests of this article I will largely use Kiev.
If though I use Kyiv and Kiev interchangeably it is for search engine optimization Arther than politics overtones…..
How do you visit Kiev in 2023?
Visiting Kiev in 2023 is usually done from Krakow, which is a great town and a really great place to start any trip Cheap beer and vodka anyone?
You then take either a train, or a bus directly to Lviv. Gowver you get to Lviv though some form of change to Kiev will be needed. You should also keep in mind that the border here is a botch, on both sides.
Lviv to Kiev in 2023
I’ll give Lviv its own article at some point as the 2023 nightlife here is obscenely good, but for now I will leave it at that. You can though easily spend a few days here before heading off to visit `Kiev.
Th train from Lviv to Kiev takes about 7 hours on the last train, which is quite modern and spews government programs throughout the journey. Aside from this it offers a very sad look into everyday Ukraine, with me seeing many soldiers dying goodbye to family. Sadly many of these soldiers may well have died now.
A Kiev Visit on 2023
On our arrival we were treated an air raid siren, but overall things are pretty safe here, at least for the time being. This is sadly something very likely to change though. Nightlife wise there are still many hotels here, as well as bars.
In fact the nightlife here is alarmingly eclectic and busy, to such a degree that Zelensky has apparently told party goers they need to become soldiers…..
Although as of now at least there is no conscription as such at least.
The War Sites when you visit Kiev
And of course there are numerous sites related to the war in Ukraine, many of which are there as “trophies”, whilst others are set as a reminder of just how bad things were. Some of the most troubling I find were the car graveyard and the tank graveyard.
The car graveyard shows vehicles with civilians shot, or destroyed, while the tank graveyard seems cool at first until you realize there were Russian soldier sisnide when it was blown up. No matter which side you take on this it s important to remember people are dying.
And then you have the buildings, which are probably the most terrifying part. Some have been bombed at the halfway point leaving kitchen and even kids Tous and tables still standing, while other resemble Chernobyl in how it acts like a literal time capsule.
Weirdly we were not the only ones visiting, with Ukrainians keen to see, blog and share with the world what is happening in their country.
Should you visit Kiev?
I personally think that it is well worth visiting Kiev in 2023 and this is for a number of very different reasons. Firstly it is important to actually support Ukraine rather than just talk. Secondly every war hawk should go and actually see what war looks like and understand just how life is for Ukrainians.
But lastly and perhaps most importantly, with how things are changing so quickly with the war in Ukraine this may well be a last if not nearly last chance to go. The tide is salty changing and this will either mean at best case a negated settlement which will leave Ukraine still slightly together, or at worst it being largely incorporated into the Russian Federation.
Regardless though the Kiev of old will not be an option forever. If you want to Visit Kiev we are running limited trips through Young Pioneer Tours.