Ukraine's Jewish Heritage

Itinerary

1. Day 1 Arrival in Lviv

   Lviv is a picture-perfect Central European city. The UNESCO-listed Old Town is by no means the only place where you can get in touch with traditional Ukraine while you visit. Lviv’s unique atmosphere emanates from all of its elegant houses and cobblestone streets. You’ll have a wonderful time exploring this atmospheric destination, the heart of Ukrainian culture. The most popular tourist destination in Ukraine, Lviv is a cosmopolitan city with a long history of Jewish, Polish, Austrian and Hungarian influences. European history buffs, or anyone who likes to experience Old World elegance and sophistication will love it here.

   A driver will be at the airport to greet you and transfer you to your centrally located Lviv accommodation. The transfer takes about 30 minutes.

2. Day 2 Your First Full Day in Lviv

   

   Lviv Jewish Heritage Private Tour

   This tour is the best way to experience Lviv's rich Jewish history. You'll start with a two-hour walking tour in the center of the city where the Jewish Quarter once stood. Then you'll enjoy a two-hour transport tour in other parts of Lviv. You'll see the Holocaust memorial, the building where Sholom Aleichem lived, the former Jewish museum, the former Yaniv concentration camp and more. The last hour will be dedicated to the "Territory of Terror" Memorial Museum.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 5 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   Show Your Love With Chocolate

   What can be more romantic than a heart? Especially if it's handmade by yourself out of delicious chocolate? "The chocolate capital of Ukraine" may not sound impressive, but Lviv excels at decadence, from alcohol to coffee to chocolate, and its master chocolatiers are known throughout Eastern Europe. With a private chocolate-making class, you can learn to make various sweets in different forms, or even write a poem in chocolate, while naturally tasting quite a few sweets along the way!

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 1 hour

   Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

   Watch the video

3. Day 3 Your Second Full Day in Lviv

   Explore Beyond the City Limits

   Leave Lviv, and explore the history of its neighboring villages, castles, and towns. No matter the tour, you'll get a taste of the area's sheer historic and architectural diversity.

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

   

   Castles around Lviv Private Tour

   This tour will allow you to experience some of the majestic history of the Lviv region by touring its most impressive palaces and castles. You'll start in the picturesque hills of Olesko, where a fortress still shows the marks of past battles. In this area there are several easily accessible sites. You'll also see a fairy tale palace with slender towers, shining mosaic tiles and playful decorations. The past will come alive for you as you tour these castles with an expert guide. You'll love learning more about the royal past of this region.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 7 hours

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

   

   Zhovkva and Krehiv Monastery Private Tour

   On this fun trip you'll come to a better understanding of the region's history and culture. Zhovkva is a real pearl of local architecture, and the nearby village of Krekhiv is also an epicenter of important buildings, in this case churches and monasteries. You'll have a guide with you for the day, so you'll learn all about the interesting history that shaped the region.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 6 hours

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

   Watch the video

4. Day 4 Traveling to Kyiv by Train / Arrival in Kyiv

   

   It's time to leave Lviv behind and head to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. There are several direct trains a day, but only two fast trains that leave either very early in the morning or in the later afternoon and get to Kyiv just over 5 hours later. We'll have you picked up from your accommodation in Lviv and taken to the train station. If you'd prefer to leave at a different time, a private transfer can be arranged at an additional fee. Please note that the private transfer takes about 8 hours and can include different stops along the way: Tunnel of Love, Tarakaniv Fort, or Dubno castle.

   

   You can upgrade your transfer

   Kyiv By Private Transfer with Stops

   Upgrade for an additional cost

   Kyiv is a modern city steeped in history, where high-end shops and colorful restaurants are surrounded with classical architecture. It is the source of Eastern Slavic culture and Kyiv still keeps a firm hold on history. The city’s famous buildings include Saint Sofia, a church that’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nestled in the hills, Kyiv feels spread out and can be a bit of a challenge to take in if you’re trying do so on foot but an excellent public transport system and very inexpensive taxis make getting around a breeze. There’s no shortage of unique things to do here, like touring the grounds of the opulent villa of former President Victor Yanukovych, complete with a huge collection of cars and private zoo. Another must-see, the Monastery of the Caves or Pechersk Lavra, is unlike anyplace else. This UNESCO World Heritage Site consists of a large complex of churches and chapels but most striking is a series of underground caves where you can see mummified monks from the 11th century. It’s just one more thing that makes Kyiv special.

   When you arrive at Kyiv's train station, we will have a driver there to meet you and take you to your accommodation. The transfer takes about 30 minutes.

   Our representative will then meet with you to answer any questions you have and to get you settled for the rest of your trip.

5. Day 5 Your First Full Day in Kyiv

   

   Jewish Heritage and Babiy Yar Private Tour

   The history of Kyiv is closely connected to the history of its largest Jewish community, which has left its marks on the city's architecture, art, and scientific advances. On this tour, you will delve into the city's Jewish heritage, including its nadir, Babiy Yar, the site of one of the Holocaust's most infamous massacres.
   

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 3 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   See the City From Underground

   Kiev's streets are charming and the panoramic views from atop the Motherland Statue are breathtaking, yet the city's endless underground areas have their own appeal. We offer an urban exploration tour that covers tunnels ranging from sewers to an underground river, as well as a Soviet nuclear bunker. Be prepared for something special, and to get a bit dirty (boots, gloves, and flashlights from a Soviet soldier's kit are provided).

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 3 hours

   Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

6. Day 6 Your Second Full Day in Kyiv

   

   Explore Ukraine's Darkest Moment and Greatest Triumph

   Ukraine's National WWII Museum is also a memorial complex. Located on a ridge above the Dnipro River, it offers excellent views over the city. During the tour you will visit the Motherland Monument statue and the nearby WWII museum, with its great collection of rare documents, photographs, and both Allied and Axis weapons, aircraft, trucks, and tanks. The complex also includes a sculptural gallery dedicated to the heroes of the front and rear, and plenty more. Another interesting attraction are captured modern Russian armored vehicles, displayed as proof of Russian support for rebels in Ukraine's far east.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 2 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   Witness the Zenith and Nadir of Kyiv's Jews

   For centuries, Kyiv hosted one of Eastern Europe's largest and most thriving Jewish communities. While the number of Jews in Kyiv has shrunk to 20,000, the community has been busy reopening synagogues and erecting monuments. Relive the glory days by visiting Kyiv’s grandest synagogues. The charming Great Choral Synagogue, a Neo-Moorish building painted in dark red with white trim, stands out even among the beautiful buildings of Podil, Kyiv’s historic center. It’s no surprise Ukraine’s chief rabbi chose to make it his seat. There are good kosher restaurants nearby. Near the Golden Gate, you can find the Kenesa, the Moorish temple built by Karaites, people descended from medieval Crimean Tatars who converted to an offshoot of Judaism. The Brodsky Choral Synagogue is the most grand synagogue in the city, and closer to its modern center. Here you’ll find the city’s main Jewish museum.

   Nearby you'll find a plaque devoted to Golda Meir, located on her birthplace and childhood home, while a short walk will take you to the Sholem Aleichem Museum and memorial, devoted to the writer whose works inspired "Fiddler on the Roof." The final place to visit is also the city's most infamous: Babi Yar, the ravine where tens of thousands of Kyiv's Jews were tortured, murdered, and buried in two days, shortly after the Nazi arrival, followed by over 100,000 Jews and other Soviet citizens over the following years. A fittingly macabre Soviet monument anchors the site, but nearly a dozen other monuments can be found on Babi Yar’s grounds.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

7. Day 7 Traveling to Odessa by Airplane / Arrival in Odessa

   

   The fastest way to get to Odessa is by air. There are several flights throughout the day, some departing Kyiv's smaller Zhuliany airport located closer to the city center. The flight time is around 1 hour 20 minutes, so door-to-door should take between 4 and 5 hours. We have included economy class tickets in your package. While it is possible to go by road with a private transfer, it's a very long day and the only interesting stop is at a decommissioned missile base, now a museum.

   Suggested flight:

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   Please note that the flight included in your package is non-refundable. In case you would prefer more flexibility, we can check the flexible fares for you and let you know about the price difference. In addition, the price of the flights is subject to change until we receive your deposit.

   It’s no surprise that Odessa has been featured in so many famous works of art and literature; it has been a cultural center with a unique energy since it was founded in the 18th century. Today it is a lively destination with an engaging variety of restaurants, shops, and unique architecture. One of the city’s most famous buildings is the Opera House, which is both beautiful and very affordable to visit. A port city on the Black Sea, Odessa is also known for its beaches. The famous Potemkin Stairs lead down to the port and are definitely worth seeing. It’s easy to have a wonderful time just strolling though this scenic, very walkable city. Odessa’s catacombs are a famous sight, and along just about any avenue you can admire brightly colored neoclassical buildings. Gourmands will love exploring the city’s dining scene, which boasts some of the best cuisine in Ukraine.

   A driver will be at the airport to greet you and transfer you to your centrally located Odessa accommodation. The transfer takes about 30 minutes.

   

   Another City: Explore Europe's Largest Catacombs

   Discover Odessa’s hidden world as you walk through the eery and chilling network of underground tunnels beneath the city. The longest in Europe, Odessa’s catacombs are nothing like the famous catacombs of Paris and Rome. You'll uncover the fascinating history of Odessa’s catacombs during a walk through underground tunnels. You'll see how the World War ll partisans lived in the tunnels and how they came to be developed. 

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 3 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

8. Day 8 Your First Full Day in Odessa

   

   Jewish Odessa Private Tour by Car and on Foot

   This special tour is a great way to learn about the contrasting history of Jewish Odessa. At the dawn of the 20th century the city housed the third largest Jewish settlement in the world. The Jewish history of Odessa is absorbing and packed full of fascinating and at times controversial facts: 19th-century Odessa welcomed Jews and yet the first pogrom in the Russian Empire happened here. Odessa enthusiastically embraced the Haskalah movement, and yet later became home to Zionism and Hasidism.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 4 hours 30 minutes

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   Local Cuisine From Everywhere

   With its cosmopolitan mix of Jews, Ukrainians, Russians, Romanians, and more rare ethnicities, and visiting sailors from around the word, Odessa's food is a strange mix of influences, which we'll be happy to help you explore on a tour. If you'd rather explore the city on your own, be sure to check out the Privoz food market, and stroll down Derybasivska Street.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 5 hours

   Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

9. Day 9 Your Second Full Day in Odessa

   Explore Beyond the City Limits

   Ready to step outside Odessa and explore beyond the city limits? We suggest enjoying a packed full day tour with a private driver and guide who can show you the highlights of the region. You can see more of the Black Sea coastline, the town of Belgorod-Dnestrovksy and the "White Fortress" (one of Ukraine's largest fortifications), or head to Transnistria, an unrecognized country still living out the Soviet 80s.

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

   

   The Akkerman Fortress Private Tour and Local Wine Tasting

   Here's one of our favorite day trips outside of Odessa. You'll get to see an ancient fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a fantastic vineyard! An expert local guide will tell you exciting stories about the region as you take in the Black Sea coastline and the countryside, as well as the town of Belgorod-Dnestrovksy and the ”White Fortress,” one of the largest fortresses in Ukraine. The tour continues with a visit to the Shabo winery and Ukraine's center of wine culture. You'll explore cellars built two centuries ago, once visited by the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and King Carol ll of Romania. Of course there will be time to sample some of the vintages.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 10 hours

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

   

   Transnistria Private Day Trip

   Transnistria might just be the strangest non-country you'll ever visit. A self-declared republic on the territory of Moldova, this former Soviet territory just can't let go of the past. If you'd like to come to a better understanding of this unique region while seeing some of its most important architecture, we recommend this nine-hour tour with an expert local guide and driver.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 9 hours

   Suggested activities for an additional cost, depending on your choice

10. Day 10 Departure Day

    Based on your departure time, we'll arrange for a driver to pick you up from your accommodation and transfer you to the airport for your flight. The transfer takes about 30 minutes.