Take The Train From Kyiv To Lviv

If you have followed the blog at all, you should know by now that I live in Lviv (hence the high number of articles) but every once in a while I have to go to Kyiv (also written as Kiev). Whether it’s to meet friends, or because I’m accompanying Cody, I almost always go back and forth by train. In fact, the train is the easiest way to get from Kyiv to Lviv and vice versa. In this article I’ll try to give you as much useful information as I can to make your journey streamlined.

Where Is The Kyiv Train Station?

The main station is called Kyiv-Passazhirskiy and is located at Vokzalna St 1. As that address may not mean much to you readers, here’s a map so you can find it easily. It is connected to the Kyiv metro, as well as various bus routes. I do find the easiest thing to do is to take an Uber since it is rarely more than a few dollars from anywhere in the city, and you won’t have to worry about schedules.

If you want to take a taxi, you can tell the driver Vokzal and they should take you here as it is the main station.

Where To Buy Train Tickets

While it is entirely possible to buy tickets at the train station the day of, you really risk the chance of the route being sold out. Almost all Ukrainians will use the website: booking.uz.gov.ua/en/ I added English at the end to make it easier. Most Ukrainians of course will read it in the Ukrainian or Russian language. Or you can download the app on your phone, search words: “ukrzaliznica”. I mostly use this app to buy the tickets.

Help! There are so many options.

Wow, who would have thought taking the train from Kyiv to Lviv is actually pretty convenient. Every day there are about 8 different trains making the journey from Kyiv to Lviv so it can be confusing as to which routes to book.

Check out my list of the best things to do in Lviv.

Recommended Routes:

Route 705K Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky to Przemysl (This train departs Kyiv at 6:00 and gets to Lviv around 11:00 so it is great for those who don’t mind waking up early).
First Class: $30
Second Class: $16

Route 743L Darnytsya to Lviv (This train departs Kyiv at 17:33 and gets to Lviv nearing 23:00 so it’s perfect if you are spending most of the day in Kyiv and will go straight to your accommodations upon arriving in Lviv…or the clubs, that works too).
First Class: $40
Second Class: $13.50

Those are the two fastest trains, at around 5 hours journey each. If you want to save money on a hotel for the night, you can do an overnight train. We usually do this when we want to go back to Lviv after dinner with friends. There are three overnight trains, but the best one is the one departing at 22:47 and arriving at 08:09.
Route 46D Lysychansk to Uzhhorod

For this train I recommend the first class sleeper because you will be in your own cabin with just one other bed. So it is perfect for couples. Berth class is open air bunk beds throughout the car, which is a lot cheaper, but much harder to actually get any sleep. Tickets in first cost around 450 UAH, or roughly $18. Third class berth is around $6 a ticket.

Click here to check the list of the most interesting restaurants in Lviv: Themed Restaurants In Lviv

Are There Other Ways To Get From Kyiv To Lviv?

Absolutely! While I think the train is the most convenient, you can go by bus or private car. You can even fly! There are a couple flights a day from Kiev Boryspil to Lviv Danylo Halytsky and are usually about $60 one way if bought far enough ahead of time.

The bus (more of a van really. In Ukraine they are known as marshutkas) will have various pickup points throughout Kyiv, but the most popular is the main terminal right next to the train station. You can buy your tickets there.

I wouldn’t recommend hiring a private car but if you are an adventurous tourist you can rent a car and drive yourself. That will give you ample opportunity to stop at various scenic places along the way.

Take The Train From Kyiv To Lviv