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Where to Stay in Lviv, Ukraine | The Best Places to Stay right now

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The Best Area to Stay in Lviv

Halytskyi district is the most popular neighborhood to stay in Lviv, Ukraine. Tourists love the location because you will find most of the city’s best attractions within walking distance and the fanciest hotels are all located there. Halytskyi is also the epicenter for Lviv’s quirky cafes, exceptional yet very reasonably priced restaurants, cozy and sometimes downright weird bars. Halytskyi is the best area to stay in Lviv for tourists, especially if you are visiting Ukraine for the first time.

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The romantic view from Astoria Hotel overlooking Lviv Old Town. Located in the Halych district it’s a great central neighborhood with good transportation connections to the airport, great restaurants nearby, and you can walk to the historic center in minutes

Lviv is divided into 6 raions (meaning districts): Halych district, Railway district, Lychakiv district, Sykhiv district, Franko district and Shevchenko district. These large districts are further divided into neighborhoods. We’ve stayed in several of the neighborhoods and traveled to all of the others for one thing or another during the months we spend in Lviv each year.

The great thing about Lviv is that everywhere we’ve visited we have never felt unsafe, even after we ventured well outside the “touristy areas”. That said, if you’re visiting Lviv as a tourist there’s certain areas which are by far the best stay in during your trip.

The best hotels in Lviv are located in Halych district which is the very center of town. Some of the other areas contain new developments and really affordable prices which are perfect for longer term stays.

Lviv is well connected by public transport included an extensive tram and bus networks. Fares cost as little as 6 UAH ($0.25). There is Uber in Lviv which is comparatively cheap compared to the US or Western Europe which makes it possible to stay further outside Lviv central if you find a nice place. 

The historical centre of Lviv contains a large pedestrian zone. All the best attractions in Lviv are easily accessible by foot. 

The Best Places to Stay in Lviv

Best Luxury Hotels in Lviv

Grand Hotel Lviv Luxury & Spa | Leopolis Hotel

Best Romantic Hotels in Lviv

Citadel Inn Hotel & Resort | Astoria Hotel

Best Boutique Hotels in Lviv

Ferenc Hotel | Gruner Lviv Boutique Hotel

Best Mid-Range Hotels in Lviv

Blum Hotel | Sherlock Holmes Boutique Hotel

Best Cheap Hotels in Lviv

Opera Center Hotel | Central Hotel

 
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Halytskyi district is established as the most popular area to stay in Lviv for first timers. However, this neighborhood encompasses more than just the historic center. One of the best areas to stay is in one of the hotels along Prospekt Svobody which is the road divided by a beautiful park featuring markets and a tree-lined path to Lviv Opera (pictured)

Best Neighborhood in Lviv for Sightseeing: Historic Center

Lviv Old Town is recognised as a UNESCO world heritage listed site due to its cultural significance as an “outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany”. (Ryonok) Market Square is the center and focal point of Lviv. In the middle is City Hall featuring a 65 m high tower which you can climb for stunning 360 degree views of town. The perimeter of the square is pastel multi-colored Austrian-style houses, al fresco restaurants and the Pravda Beer Factory a 3 story brewery popular with the late night crowd. Within Lviv Old Town you can walk to UNESCO featured landmarks including the Church of St Nicholas Armenian Church. The Historic Center includes Lviv Opera House along Prospekt Svobody which is the most recognizable building in Lviv. In the Old Town you’ll find the highest concentration of exceptional restaurants in Lviv.

Best Neighborhood in Lviv for food and restaurants: Halych district

The Halytskyi district extends beyond the historic center south, where you can find some of the best restaurants which are popular with locals, which is always an important sign. Frayerka is one such place which delivers up local Ukrainian dishes which are derived from old Polish recipes. Come for the food, stay longer for the delicious cakes. Outside the old town in this area you will find important buildings like the ornately decorated House of Scientists featuring a spectacular grand staircase, and our one of our favourite cafes, Lviv Handmade Chocolate which serves excellent and strong coffee which perfectly compliments the side order of a cup of melted milk chocolate. It’s exceptional. You could spend your entire vacation in this neighborhood without getting bored: it has everything you need in terms of restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and 90% of the things you come to Lviv to see.

Best Neighborhood in Lviv for nightlife: Shevchenko district

North of Lviv Old Town towards is Lviv’s largest shopping center, Forum, which is the landmark for the beginning of the Shevchenkivskyi District. The area includes Lviv’s most popular night club Malevich, the popular brewpub Robert Doms Hop House, Lviv Brewery and Beer Cultural Experience Center “Lvivarnya”. The pubs and clubs in Shevchenko district are where you should visit to mingle with young local Ukrainians. Within the historic center the bars are more popular with tourists who are mostly Ukrainians from Kiev. 

Best Neighborhood in Lviv for a local vibe: Lychakiv district

Get into the swing of life Ukrainian life by staying in this region east of Old Town. 

On our first visit to Lviv we stayed in an apartment in this area and we loved walking down Lychakivska Street for the sights along the way. From a foreigner’s perspective, the neighborhoods in Lychakiv are rustic and of the Soviet-era style. On our first morning we found an old Lada car which definitely dated back to Soviet times. Around the corner we found an authentic open air Farmer’s Market where the farmer’s wife displayed fresh produce on the street curb including eggs, fresh flowers and all sorts of vegetables. The area still has plenty of supermarkets but it is more lacking in restaurants or bars. Fortunately, the old town is 5 – 15 minutes walk depending on how far out you stay. Trams run up and down the main street connecting you with the city for about 6 UAH but we found them to be very crowded and slow, so we preferred to walk. Or you can grab an Uber for $2 – 3.

Unsafe Areas of Lviv

We have always felt very safe almost everywhere in Lviv. The only area we felt slightly unsafe was around Lviv Train Station in the Railway District. This might have been because we arrived late at night, had no internet and the area is a bit run down. However, after we made our way to a little cafe where we connected wifi and discovered how fantastic the price of food and beers are in Lviv, even that area seemed a little better. You can read more about arriving in Lviv and negotiating your way safely out of the train station in our guide about how to travel from Krakow to Lviv.

We often walked the neighborhoods like regular tourists with our DSLR camera out, didn’t make extra efforts to hide our phones and we still didn’t feel unsafe during our time in Lviv.

The 7 Best Neighborhoods in Lviv for Tourists

 
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Champagne Breakfasts are common in many 4 and 5 star hotels in Lviv, Ukraine. Buffet breakfast at Astoria Hotel in Halych neighborhood pictured

1. Prospekt Svobody, Halych district

This is the fanciest street in Lviv where you can find designer stores and the poshest hotels. Located on the outer rim of the Old Town yet within a 3 minute walk of Market Square, you are in right where the action is. Lviv Opera is located on the street which is a glorious place to take a stroll through the park containing a tree-lined park pedestrian zone which frames the Opera in all its glory. This park is frequently filled with markets selling traditional food, beer and confectionery. These are the Christmas Markets but they seem to open more often than not as we’ve found them open during Easter, Jazz Festival time and much more.

2. (Ryonok) Market Square, Lviv Old Town

Stay here if you want to be in the heart of the action. If you’re lucky you can chose a hotel with a balcony overlooking Market Square and all the wonderful entertaining going on night and day. This is a spectacular location and you will truly feel the vibe of the city here.

3. Shevchenka Avenue, Halych district

Just outside the historic center is a lovely area featuring pretty parks, cozy cafes, unique restaurants and a good variety of accommodation options. Prices are slightly cheaper than in the Old Town, but you are literally 5 minutes walk away and you get to see more of Lviv along the way. We love this romantic area of Lviv.

4. Railway District

This is a large district which stretches from the Railway Station all the way up to within 10 – 15 minutes walk of the Old Town. This is a residential area mainly which means you can find some of the cheapest hotels in Lviv here. The area is still well connected by public transport and you can always catch an Uber into town for $2 – $3. You will find more traditional Ukrainian-style hotels here.

5. South of Old Town, Halych district

This area is mostly residential punctuated by interesting local bars and restaurants. You can also find some hidden gems of accommodation in this area including a renovated fortress.

6. Lychakiv district

A very traditional area of Lviv where you will really feel like you are in Eastern Europe. You can find a lot of recently renovated properties here but as the hotels are outside the city centre you can pick up some bargains. Still close enough to the action that you can walk (10 – 30 minutes depending on how close you stay) or get a taxi or Uber for less than $5. You can also find lots of cheap eats here too.

7. Armenian Quarter, Old Town

Two streets north of Market Square is a few streets known as the Armenian Quarter. The streets are very cute and there are lots of nice restaurants and cafes. Even though it’s just a couple of minutes from the very middle of Lviv, this area is really calm and quiet. One of our favorite quirky Lviv restaurants is here – Gas Lamp – where your drinks are served in test tubes and beakers.

This rounds up our comprehensive guide to where to stay in Lviv. For short-term visits we recommend booking a hotel to ensure your stay isn’t ruined by mis-described listings. If you’re staying for longer then Airbnb can be a good option. Get $25 sign up using this link. 

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