What to see


The descriptions of interesting sites are in black color
Restaurants and cafes are in blue color
Museums and galleries are in green color


Day 1. The medieval city

   1. Monument to King Danylo (Halytska Square)
The monument to King Danylo of Galicia, the founder of the city, was established in 2001. Danylo of Galicia, born in 1201, was the son of Prince Roman Mstyslavovych from the kings’ family. Being a prince in Galicia, his task was to fight with mongols, tatars and western invaders as well as suppress internal conflicts. In addition, he built cities and contributed to the development of crafts. In 1254 Danylo of Galicia received the title of king from the papal curia. The first written mention of Lviv dates back to 1256 which is the year of the foundation of the city.




   2. Bernardine Church and Monastery (3a Soborna Square)
The former Bernardine Church and Monastery (now the Church of St. Andrew (Greek-Catholic Church) were founded in 1460 as wooden buildings. Because of numerous fires the construction in stone started in 1600. The facade of the church is adorned with the Poland and Lithuania coats of arms. The monastery had strong fortifications as it was an outer outpost of the city. The eastern defensive wall with Hlynianska tower has preserved till present day. In 1784 the Archive of Ancient Acts was opened in the monastery; it is currently one of the largest archives in Europe.

"Meat and Justice” Restaurant (20 Valova Street, in the church courtyard)


  3. Hlynianska Tower (3 Vynnychenka Street)
At one time Lviv city was completely surrounded by the defensive walls. Hlynianska tower is the only fragment of the wall that has preserved till present day. The road from the tower led to the town called Hlyniany, as well as to Kyiv and Turkey. The enemies attacked Lviv often from this side that is why this place was fortified the best. In 1672, during the Turks siege of the city, the enemies digged an underground tunnel to get to the city. During the time they were diging there was a heavy storm, and the tunnel went down killing a lot of people. And at present there is an underground passage at this place.

   Pinzel Museum (2 Mytna Square)
The Museum is located in the former Claris Cathedral built in 1605-1607 by architect Pavlo Rymlianyn. The creativity of Lviv sculptor Ioann Pinzel is a real phenomenon in the Ukrainian and international history of culture. Being a European by origin and education under the influence of Byzantine art the artist left a heritage which could not be equaled in Europe. In the middle of the 18th century Pinzel initiated a school of baroque sculpture where around forty artists were studying. There are 32 items in the exhibition. The part of the exhibition was showed in the Louvre (Paris) in 2012-2013.

Restaurants: "Kumpel" (6 Vynnychenka Street), "Panska charka" (3 Vynnychenka Street), "Kabinet" (12 Vynnychenka Street)

   "Arsenal" armory museum (5 Pidvalna Street)
For better defensive abilities the city needed a storage for weapons and food. The arsenal was built in 1574-1576 at the expense of the city therefore it is called “a city arsenal." Since 1981 it has worked as a museum - one of the few in Ukraine. There is the exhibition of weapons of 11th - 20th centuries from more than thirty countries in the world.


   4. The Jewish quarter (Staroyevreyska Street)
Jewish community lived right in the area behind the arsenal. The center for the quarter was a synagogue which functioned from 1555 to 1798. In 1580 the head of the Jewish community, Isaac Nachmanowicz, bought a large land area and built a private house and a family synagogue which was called the "Golden Gate". Later it was renamed to the "Golden Rose" in honor of the Nachmanowicz’s daughter-in-law. Both synagogues were destroyed during the World War II only the part of the northern wall of the "Golden Rose" has preserved and is being under reconstruction at the moment.

Jewish Museum (36 Staroyevreyska Street)
The exhibition in the "Museum of Jewish Culture" reflects the history of the Jews of Galicia in all its versatility: a) the participation of Jews in the political and public administrative institutions; b) the activities of Jewish educational, cultural, publishing, charitable institutions; c) the synagogues and prayer houses as the centers of religious and spiritual life; d) the activities of Jewish elite (rabbis, scholars, politicians, writers, publishers, collectors, artists, actors, teachers, and others); e) Jews’ everyday life.
 
Galician Jewish tavern "Under the Golden Rose" (9 Staroyevreiska Street)
Restaurants: "Misko Pstrukh and Petro Bratvanka" (Arsenalska Square), "Arsenal" (5 Pidvalna Street)


   5. Assumption Church (21 Ruska Street)
Stauropegic fellowship was established in the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the 16th century and in 1585 it received the independence from the church hierarchy. The fellowship conducted educational activities as well as protected ukrainians’ civil rights. It had its own printing office and school. The Renaissance complex of Assumption church consists from the temple of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Three Saints Chapel and Korniakta tower. The complex was built in the 1570s, however the earliest mentions date back to 1421.




   6. Powder Tower (4 Pidvalna Street)
The powder tower is the only piece of the defensive walls that has preserved till present day. It was built in 1554-56 and was used as a storehouse for gunpowder and weapons, and in peacetime - for grain.Since 1956 it has been the House of architects.





   7. Royal Arsenal (13 Pidvalna Street)
The Royal Arsenal was attached to the defensive wall in 1646 on the site of the old arsenal of the 16th century. At this place you can clearly see where the fortifications were .On the area in front of the Assumption Church there is a fragment of the old fortifications that ran in two rows and between them there was a ditch filled with water. On the square in front of the Royal Arsenal there is a monument to Ivan Fedorov, the first printer in Ukraine.

    8. Monument to Nykyfor Drovniak (Museina Square)
This is a monument to Ukrainian painter-primitivist who was born in Lemko village called Krynytsia (now Poland). He did not get any education even a preschool because his mother was dumb and poor . He had speech defects but became famous for his paintings throughout the world.
With the establishment of this monument in Lviv a new tradition appeared: if you want to make your wish come true, you need to rub the nose or the finger of this "smiling artist".






   9. Dominican Church (1 Museina Square)
The former monastery church of the Dominican order of the Body of Christ (now
Church of Eucharist (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) is located north from the Assumption Church. The monastery dates back to the second half of the 13th century when Constance, the wife of Prince Lev, invited Dominicans to Galicia. Many interesting stories are associated with the monastery. In the middle of the 18th century the old Dominican church and monastery were demolished and the present Baroque buildings constructed.



Museum of the History of Religion (1 Museina Square)
The Museum of the History of Religion is located in the former Dominican monastery. The exhibition shows the history of the nascence and development of religions from the ancient times till the present. Here you also have an opportunity to get into the undergrounds of the monastery and listen to the melodies of the old organ.
"Kvartyra 35" Art-cafe (35 Virmenska Street)
"Dzyga" Gallery (35 Virmenska Street)


Pharmacy Museum (1 Stavropihiyska Street)
The Pharmacy Museum is the oldest functioning pharmacy in Lviv (since 1735). In the late 19th century "Under the Black Eagle" pharmacy became public and was open not only for  Lviv citizens but for military units and institutions as well. The owners frequently changed but the pharmacy continued to function. At present it is a museum where you can see the exhibition on the history of pharmacy in Galicia.


   10. Rynok Square
After conquering Lviv in 1349,Polish king Casimir III the Great, moved the city center to the present Rynok Square. The houses on Rynok Square were built according to the designs of German cities construction under the Magdeburg law; German builders were invited for the construction. It was a heart of the city that is why various entertainments and games were organized on this square. Till 1944 there was a city market.
Every house on Rynok Square has its own architectural design, as well as a color. In 1793, the four fountains were built at each corner of the square.
In 1998 all the buildings on Rynok Square were included to the list of UNESCO heritage.


History Museum ( 4, 6, 24 Rynok Square)
Lviv History Museum is the oldest and the richest in terms of historical and art exhibits among other Ukrainian museums. Located in three buildings on the Rynok square, it has more than  270 00 items. The exhibition will familirize you with the history of Lviv and Galicia lands from the ancient times till the present.
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“Coffee Mine" coffee house (10 Rynok Square)
 "Chocolate Manufacture" (3 Serbska Street) , "Stari mury" (5 Serbska Street), "Nostalgia" restaurant (6 Serbska Street), "Mazokh" cafe (7 Serbska Street)

Taverns: "The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant" (14 Rynok Square, 2nd floor), "Kryyivka" (14 Rynok Square), “At Diana" café (Rynok Square, at "Diana" fountain), "Lviv cakes " (13 Rynok Square)


  11. City Hall (1 Rynok Square)
Lviv City Hall was a place of the city government during all time of its existence. At present it is the Lviv City Council. The present city hall tower is 65 meters high and is considered to be the highest in Ukraine. It had been repeatedly destroyed and reconstructed in 1851.
There is an observation deck at the top of the town hall tower with the view on the city.




  12. Latin Cathedral (1 Katedralna Square)
The Latin Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located right next to the Rynok Square. It was being built for several centuries that is why the cathedral has got gothic, renaissance, baroque, classicism and secession features. Despite this, the gothic features prevail especially in the interior. The part of the Pope John Paul II’s relics and a copy of the wonder-making icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa are kept at the cathedral.



   13. Boims Chapel (Katedralna Square)
The Chapel of the Boims family is one of the preserved chapels which was not only a family tomb but also a place for prayer. The chapel was founded in 1609 by George Boim, a Hungarian by birth, who moved to Lviv and gained Lviv citizenship. He was a mayor of the city for a while. The chapel is richly decorated inside and outside. The dome is adorned with the figure of sorrowful sitting Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. Under the dome there is an inscription: “Look and see, all you who walk by, is there any pain like my pain?”
Coffee houses:
"Mapa" (4 Halytska Street),
"Cafe 1" ( 5 Katedralna Square),
"Svit Kavy" (World of Coffee)  (6 Katedralna Square),
"Videnski bulochky" (Vienese pastery) (3 Katedralna Square)
“International Varenyky Fund "(3 Katedralna Square)


  14. Jesuit Cathedral (11 Teatralna Street)
The Jesuits, having established their order in Ukraine in the early 17th century, started building the church in the Baroque style in 1610. In the church there are the headstones of the outstanding military leader, the protector of the city from tatars, Stanislaw Jablonowski, and family magnates, Dzieduszycki. The interior of the church is richly decorated with paintings and sculptures of the 18th-19th centuries.

Restaurants: "Bon Jour" (1 Yavorskoho Square), "Try mitly" (“Three brooms”) (1 Yavorskoho Square), “Strudel Haus” (6 Shevska Street)
“Krakivska Brama” ("Krakow Gate") restaurant (5 Krakivska Street), "Freska" coffee house (7 Krakivska Street),  “Linyvyi Pes” ("Lazy Dog") pub (9 Krakivska Street), “Pizza na drovah” pizzeria (8 Krakivska Street)


   15. Armenian Cathedral (entrance from Krakivska Street)
Armenians started settling in Lviv from the 14th century. Their main occupations were trade and crafts. Having received a small area for their quarter, armenians tried to reproduce their motherland there. During 1356-1363 they built the Assumption Church. There are some pieces of the church that have preserved till present day. The interior is richly decorated with unique frescos in ancient Ukrainian style.
  “Zelena kanapa” ("Green Sofa") gallery (7 Virmenska Street)

  
Restaurants: "Mons Pius" (14 Lesi Ukrainky Street (in Armenian church courtyard), "Bruderschaft" (16 Virmenska Street), "Kilikia" (13 Virmenska Virmenska), “Gasova liampa” ("Kerosene lamp") (20 Virmenska Street), “Virmenka" coffee house (19 Virmenska Street)

   16. Transfiguration Church (21 Krakivska Street)
The Transfiguration Church was built in 1875 on the foundations of the former St. Trinity church which was destroyed during the revolution in 1848. The consecration of the church was held on April 29, 1906 - more than 30 years after the start of its construction.
 
  “The Grill” steakhouse (22 Teatralna Street)
  "Vernissage" Art Market (23a Teatralna Street)
 
"Vernissage" - is a market of paintings, art works, souvenirs and antiques.



   17. Maria Zankovetska Drama Theatre (1 Lesi Ukrainky Street)
Formerly it was called Skarbek’s Theatre as the earl Skarbek bought the land for the construction of the theater. It was built in 1837-1842 in the style of Viennese classicism and was the largest theater in Europe at that time. The spectators hall can seat up to 1460 people. The sculptural decoration of the interior took place after the restoration in 1940-1941.


Day 2.

  18. Solomiya Krushelnytska National Opera and Ballet Theater
  ( 28 Svobody Avenue) ( you can order a guided tour around the
   theater inside)

The Opera House is an architectural gem of New-Renaissance style, one of the most beautiful theaters in Europe. While standing in front of the majestic façade of this fantastic building, one can  not help but feel an overwhelming power of art, its eternity in contrast to the fleeting human life. The Opera House is also famous for its acoustics. Well-known opera and ballet groups from Ukraine and abroad often perform on the stage of the theater.

“Livyi bereh” (28 Svobody Avenue),
“La Piazza”(27 Svobody Avenue, at the “Opera Passage” Shopping Centre),
“Bianco Rosso” pasteria (5 Svobody Avenue),
“Yapi” sushi bar (6 Svobody Avenue),
“Vienna café” (12 Svobody Avenue)


Lviv National Museum (20 Svobody Avenue)
Lviv National museum is one of the most prominent museums in Ukraine which has more than 140 thousand items. The collection was founded in 1905 as a private foundation of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyy. There is the exhibition of the old Ukrainian art of the 19th century in the museum, built in 1904 by architects L.Marconi and Yu.Yanovskyy in the style of neorenaissance. The biggest and the most complete collection of medieval sacral art of the 15th -18th centuries is of a special pride: icons, manuscripts, old printed books, decorative carving, metal works, and embroidery. There are four permanent exhibitions in the museum but temporary exhibitions also take place here.

Museum of Ethnography and Crafts (15 Svobody Avenue)
The exhibition shows two big collections of ethnographical and folk art items. The collection of Ukrainian national clothes of the 19th - early 20th century from various regions of Ukraine is one of the largest.
 

  19. Taras Shevchenko Monument
This is a monument to the Ukrainian poet, artist, and prominent public figure. On the left one can see the wave of national revival  – a twelve meter high stele with a symbolic sculpted reliefs.
Kryva Lypa passage: “Coffee-In”, “Dublin Pab”, “Filizhanka” coffeehouse, “Kredens Cafe” , “Kryva Lypa” restaurant, “Play bar”, “Pinokkio” pizzahouse, “Zolota Husa” beer restaurant.
"New York" pizzeria (5 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street), "Puzata hata" budget restaurant (12 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street )


  20. Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
  (1 Universytetska Street)

It is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, the oldest one in Ukraine which was established in 1661 by Jesuit monks. In 1773 the Jesuit order was banned, and the University was closed. Reopened in 1784, it was called Emperor Joseph University (Josephian University). The Galician Seym operated here from 1881 till 1914.



  21. Ivan Franko Park (Universytetska Street,
   in front of the Ivan Franko National University)

More than four centuries old this park is the oldest one in Lviv and in Ukraine, moreover, the Ivan Franko park is also one of the oldest city parks in Europe. Initially there were fields on this area, but later on Antonio Massari, the Ambassador of the Venice Republic in Lviv, became the owner of this land and reorganized the park in Italian manner. At the beginning of the 19th century the park was reorganized again into an Amusement Park. The only thing that has preserved since that time is the white Rotunda in the lower part of the park. In 1855 the park became municipal this way becoming one of the oldest city parks in the Europe.
The restaurant in the “Premier Hotel Dnister” (12 Rylieyeva Street)

Olena Kulchytska Memorial Museum (7 Lystopadovoho Chynu Street)
Olena Kulchytska Memorial Museum of Arts was founded in 1971 in the former home and workshop of the artist. The exhibition located in the four spacious rooms shows the most essential facets of multi-dimensional creativity of the painter: oil paintings (portraits, landscapes, and every day life paintings), thematical compositions, decorative furniture (design of the artist), a small weaving machine, engraving machine. The collection contains graphic works, embroidery, works on religious theme:  "Virgin Mary with Angels" tapestry (1910) and ceramic set.

Oleksa Novakivskyy Memorial Museum (11 Lystopadovoho Chynu Street)
Oleksa Novakivskyy Memorial Museum of Arts was opened in 1972 in the villa (style - late historicism) where the famous Ukrainian artist lived and worked from 1913 till 1935. He founded a first private Ukrainian art school in Galicia that was functioning here in 1920-30s. The permanent exhibition shows the main stages of life and career of the artist.

Leopold Levytskyy Memorial Museum (10 Ustyyanovycha Street)
Leopold Levytskyy Memorial Museum of Arts was founded in the home of the artist, public and cultural life activist who contributed a lot into the developing of Lviv graphics school of the 19th century. The museum was opened in 1984. The exhibition shows main life and career stages of the artist, displays his major achievements in graphics and painting.

Solomiya Krushelnytska Museum (23 S. Krushelnytskoyi Street)
The museum has seven exhibition rooms with photos, portraits, stage costumes, personal things of the famous singer, Solomiya Krushelnytska. The museum is located on the second floor of the house which she bought for her family in 1903. Here you plunge into the past and see the life of the outstanding singer in detail. The museum has become a center of musical life of Lviv where concerts, scientific conferences, music sessions, and presentations are held. There are about twenty thousand original items in the museum funds.


     22. St. George Cathedral (5 Sviatoho Yura Square)
St. George Cathedral is a Greek Catholic Cathedral of Galician Metropolia. It is designed in baroque-rococo style with distinctive national features. It is the main temple of Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in Lviv. The façade is adorned with the statue of St. George the Dragon-slayer, the protector of the cathedral and the city of Lviv. Under the cathedral stairs there is a cave with the statue of St. Onufriy symbolizing the hermits who once lived there.




   23. Lviv National Polytechnic University
    (12 Stepana Bandery Street)

The oldest higher technical educational institution in Ukraine and Eastern Europe founded in 1844 as a Technical Academy. The main building was constructed in 1873–1877 by the architect Julian Oktawian Zachariewicz in the style of historicism with Neoclassicism and the late Italian Neo-Renaissance features.




   24. Lviv Organ Hall (8 Stepana Bandery Street)
Lviv Organ Hall (originally - The Roman Catholic church of St. Mary Magdalene) was built at the beginning of the 17th century by the Dominican order monks.The church underwent many damages throughout its history. The last restoration took place in 1870 combining the features of Renaissance and Baroque styles. The organ inside was installed in 1932 and is considered to be the biggest in Ukraine.

“Sim porosiat” (“Seven piglets”) restaurant of Ukrainian cuisine (9 Stepana Bandery Street)

"Prison on Lontskoho" Memorial Museum (1 Stepana Bandery Street,
 entrance from Briullova Street)
This memorial museum is dedicated to the victims of occupational regimes.It can be found on the premises of a prison, where punishments were meted out by three occupational powers: Poland, the Soviet Union, and Germany. It is the first prison museum in Ukraine.


    25. Sapieha Palace (40а Kopernyka Street)
“Magic Box” – that is how contemporaries named Adam Sapieha’s little palace. Built in the late 19th century by architect Adolf Kuhn, miniature Baroque palace cost almost the same as the magnificent Potocki Palace which is located nearby. The exquisite handmade carved facade is an object of special attractiveness. The Grand hall with decorative moldings and furniture of the 19th century has preserved inside.



   26. Lviv National Art Gallery (3 Stefanyka Street)
Lviv National Art Gallery is the biggest art museum in Ukraine with a unique collection of paintings, sculpture, graphics, decorative art of Western and Eastern Europe from the Medieval Ages till the present.





    27. Potocki Palace (15 Kopernyka Street)
Potocki Palace is a vivid example of historicism style in architecture, one of the most interesting architectural buildings in Lviv. There is an exhibition of European Art of the 14th – 18th centuries. On the first floor there is an exhibition of Ancient Arts. European art is represented by the “St. Paraskeva” Ukrainian icon of the 15th century, paintings by Bazaiti, Zucchi, Ricci, Goya, and others.

    “Celentano” pizza house, (9 Kopernyka Street), “Chas Poyisty” cafeteria (3 Kopernyka Street)

   28. Adam Mickiewicz Monument
A monument to a Polish poet made by sculptor Antoni Popiel (1904). On the granite obelisk there is a winged genius that is giving the lyre to the poet.

“Puzata Khata” budget restaurant (10 T. Shevchenka Avenue), “Alpaka” restaurant (10 T. Shevchenka Avenue), “Veronika” coffee house (21 T. Shevchenka Avenue), “Dim Kavy” (23 T. Shevchenka Avenue)



   29. M. Hrushevskyy Monument
This is a monument to a professor of history, establisher of Ukrainian science, political activist and publicist, head of the Ukrainian National Republic Central Council (1917–1918), the author of more than 2000 scientific works.

“Hrushevskyy Cimena and Jazz” restaurant (28 T. Shevchenka Avenue)




   30. Stryiskyy Park (Stryiska Street)
Stryiskyy Park is a real gem of the city, one of the most beautiful parks in Ukraine. This is a perfect place for you to rest near the swan lake, to see more than 200 species of rare trees and plants, wonder along the mysterious paths and marvel at an artificial castle ruins.
You can get to Stryisky Park from the downtown by the tram no. 4 of by bus no.3A

 


Day 3.

   31. "Lychakiv Cemetery" Museum  (33 Mechnykova Street)
Lviv is often called an open air museum. Sightseeing such a museum would be incomplete without the Lychakiv Cemetery with its unique collection of tomb monuments and sculptures, so called, the embodiment of Beauty, Art, and Wisdom.





   32. Museum of Folk Architecture (1 Chernecha gora)
Lviv Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life is an open-air museum containing 120 monuments of folk architecture including six wooden churches. Hardly any museum in the world can boast with so many old religious buildings. The open-air museum is located on a 50-hectare land plot in the picturesque part of the city - Shevchenkivsky Hay (Shevchenko Park). Unbelievably beautiful wooden houses and churches of the past ages create a genuine atmosphere of Ukrainian villages from different regions of the country of the 18th-20th centuries - the lands of Boykos, Lemkos, Hutsuls, as well as Bukovyna and the Transcarpathian region. In the dwelling and utility houses you will find items of everyday use and farm implements. The churches, chapels and belfries have an authentic look.



    33. "High Castle" Park (Zamkova Street)
"High Castle" park is located on the Castle hill and is the most favorite place for a romantic walk of Lvivians and tourists. The first mention about Lviv in historical chronicles, which dates back to 1256, is related to this hill. The park has two terraces: upper and lower. The lower terrace has many park alleys, and on the upper terrace there is an observation deck where you can admire the most beautiful views of the city.








   34. Ancient town of King's time (Staryi Rynok Square)
Visit the oldest area of the city with the former city center on Staryi Rynok square, the oldest churches and monastery such as Mary the Snows Church, the oldest cathedral founded by German colonists in the 14th century; Church of St. John the Baptist and the museum of the oldest relics found in Lviv, as well as St. Nicholas Church, the oldest church in Lviv.




   35. Beer Museum (18 Kleparivska Street)
It is the first museum of brewing in Ukraine which tells the history of the drink, its production and beer drinking culture. Here you can also try a good Lviv beer and tasty snacks in the restaurant downstairs.