21.09.2005, Alexa Chopivsky, NBC Universal, USA

Lviv is my favorite city in Ukraine. If you have time, the fun way to explore Lviv is to set out on foot with no plan and see where the city's old, narrow cobblestone streets take you. You won't be disappointed because there is much to discover - from cavernous, medieval-looking coffeehouses to Vienna-style confectionaries to biergarten-cum-art galleries (ask for the flaming coffee at Dzyga) to open-air markets. A personal favorite place to sit and take in Lviv is on the city's main boulevard, Prospekt Svoboda. Sit underneath a canopy of trees on one of the many benches lining the Prospekt with a Lvivske pivo and horyky, and watch the hum of daily life. No doubt you'll see many Lvivites crossing themselves or pausing to pray at the statue of Mary, before hurrying off to work or heading home for the day. Other essential stops include Rynok Square, the old center of town and home to Ukrainian history museums and galleries full of Ukrainian crafts, and Vysoky Zamok (the "High Castle") from which you can view the entire city on a clear day. There is a great outdoor cafe near the bottom of this hill, situated in a lush, quiet park. Lviv's big plus really is the large number of these parks, which are beautiful in all seasons. The 100-year-old opera house is stunning too. Even if you're in town during the off-season, peek inside. Of course, any trip to Ukraine would not be complete without a visit to the selo (village) and to the many old churches. If you're there in summertime, go to the lys to prepare shishlicky (shishkabobs) over a campfire - the Ukrainian-style barbeque. This summer ritual inevitably ends in a robust round of singing. Ukrainians in the countryside also like to keep bees, so it's common to be offered the actual honeycomb to eat.

11.09.2005, Werner Veegh and Anneliese Neuwirth, Austria

Since Lviv had been part of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy for many years before World War I, we, living in Vienna, were particularly interested in this city. Indeed, Lviv offers an unexpectedly large variety of old buildings stemming from this period. People interested in Art Deco architecture will be surprised at the amount of buildings with beautiful decorations on their windows, doors and balconies. It seems strange that Lviv has been forgotten for a long time in Western Europe since it lies barely 600 kilometres from Vienna and almost as far from Kiev.

Of course, many inhabitants are very poor compared to us, thus prices are quite low for Western tourists. There are plenty of restaurants in the city centre where one can try typical Ukrainian as well as international food. Admittedly, the city has its problems, too. Many buildings desperately need renovation, except for hotels and tourist apartments, water is only available in the morning and evening hours.

29.09.2005, Chris Davies, the UK

Lviv : Long delays at Polish border (Przemysl). I would avoid going by car because it looked like a 4 hour type wait. Bus was quick and painless and the driver stopped specially for me to take photos for research en route. Was given sherbert lemon sweets by Ukrainian child as present in return for some English coins. Friendly on bus generally. I just got hold of a hotel name to give even though I had nothing booked. Just say Hotel George ! Rail : book the day before upstairs at Lviv station. It takes a long time if you have no interpreter, but there is always someone to help. Cigarette smuggling endemic on train so watch them strip off. The border guards liked my high security rucksack. Currency was not checked but I hid some money on train just in case. I would advise splitting money up and distributing around body. Minibus in Ukraine quick and cheap but very jam packed if you are not on first. There is always at least one alcoholic so you may get a slug of good vodka. I did not feel threatened at all travelling off piste , though I heard one bad story from Kiev involving drink drugging and theft. I ordered a taxi to pick me up in old Rozdil but I left earlier by minibus. Sorry to Vladimir, and I hope he is not still looking for me. He even rang his girlfriend to make sure our arrangement was sound. But I had to leave ! A woman offered to marry me, I bought flowers, she fell over. Vodka. Armenian Church fantastic. Breakfast in Hotel Wien good. Lots of cakes. Market immense. That's it .

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