Train travel in Ukraine . . .

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How to check Ukrainian train times...

It's easy to check train times for any journey within Ukraine or between Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the other ex-Soviet republics - just use the enquiry system below.  This links to the excellent online timetable at www.poezda.net.

Departure station: Arrival station: Prefix search Context search

Search tips: If you are unsure of the spelling, use the first two or three letters of the placename and the system will prompt you with suggestions... Moscow = 'Moskva',  St Petersburg = 'Sankt-Peterburg',  Kiev = 'Kiev',  Ulan Bator = 'Ulan-bator',  Beijing = 'Pekin' In the search results: 'Pass' = slow ordinary passenger train 'Fast, firm' = Fast 'firmeny' train.  'Firmeny' means 'top quality service' with modern coaches and a restaurant car.  Look for a 'firmeny' train first. Ukrainian Railways also have their own website, but in Ukrainian and Russian only, at www.uz.gov.ua.

How to check Ukrainian fares...

www.poezda.net will also give you approximate fares.  Ukrainian rail fares are amazingly cheap by Western standards, and a typical long-distance overnight journey - for example Lviv to Kyïv - will cost in the region of £6 in platskartny, £9 in kupé and £18 in spalny vagon.  A small additional charge (less than £1) is made for bedding - this is collected by the carriage attendant soon after departure.

Classes of accommodation...

Ukrainian trains offer the normal 'Russian' range of sleeping accommodation:

• 'Spalny Wagon' 2-berth compartments (1st class).  Some trains have Russian-style compartments with both beds at the lower level, other trains use European-style cars with an upper and lower berth plus a washbasin.

• 'Kupé' 4-berth compartments (2nd class), 9 compartments per coach.  Toilets and washrooms are at the end of the corridor.

• 'Platskartny' open-plan dormitory cars (3rd class).  Bunks are arranged in bays of four on one side of the aisle, in bays of 2 alongside the coach wall on the other side of the aisle, 54 bunks per coach.

Right: 'Platskartny' class.   There are 54 bunks per coach, arranged in transverse bays of 4 (at left of photo) and longitudinal bays of 2 above and below the window (right of photo). Far right: 'Kupé' class 4-berth compartments on an older Ukrainian train...

Whichever class of travel you choose, each coach is looked after by a pair of attendants called a 'provodnik' (male) or 'provodnitsa' (female).  The provodnik will check your ticket at the door to the sleeper when you board.  Shortly after departure, the provodnik will come round to take your ticket and the small bedding fee.  You may be asked if you would like a glass of black Ukrainian tea ('chai') - this costs about 0.75 gryvnia, or about 15p.  Bedding (two sheets, pillowcase and towel) is then handed out in sealed packs - blankets and mattresses will already be stacked in your compartment.  After a few journeys, you will become quite proficient at making up your bed..!

A samovar with unlimited free hot water is available at the end of the corridor - pack some tea or coffee, sugar, cuppa soups or water-based drinking chocolate and bring your own mug.   Most long distance trains have a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks, and inexpensive full meals - reckon on less than £5 for two courses and a couple of bottles of beer.

Security...

There is no need to worry about security on Ukrainian trains, as long as you use the same common sense that you would use anywhere, use the locks on your compartment door at night and don't leave valuables unattended.  In addition to the normal lock on the compartment door, 'Spalny Wagon' and 'kupé' compartments have a security latch which stops the door opening more than an inch or two, and which cannot be released from outside.  There's also a safe place for your bags at night - if you have a bottom bunk, there is a metal box underneath the bunk which you can only get to by lifting up the bunk - in other words, for anyone to get to your bags, they will have to shift you off your bunk first..!  Your provodniks will probably also lock the access doors at each end of the corridor at night to prevent any unwanted guests.

Kiev - Lviv:  'Grand Hotel' sleeping-car.

Until 2006, the overnight train between Lviv and Kiev used to have a special sleeping-car run by the Grand Hotel in Lviv.  However, this special sleeper was withdrawn in 2006 so no longer runs.  There may be more information at www.ghgroup.com.ua/gtcarriage.htm.  The normal Ukrainian Railways 2-bed sleepers remain available on this train.

Buying train tickets when in Ukraine

Reservations are fully computerised, and you can book train tickets up to 45 days in advance for any journey within, or originating within, Ukraine at any Ukrainian railway station.  If your Ukrainian or Russian isn't up to scratch, write down your requirements, using the Cyrillic (Russian) script if you can.  Alternatively, to avoid the queues and any language hassles, you can book rail tickets through travel agencies, for example those located in the lobbies of certain major hotels.

Buying train tickets from outside Ukraine:  Option 1, Real Russia

Normal UK European rail agencies cannot book rail travel within Ukraine, although Deutsche Bahn can book international trains from Germany or Poland into Ukraine.  However, there are a number of agencies who can book Ukrainian train tickets.  Real Russia is a UK-Russian agency who can sell tickets for all the ex-Soviet states including Ukraine.

What tickets can this system sell?  This system can sell tickets for any mainline train journey within Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and the other ex-Soviet states.  It will also sell tickets for journeys starting in those countries heading outwards, for example Moscow to Berlin or St Petersburg to Helsinki.  Reservations officially open 45 days before departure, but Real Russia allow you to request tickets up to 180 days ahead and they will contact you for payment when the price is confirmed. Can anyone buy tickets using this system?  Yes, you can buy tickets online with a credit card whether you live in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, or wherever. How are tickets delivered?  Tickets can be collected free of charge at Real Russia's offices in Moscow or St Petersburg, or an e-ticket can be emailed to you so you can collect the ticket from most main stations in Russia (but not in other ex-Soviet states).  Tickets can be sent to UK or EU addresses for a £12-£15 charge, or couriered to any address worldwide also for an extra charge. Who run this service?  Is it reliable?  This service is provided by Real Russia, a reputable joint UK-Russian company which gets good reports from users.  They can also sort out your Russian visa. Booking tips:  Look for a train marked 'Firm' if there is one. 'Firmeny' trains are the best 'quality' trains, with modern coaches and good on-board service.  'TBC' means the system cannot provide a price for that particular train automatically, but they'll contact you with a cost by phone or email and you can they accept or decline. Is it cheaper to buy at the ticket office?  Real Russia charge the normal Ukrainian Railways fare plus a 15-23% mark-up to cover their costs.  The fares shown on this system include the mark-up.  By all means buy tickets at the ticket office if you're flexible, but trains can get fully-booked so it's good to pre-book if you want a specific date and train.  It can be worth the extra to quickly and simply organise your Ukrainian or Russian rail tickets in English.

Buying train tickets from outside Ukraine:  Option 2, Unipress & other agencies

Alternatively, an excellent agency which can book train tickets within Ukraine for you is 'Unipress' - http://travel-2-ukraine.com/transportation/train-tickets.htm.  Unipress sells Ukrainian rail tickets for about US$15 (platskartny) or US$20 (kupé) for a typical long-distance journey including their booking fee, plus an additional US$46 if you want the tickets sent by DHL to the UK.  I can recommend their service as both helpful and efficient.  Similar agencies are www.newlogic.com.ua/en/tickets/rail.php or www.go-ukraine.com/service.html.  There is also a helpful UK-based agency which is worth trying, www.ukraine.co.uk.

Yalta, a seaside resort and site of the 1945 Yalta Conference, has no railway station but it can be reached by trolleybus from Simferopol.  These run every 20 minutes throughout the day.  It's the longest trolleybus ride in the world, taking a very scenic (but bum-numbing...) 2 hours 40 minutes across the mountain range and down to the coast.  The fare is just a few hryvnia.

Livadia Palace, site of the Yalta Conference 1945:  Don't miss the Livadia Palace on the coast just outside Yalta town centre - the famous photographs of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin seated side-by-side at the 1945 conference was taken in the courtyard here.  The photo on the right shows the same courtyard today.  For a mass-murderer, Stalin was pretty good at choosing cool conference locations...

Balaclava, 7 miles from Sevastopol, also has no railway station.  It's most easily (and very cheaply - about £2) reached by taxi, but there are also buses (with a change of bus required from trolleybus to diesel bus at the out-of-town trolleybus terminal).  In recent times a submarine maintenance base, it was closed to foreigners until 1996.  During the Crimean war of 1854-55 the British used it as their supply port for the siege of Sevastopol.  You can climb up to the ruined fortress on the hill overlooking the harbour on one side and the Black Sea on the other.

The charge of the Light Brigade, 1854:  "...into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred..."  wrote Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Walking or taking a taxi the three miles inland from Balaclava town you can visit the site of the Battle of Balaclava, where the famous 'charge of the Light Brigade' took place during the Crimean war.  The battlefield is completely unmarked, so take a good map.

The photo above shows the site of the battle and the famous charge today, when the Light Brigade would find their horses hindered by the endless vineyards.  In the photo, the Light Brigade would have charged from left to right towards the line of Russian guns which were lined up across the shallow valley roughly where the line of tall pointed trees is in the distance.  Only about 100 of the 600 British cavalry survived.

Weekly passenger ships link Odessa with Istanbul across the Black Sea, taking about 36 hours.  For sailing times, days and fares, see www.ukrferry.com.  Fares start at about $115 with cabin berth.  You can book through a recommended Ukrainian agency http://travel-2-ukraine.com/transportation/ferry-tickets.htm.

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train, bus & ferry times for every country in Europe including Ukraine & European Russia, plus currency & climate information.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers!  It costs about £13.99 from the bureau de change in any branch of Thomas Cook, or buy online at www.thomascooktimetables.com (worldwide delivery).  Alternatively, buy the special independent traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk.

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is highly recommended as easily the best and most comprehensive map of train routes all over Europe, as far east as Moscow, Kiev and the Crimea.  High-speed and scenic routes are highlighted.  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery)

For the serious independent traveller easily the best guidebook to take is the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.  This Lonely Planet Ukraine guidebook is brand-new as of late 2005.

Buy Lonely Planet Ukraine online at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

Compare quotes from both Direct Line & Columbus...

Travel insurance..

Travel insurance is a boring subject, but it's a real necessity, so make sure you budget for it.  Make sure you get adequate cover - for example, at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover, from a reliable insurer.  Remember that an annual multi-trip policy is often cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just two or three trips a year.  Here are some suggested insurers to try.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy after clicking these links.

  If you live in the UK, get quotes from Direct Line (whom I've used myself) and Columbus Direct.

      If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct Australia.

  If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

EU health card...

UK citizens travelling in Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card.  This replaces the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available free from www.ehic.org.uk and entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the UK's NHS.

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