Christmas is considered one of the greatest holidays in Ukraine. It's a unique holiday filled with the magic of love and hope, and Ukrainians celebrate it with their families and friends. Find out more about where to go to spend an unforgettable Christmas

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Christmas is one of the most important holidays for Ukrainians, which is traditionally celebrated in the circle of relatives and friends. And although the full-scale russian invasion has changed the usual life, people are trying to preserve traditions and pass them on to their children.

Usually, on this day, Ukrainians gather at the festive table and taste 12 lean dishes, the main one of which is kutya. Also, on Christmas Eve, children and adults walk around the Nativity scene from house to house and sing Christmas carols to announce the birth of Christ. The hosts are wished happiness, health and prosperity, for which the carolers are presented with sweets and money.

Christmas is a period when houses are wrapped in lights, and the streets are filled with a fairy-tale atmosphere. There are many places in Ukraine where the spirit of Christmas can be felt in a truly special way, so hundreds of travelers come here on the eve of the holiday.

Where to go for Christmas in Ukraine? A selection of the best tours follows.

Lviv

The western capital of Ukraine attracts travelers at any time of the year, but it is at Christmas that a truly magical atmosphere reigns on the streets of Lviv. The city is decorated with numerous garlands, a Christmas nativity scene is set up on Rynok Square, and the air is filled with the aroma of mulled wine.

It will be quite easy to plan a Christmas program in Lviv, because local restaurants prepare a festive menu with traditional dishes, carolers walk the streets of the city, and churches hold festive services.

Excursion programs:

Lviv delicacies - a three-day tour of the city, which combines familiarization with the main sights of Lviv and the Christmas atmosphere.

Tour dates: every Friday.

Duration - 3 days.

One-day tour "City of Lions" - in just one day you will be able to see the main sights of the city: Rynok Square, Town Hall, Black Kamianitsa, Arsenal Weapons Museum, Powder Tower, Assumption Church, St. George's Cathedral, Opera House, Chocolate Factory, taste Lviv coffee and delicious Christmas dishes.

Tour dates: daily.

Duration - 1 day.

Lviv through the eyes of children is an interesting program created for the youngest tourists. The tour includes a visit to the aquarium, a ride on the Wonder Train around town, a walking tour of Caramel Paradise, a chocolate factory and a coffee mine, as well as numerous Christmas entertainment.

Tour dates: daily.

Duration - 1 day.

Evening Lviv - Christmas Lviv looks special in the evening - illuminated streets, illuminated houses and churches. During a walk through the city, travelers will discover something completely different, new and mysterious, because this trip combines a little bit of everything: a little history, some mysticism, to some extent architecture and, of course, some Lviv love stories. During this unhurried tour, the guide will definitely tell some fascinating legends, pay attention to secret signs and inscriptions on Lviv houses. The excursion plan also includes a visit to several Lviv restaurants with a special Christmas atmosphere.

Tour dates: every day at 19:30.

Duration - 2 hours.

Ivano-Frankivsk

Festive one-day tour "Christmas in Frankivsk" offers to celebrate the holiday in one of the most beautiful Ukrainian cities. The travel program includes: an author’s gastronomic tour of Ivano-Frankivsk, a city tour from the highest panoramic terrace with a warming drink and a master class on European etiquette in the Nadiya hotel restaurant - a full four-course meal with a flaming flambé show-dessert and interesting stories from around the world gastronomy - the rules of using utensils, the history of the best wines in the world, the origin of the most famous dishes of European cuisine and much more. Each participant receives a certificate "On completing the courses of the European Etiquette School".

Tour dates: December 24.

Duration - 1 day.

Poltava Region

You can truly feel the Christmas spirit during a trip to the Poltava region, to the village of Dykanka. For the first time, the traditions of celebrating Christmas in this village were described in Mykola Gogol's story "Night before Christmas" from the series "Evenings on a farm near Dykanka".

Currently, during the Christmas holidays, guests are welcomed here with a theatrical performance during which you can hear traditional carols and carols. Also, the program of the trip to the Poltava region includes a tour of the city's sights - the Dormition Cathedral, the Kotlyarevsky manor, the monument to the Poltava galushka, the watchtower of the Poltava fortress, etc.

Tour dates: November 26 - December 31.

Duration - 2 days.

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Chernivtsi

For many years, this city in Ukraine is also known as "little Vienna", so if you plan a trip here for Christmas, you can find yourself in a truly festive atmosphere. The unique and ancient architecture of Chernivtsi combined with national cuisine and Christmas entertainment will give travelers holiday entertainment.

An interesting highlight of the trip will be the trolley bus tour of Chernivtsi OPEN CERNOWITZ. You can hear the history of Chernivtsi and see the cozy streets by taking a ride in the exclusive restored trolley bus Škoda 9Tr #208, which is more than 40 years old - fantastic entertainment for children and adults.

Tour dates: daily.

Duration – 1.5 hours.

Kamianets-Podilskyi

A three-day travel program to Kamianets-Podilsk is available throughout December. The program includes a city tour, a trip to Khotyn to the fortress, as well as a trip to Chernivtsi.

Tour dates: throughout December.

Duration - 3 days.

Carpathians

You can also feel the real festive atmosphere of Christmas during a trip to the Carpathians. A pleasant bonus will be that such a trip can be combined with skiing or snowboarding. Usually at Christmas, hotels and resorts organize a rich festive program, which includes entertaining and creative workshops with animators, cooking workshops, outdoor activities and performances by actors.

Excursion programs:

A ski tour in Bukovel is a program for lovers of active recreation. Travelers will be able not only to relax on the slopes of the Bukovel ski resort, but also to visit interesting excursions and entertainment.

Visit Ukraine offers four travel options that differ in duration:

Bukovel for two days - departure from Kyiv every Friday;

Alpine skiing tour for 3 weekends - departure from Kyiv every Thursday;

Four-day vacation in the mountains - departure every Sunday;

A seven-day trip to Bukovel for Christmas - tour dates: 12/21/2023 - 12/30/2023.

The "Six Days in the Winter Carpathians" vacation tour will give you exciting experiences and a real Christmas vacation. In the tour program: Pylypets (Shipit waterfall, cable-chair road to Mount Hymba), Berehiv volcanic lowlands (wine tasting), Uzhgorod, Karpaty sanatorium (Shenboron palace), Mukachevo (Palanok castle), Kosyno (thermal pool), Iza (reindeer farm, exhibition and sale of vine products, cheese tasting), Dilove (center of Europe), Verkhovyna, (museums named after Roman Kumlyk, "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", huts), Kryvorivnia, Bukovel (climbing by chairlift ), Yaremche.

Tour date: December 23.

Duration - 6 days.

The fabulous Hutsulshchyna also invites tourists to the Christmas holidays. The program includes the best places of Hutsul Region: incredible Yaremche, fabulous Bukovel, Yavoriv, Kolomyia, vats in Verkhovyna, winter mountains and interesting fun.

Tour dates: throughout December.

Duration - 3 days.

Christmas is a time when we remember our own traditions, so we invite tourists to get to know the folk craftsmen of Ukraine. The excursion program includes a trip to Kosiv, which has long been called the capital of folk art of the Hutsul region. It was here that the main branches of folk crafts were concentrated and developed: carving, pottery, artistic weaving and embroidery, artistic processing of metal and leather. The second stop is Yavoriv, a unique Hutsul village with ancient and glorious artistic traditions, where the best folk masters of bed-making, wood carving, and embroidery live.

Tour dates: throughout December.

Duration - 1 day.

Transcarpathia

The Carpathians, castles, palaces, wines, all the best that hospitable Transcarpathia can offer awaits tourists during the trip "10 highlights of Transcarpathia". The program includes a tour of the Schönborn Palace, a trip to Mukachevo, Berehove, Uzhhorod, Lake Synevyr, swimming in vats, wine tasting and many festive entertainments.

Tour dates: beginning on December 22.

Duration - 3 days.

Find more winter tours for every taste on the Visit Ukraine website. Follow the link and choose your ideal trip for Christmas!

We will remind you that we have already told you where you can celebrate the New Year in Ukraine. Details in our material.

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