Travel to Ukraine from Spain in 2024: convenient routes and entry rules
Ukraine has no restrictions on foreign tourists traveling on its territory. However, traveling under martial law requires additional attention and caution. Learn more about how to get to Ukraine from Spain in 2024 and the current border crossing rules
According to official information provided by the State Border Service at the request of Visit Ukraine, over 2.4 million foreigners entered Ukraine in 2023, including 5,390 citizens of Spain. In 2024, foreigners will continue to come to Ukraine on personal visits, on trips and as part of volunteer missions.
However, traveling under martial law has its own peculiarities, in particular, the airspace is closed in Ukraine, and certain safety rules must also be observed.
How to get to Ukraine from Spain? What rules for entering Ukraine are relevant in 2024? Useful information for those planning a trip this year is collected in our material.
How to get to Ukraine from Spain in 2024?
The most convenient and fastest way to get to Ukraine is to fly to one of the airports in Europe, which is located near the Ukrainian border, and from there continue the journey by train or bus.
Ukraine borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. There are many direct flights from Germany to these countries.
1. Flight from Spain to the Ukrainian border
- Warsaw can be reached by direct flight from Palma, Alicante, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid and Tenerife.
Flights are operated by low-cost airlines WizzAir and Ryanair, as well as major European airlines. Taking this into account, the ticket price starts at 30 euros. Travel time is about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
- Krakow is one of the closest Polish airports to the Ukrainian border. The distance from Krakow to Lviv is 328 km. You can get here by direct flight from Girona, Barcelona, Palma, Valencia, Seville, Alicante, Malaga, Madrid and Tenerife. The price of the ticket starts from 40 euros. Travel time is about 3 hours.
- You can also fly to Rzeszów (Ryaszów) on a direct flight, but only from Alicante. The flight is operated twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday. Departure at 06:05, arrival at 09:25. Ticket price from 20 euros. The airport in Rzeszów is located 172 km from Lviv (Ukraine).
You can also fly directly from Spain to Katowice, Wroclaw and Poznań.
The most popular flights: Madrid-Warsaw (departure at 21:40 and arrival at 01:15), Barcelona-Krakow (departure at 18:15 and arrival at 21:05) and Alicante-Katowice (departure at 19:30 and arrival at 22:40) .
Detailed route from Poland to Ukraine in this article.
● Spain – Moldova
You can get to Chisinau from Spain on a direct flight from Barcelona to Chisinau, which departs every Friday. Travel time – 3 hours 25 minutes. Departure at 16:15. The price of the ticket is 180 euros.
● Spain – Slovakia
The countries are connected by a direct flight on the Palma-Bratislava route. Departure from Spain twice a week - on Wednesday and Saturday, at 16:10 or 22:25 (depending on the day of the week), travel time 2 hours 30 minutes. Ticket price from 80 euros.
You can fly to Kosice or Poprad only with a transfer. Such a trip will last about 4 hours and will cost from 120 euros.
● Spain – Hungary
Budapest can be reached from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Travel time is 3 hours and 15 minutes. Ticket price from 50 euros. The flights are operated by the Hungarian carrier WizzAir.
You can only fly to Debrecen, the Hungarian airport closest to the Ukrainian border, with a transfer.
● Spain – Romania
Only connecting flights are available to Suceava. Departures are from Barcelona, Madrid or Valencia. The price of the ticket is from 60 euros, the duration of the trip is from 7 hours.
You can easily get to Chernivtsi from Suceava, there is a daily bus from the bus station, the journey to Chernivtsi takes 2-3 hours.
Attention! If you plan to buy tickets for the near future, the prices may be much higher.
2. Travel to Ukraine by land transport
At the second stage, it is necessary to continue your trip from the European city to Ukraine by ground transport.
● Train
Most of the tourists prefer the railway because of its speed and comfort. Ukraine is connected to European cities by the following trains:
- Poland - from Warsaw you can get to Kyiv, from Przemyśl - to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, from Chelm - to Kyiv and Kharkiv.
- Hungary - there is a direct train from Budapest to Kyiv.
- Austria - a direct train goes from Vienna to Kyiv.
- Moldova - a direct train goes from Chisinau to Kyiv.
- Slovakia - from Kosice you can reach Chopa and Mukachevo.
Find a detailed schedule of trains running between Ukraine and European countries by following the link.
You can also get from Madrid to Lviv by train, there are two main routes:
● Madrid (Spain) - Barcelona (Spain) - Zurich (Switzerland) - Vienna (Austria) - Bratislava (Slovakia) - Lviv (Ukraine).
● Madrid (Spain) - Barcelona (Spain) - Paris (France) - Frankfurt am Main (Germany) - Bratislava (Slovakia) - Lviv (Ukraine).
However, you will have to make many transfers and purchase several train tickets.
● Bus
A fairly convenient and economical way to get to Ukraine is by bus.
Direct flights from Spain are carried out on the following routes: Madrid-Lviv, Barcelona-Kyiv, Valencia-Kyiv, Alicante-Kyiv and pass through many Ukrainian cities: Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, etc.
Travel time from 40 hours. The price of the ticket is 150-170 euros.
Carriers offer comfortable passenger buses for the trip. The salon is equipped with soft seats, a toilet and an automatic climate control system, a large luggage compartment, Wi-Fi, which allows you to travel comfortably.
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Choosing a proven service for buying tickets is one of the most important stages in organizing a trip. That is why thousands of travelers use the ticket purchase service on the Visit Ukraine portal. Plane, train or bus - a ticket for any type of transport in one place.
● Own car
The distance from Madrid, the capital of Spain, to Lviv is 3,091 km. The journey to Kyiv will be 550 kilometers longer. The route will pass through many European countries - France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland or Slovakia. Such a trip, taking into account the price of gasoline, can cost from 650 to 850 euros.
To avoid a long wait, prefer traveling at the beginning of the week. From Monday to Wednesday, the passenger flow is less and, accordingly, there are no long queues. Starting from Thursday evening until Sunday, the number of people willing to cross the border increases, which increases the load on checkpoints. Read in detail about the operation of checkpoints on the Ukrainian border in our material.
In addition, we draw your attention to the fact that, despite the fact that checkpoints are open 24 hours a day, there is a curfew on the territory of Ukraine due to the state of war.
A foreigner is allowed to enter Ukraine by car, but can only use it for personal needs. Foreign citizens can drive cars with foreign license plates in Ukraine for up to one year. If you plan to stay in Ukraine longer than two months, you need to contact the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for temporary car registration. After the expiration of the one-year period, the car with foreign license plates must leave Ukraine.
To enter Ukraine by car, you must have a Green Card insurance policy.
Detailed rules for traveling in Ukraine by car with foreign registration in this article.
Rules of entry for citizens of Spain to Ukraine 2024
● Visa is not required. Spanish citizens have the right to stay in Ukraine without a visa for up to 90 days, if the purpose of the trip is tourism, visiting relatives, treatment, etc.
If the duration of your stay exceeds 90 days or you plan to work or study in Ukraine, then before your trip you need to apply for a long-term visa (type "D") at the embassy or consulate of Ukraine in Spain. It is better to start the procedure at least 3 months before the planned trip.
● Entry into Ukraine is based on a valid foreign passport, which must have at least one blank page for the entry stamp.
Also, to cross the Ukrainian border, you must provide:
2. Confirmation of the purpose of the trip: a notarized invitation from citizens of Ukraine (relatives, acquaintances, friends), travel vouchers, confirmation of accommodation reservations, invitations from companies or organizations, tickets to seminars, exhibitions, fairs, documents about treatment in medical facilities, etc.
3. Confirmation of financial support (cash, bank statement, check from an ATM, etc.) - proof that you have sufficient funds for the entire period of your planned stay in Ukraine or transit to a third country ($45 per person for each day of your stay in Ukraine ).
Importantly! Foreigners who have been banned from entering Ukraine by an authorized state body will not be able to cross the border. Read about who can be refused entry to Ukraine in our article.
Useful links for those planning a trip to Ukraine
● Booking a tour – if the purpose of the trip is tourism, be sure to search for a tour in advance. The largest database of routes from proven tourist operators is collected at the link. Depending on your interests, you can also plan an individual trip.
● Housing search – book hotels here. Rules for renting an apartment in Ukraine for foreigners in this article.
● Rent a car – to feel more mobile while traveling in Ukraine, we recommend renting a car. Detailed instructions at the link.
● Safety and insurance rules – safety rules must be strictly followed when traveling through Ukraine under martial law. In addition, make sure you have military risk insurance. About the benefits of the policy here.
● Legal support – in the conditions of martial law, certain rights of citizens may be limited, therefore, if you need the help of a lawyer while traveling in Ukraine, you can contact the specialists at the link.
● Contacts of the Embassy of Spain in Ukraine:
- Address: str. Horyva, 46, 01901, Kyiv, Ukraine;
How to get there? By metro, the closest station to the Chancellery is "Kontraktova ploshcha", blue line (M2), then walk for about 10 minutes.
- Phones: +380 44 5210742 / 43
- Fax: +380 44 5210717
- Email address of the Consular Department: [email protected]
● Souvenirs – stylish clothes and accessories in memory of Ukraine here.
We wish you a good trip!
Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.
We recommend purchasing it for a safe and comfortable trip to Ukraine:
Visit Ukraine Insurance – safe travel in Ukraine (insurance covering military risks);
Visit Ukraine Legal advice – comprehensive legal support on entry to Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Tickets – bus and train tickets to/from Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Tours – the largest online database of tours to Ukraine for every taste;
Visit Ukraine Hotels – hotels for a comfortable stay in Ukraine;
Visit Ukraine Merch – patriotic clothing and accessories with worldwide delivery.
© 2018-2024, Visit Ukraine. Use, copying or reprinting of materials on this site is permitted only with a link (hyperlink for online publications) to Visit Ukraine.
All rights reserved.
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