Anyone that knows Rhian well knows that she’s always glued to her phone. There’s nothing she likes more than posting on Instagram or Facebook (give us a follow!) or reading blogs… apart from booking a holiday that is.
So when she found a blog by The Telegraph entitled ‘15 cities you’ve never heard of (but can fly to with Ryanair)’ it was only going to end one way. Hence our latest trip.
We headed straight from work and caught the 1615 flight from Bristol airport out to Rzeszow, a small town in Poland, not far from the Ukrainian border.
On arrival, we went to catch the bus to the centre having read that the 51 or 53 would get us there for a little under 3 Zloty each. Unfortunately there was going to be a half hour wait and as time was of the essence we decided to get a taxi which cost around 60.
We were dropped to the door of the Grand Hotel Boutique where we were met with the soothing sound of live piano music whilst we checked in. We made our way to our room on the third floor which can only be described as pure luxury with a king sized bed, spacious seating area and sizeable bathroom. Facilities were good too with a restaurant and swimming pool. Plus at a cost of £80 for our fragmented two night stay it certainly didn’t break the bank.
We decided to head out to the main square which was a stones throw from our hotel. Initially we tried Kuk Nuk after hearing on Happy Cow that they had vegan options, however we found this not to be the case as everything veggie had cheese and the language barrier prevented us from adequately informing the staff of Rhian’s requirements. Hence we changed up and tried Radosc a couple of doors down.
It was certainly a trendy place with cool decor and it seemed to expand ever backwards and upwards from the comparatively diminutive exterior. Our waiter was accommodating and appeared to understand Rhian’s request for vegan, citing the risotto as the daily special. Unfortunately when it arrived it was covered with cheese and had to be returned and replaced which took a long time. Meanwhile I had finished my burger which was extremely tasty and well cooked. Prices were reasonable as you’d expect, just a shame about the delay with Rhian’s food.
Afterwards we headed a few more doors down the square to Stary Browar for a few drinks. This place was right up my street with its own brews on tap and even the chance to sit at a table inside one of the giant barrels they have adorning the far wall.
We had intended on some quick sightseeing the next morning before catching our 10am bus to Lviv. Unfortunately Stary Browar put paid to that and it was as much as we could manage to buy some supplies for the journey on our way to the bus station (which was located in front of the main train station). It was a classic “I’m never drinking again” moment.
Our basic Ecolines coach meandered its way through miles upon miles of farmland and eventually arrived at the Ukrainian border. Don’t expect this to be a quick affair, we took an hour and a half to get through customs and it was only so quick because coaches seem to get priority. Hence I would recommend this option for quick passage.
Anyway, a further hour and a half and we were dropped in the central bus station, which was aptly named if we had intended to catch a bus to the middle of nowhere. With no idea of how to get to the centre we were entirely lost until two young polish lads came to our aid and told us we needed to catch bus 3A. However, we also had no Ukrainian currency (Hryvnia) which was a rookie error that came about when Thomas Cook missed the deadline for ordering our next day currency after an incident in our city centre shopping precinct. The blame really has to lie with us for not ordering sooner.
Anyway, we thanked our lucky stars when we found an exchange outlet and were able to change some pounds. It was also a far better rate than at home so every cloud has a silver lining I suppose. But I digress.
The bus to the centre took a little over half hour which seemed a bit disproportionate to the 4 mile journey. We got off when we thought it looked quite busy which was a good shout as we ended up with about a 5 minute walk to our hotel, located on the central Rynok Square. Number 39 to be exact, hence its name, Hotel 39.
We headed down the passage and walked up the three flights to floor 4 to reception (there is no lift). Once again our room was magnificent with a large living area leading on to a similarly spacious bedroom.
By this point we were pretty hungry after our long bus journey so we headed straight out to find a quick bite. We went to a few unsuitable places before settling on Basilico which was a few doors down from our hotel. I ordered lasagne whilst Rhian had pizza (no cheese), we shared a focaccia. The food was excellent and we found no problem with the language barrier in order to adapt Rhian’s food. It was cheap too at less than £10 for the two of us including a couple of beers each.
After a quick bit of souvenir shopping and a wander we went back to the hotel to change before heading out for the evening.
We headed south of the main square, past some cool street art and arrived at Green, a vegetarian restaurant located on Rohatyntsiv brativ vul. The menu had a convenient key indicating a list of dietary requirements which was very handy. We both ordered a wrap and baked potatoes which were fantastically tasty. No alcohol is served on the premises (that’s clean living I suppose!) but don’t let that put you off, the food is excellent.
Afterwards we did a bit of a bar crawl. First we went to the Theatre of Beer located on the corner of Rynok square and spread over 3 of the most hipster floors you will come across. Live music, their own delicious craft beer and a shop to buy a souvenir of two, what more could you want!? A beer dedicated unflatteringly to Donald Trump you say? They do that too. A must visit.
Our other favourite bar was Gas Lamp on Virmens’ka St. Appropriately named being dedicated to the inventors of the gas lamp (who hail from Lviv), this bar come museum is great for an authentic Lviv night out. It is quite an experience climbing the spiral staircase to the seating area with its distinct mining feel. Having said that, I probably could have hand-dug Big Pit (#visitwales!) in the time it took us to get served. Worth it for the experience though.
Breakfast was included with our room in the Mafia restaurant located in the same building as the hotel. There is nothing vegan on the menu however and the staff didn’t seem to recognise the word let alone understand what vegan was. Hence it was a bit of a disaster.
As such, it wasn’t long before we decided to head for an early lunch at Unity, aka Vegano Hooligano. What a difference. We took a seat outside in the bright Lviv sunshine and ordered food. Rhian had a burger whilst I went for the soy steak sandwich and fries. The meals were delicious and the prices were very reasonable once again. Definitely worth the walk from the central square.
We just had time to walk up the tower in the City Hall in Rynok square before leaving. The views were spectacular and well worth the trudge up the hundreds of steps. Even if it is a little tight to pass those on the way down.
We aimed to get the 3A back to the bus station for our return trip to Rzeszow but it didn’t seem to go in the opposite direction at the place we were dropped off. Whether that means it goes in a long loop we don’t know as we decided to cut our losses and get a taxi. It was only around £6 but that was pricey in comparison to the bus ticket which cost around 12 pence per person.
After plenty of jostling for a good seat on the bus we were off. We got to the border at around 4pm Ukraine time and didn’t leave for nearly 4. It was fairly arduous and frustrating mainly because there seemed to be a lot of standing around doing nothing. It did give a bit of time to top up the tan though so could have been worse.
We eventually arrived back at the Grand Hotel in Rzeszow. By this point it was almost half 8 so we had a quick change and headed for some food. We tried a couple of restaurants we had heard about on Happy Cow (Vegus and Zdrowo Zmiksowani) but both were closed so probably best to check ahead if you want to give them a go.
On the way back towards the main square we found an Italian restaurant on Maja. They were only serving pizzas but that suited us fine at that point, we were just glad to find somewhere open. The staff were really helpful and were happy to cater for Rhian’s dietary requirements. The pizzas were fantastic too.
Afterwards, we just had time for a couple of drinks in the main square. You could take your pick from any number of cosy covered seating areas as prices seemed reasonable in most places (we paid 5 Zloty a beer, just over £1). After that we headed to bed before our half 10 flight the next morning.
Final thoughts on this trip?
Lviv was stunning and I couldn’t recommend a visit highly enough. The architecture in the main square is beautiful and reminiscent of some of the more well trodden tourist cities such as Brussels.
We didn’t have enough time to properly explore Rzeszow, although I’m not sure there was too much to see beyond the main square. However it was a lovely town and the surrounding area is reputedly great for a holiday for the outdoorsy type.
I wouldn’t say catching a bus between the two places will be for everyone. We certainly found the border crossing back to Poland pretty frustrating but totally worth it to see Lviv. And with no direct flights from the U.K. you are fairly limited with your options. A couple more days for the trip certainly would have made the wait at customs a little easier to swallow.
Food wise, Green and Vegano Hooligano are a must in Lviv for proper vegan grub. We found that the places on Happy Cow that said ‘vegan options available’ could be hindered by the language barrier.
The same was the case in Radosc in Rzeszow. Although it is still a decent bet as Rhian did get a good meal in the end. You’ll be a little limited on the vegan options otherwise from our experience.
For you craft beer lovers out there you couldn’t do better than Stary Browar in Rzeszow and the Theatre of Beer in Lviv. Both are well worth a go.
The locals say Lviv is open to the world and we agree 100%.
