Berlin - Lviv - Kyiv (Ukraine)

[SvenHeimat]

Hi there, anyone done a ride from Poland to Lviv and then Kyiv recently? Heard the roads are terrible - but in which way? Also heard there are many roadblockings. Can anyone tell me what it´s like atm?

And, any advice for scenic roads?

Thanks a lot, Sven

[PanEuropean]

I rode from Poland to Lviv several years ago. The roads were "generally good", but not good enough to risk riding at night. The big problem was that periodically there would be a large pothole or some other serious deformation in the roadway that was not marked. This meant that even though the road surface was good enough to encourage 110 km/h riding, one had to be constantly alert for surprises.

When I wrote "large pothole" above, I mean a pothole big enough to have a pay phone and a tow truck waiting for you at the bottom of it.

I did not ride on to Kiev, I went south from Lviv.

Be aware that the drivers in Ukraine are lawless. Also be aware that back in peacetime, it took half a day to get into Ukraine, and almost a full day to get back out, this due to lineups at border crossings in both directions.

[markharf]

My information is even older, therefore probably more suspect. I do remember the giant potholes, although I never stopped to look for what might lurk in their depths. I also remember the frequent police stops at the edges of towns, where speed limits plummeted with or without signage. I didn't give the requested bribes, although local drivers seemed to pay without argument. Of course, they were probably speeding, while I was not (and had no need to hurry).

I'll also offer that those are not really very interesting roads for a motorcyclist--can't go very fast, per the above, but not a lot to keep the riding interesting while going slowly. It might not work very well coming from Krakov, but (IMO) finding a reason to include the Carpathians while riding through Ukraine would make it much more rewarding.

I'd be interested in hearing how things have changed, given the war.

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by markharf

I'll also offer that those are not really very interesting roads for a motorcyclist...

Mark makes a good point. Outside of the mountain areas in the extreme west (along a line drawn from Slovakia to Romania), Ukraine is not a very interesting place to go riding. It's flat, and there's not much to see. I went there to research family history - if you don't have a similar reason to want to go to Ukraine, I suggest you skip it for now due to the uncertainties arising from the present conflict in the country.

I just finished two days of riding across Poland to get to Lithuania. Poland is also flat as a pancake, and although it is a culturally interesting country, it's terribly boring to ride across. For what it's worth, the land started to get hilly and the roads became twisty as soon as I crossed into Lithuania.

Michael

[SvenHeimat]

Thank you guys for the information. I am going to see what it´s like and post some updates when I am back!