An annual tradition, the European Neighborliness Days is underway on Ukrainian-Polish border in the Lviv region.  The Belz and Pavlovychi sectors of the state border service are part of the program and part of this year’s focus of the event is the preparations for the 2012 European Football Championship.  Even though it is still four years away, that is not a long time when you getting ready to host numerous other countries at soccer.

 This year’s festivities will include both meetings of businesses and state authorities, but also a large folk art fair, folk bands and rock bands.  Members of the State Border Service of Ukraine and Poland have scheduled meetings to discuss investment projects along the borders of the two countries and how they can be implemented. 

The event has been going on at the same site for the last four years, ever since it launched in 2004.  It is a way for the two countries to come together and enjoy a good time while also conducting business in a safe and comfortable environment.  The borders of both countries are becoming more and more open with over 10 million foreign visitors entering Ukraine last year alone with most of them coming from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

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The city of Lviv, Ukraine, is the largest to be found in the western part of the country and it is the largest cultural center in Ukraine.  It has a populate of around 800,000 people and if you visit Lviv from other Ukraine cities you will notice that it has a distinct European flavor to the city as well as a distinct culture and architecture base.  This is due to the fact that over the last 120 years, Lviv has been part of five or more different countries, each exerting itself on the city as it saw fit.  Many of the churches in the city, for example, are reminiscent of the ones you find in nearby Krakow, Poland.

The city itself is easy to get to with a small international airport that has connections to Warsaw, Toronto, Manchester, Frankfort, Moscow, and other cities in Russia.  You can also get to the city via railway and bus, which is especially handy if you want to enter the city from one of the other surrounding countries.

Do not be surprised, however, to see some rundown areas of Lviv that are left over from the days of the Soviet and pre-Soviet regime peaking into the center of the city.  Lviv’s historic center and tourism areas are the heart of the city itself, but the outlying areas of Lviv still retain that depressed feel, which, is historic in its own way.  The city is difficult to do business in or to find a job if you are a resident as this is one aspect that has it behind its sister cities in the country.  However, the people in Lviv are extremely open and friendly in Lviv and there are plenty of churches, wooded hills, cafes, and more all within walking distance of any portion of Lviv that make this city well worth the effort to see.

You can find out even more great information about Urkraine at the Travel West Ukraine Blog.

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When you visit Ukraine, you will be treated to some of the best hospitality the world has to offer.  As a guest you find table filled with food and gifts and toasts will be offered all around.  If you are offered a gift from one of the residents, it is considered rude to turn it down.  Always make sure that you graciously accept the proffered gift so that you do not insult your hosts.  This is the Ukrainians way of saying, ‘Welcome to our humble home and country’.

Some other rules of etiquette that you may find helpful when you visit Ukraine are as follows:

• Bring a gift when you visit a family home.  A bottle of wine, bouquet of flowers, or a cake satisfies this tradition.  If you know there is a child in the home, bring them a small gift as well.
• If you choose to bring a bouquet of flowers, make sure there are an uneven number of blooms.  This is considered good luck.
• Remove your shoes when you enter a home in order to help your hosts keep their home clean.  More often than not, they will offer you slippers to wear.
• Casual dress is acceptable when you dine at a host’s home unless they specify otherwise.
• Be ready to give a toast during dinner.  Guests are usually asked to so as an honour to them. 
• If you are offered food and drink while visiting friends in Ukraine, accept it even if you are not hungry.  It is considered rude to refuse, although if you leave some on your plate, your hosts will graciously accept that you are full.
• Your host’s may offer you an item that you compliment on so make sure you are very careful when doing so.
• While using public transportation, give up your seat to mothers with children, the infirm or the elderly.  This shows respect.
• Do not whistle or shake hands with someone across the threshold of a door.  Both are considered bad luck.
• Expect to have your coat, briefcase, or baggage checked at a restaurant or theatre.
• Make sure you share any snacks or cigarettes with those around you as it is a sign of respect and friendship.
• If you are in Ukraine on business, have your business cards printed ahead of time with English on one side and Ukrainian on the other.
• Business attire is conservative and men should not take off their jacket unless they are asked to.
• When attending an Orthodox Church service or simply touring one of the many cathedrals in the country, women should wear head scarves or hats and men should remove any hats they are wearing.  This is a sign of respect.
• Do not put your thumb between your first two fingers as this is a rude gesture in Ukraine.

Entering and leaving Ukraine is no longer a problem for most visitors since the country became an independent nation.  If you are a citizen of the United States, the European Union, Swiss Confederation, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Japan, you no longer need a visa if you are not going to be in the country for 90 days or less.  To be sure that the law has not changed since it was instituted in 2005, you should confirm this information with the Ukrainian Consulate in your home country before travelling.

When you enter or leave Ukraine, you should pass through the green or red custom corridors.  Always have your travel papers available for inspection including any paperwork that you receive and fill out when going through customs into the country.  You will need them in order to leave.  Also, always make sure that you have all of your paperwork before leaving the customs area to make sure they have been properly returned to you.

If you are carrying goods or money that needs to be declared you will need to pass through the red corridor.  These items include: prohibited items such as explosives, weapons that are not approved by the authorities; drugs; artwork; antiques; luggage that is being sent through separately; more than $1,000 and 85 hryvnyas in cash; personal jewellery that exceeds $240 in value; more than 1 litre of alcoholic beverages; and more than 200 grams of tobacco products.  Everyone else should us the green customs corridor.

All foreign visitors are required to have insurance policies in place that guarantee payment if any medical treatment is provided to them.  These policies can be bought in Ukraine from the State JSC for Providing the Foreign Citizens with Emergency Aid or any place where a visa is processed and at the state border during crossing.

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When you travel to Ukraine, there are some great places to visit during your stay.  Here are the top ten places you are going to want to see before you leave the country.  Each of them has their own unique qualities and all of them combined make up the beauty of Ukraine.

Crimean Resorts

Crimea is a beautiful region to visit and vacation.  Many of the cities in this region were built and settled by Greek, Venetians, and Genoese who inter-married with local residents as they built their life there.

Carpathian Mountains

Considered the ‘Green Pearl’ of the region, the Carpathian Mountains is filled with resorts and tourist centres.  It is filled with wildlife, small villages, and meadows.  It is also the mysterious inspiration for a variety of vampire novels over the years.

Kiev

Located on the Dnieper River, Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and the home to 3 million people.  The centre of trade routes during the 11^th and 12^th centuries between the Baltic and Mediterranean, Kiev is a beautiful, historic city.

Lviv

Lviv is city that is made up of medieval streets paved with stones, architecture of different centuries, and once the capital of the Slavic state of Galicia-Volyn.  It was also once part of the Austro-Hungarian and Polish empires.

Odessa

The third largest city in Ukraine, Odessa is known as the ‘Pearl of the Black Sea’ by the countries residents.  The city has a mild climate, warm waters, and sunlit beaches that attract thousands of tourists each year.

Yalta

This is the city that Anton Chekhov chose to live in while writing his many novels.  This seaside resort on the Crimean peninsula is filled with resorts, beaches, and museums.

Kamyanets-Podilsky

Considered to be one of the oldest cities in Ukriane, Kanyanet-Podilsky can trace its history back over 1,000 years.  It’s on Smotrich River on a rocky island in a picturesque canyon.

Chernihiv

This city has been known as a human settlement for over 2,000 years and was the second most important city in Ukraine during the Kyivan Rus period of the country.

Sophievka Park, Uman

This beautifully landscaped park has architecture masterpieces that date back to the end of the XVIII and beginning of the XIX centuries.  The park is spread over 154.7 hectares of land outside the ancient town of Cherkassy.

Poltava

Poltava is located between Kharkiv and Kiev.  It is the city in which the Swedes and Cossacks battled in 1709 against Czar Peter I, securing the Russian position over Ukraine.

You can get more information at The Ukraine Travel Advisor.

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