Rakhiv
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Rakhiv (Рахів) is a town in Western Ukraine. It's the highest located town in Ukraine (430 m above sea level).
Understand
It is one of Hutsul culture capitals.
- Tourist Information Center, Street Myr 42.
Get in
By bus
There are no direct marshrutkas between Lviv and Rakhiv, but you have to interchange in Ivano-Frankivsk.
From Romania you can get there via Sighetu Marmaţiei/Solotvino border crossing and then by bus.
Also, there is a daily direct bus from/to Prague for about 1,500 грн.
By train
Rakhiv is one of the last train stations on the 601L line from Lviv to Solotvino. Though, the train arrives at around 23:00 and heads back to Lviv at around 01:00.
Get around
There are regular bus connections (every 1-2 h) from 06:45 to 18:00 between Rakhiv and Luhi (Луги), one starting point for the hike to Hoverla. Check out the exact times at the bus station, so you do not miss the last bus on the way back, otherwise you have to walk for 4 h or hitchhike.
See
Rakhiv is one of the places that consider themselves located in the geographical centre of Europe. See the monument erected by Austro-Hungarian geographers in 1887, located in Dilove village (12 km from Rakhiv).
Do
- Hiking – Some of the highest mountains in Ukraine are located nearby: Hoverla, Brebeneskul, Pip Ivan.
- To reach Hoverla, you best catch an early morning bus to Luhi (Луги). You can hike out somewhere else towards the main highway and head back to Rakhiv with another bus. Or you hike back to Luhi and take the same bus out. Otherwise, you can also stay overnight in the national park, there are many huts and shelters that are good if you have a warm sleeping bag. Checkout OpenStreetMap to find the huts - there is even a proper shelter to stay overnight near the summit of Hoverla.
- Pop Ivan summit (2,022 m) features ruins of a Polish observatory called White Elephant.
- Hutsul brynzia Festival. September.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Dream Guesthouse, Карпатська вулиця 8a, ☏ +380682525825, rakhiv@dream-hostels.com. Incredibly comfortable and luxurious hostel in the side of the country, for an unbeatable price. They have quite a lot of rooms, but in summer probably busy. Dorm from 100 грн.
- [dead link] Hotel Europa.
- Hotel Rakhiv
Go next
- Chernivtsi – If you want to remain in Ukraine and came from Lviv originally, you can head further to Chernivtsi, which has two slow bus connections (5 hr) per day from Rakhiv.
- Romania is only a stone's throw away, and Rakhiv is optimal if you planning to head further into this direction.