Chernivtsi Transportation

I am in the process of travelling from Lviv to Tiraspol via Chernivitsi and Chisinau. There are buses and trains from Lviv to Chernivitsi. The train takes around 6 hours, the bus takes around 7 hours and costs 90 ukr grevny.

On the board at Chernivtsi bus station there are buses listed to Chisinau (Кишинів in Ukranian), at 12.00, 14.10 and 20.45 (update to this, there is also one in the morning, I can't remember exactly when but I believe around 7 - 7.30). Depending on the bus this seems to take 7 1/2 to 8 hours.

Usefully in Chernivitsi there is a big hotel close to the bus station. Walk out of the bus station and turn right on the main road and walk for approx 100 metres to the trolley bus stop. Take trolley bus number 3. Get off 2 stops later and then walk for approx another metres in the same direction as you have been traveling. The hotel is on the right hand side and is called Bukovina. Single room including taxes cost me 270 Ukr grevny. Free wi fi is included. The hotel is perfectly adequate and the amount charged for the room was reasonable.

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Apart from the public transport, Chernivtsi also has an extensive network of privately run marshrutki (minibuses). They usually follow fixed routes around the city, the suburbs or even to some neighbouring towns.

You can hail them at bus stops. The route and the flat fare are usually displayed on the windscreen.

Depending on the route the fare is something between 1,5 UAH and 3 UAH (2008). When boarding a minibus you should pay the fare to the driver. If you want to get off, just inform the driver and he will stop for you.

We used a minibus to get to Sadhora. Please read my "Off the beaten path" tip about Sadhora for more details.

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Chernivtsi's public transport system consists of trolley buses and buses.

Tickets cost 0,75 UAH (2008) and can be bought directly from the driver or from a conductor who is usually on the vehicle.

When changing the bus, a new ticket has to be bought.

As Chernivtsi is a very walkable town we rarely used the buses. Nevertheless, a useful bus is number 3, which among others serves a route between the train station and the bus station via the city centre.

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Chernivtsi used to have a tram network between 1897 and 1967, when it was finally shut down.

An old tramcar type S-900 from the 1950's reminds of this time. It can be found at vul. Gargarina, near the western end of the main train station. This tramcar served a route between the river Prut and the Volksgarten, which is nowadays the Park Shevchenko.

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Although we didn't use any trains during our time in Chernivtsi, we had a look at the beautiful train station. It was built in 1908 in belle époque style.

Long distance trains serve routes to Moscow (32 h) and Sofia (23 h) as well as to Lviv (6 h), Kiev (15 h), Odessa (17 h), Ivano-Frankivsk (4 h) and Uzhgorod (15 h). Many local destinations can be reached by electric trains (elektrichki).

Chernivtsi's train station is situated at the northern side of the town centre in vul. Gargarina. Train tickets can also be bougth at the train booking office at Holovna 128.

Website: http://www.uz.gov.ua/

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We arrived in Chernivtsi by bus from Suceava (Romania). This route is served by one more or less official bus per day.

It is an old Ukrainian Ikarus bus which arrives in Suceava at around 11:00 h and leaves Suceava at 13:00 h. The bus which is is mainly used by Ukrainians, who sell cigarettes on a market in Suceava, is not listed on the timetable at Suceava's bus station.

So if you are planning to take this bus, I recommend you to check if the bus arrives at around 11:00 h. The trip to Chernivtsi takes about 2,5 hours and includes a longer stop at the border. The fare was 20 RON, which the driver collected in the bus.

We left Chernivtsi by bus to Kamyanets-Podilsky. Journey time was about 2 hours and the trip cost 19,87 UAH (ca. 2,70 Euro). Other major destinations which can be reach ed by bus include Uzgorod, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kiev and Odessa.

Chernivtsi's bus station is situated at the southern end of Holovna street. Among others, the local buses #3 and #7 serve the route to the city centre.

Website: http://www.bus.com.ua/

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No matter where you want to go around the city, there is a bus available to take you there about ever 15 minutes. One of the problems is that it’s pretty tough to find a schedule of the buses and where they run. They have a sign on the buses that tells you the various spots but no centralized site to find the information. The best bet is to talk to some of the locals to find out which bus to take to your destination. The cost for the city run buses is .75 Hrivna or 75 kopeka, This is roughly about 12 cents US. The city bus are the long electrical ones and easy to pick out. There is also a number of private bus services. They are much smaller and gas powered. It’s even tougher to figure out where these run so be careful since they don’t stop very long and can be extremely packed. They run about 1.5 Hrivna.

On the buses are collector (a change from my first trip there) who sell you your bus ticket. They are normally positioned in the back section of the bus. If you enter through the front of the bus you need to walk back there to pay, or pass your money to them.

I find taking the bus to be very interesting, great for people watching. Even though taxi’s are not very expensive, the bus allows me to get more of a feel for the people.

Just like in the USA, there are some seats that are reserved for the infirmed and the elderly. If you take one of the seats, you will be expected to make room if needed.

From L'viv and other places in Western Ukraine by train or bus, from the rest of Ukraine best by bus because all trains except the ones towards L'viv run a short bit through Moldavian territory which is extremely time consuming due to the complicated border control ceremonies. Check whether you need a Moldavian transit visa.

Like L'viv Chernivtsi has a remarkable railway station in typical Austrian late 19th century architecture, perfectly restored, clean and friendly.