Excursion Kolomyya Yaremche and Chernivtsi

Kolomyya.

Picturesque Kolomyya is a convenient base for travelers to Western Ukraine‘s Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast looking to visit not only the Carpathians, but also both the winter sports tourist Mecca Yaremche and Chernivtsi, one of Ukraine’s main cultural centers. Kolomyya is also a centre of Hutsul culture, meaning lots of authentic souvenir material at low prices. The town has a distinct central European flavor in places, with streets of faded fin-de-siècle Austrian architecture. This, plus two very worthwhile museums, the internationally famous Pysanka Museum featuring more than 13 thousand Ukrainian Easter Eggs, itself housed in one monstrous Easter Ovoid and the Hutsul and Pokuttya National Folk Art Museum.

Yaremche.

Stretching nearly 10km along the valley of the Prut River, Yaremche extends over the river itself as it runs between the colorful foothills of the Carpathians. The Probiy Waterfall and the bridge over it are of the main attraction where you can watch as the Prut spews tons of water into the rocky bowl below each second, plus during the Summer months you can throw caution to the wind to either bungee jump from the nearby promontory and swing over the whirlpool or dive from the bridge straight into the swirling waters below.

Alongside, there is a lively and busy souvenir market, where you can buy wonderful hand-made works of art including embroidered shirts [Vyshyvanka (Ukrainian: вишива́нка] and table cloths, ceramics, paintings, and jewelry. The town is an easily reachable staging point for an ascent of Mt. Hoverla, the area’s highest peak.  Yaremche is also one of the best places in Transcarpathia for you to take a leisurely bike ride.

Chernivtsi.

One of Western Ukraine‘s main cultural centers, Chernivtsi is also considered one of Ukraine’s important educational and architectural sites featuring its architecturally splendid University.  Just over six centuries old, Chernivtsi was once the chief city of Bukovyna in old Moldavia (now Moldova). Historically a cosmopolitan community, Chernivtsi was once dubbed “Little Vienna” and was part of the Habsburg Empire in the 19th century, when much of the city’s ornate architecture was built, After The Great War the municipality temporarily became part of Romania until 1940 when the Soviet Army took control ultimately incorporating the province into the USSR. Today the city remains the ‘capital’ of the unofficial Bukovyna region.

Chernivtsi University.

Chernivtsi National University (full name Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University), was founded in 1875 as the Franz-Josephs-Universität Czernowitz when Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) was the capital of the Duchy of Bukovina, then a crown land of Austria-Hungary. Today the university is based at the 19th Century Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans building complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

Don’t miss our tour of the spectacular fortresses of  Kamianets-Podilskyi and Khotyn.   Book Now!