In case you can afford a cab, this would be the most convenient way to move around the city. There are close to 3500 taxi cabs in Lviv. More than 2,500 are equipped with meters. The fare will depend on your route, the time of the pick up or drop off, pieces of luggage. We suggest that you determine the actual price of your journey with the driver or taxi cab operator service before getting into the cab. Call the taxi company to book your transfer, the operator will ask for your pick up and drop off address and will inform about the fair of the service. After your approval the cab will arrive in 10-20 min.
AeroExpress (official Airport Lviv taxi)
Phone: +38 (032) 290-290-5
"ELC - English language cab"
Phone: +38 093 184 83 84, +38 096 184 83 84
Read: Flying to/from Lviv International Airport: useful tips
Photo: shutterstock.com
Other public transport in Lviv include trams, buses, trolleybuses, fixed-route mini buses called «marshrutka»s. Lviv public transport lacks any operational system. Citizens and visitors of the city consider this to be one of the biggest problems of booming with tourists Lviv. However, recently public transport in Lviv has undergone some positive changes that allow more comfort to its users.
Photo: travel.lviv.ua
In case you are planning to use public transport to get around Lviv we suggest that you plan your route beforehand with one of these user-friendly applications:
http://www.router.lviv.ua
http://www.eway.in.ua/ua/cities/lviv
and print this public transport map to bring with you just in case.
Photo: shutterstock.com
Rattling old trams are considered to be the symbol of Lviv and one of the most convenient public transport to get around Lviv city center as well as some residential areas. A recent nice addition to Lviv tram collection are 2 brand new locally produced futuristic looking (by Lviv standards) trams. You can check the exact time of tram’s arrival to the stop on the interactive panels located on the majority of tram stops in Lviv. Tickets can be bought directly from the tram driver or at the tickets terminals located on the stops. Tickets have to be punched on the tram. The fine for riding a tram without a ticket is UAH 80.
Photo: business.com.ua
Buses in Lviv are operating on routes going to more remote residential areas and are not allowed to drive into Lviv downtown in order to avoid heavy traffic, as the streets of Lviv are pretty narrow. Tickets can be bought directly from the bus driver or at the tickets terminals located on the stops.
Photo: travel.lviv.ua
«Marshrutka» (fixed-route mini buses) is one of the most controversial kind of public transport in Lviv. Marshrutkas became popular in Lviv due to their size, as the narrow streets of the city cannot accommodate big buses or trolleybuses without creating traffic jams. The problem with marshrutkas is usually their unsatisfactory technical condition. These buses are usually old, dirty, without any air-conditioning in summer or heating in winter. Despite that, this is one of the most popular public transport among locals. The route map of marshrutkas is rather expansive and you can get mostly everywhere in the city by these mini-buses. Check all the routes here: http://www.router.lviv.ua .
In case you will choose marshrutka to get you to your destination remember to watch out for pickpockets, who are frequent guests of mini-buses during rush hour. The tickets are bought directly from the bus driver.
Photo: nextbike.com.ua
Another way to comfortably navigate around Lviv downtown is to rent a bike. Municipal bike rental system, the first one in Ukraine, was launched in Lviv in 2015.Two Ukrainian companies – veliki.ua and Traffic Management – got a grant from the German company NextBike Gbmh and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) to create a municipal bike rental system. Its benefits are availability and affordability. These days you can easily meet a banker in a smart suite rushing for a meeting or a cute couple heading for coffee on a NEXTBIKE rented bike. You can check the rates and location of rental stations here.
Photo: visit.lviv.net
Read: Cycle hype in Lviv
Lviv public transport system might seem a bit chaotic for those who arrive to the city for the first time. However, careful planning and user-friendly on-line applications will help you to get around Lviv fast and with a certain level of comfort.