The train is the most convenient way to get to Ukraine: you do not sit in a queue of cars, and border clearance takes place in the carriage. Przemyśl to Lviv takes about 2 hours, Przemyśl to Kyiv on the Intercity+ just under 10 hours (7:40 – 17:35), and the direct night train Warsaw – Kyiv covers the route in 15–17 hours. You can buy Ukrzaliznytsia tickets in the app or at booking.uz.gov.ua, paying with a Polish card.
What are the main routes?
| Route | Journey time | Notes (as of 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Przemyśl → Lviv | approx. 2 h | 5–6 UZ trains a day; all trains to Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia stop in Lviv |
| Przemyśl → Kyiv | 9 h 55 min – 10 h 30 min | Intercity+ 706 (7:40 → 17:35, seated), night trains 052 (22:30 → 9:02) and 716 (23:49 → 10:00) |
| Chełm → Kovel / Kyiv | approx. 2 h / approx. 12 h | night train 023/024 Chełm 20:14 → Kyiv 8:16, via Kovel |
| Warszawa Wschodnia → Kyiv (direct) | approx. 17 h (return approx. 15 h) | UZ train 67/68: Warsaw 17:48 → Kyiv 12:13; Kyiv 19:45 → Warsaw 10:18; via Lublin, Chełm and Dorohusk |
| Kraków → Przemyśl (PKP Intercity) | approx. 2 h 45 min – 3 h 15 min | a dozen or so IC/EIP trains a day, tickets from approx. 30–60 zł when bought in advance |
| Warsaw → Przemyśl (PKP Intercity) | approx. 4 h 45 min – 5 h 30 min | IC and EIP trains, tickets from approx. 70–150 zł |
From 13 December 2026 PKP Intercity plans its own daily service Warszawa Zachodnia (18:46) – Lublin – Chełm – Kyiv; until then only a Ukrzaliznytsia train runs on this route. Departure times change with every timetable adjustment, so check them in the UZ app or on intercity.pl before buying.
How to buy a Ukrzaliznytsia ticket?
- Download the Укрзалізниця app (iOS/Android) or go to booking.uz.gov.ua – there is an English version. Register with your phone number (a Polish number works) or e-mail.
- Enter the stations in English or Ukrainian: "Przemysl" / "Перемишль", "Chelm" / "Холм", "Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi", "Lviv".
- Choose the carriage and seat, and enter your first name and surname exactly as in your passport. Pay with a Visa or Mastercard – Polish cards are accepted, the payment is taken in hryvnias, so enable foreign transactions with your bank.
- You show the e-ticket (a PDF with a QR code) to the conductor on your phone; there is no need to print it.
Sales usually open 20 days before departure, and on popular trains (Friday to Lviv, Sunday from Kyiv) Intercity+ seats disappear within the first few hours. You can also buy tickets for international trains at the PKP Intercity ticket office in Przemyśl and Chełm and at the international ticket desks in Warsaw and Kraków, but as a rule they are more expensive and you cannot choose your seat.
Carriage classes – which to choose?
- Intercity+ (Hyundai): a daytime train with seats, 1st class (2+1 seats, power sockets) and 2nd class (2+2). Air conditioning, a bar carriage. Przemyśl – Kyiv costs approx. €25–40 depending on class.
- СВ (SV, "lux"): a two-berth compartment with soft beds, sometimes with a washbasin. The most expensive, approx. €50–70 Przemyśl – Kyiv.
- Купе (kupe): a four-berth compartment with a lockable door. The most popular compromise, approx. €25–35. When buying, choose a lower berth (odd numbers).
- Плацкарт (platskart): an open carriage with 54 berths and no doors. The cheapest (approx. €15–20), but noisy; rare on international trains.
Bedding is included in the ticket price; the conductor hands it out after departure. In sleeper carriages you can get tea for a few hryvnias.
What does border control look like?
In Przemyśl the Polish Border Guard checks documents on the platform before you board the train – arrive at least 40 minutes before departure, as the queue for the gates can be long. Ukrainian passport control takes place on the train, usually at Mostyska or already under way: the border officer collects the passports and comes back with them stamped, and the customs officer asks about cash and luggage. This is also when you have to show your Ukrainian medical insurance – a PDF of the policy on your phone is enough. On the route via Dorohusk, both sides' checks take place during the stop at Dorohusk (approx. 1 hour) and at Yahodyn, where the bogies are also changed for the broad gauge. Towards Poland the order is reversed, and Ukrainian customs officers check luggage more thoroughly.
Luggage and practical details
- The UZ limit is 36 kg of hand luggage per person with total dimensions of up to 200 cm; in practice nobody weighs suitcases, but in a kupe there is space only under the lower berths and above the door.
- A bicycle travels in a bag as luggage; Intercity+ trains have bicycle racks, and a bicycle ticket is added in the app.
- Pets travel in a carrier with a separate ticket; in a kupe you have to buy out the whole compartment.
- Take some cash in hryvnias for small expenses – there is a bureau de change at the station in Lviv, and cash machines work with Polish cards.
- Customs limits (cash above €10,000 to be declared, alcohol, cigarettes) are covered in our guide What you cannot bring into Ukraine.
Arrival and the curfew
Trains also run at night, but you may not leave the station during the curfew: in Lviv from 0:00 to 5:00, in Kyiv from 1:00 to 5:00 (as of September 2026). If you arrive at 3:00, you wait in the waiting room – the stations are heated and there is security. The night trains from Przemyśl are timed to reach Kyiv in the morning; when buying, check the arrival time in Lviv. The current hours in each oblast are collected in our article Curfew in Ukraine.
Returning to Poland
Buy your return ticket straight away – on Sundays and after public holidays trains to Przemyśl are sold out several days ahead. Get to the station 30 minutes before departure; Ukrainian exit clearance takes place on the train, the Polish one after arrival in Przemyśl in the clearance hall (a 20–60 minute queue). Remember the EU import limits: 40 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits when entering by land. If you are changing to a PKP Intercity train, leave at least 90 minutes' margin – trains from Ukraine can run an hour late because of air-raid alerts.