Where to go for the weekend: short trips around Ukraine that energize
Kyiv • UNN
UNN has compiled eight destinations for short trips around Ukraine that will allow you to change the scenery. Visit flooded monasteries, medieval fortresses and canyons.
Weekends are the perfect opportunity to escape the city and change your surroundings if you have little free time and your vacation is not coming soon. From flooded monasteries and medieval fortresses to canyons – UNN has compiled eight destinations for an emotional recharge for the weekend.
Volyn - Shatsk Lakes
Shatsk is a summer paradise for those who love water and activity but live far from the sea coast. The local lakes are like mirrors among the forests. The most famous of them, Svityaz, has crystal clear water and sandy beaches. In addition to traditional beach recreation, you can go kayaking, scuba diving, or pedal a catamaran to the sound of birds. There are also cycling routes among pine alleys.
Khmelnytskyi region - Bakota
Once there was a village here, but now it is completely swallowed by the waters of the Dniester. Silence, white cliffs, monastery caves, and vineyards on the slopes – everything creates a sense of peace and escape from everyday life. Here, travelers will find beaches, the opportunity to go paddleboarding, take yacht trips, or taste local wine. The closest way to get to Bakota is from Kamianets-Podilskyi.
Lviv region - Tustan
In the heart of the Carpathian foothills, among forests and rocks, rises a unique monument - the Tustan fortress. Built in the 9th century, it still preserves the grooves from wooden fortifications. It is easy to imagine ancient battles and border disputes here, as the fortress was once a customs office between Galicia and Hungary. In addition to the historical reserve, in Urych, it is worth visiting the creative ethno-museum "Khata u Hlybokim" and walking along the slopes, where a new panorama opens up with every turn.
Zakarpattia – Solotvyno
Solotvyno, known today as a tourist and recreational center with healing salt lakes, was part of the Roman Empire's Dacia colony and later became famous for salt mining.
Serfs and convicts worked in the salt mines of Solotvyno. History records a large-scale strike that forced the king himself to intervene. As a result, the miners achieved wage payments, holiday bonuses, and assistance to the families of the deceased. This protest is considered one of the first workers' movements in Europe to defend labor rights.
Although the old mines have almost disappeared, Solotvyno continues to attract tourists with its unique salt lakes, often compared to the Dead Sea. The water here is so saturated with salt that it allows you to float freely on the surface, and its healing properties help with skin and musculoskeletal diseases. In addition, in the vicinity, you can find therapeutic muds, which are also popular among visitors.
Ternopil region - Zalishchyky
This city looks like a fairy-tale peninsula embraced by the Dniester. The best view opens from a height - from the village of Khreshchatyk. Here, it is worth forgetting about haste and just observing how the water flows, how the light changes on the slopes. Nearby is the Dniester Canyon: one of the largest in Europe. Beaches, rocks, waterfalls, cycling, fishing, eco-excursions - an ideal place for a short escape to nature. Recreation complexes work here all year round, so there is an opportunity to stay overnight.
Mykolaiv region - Buzky Gard
Southern Bug in the village of Myhiya is for those who love active recreation. Rafting on the rapids, kayaking, rock climbing on granite banks - all this attracts extremists here. But even those who seek peace will find their own: here you can walk through the canyons, admire Radon Lake or fly over it on the longest zipline in Ukraine. Aktovsky and Arbuzynsky canyons are no less impressive than European natural parks.
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Chernihiv region - Kachanivka
The Tarnovsky Palace is a true pearl of Ukrainian classicism. Here, each hall is like an illustration for a novel. The estate in Kachanivka hides the stories of great people who visited here: from artists and musicians to poets. And around it - over 500 hectares of a landscape park with alleys, ponds, gazebos, and bridges. An ideal place for a leisurely stroll, a picnic, and restoring inner harmony.
Odesa region - Tuzlovsky Lagoons National Nature Park
In the south of Odesa region (approximately 100 km south along the R70 highway) is a unique natural corner - the Tuzlovsky Lagoons National Park, almost all of which is covered with water. The park covers over 27 thousand hectares of lagoons and coastal areas, where many rare and Red Book species of animals and plants live.
The region is especially rich in birds - here you can see colonies of feathered creatures that are disappearing in other regions, but feel free in the "Tuzlovsky Lagoons". Bird routes often pass near observation decks, so observation is convenient and safe.
The best point for stopping and starting excursions is the village of Lebedivka. Here you can not only enjoy the silence of wild nature but also spend time actively: go kayaking, windsurfing, or go on a yacht trip.