Ukraine

Cool and laid-back Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

(Last Updated On: 05/02/2023)

With the current situation in Ukraine, with a heavy heart, I strongly advise not visiting the country. This is the older, pre-war article and you can use it for future inspiration and information to plan a trip when it’s safe to visit Ukraine again.


The whole idea to visit Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine came from one picture I’ve found online. A picture showing a grand railway station, a perfect example of architecture from the times of Austria-Hungary.

If a train station, a spectacular building with green domes, looks so impressive then I assumed the rest of the city must be pretty special too. This was already a very good reason to plan a stop in Ivano-Frankivsk during my annual trip to Ukraine.

Ivano-Frankivsk Ukraine

Short history of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

The only thing I knew about the place was that until recently it was named “Stanisławów” and for years the history of the city was strictly connected to what was happening with Poland.

The city was founded in 1663 and got its name after Stanisław Potocki. It was meant to be a fortress, guarding Poland from the Tartar invasion. The city was budding, sometimes being called “A Small Lviv“.

A prosperity lasted only for a little bit over 100 years when Ivano-Frankivsk as well as big part of Poland was incorporated into the Austrian Empire. The fortifications and many of the grand buildings were demolished or run-down.

At the beginning of 20th century the city was again part of Poland for a short period of time but eventually, after World War 2, it became territory of USSR and finally independent Ukraine. The majority of Polish inhabitants of Stanisławów was uprooted to southern Poland, the remnants of Polish culture were destroyed. On 9th November 1962 the name of the city was changed from Stanisławów to Ivano-Frankivsk.

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

First impressions of Ivano-Frankivsk

The first impressions of Ivano-Frankivsk weren’t the best, even if at one point the cityscape reminded me a little bit of Yerevan – one of my favorite places (I blame the shape and color of television tower for that).

I arrived late in the evening, the city was badly lit and I felt rather unconfident when walking from the train station to the market square where my hotel was located. I was telling myself that it’s Ukraine, a very safe place and nothing will happen but unknown dark streets really played tricks with my mind.

Of course I was being paranoid, Ivano-Frankivsk was as safe as every other city I’ve visited in the country and there really was nothing to worry about.

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Things looked much better in the day light. Even if I went to Ivano-Frankivsk totally unprepared and had no idea what to expect from the city deep down I was subconsciously looking forward to yet another amazing Central European city. The location half way between two among my favorite cities, Lviv and Chernivtsi, also put my hopes very high.

But Ivano-Frankivsk was different and pretty amazing in its own way. I didn’t find all that many interesting sights there but I still had a wonderful time in the city.

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

What to see in Ivano-Frankivsk

The center was rather small, easy to walk around in few hours but so very pleasant and most of all – lively. Even with not the best weather it was full of people, doing their businesses or just enjoying the stroll through the main pedestrian street – Nezalezhnosti Street (known also as “one hundred meters” street).

I walked around a lot too, trying to discover all attractions of Ivano-Frankivsk and see what the city has to offer. The main square – Rynok is different than in other Central European cities. The architecture was rather new, mix of 1950s and 1990s I’d guess but altogether it didn’t look as bad as it might sound.

The biggest attraction, however, was the town hall standing proudly in the middle – the only one in whole Ukraine built in the modernist way.

As a big fan of this architecture style I couldn’t stop raving at the structure, it was just the prettiest! If you visit Ivano-Frankivsk that’ll be your must stop too as you will find a tourist information equipped with useful maps there!

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Not far from the market square a former palace of Potocki family (founders of the city) is located. Its history was troublesome (i.e. the family lost the place because of their debts) and eventually the building hosted a military hospital that was shut down in 2004.

Now the property is simply decaying, losing its former charm. Only the gate with the family’s coat of arms is a reminder of the great past.

From the palace it’s only a short walk to my biggest surprise of Ivano-Frankivsk – a market hall. The building is a perfect example of the Soviet architecture, reminding me a lot of the circus buildings I kept finding in former USSR countries or the market hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visiting a market hall is a real treat for all the senses as you can admire the whole color palette and smell all fresh products!

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

The monuments of Ivano-Frankivsk aren’t breathtaking or very impressive but they are pleasant enough for you to enjoy the city. There aren’t any “must sees”, all you have to do is walking around in the center and looking everywhere around as you might find some true gems.

The random houses of the city are really beautiful, similar to the whole Central Europe (or the former Austria-Hungary) with amazing art nouveau decor. Numerous parks and green oasis were more than perfect to sit down and relax after all the walking.

Wandering around with no purpose or map, taking random streets right or left was so much fun and the best way to get to know Ivano-Frankivsk. With some money investments the city can really shine!

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk (street) art

Ivano-Frankivsk had a pretty decent amount of art around too! I found so many modern sculptures either in the park or on the main pedestrian street, until now I’m not really sure what they were supposed to show. But still, they looked good and together with more classical sculptures of famous people they definitely lightened up to place.

To my pure pleasure I’ve found a decent amount of the street art around too! Murals, stickers, stencils – it was all there!!

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Incredible cafes of Ivano-Frankivsk

But the best thing about Ivano-Frankivsk and the reason why I enjoyed the place so much were cafes. Like in every city with Austria-Hungary past also Ivano-Frankivsk has a solid cafe culture. Here, however, it had more of the modern and hipster twist and well, everyone knows deep inside I’m a hipster.

Since the day wasn’t the best weather wise I set out for a quest to find as many cool Ivano-Frankivsk cafes as possible. The fact that Ukraine is now the cheapest ever definitely helped me.

I’ve visited 7 places on that day, had numerous coffees, teas, lemonades, beers, cakes and lunch. When I counted how much money I’ve spent I couldn’t believe it myself – around 13€, for everything!! That’s how cheap Ukraine is!

Sometimes I think where I would be if I was a digital nomad and Ivano-Frankivsk definitely is high on that list, I haven’t seen so many great cafes in one place for such a long time! As always I found Foursquare app to be the best source of information for Ivano-Frankivsk cafes.

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk – a getaway to the Carphatian Mountains

One more good reason to visit Ivano-Frankivsk is a great nature nearby. The city can be your base when exploring Carphatian Mountains!

I went for a day trip to Yaremche (a little bit over one hour away with marshrutka) and it was beautiful! The views around were breathtaking with lush mountains around! The day spent there made me even more curious about the area as it seems to be amazing with lots of hiking trails and nature wonders.

The main reason, however, why I went to Yaremche was the railway line, one of the most impressive in Europe. When it was built at the end of 19th century it was the most modern in Europe and afterwards engineers working on railway lines in the Alps based many of their solutions of Carphatian railway!

These days many of the viaducts and tunnels are gone or redesign but those that are left are still pretty amazing! And since there are only few trains per day going there you can easily walk on the viaduct in Yaremche – such an unforgettable experience! A friend of mine has traveled further south by train and apparently it’s even more amazing there!!

best places to visit in Ukraine: Yaremche

best places to visit in Ukraine: Yaremche

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Yaremche, Ukraine

Is it worth to visit Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine?

Ivano-Frankivsk (or well, better to say Stanislawow) used to be a grand city, at least that’s how it looks on the old photos. But even if it’s not so packed with attractions like Lviv or it’s not as pretty as Chetnivtsi it’s still a wonderful place to visit.

The laid-back atmosphere of the provincial town and the exceptional cafe culture make the city such a great place to visit. After Bardejov, Slovakia it was another place I’ve visited this year that I really felt I’m having a rest there.

If you’re travelling in western Ukraine make sure to visit Ivano-Frankivsk too! You won’t regret it!

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine


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Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine


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47 Comments

  • Reply
    Isabella Zijp
    07/11/2016 at 19:42

    Really enjoyed your post and your colourful pictures of Ivano-Frankivsk! Thanks again for the travel inspiration :)

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:02

      thank you! :)

  • Reply
    Tatiana
    07/11/2016 at 21:31

    Really pleasant city to see. If you like such railway station, just go around Russia, Ukraine and some of former republics of ZSRR – you will see hundreds of them :) It’s a pity I didn’t know about the stations – I could send you some inspirations :)

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:01

      hehe, I know, that’s why no matter where I am in the former USSR I need to go and see the railway station, they are almost always a treat! Which ones would you recommend me :D ?

  • Reply
    Pola Henderson
    07/11/2016 at 23:06

    Curious about those cafes… ;)

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:06

      you’d love them for sure!

  • Reply
    Szymon Król
    07/11/2016 at 23:23

    ja gdzieś przeczytałem, że to jest “bardzo brzydkie miasto”. Wybrałem się, i… zupełnie tego nie rozumiem, bo Iwano-Frankowsk jest piękny :)

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:01

      bardzo brzydkie to na pewno nie jest, ale z tą pięknością też bym nie przesadzała :) chociaż klimat fajny ma!

  • Reply
    Łukasz Kocewiak
    08/11/2016 at 07:19

    Dość eklektyczne klimaty, ale stara część miasta z pewnością może przypaść do gustu.

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:06

      eklektyczny to bardzo trafne określenie!

  • Reply
    Evi Mielczarek
    08/11/2016 at 08:04

    Ty to zawsze wynajdziesz zawsze jakieś miasta, o których świat nie słyszał :)

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:04

      no mam nosa, fakt ;)

  • Reply
    Amy
    08/11/2016 at 10:53

    Looks like a great little city to chill for a bit, especially during the summer! I’m hoping to do more nature-y things next summer, so maybe I’ll have a chance to visit!

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:04

      Ivano-Frankivsk is a great getaway to the mountains so when you’re there be sure to give a city a chance, it’s really cool!

  • Reply
    Karolina
    09/11/2016 at 14:15

    Hello! I am not a big fan of cities at all, much prefer to be in the nature, but I really like the street art part of your post!! Cheers!

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:11

      Thanks!

  • Reply
    Mr_Szpak
    09/11/2016 at 19:23

    Od dawna czaję się na Stanisławowsk i przy następnej okazji na bank o niego zahacze. Zdjęcia są bardzo zachęcające. :)

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:14

      Stanisławów ;) i zdecydowanie polecam, fajne miasto!

  • Reply
    Magdalena
    09/11/2016 at 19:59

    My, oh my, beautiful Galicia. I wanted to make a very precise roadtrip, but then I got pregnant, and then we went to Italy, and then to Spain, and then… You know that my grandgrandfather lived in neighborhood and worked on rafinery?

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:15

      wow, didn’t know part of your family is from that area! So cool! What was the plan of your road trip? I need some Galicia inspiration! ;)

      • Reply
        Magdalena
        23/11/2016 at 20:30

        Cały plan tak się układał. Wtedy mieszkaliśmy, więc mieliśmy startować z Wro. Bazowałam na przewodniku Orłowicza.
        Wrocław-Stary Sącz-Żegiestów-Krynica-Libusza-Biecz-Jasło-Dukla-Krosno-Iwonicz-Rymanów-Sanok-Ustrzyki Dolne-Drohobycz-Borysław-Truskawiec-Skole-Jaremcze-Mikuliczyn-Tatarów-Iwano-frankowsk-Kołomyja-Czerniowce-Kamieniec Podolski-Tarnopol-Brzeżany-Podhorce-Olesko-Lwów-Żółkiew-Przemyśl-Jarosław-Rzeszów-Wrocław.

        • Reply
          kami
          03/12/2016 at 20:54

          piękne! zapisuję sobie na zaś, kto wie kiedy co się może przydać :) dzięki!

  • Reply
    Natalia Malec
    09/11/2016 at 20:56

    świetne miejsce wypadowe w góry, chyba nas namówiłaś :)

    • Reply
      Kami and the rest of the world
      09/11/2016 at 22:06

      a góry wokół całkiem całkiem :) cieszę się :)

  • Reply
    Joanna Golińska
    12/11/2016 at 11:23

    Już raz tam byłam, na dworcu autobusowym i miły pan chwalił się, że ma kartę polaka ;) Twój post trafił się idealnie, pod koniec listopada planuję małą wycieczkę na Ukrainę i zastanawiałam się czy warto będzie się zatrzymać w Ivano-Frakivisku. Już się nie zastanawiam!

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:18

      Zdecydowanie warto! Listopad może być trochę wyzwaniem pogodowym, ale zawsze pozostają knajpy, a te mają dość rewelacyjne ;)

  • Reply
    Kirsty Bennetts
    13/11/2016 at 15:09

    We had such a short time in I-F but I liked what we did see! Would love to go back though … As you say, it doesn’t have a load of sights to tick off but it had a good vibe! :-)

  • Reply
    Shannon Off Duty
    14/11/2016 at 02:24

    Happy to discover your blog today!

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:18

      glad to read that :) hope you’ll enjoy it here!

  • Reply
    Marta
    14/11/2016 at 19:41

    We both seem to get inspired for travelling by photos. The ones you have posted made me want to visit that city!

    • Reply
      kami
      16/11/2016 at 13:19

      Happy to read that! Hope you will visit Ivano-Frankivsk one day!

  • Reply
    Tim Roosen
    20/11/2016 at 13:46

    The reason for all the art there is that there’s a yearly blacksmithing festival in May where the participants work together on one or more pieces.

    • Reply
      Stu Booher Blacksmith Guild of the Potomac
      05/03/2023 at 17:09

      Tim
      I’m interested in what you know about the blacksmith festival since I;m trying to locate a blacksmith in Ivano-Franko
      I realize this is 7 years old

      • Reply
        kami
        02/04/2023 at 10:35

        Unfortunately not much :( sorry I can’t help you :(

  • Reply
    Jasilyn
    20/11/2016 at 15:55

    You and Megan Starr are killing me with your amazing photos of Ukraine!

    • Reply
      kami
      20/11/2016 at 18:58

      hehehe ;) you definitely should go there soon then!

  • Reply
    Podróże Zwykłych Ludzi
    23/11/2016 at 10:41

    Fajny opis i dobre zdjęcia! Dzięki za interesującą relację!
    I ta sztuka uliczna… przepiękna!

    • Reply
      kami
      03/12/2016 at 20:54

      dziękuję!

  • Reply
    stacjabalkany
    06/12/2016 at 11:23

    Od jakiegoś roku czytam Twojego bloga i Twój blog oraz przewodnik Bezdroży był dla mnie natchnieniem aby udać się na Ukrainę, mimo że pierwsze skojarzenia były że jest tam wojna i że jest niebezpiecznie i nie żałuję bo Karpaty Ukraińskie, Kamieniec Podolski i Zakarpacie były fantastyczne ! Natomiast w Iwano-Frankowsku jeszcze nie byłem, ale fantastyczne zdjęcie z pociągiem na stacji przekonuje mnie, że muszę się tam udać:)

    • Reply
      kami
      08/12/2016 at 10:13

      Dziękuję! Bardzo miło czytać takie słowa :)

  • Reply
    stacjabalkany
    08/12/2016 at 11:23

    Przed wyjazdem na Ukrainę dzięki Twojemu blogowi pojechaliśmy do Czerniowiec, a teraz będę starał się u Ciebie codziennie bywać i komentować, bo jak sam założyłem bloga to widzę ile to ogromnej wręcz pracy kosztuje, a dwa przewodniki przewodnikami ale zawsze warto poczytać kogoś kto tam był, a trzy też jak Ty, uwielbiam pociągi i potrafię jechać 20 godzin pociągami na Bałkany, byle nie lecieć:)

    • Reply
      kami
      12/12/2016 at 22:59

      dziękuję!
      ja ostatnio sobie bardzo chwalę połaczenia lotnicze z Berlina na Bałkany – szybko i tanio!

  • Reply
    Mohamed Usama Ismail
    11/03/2018 at 21:03

    Sincere greetings from Egypt!
    well I am going to ivano frankivsk for about 6 week in an internship so is life expenses good there (with comparison with other middle east countries and Europe overall)
    thanks for your amazing extraordinary effort !! :)

    • Reply
      kami
      29/03/2018 at 21:15

      Thank you! Ukraine in general is a really cheap country so I think you will find it affordable too!

  • Reply
    mustafa
    08/07/2019 at 17:58

    great informations ,really usefull…ı laughed when i see (not kiev or lviv :) ))))) thank you so much

    • Reply
      kami
      20/07/2019 at 12:28

      Thank you!

  • Reply
    Abhishek
    27/04/2021 at 13:20

    Great city, i am student in ifnmu really so beautiful place of heart

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