Uzhhorod Travel Forum

Hi,

5 People need to get from budapest to Uzhhorod for a one day trip.

1. Do we need a Visa to Ukrain?
2. Is there a Taxie service or connections to private taxi drivers?
3. Is it dangerous to travel there? (we heard things about crime and robbery)
Thanks,
Ronen

1) yes, the citizens of Sierra Leone, Uganda and even Kwazulu do need visa to Ukraine.
2) there are taxis in Ukraine.
3) yes, it's dangerous out there. The Ukrainian Cossacs with large mustache and huge riffles stay at the border and every tourist crossing into Ukraine will be used as a borsht ingredient.

There is no direct train, you'll have to make a change in Chop. Ucraine is absolutely safe (not more dangerous then any other European country). Pickpockets is possible, but where you can avoid it?

According the 2007 statistics, a tourist visiting East Europe and Balkans is less likely to become victim of crime, than West Europe. About the States I can say, I was driving between East Palo Alto and Cupertino in 1995 and got a 9mm softpoint bullet in the rear bumper of my car - for no reason. According to the cop, that bullet was fired from 100 yards and it did ricochet from the ground at a degree, it wouldn't kill me even if it would hit me. I told the policelady, she seem to be very familiar.

She told me: "yes, we DO have a LOT of experience"

I can tell you, the cops in BP or Uzhgorod don't have a LOT of that kind experience, thank God.

Otherwise please look at VT Tijuana pages. All stories are real. I have no idea, why people do dare to travel to Tijuana... in the fact, the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing is the busiest in the world.

These Serdiuks or Cossacs with the rifle and you becoming a part of borsht is maybe a joke... but the Tijuana and East Palo Alto are not.

For visa all is known, most citizens of "Western" (like USA, Canada, UK, EU, YU), "Eastern" (like Mongolia, Japan) or CIS (like Russia) countries do not need visa, but Australians or New Zealanders are exception. The Budapest-Uzhgorod adventure can be done in one day, but the bad part of it is that the train schedule is not very good, you will have a long day in Uzhgorod (good thing!) but two sleepless nights due border controls. The change of trains is in an ungodly hour.

Better: visit Debrecen for a day, stay in Debrecen and depart at 5:34. You will arrive Chop at 9:18 and go to Uzhgorod by taxi or local train, the distance is really close.

If you don't mind to spend only half day: depart Budapest Nyugati at 7:20, change trains in Záhony, arrive Chop at 13:16 (it's an other time zone, one hour ahead). From Chop go by taxi to Uzhgorod. Going back use the early morning connection starting Chop at 5:00, arriving BP at 9:47.

From all: it looks, like while being further, Lvov would be a better one-day excursion for you because instead of having "great time" with train connections in the middle of the night, you can stay in the sleeper car all the way, arriving to Lvov from Budapest in the morning at 9:45 and departing in the evening at 20:29.

If you ever come back to check on your posting: how on earth can we respond to your visa question if you don´t tell us anything about yourself/your friends such as nationality/passport.

from budapest you can go to Chop/Uhhorod by train at approx 18 00 and you will be at chop border around 23 pm. then the wagons change wheels of the train before you go into Ukraine. You can get out at Chop but taxis are hard to find at night better to go to Izhhorod (Uzhgorod). At Uzhgorod there are enough taxis, younger generation speaks English. Ukraine is as safe as any other country, people are nice and friendly
have a nice time:-)