Kharkiv is one of the largest cities in Ukraine, located in the eastern part of the country. Since 2022, the city has suffered a lot because of Russian attacks, but foreigners keep coming here, most often activists, volunteers, and journalists.
Gwara Media spoke to some Kharkiv visitors to gather useful advice for people who want to visit the city. The honest answer to the question of “is Kharkiv safe?” is “no.” No place in Ukraine is really safe because of daily Russian attacks. If you still wish to go, though, here’s the how-to.
How to get to Kharkiv?
All airports in Ukraine are closed because of the war, so there’s no plane to Ukraine. The only way to travel around the country is by land transport. Get on a plane to the nearest city in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, or Moldova and then change to a bus or train.
Ukrainian Railways (or Ukrzaliznytsia) has created a list of trains departing from various directions abroad for Ukraine. Here are some of the routes to Kharkiv.
- From Poland, you can use train №090/074 from Przemyśl and №094 from Chełm;
- From Hungary — a train №647 from Nyíregyháza to Mukachevo with a transfer to trains №18 or №45 to Kharkiv;
- From Slovakia — train №960 from Košice to Mukachevo with a transfer to train №17 to Kharkiv.
If you want to choose a bus, private companies like Busfor offer trips to Ukraine from European cities, including direct routes to Kharkiv.
What do you need to cross the border?
When planning your trip, check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine websites for the latest information on how to enter Ukraine.
First, check if your country is on the visa-free list or you need a visa.
In the first case, crossing the border, you need a valid passport, an official purpose for your visit, financial support, and health insurance. When you enter Ukraine on a visa-free basis, you have the right to stay here for up to 90 days.
Those who need a visa can find information on the types of visas, conditions, and how to apply on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Carry things that don’t need to be taxed or written into a customs declaration through the green customs corridors. These include:
- Personal belongings;
- Goods weighing up to 50 kg and costing no more than €500;
- Food costing up to €200;
- Cash up to €10,000;
- Medicines, but no more than five packages of each drug per person.
Items that require submitting a declaration are transported through the red corridor. Find more details on the website of the State Customs Service.
After crossing the border, you can get to Kharkiv by land transport. Trains are the most popular (and most comfortable, in case you’re not fond of sitting) option.
What you need to know while staying in Kharkiv
Keep in mind that the current situation in Ukraine is quite difficult. Russia continues to kill civilians and attack energy infrastructure.
Kharkiv is located 15 miles from the frontline and 19 miles from the state border with Russia, so that Russian missiles can reach the city in less than a minute.
“There are definitely a lot more sirens and daily threats compared to Kyiv, but the city is not dead or quiet,” said Megumi Lim, a video journalist and documentary filmmaker from Singapore.
No matter how safe the situation may seem, remember that you’re in a country at war.
Air alerts in Kharkiv
Traveling in Ukraine, react immediately to Ukraine air alerts. As Lim said, in Kharkiv, sirens may sound more often than in cities of the central or western regions — because of the city’s proximity to the frontline.
Find an interactive map of the location of shelters and other useful information for safe stay in the city and region on the website of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
Air raid alerts sound in all Kharkiv districts, but Lim advised to install an air raid alert app on your phone and “unmute all the Telegram channels relating to Kharkiv that would give more information on the air raids and what kind of threat is in the sky.”
Those Telegram channels are, for instance, TLK News (@tlknewsua) or Radar (@radar_kharkov). For them to be truly useful, learn what the district you’re staying in is called.
Where to stay in Kharkiv
Megumi Lim advised booking a hotel with underground bedrooms.
“This helped us get a good night’s sleep. We couldn’t hear any sirens or explosions from below. I would avoid staying on a high floor or anywhere that seems too exposed,” she said.
Genevieve Trainor, a communication strategist from the United States, advised renting an apartment because it might be safer — and to take more cash than you think you’ll need.
“Some apartment owners or managers either accept only cash, and the terminals don’t like my credit card,” she said.
Francisco Richart, a photographer from Catalonia, said that in Kharkiv you definitely need a medkit, calling it “one of the most important accessories.” Take the knowledge of how to use it with you — basic understanding of how to provide first aid would help you in Ukraine, in general, too.
As journalists working in the city, we’d like to add another thing: Russia deliberately targets hotels in Kharkiv (and Ukraine) often, so take that into account.
GPS in Kharkiv is off during air raids
Another thing to keep in mind is that GPS in Kharkiv and the region might not work properly because of electronic warfare (EW) during air raid alerts.
Trainor advised getting an offline map and learning the major districts and streets of the city.
Also, you can use public transport or a taxi. The subway in Kharkiv works from 5:30 a.m. to 22:00 p.m.
Taxi services Bolt, Uber, and Uklon are all working in Kharkiv. During air raids, pin your location on the map in the application when booking a ride. Don’t rely on GPS and be sure to double-check that the pin is where you need it to be.
Trainor said that it is comfortable to use public transport in Kharkiv because it has been free since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion and is easy to navigate.
Prices in Kharkiv
Prices in Ukraine differ from those in Europe, and they also vary depending on the city. Prices in Kyiv will be slightly higher than in Kharkiv.
Trainor said that there are many amazing stores and markets in Kharkiv. The best coffee she has had in Ukraine was here. She recommended visiting Pakufuda, Makers, and Kofein.
“Kofein also has excellent savory oatmeal with poached egg, pesto, and pine nuts,” said Trainor.
Curfew in Kharkiv
There is a curfew in Ukrainian cities. Before 2025, curfew in Kharkiv started at 11:00 p.m., but, this August, the local authorities shortened it.
Now, curfew in Kharkiv starts at 12 a.m. and lasts until 5 a.m. You cannot move around the city without an official permit from authorities. As a result, restaurants and shops are not open 24 hours a day — most of them close at 10 or 11:00 p.m.
Trainor also advised always keeping a powerbank and documents in easy access.
During martial law in Ukraine, everyone is obligated to carry IDs with them (online IDs are acceptable, too). Powerbanks are just a useful thing to have in case of power outages that happen often, especially during winter, due to the Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Where can you get help in Kharkiv?
There are four main emergency numbers in Ukraine:
- 101 is the fire and rescue service;
- 102 is the police;
- 103 is the ambulance service;
- 104 is the gas emergency service.
Find the hotlines of law enforcement agencies of the Kharkiv region on the website of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
Consulates of Austria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Brazil, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, France, and the Czech Republic also operate in Kharkiv.
For more information, including embassy and consulate contact details, visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Hi! I’m Elza, and I wrote this article to help foreigners who plan to visit Kharkiv know what to expect from the city — thanks for reading it! People from different countries often visit our newsroom, and I hear what surprises them — e.g., many don’t expect GPS problems during air raid alerts. Also, please consider supporting our Kharkiv-based media by buying us a coffee or subscribing to our Patreon.
The post Is Kharkiv safe to visit? Here’s what to consider when planning a trip appeared first on Gwara Media.
