Top 10 most beautiful castles in Ukraine that you must see

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle, Khmelnitsky region

This medieval fortress on a rocky hill impresses with its scale, beauty and rich history. According to some sources, the castle existed in the times of Kievan Rus'. In the XVI century (when the fortress belonged to the Polish power) all wooden fortifications and walls were replaced by stone ones. Twelve large towers, solidly fortified walls and ancient relics are worthy of your attention.

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle will be interesting for both adults and small tourists. Here you can easily immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an ancient fairy tale, shoot archery, take a picture with an owl, make your own cup, taste bread baked in a clay oven according to ancient recipes and, of course, take cool photos.

The fortress looks especially spectacular in the evening, when the illumination is turned on. By the way, on Saturdays and Sundays there are night excursions around the castle, the impressions are unreal. Come!

• Address: the fortress is located in Kamianets-Podilskyi, on Zamkova Street, 1.
• Working hours: every day from 9:00 to 18:00 (check the time of night excursions).
• Ticket price: adults - 60 UAH; children - 40 UAH.

Khotyn Fortress, Chernivtsi region

In 27 kilometers from Kamianets-Podilskyi there is another beautiful fortress - Khotyn Fortress. It is located on a gentle stretch of the southern bank of the Dniester. From the opposite bank it looks like a tiny doll's house on a postcard. The real fortress is simply gigantic: the height of the walls reaches 50 meters, and the thickness is 5 meters. It is definitely a must see.

Upon arrival, take a tour, you can see the buildings of the courtyard: warehouses, barracks, as well as the outer bastions and towers. There is also a small torture museum on the territory of the castle, where the most common medieval instruments of torture are presented. And in the center of the castle courtyard there is a huge well, 65 meters deep and almost 3 meters wide, which still has water.

Khotyn fortress is adored by fans of historical reenactments. Here they organize military maneuvers, mass horse fights and reconstructed siege of the fortress with the use of authentic siege equipment.

• How to get there: from Kamianets-Podilskyi to Khotyn there are shuttles and buses. If you are by car, from Kamyanets-Podilskyi you should move south, Khotyn, as we have already said, is only 27 kilometers away.
• Opening hours: daily 9:00 - 18:00.
• Ticket price: adults - 70 UAH, students and children - 35 UAH.

Lutsk Castle or Lubart's Castle, Lutsk, Volyn region

This is the same castle that is depicted on the reverse of the 200-hryvnia bill. No one can say exactly how old the castle is, because long before the construction of stone walls there were already wooden fortifications. The brick construction was initiated by Prince Lubart in the XIV century. The fortress was erected for more than four decades, and it turned out to be really reliable.

One of the brightest examples of Ukrainian medieval defense architecture once consisted of two parts: the Upper and the Lower Castle. Only some sections of the walls and one tower remain from the Lower Castle. But the Upper one is quite well preserved. Take a walk around this place of strength, go down into the dungeon, visit several museums and definitely climb the towers.

• How to get there: by car or train Kyiv-Lutsk/Kyiv-Kovel. Address of the castle: Cathedral, 1A.
• Opening hours: no weekends, in summer from 10:00 to 19:00, in the rest of the time - from 10:00 to 17:00.
• Ticket price: adults - 20 UAH, children - 10 UAH.

You can book a hotel in Lutsk with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Mukachevo Castle, Palanok Castle, Mukachevo, Zakarpattia region

Mukachevo Castle is a medieval fortress that stands on a volcanic mountain 68 meters high. It is one of the five European fortresses that have never been taken by storm. The castle is also called Palanok because it was once enclosed by an oak palisade. The building had several owners and each of them completed it as they wished. The result is a rather eclectic building with three tiers, which looks quite different from different angles.

You can wander around the castle on your own, but we would advise you to take a tour. In any case, you will be able to feel that special medieval spirit.

Entertainment for tourists is also taken care of here: souvenir shops, photos in costumes, points with ice cream, everything is in place.

• How to get there: by car, train or bus to Mukachevo. If you plan to go by public transport, from the center of Mukachevo to the castle runs bus number 3.
• Opening hours: no weekends from 9:00 to 17:00, on Friday - until 16:00.
• Ticket price: adults - 40 UAH, students - 30 UAH, children under 14 - 20 UAH.

Schönborn Castle, Zakarpattia region

In the village of Carpathians, not far from Mukachevo, there is the hunting castle Beregvar of the Austrian Counts Shenbourne. The residence, built in the spirit of romanticism with Gothic elements, is perfectly preserved both inside and outside. It fascinates with grace and harmony of architectural forms.

Schönborn Castle, like many European castles of that time (built in 1890), has an astronomical structure. The number of windows in the castle corresponds to the number of days in a year. The 52 rooms symbolize the number of weeks in a year, also the building has 12 entrances and exits - this is a reference to the 12 months. Now inside is a sanatorium, so you can't see all the details of the interior, only the library and the fireplace hall are open for excursions. But you can walk around the territory without any problems. In the park near the castle there is an artificial lake, the outer outlines of which originally repeated the contour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• How to get there: by car or public transportation. At the bus station in Mukachevo take a minibus and go to the stop "Sanatorium Karpaty". You will be there in 30 minutes.
• Work schedule: from 09:00 to 17:00.
• The cost of a ticket is 15 UAH.

Olesko Castle, Lviv region

The castle on a high hill in the village of Olesko is one of the smallest in size, but one of the most well-maintained castles in Ukraine. This construction is more than six centuries old, and the atmosphere of the past is clearly felt here. Inside there is an exposition of the Lviv Art Gallery. In addition to paintings, you can see interesting wooden sculptures. They are placed both inside and in the park surrounding the castle. Be sure to walk around the territory, it is beautiful at any time of the year.

Olesky castle is appreciated not only by Ukrainian, but also by Polish guests. It is here that their most famous king, Jan III Sobieski, was born.

• How to get there: take the Lviv-Brody shuttle bus from the bus station in Lviv (it takes an hour and a half). There is also an electric train to Olesko from Lviv suburban station.
• Working schedule: from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00.
• Ticket price: adults - 90 UAH, students - 60 UAH, pensioners and children - 20 UAH.

You can book a hotel in Lviv with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Pidhirtsi Castle, Lviv region

In Ukraine there are man-made analogs of the world's famous sights: for example, the castle in the village of Pidhirtsi is often compared to the luxurious Versailles. All because its architectural elegance is not inferior to the best palaces of the Renaissance. Come and take a tour, very informative.

• How to get there: by car or by bus from Lviv. From Lviv bus station #2 (on Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street) there is a shuttle bus to Brod. Ask to stop in Zagortsy and then walk up to the castle (it's hard to miss it).
• Work schedule: Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00 (in winter - until 17:00, cash desk - until 16:00). The day off is Monday.
• Ticket price: adults - 60 UAH, students - 30 UAH, pensioners and children - 20 UAH.

Sugar Castle, Kharkiv region

An hour's drive from Kharkov is a very interesting attraction, which locals call "Sugar Castle" - the palace and park complex of Kenig of the early XIX century. The snow-white palace in the Gothic style has long beckoned photographers, connoisseurs of unique architecture and simple romantics.

The latter especially like the legend of this place. Thus, it is said that the arboretum was built by a sugar refiner for his wife. Even in winter, flowers grew in the park for the luxurious woman. Once she fell ill with consumption and went to the sea for treatment, where she had an affair with an officer. Her husband found out about the betrayal of his wife and, so that she would never forget about her grave sin, installed a 6-ton boulder in the garden. Walking around the old manor, you can see this stone. Locals believe that it fulfills a wish if you touch it and think about what you want more than anything else in the world. There is an old-timer on the territory of the manor - a 600-year-old oak tree. He is the only one who knows what really happened here.

• How to get there: there is a bus from Kharkiv from the bus station №2 (Suzdal rows). Check the schedule. Address of the castle: Proletarskaya street, 8.
• Working schedule: from Tuesday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, on Saturday and Sunday from 09:00 to 19:00. Monday is a day off.
• Ticket price: adults - 25 UAH, children - 15 UAH.

Akkerman Fortress, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region

On a rocky promontory of the town of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi there is an ancient medieval fortress. Its powerful defensive walls and towers are quite well preserved. Each of the 34 towers once had its own purpose: for defense, housing, food storage. The most interesting for visitors is the Citadel with its four most powerful towers. Once there was a commandant's court, city treasury and gunpowder storehouse.

Nowadays Akkerman fortress is a favorite place for tourists. Here you can walk for hours, admire the estuary, draw pictures of the past in your head. By the way, on the territory of the fortress they often organize knights' tournaments and theatrical performances - little travelers are usually delighted.

• How to get there: from the Odesa bus station (near "Privoz") every 10 minutes there is a shuttle bus № 560, which goes to the railway station of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. Travel time is 1.5 hours. From the station you should walk along Vokzalnaya Street to the park, then turn to Dzerzhinskogo Street. You will see the fortress from there.
• Opening hours: daily from 08:00 to 20:00.
• Ticket price: adult - 80 UAH, children - 40 UAH.

Radomyshl Castle, Radomyshl district, Zhytomyr region

In the top of castles-beautiful - and the building in Radomyshl. It is the only castle in the world with a non-man-made foundation: it stands on a granite rock from the Paleolithic times.

Radomyshl looks majestic, but it is not really a castle. Originally, in the XVII century there was a papyrna, i.e. a paper factory. Now the guests of the complex are offered a lot of activities. So, you can take a tour and learn all about the dramatic history of the castle, see Ukrainian home icons (there is a whole museum there), hear the legend about the ghost of a monk who walks around the hall of the old papyrna and reads prayers. You can also climb the bell tower and make a wish (they say it comes true). You can also take part in a paper-making workshop and take away a handmade souvenir.

On the territory of the castle and nearby there is everything you need for recreation. Beautiful landscape, rare plants, a small store, picnic tables, a river. Here you can go boating, crossbow shooting, fishing, and in winter you can go skiing and sledging.

The castle is privately owned, so all entertainment is paid.

• How to get there: from Kiev to Radomyshl - 109 km, that is an hour and a half - and you are there. There are parking lots around the castle.
• You can also get to the castle by shuttle bus "Kyiv-Radomyshl" from the metro station "Zhytomyrska" (parking on the side of the shopping center). At Radomyshl bus station (stop "Center") take the route №2 and get off at the final stop - "The Castle".
• Working schedule: from 07:00 to 19:00.
• Ticket price: adult - 150 UAH, discount - 70 UAH, children - 60 UAH, family (adult + child from 6 to 12 years old) - 200 UAH.