Planning a trip to Ukraine? Find out when is the best time to travel!
When is the best time to travel to Ukraine? The country's temperate continental climate creates a fairly quick change of seasons, which is important for tourism. The high tourist season in Ukraine starts in late April, early May, and ends in September. During this time, most tourists come to relax in the mountains, by the sea, in sanatoriums, near rivers and lakes, or to visit excursion towns, of which there are many.
The low season in Ukraine can be conditionally called rather dank November and chilly March. However, it's worth noting that in these months, ski resorts may already be open or still operating, excursion programs and museums are often still working, and prices are generally lower.
The second part of the high season is, of course, the New Year and Christmas holidays. In Ukraine, with its love of celebrating tastefully, this period lasts from mid-December to mid-January. When you decide to fly to Ukraine, clarify for yourself exactly what you need. Together with tripmydream, we'll find the perfect tour for any time of year.
Vacation in Ukraine in winter
Winter is, of course, Christmas, New Year, and skiing. There are also many festivals associated with winter holidays. The weather in Ukraine in winter may well meet the notions of a snowy fairy tale. If you are lucky, there is plenty of snow in the northern and central parts of the country, as well as in the Carpathians.
Average winter temperatures in the north, north-west, and west of the country are around -5-10ºC, with thaws of up to +10ºC and frosts of up to -25ºC. In the south, in the Black Sea and Azov regions, frosts are rare, and winter temperatures are zero or slightly above zero, with a slight minus possible.
Snowfall is not too much. If you are going to the Carpathians to mountain ski resorts, keep an eye on the weather to make sure there are no thaws. But it's usually snowy and cold here from December through March. Excursion tours are also quite relevant, and New Year fairs will attract many. Ukraine is a unique country where Christmas is celebrated twice, Catholic Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Without any doubt, visit Lviv and Kyiv, Odesa, and Chernihov at this time. Skiing in Bukovel, Slavske, and other resorts await you too.
Spring is the time of blooming, and already starting from April, Ukraine confirms it. Back in March, it's quite cold and chilly, the snow is starting to melt, and walking is unlikely to be too comfortable. But the further away you go, the more pleasant all the sightseeing tours are.
Weather in Ukraine in spring is quite rainy and windy, but by May, there are more and more warm days throughout the area. In early March, ski resorts are still open. In the middle of May, you can already swim in the Black and Azov seas. Odesa, Skadovsk, Ochakov, and other sea resorts are quite comfortable starting from May.
We recommend visiting Belgorod-Dnestrovsky at the end of spring when it's not too hot, and so the walls of the fortress in this city are picturesque all year round.
Summer is undoubtedly the perfect time for tourism. The weather in Ukraine in summer is quite hot, except in the Carpathians where it is cooler in June and starts to get colder in August. But mountains are mountains, and July is still the best month to visit the Carpathians. Yaremche, Yasinya, cities of Transcarpathia are waiting for guests at this time.
The country's seaside resorts open their doors as early as early May, but July and August are the peak of the season. During the hottest time of the year, temperatures in Ukraine reach +35ºC and can be even higher. But it doesn't usually last too long, and summer thunderstorms can occur anywhere in the country.
Visit Odesa, Skadovsk, Primorsk, Zhelezny Port, and other resorts, which you can read more about in the section dedicated to sea vacation. Excursion programs at this time cover the whole country without any restrictions, as well as sanatorium rest.
September and early October in Ukraine give guests a real golden autumn. You can safely go on any chosen excursion tour. The beautiful parks of Bila Tserkva and Uman are best visited in the fall, and Stryi Park in Lviv is also beautiful. Kamyanets-Podolsk, Chernivtsi, and Uzhgorod are good at this time of year.
The weather in Ukraine in the fall is relatively warm, getting sharply colder only by November. Snow can fall in the first half of November, but usually melts immediately. And snowy weather is established by December, not earlier.
In early fall, a good solution will be a trip on a tourist liner on the Dnieper; you will see the beautiful landscapes of its steep banks. Visit Khortytsya in Zaporizhzhya. The urban beauty of Kharkiv with its theaters and museums can also be interesting. Either way, fall remains a good time to tour and explore the country's tourist cities.
