Since the closure of Ukraine’s airspace following the outbreak of the war, Breslov Chassidim and other travelers heading to the country have had to rely on alternative routes. While flying directly into Ukraine is currently not possible, a well-developed network of international trains and border crossings continues to connect Ukraine with neighboring countries, making travel relatively straightforward for those who plan ahead.
We have discussed in previous posts here about the most popular train route that many Breslov Chassidim take to get to Uman for Rosh Hashanah: Fly to Krakow or Warsaw and then take a train from Przemyśl to Vinnitsya (which is 2 hours from Uman). This is a very popular route in general and sometimes it’s hard to get tickets as they sell out quickly. In this guide, we’ll explore some alternative train routes into Ukraine from Moldova, Poland and Prague.
Prague
There are obviously closer countries to Ukraine to fly to other than Prague but if for some reason you want to fly to Prague to see the beautiful city or whatever – you can then take a train from there to Vinnitsya. Here is what the route looks like:
This train takes you from Prague to Przemysl where you will then transfer to the regular Ukrainian railways train that takes you to Vinnitsya. You can book a seat or a compartment with beds and there are other amenities available on the train. The only possible issue with this train is that RegioJet may not be able to get the second ticket for the train to Vinnitsya as it is a very popular route especially around Rosh Hashanah time. If this happens they will try to offer you an alternative route. Tickets can be purchased from 30 days before the day you want to travel.
Read all the information here – https://regiojet.com/by-train-to-ukraine
Moldova
One of the most popular places to get into Ukraine from is Moldova since it is the closest and many Breslov Chassidim choose to land in Chisinau (Kishinev) and take taxis and busses across the border. However, border wait times can increase dramatically before Rosh Hashanah and one can avoid waiting for hours by taking a train from Chisinau to Vinnitsya. This is a daily train that leaves at 7:52 pm from Chisinau and arrives in Vinnytsia at 10:14 am. This is an overnight train and takes 14 hours. Traveling by car may be faster but sometimes you can wait at the border for more than 5-6 hours so taking the train is a good alternative if you have the extra time.
Tickets can be purchased here 20 days before the date you want to travel on: https://booking.uz.gov.ua/en
You will need to verify your phone number and then search from Chisinau to Vinnytsia
Poland
As mentioned before, there are multiple train routes from Poland into Ukraine however tickets sell out very quickly especially around Rosh Hashanah time. One of the options that I recently found is a direct train from Warsaw to Kyiv that takes 15 hours. If you are flying into Warsaw this is a very good option. The only issue with purchasing tickets on this train is that you will need special verification if you are not Ukranian who can use the DiiA app to verify. You can attempt to get verified by first downloading the Ukrainian Railways app and filling out your profile there and then visit this link – https://services.uz.gov.ua/ticket-foreigners
Once you are verified you can open the app or go on the website and book the tickets. Search from Warsaw Centralna to Kyiv.
