My trip to Ukraine in 2026

Marius Timmer — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:45:24 +0200

This sign indicates the countries border

I traveled to Ukraine with a friend this summer, just like we did a few times before. Our trip lasted a total of ten days, and we drove through Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova on our way to Ukraine. On the way back, we made a stop in Poland. Unlike the last few times, we did not use my Audi 80 for the 6,000-kilometer trip, but a more modern Opel Astra - A working air conditioner really is a game-changer!

Breakdown of my posts

Whenever I tell people that I have been to Ukraine, I am always asked all sorts of questions. So the interest is clearly (and fortunately) big. As you can imagine, we experienced so much in those ten days that it feels like a trip of three weeks. To keep this post from getting too long, I have decided to write several posts on this topic over the coming days and weeks. So it is worth checking back in a few days.

You can look forward to the following posts:

The Sea of Flags in Kyiv
The beach near Odessa
Jammed GPS and Internet
One night in Kharkiv
Where exactly is Moldova?

Our Route

We had known for quite some time that we would be traveling to Ukraine again. After ten years, we wanted to see Odessa again and meet up with friends in Kharkiv. Since Kyiv is more or less on the way, we had already decided on these three cities. To make it even more exciting, we planned to enter the country from the south via Moldova, and that worked out into a great route.

Our planned Route: 6,000 kilometers through Eastern Europe

Why Vacation in Ukraine?

One of the most frequently asked questions is why on earth we’re traveling to an active war zone - after all, that doesn’t have much to do with a vacation. And that’s actually true: It’s not the kind of vacation where you come back feeling relaxed. But it’s also incredibly important to realize that Ukraine is more than just war. The country is alive and well, and is far from what most people imagine. Perhaps my posts can shed a little light on the situation. In our conversations with Ukrainians, everyone was extremely happy to have visitors from Germany. It’s also important to us to show people that they haven’t been forgotten and that Germany (here, society rather than the government) and all of Europe stand by their side. Besides, we really like the country and are always happy to come back. This time, we had a package to deliver in Kharkiv - but more on that later.

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Travel on Timmers blog

My trip to Ukraine in 2026

Breakdown of my posts

Our Route

Why Vacation in Ukraine?