Lviv is the ancient capital of west Ukraine, formerly Galicia of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with wonderful architecture to match. Must visit the Opera House, and book a ticket for an opera if you can. Next best place to see, other than churches, is Rynok Square (means market square in Russian) to see a variety of architecture, including the wonderful Town Hall and several posh homes now converted into small museums.

The churches, mainly Uniate (also called Greek Catholic), now restored after the Soviets left, are lovely to see. Lots of good restaurants; one we liked especially was the Kavkaz (Russian for the Caucasus), a Georgian one, with Ukrainian/Georgian menu, in Georgian script. Ask for help here! Do have real Georgian wine with the meal.

For local food, try black bread with caraway with pork fat instead of butter, and hearty stews mostly based on pork and potatoes. Upmarket restaurants are mostly Viennese style. Everything is cheap as chips: food, leather goods, local travel.

Get there cheaply by flying with Skyeurope to Budapest, then overnight on the Russian train that goes to Moscow but stops at breakfast time in Lviv. Main languages Ukrainian and Russian, but mime works well; if you have just a few words of Russian it helps.

Places nearby to visit: try the rural life and architecture open air museum just outside the town and ask the local monk to let you into the church if it is locked, or try Slavske in the Carpathians, the cheapest and friendliest ski resort in Europe, reached by train from Lviv.