Oh boy can it get cold in winter in Lviv. When the thermometer drops below 0 it feels like you wanna hide inside only. Our guides at Lviv Buddy have to deal with this situation quite a lot because we conduct our tours anytime of the year. Hence we also have a lot of recommendations we give to our guests what else there is to do in Lviv. There are a lot of Lviv winter activities.
And that’s even without the Lviv Christmas Market. If you plan to visit Lviv in winter, we strongly advise you to take warm clothes with you and also take a quick look at our post on how to handle severe colds while staying in our beautiful city.
Brrr, while most people would prefer to stay somewhere inside, you might have the drive to rather be active. Well, there are some activities you can enjoy during the winter, which make a trip to Lviv just perfect.
During the whole Christmas period and further until winter is over, you can go ice-skating directly on Rynok Square. The ice rink here is quite big and certainly large enough not to get you bored. And with the view on the beautiful medieval Renaissance square and the town hall you certainly will enjoy it as one of the best Lviv winter activities. If you want to be away from the tourists and rather be with locals, you can go to Pivdenniy Mall, where there is another ice rink.
Where: Rynok Square
When: 10am – 10pm from mid-Dec to Feb or March
To warm up, water isn’t the worst place to be – depending on which water you choose. While some people enjoy to take a dip in the ice-cold springs for the festival of Vodokreshchyna, we assume you prefer rather warm streams. Well, there are quite a few possibilities for this.
One of the largest pools in Ukraine is also open in winter. With a warm enough 26-28 degrees you can even take a swim in the 50m Olympic pool and try to beat your winter swimming records. They also have an indoor pool of 50m though, in case you prefer to keep your head out of the cold.
Where: Kleparivska 39a
When: Mon-Fri 7am – 8.30pm, Sat 7am – 7.30pm, Sun 9am – 4.30pm
Lviv’s largest water park will certainly be a nice place for you to visit and enjoy the different pools and even some water slides. Warm yourself up in one of the nice bubbling jacuzzis and swim for the win with some kids in the Olympic pool.
Where: Knyahyni Olhi 114
When: Mon-Sat 7am – 10pm, Sun 8am – 9pm
You might wonder, why we recommend coffee shops, as it’s pretty obvious. But what is a good place to drink a hot beverage in other cities is almost a religion in Lviv. Lviv is the Ukrainian coffee capital and people here take it really seriously. Therefore visiting one or several of the many Lviv coffee shops is a must! Because we don’t want to send you to the ever same places, we decided not to include the most popular coffee shops here (such as Lviv Coffee Mine and Lviv Coffee Manufacture, Lviv Handmade Chocolate, Kredens Cafe). You will in any case pass them by while taking a walk through the city center. Therefore check some of our recommendations instead:
Located on Virmenska street, this small but cozy cafe earned its charm in the 70-s of the 20-th century. It was the most popular meeting spot among hippies – both local and foreign ones – who used to come here to chat with their fellow thinkers and listen to at the time forbidden rock-n-roll music. Although the cafe could only accommodate 7 tables, many people stood in line to get their coffee, and after all they went outside and were either standing or sitting on the sidewalk with cups in their hands.
Where: Virmens’ka St. 19 (parallel to the Rynok Sq., 1 block to the north)
When: 9 am – 11 pm
The name of this coffee house is translated as “White Coffee”, although they offer all possible kinds of coffee (together with delicious pastries and nice-flavoured tea). Depending on whether you want to drink coffee alone or with your friends, you can choose one of a few various-sized rooms that will make you feel comfortable.
Where: Tyktora St. 4
When: 9 am – 9 pm
Another of the traditional cafes in Lviv is positioned right in the heart of Old Town, but slightly hidden. Na Bambetli is situated in a small courtyard called Andreolli Passage just off Rynok Square and is famous for the coffee that is still handmade Turkish-style on hot sand. Come to enjoy the different coffee varieties and tasty sweets. You won’t regret it.
Where: Andreolli Passage on Rynok Square 29
When: 10am – 10pm
To get a good overview of the best coffee shops in Lviv, you can enjoy the Lviv Coffee Tour which will show you the best coffee houses in Lviv. Hear some interesting stories and find out how Ukraine was one of the origins of European coffee culture and how Vienna got its coffee from a Ukrainian from near Lviv. Since most of the tour happens inside you won’t have to worry about freezing.
This category includes places that can keep you busy in a relaxing way. Whether you are a traveler, a digital nomad, or simply a student – if you want to stay away of the cold and crowds of people in the city center, these spots should be your first points of destination.
Communa is a full-fledged coworking space for freelancers and all other people who don’t like to work from home. Therefore you have a 99% chance that it will be quiet here. The facility is located at the very heart of the city center, so you won’t have to look for it for a long time. Inside you will find stationary PC’s that you can freely use to surf social networks or looking for any interesting information about Lviv and its locations. You will also have free access to an unlimited amount of coffee/tea and cookies. Basically, you only have to pay for the time you spend in Communa, and the prices there are pretty moderate.
Where: Kolberga 3a, close to Ivan Franko Park
When: 9am – 9pm, weekends 10am – 8pm
The owners of this place like to call it an anti-movie theatre. Which is partially true, because they have a large collection of the most popular movies that you can watch in one of their rooms, each having its own name and interior. However, if you would like to watch a more rare film, you can bring it on your DVD or a flash-stick. Additionally, every room is supplied with an Xbox, so you can bring your friends to play various video-games to your taste. Snacks, drinks, and hookah are also available for an additional fee.
Where: Chaikovskoho 17
When: 12pm – 11pm, weekends 10am – 11pm
If you are a complete videogame geek and want to hang out properly while waiting through cold days in Lviv, you can visit the ‘Come in’ anticafe that offers multiple cozy PS4, 5 and Xbox One spots with a wide range of various games. Hourly pay is available, but you can also book a videogame console beforehand – places like this tend to be full all the time these days.
Where: Krushelnytska Solomiya St. 3
When: 11am – 12am, weekends 10am – 12am
More often, however, extreme cold requires the adoption of rather extreme warming procedures. That is when a bathhouse comes in. Lviv has a few perfect spots that will provide you with comfortable Finnish saunas, Russian banyas, and Ukrainian Laznyas.
Fortuna is a local Lviv hotel and a bathhouse which is situated not far from the city center. They provide three types of steam rooms:
Standard: includes a cozy banya, a small Roman pool and a lounge zone that can accommodate up to 20 people;
Junior: this one is even more comfortable, with additional Jacuzzis, so-called bucket waterfalls (specially installed wooden buckets that flood you with cold water) and a Charcot Shower;
De Luxe: The first class steam room includes all of the above-mentioned services provided with a maximum care and quality.
For an additional fee, you can also use the services of a bath attendant that will beat you with birch twigs (which would complete your Eastern European bath experience).
Where: Kniaza Svyatoslav Sq. 11 (a few blocks away from the Lviv Circus)
When: 24/7
This company specializes primarily in Finnish saunas. They have both classical saunas and infrared saunas that don’t create steam but heat your body directly from infrared emitters. Additionally, you can use top notch Jacuzzis with amazing massaging features. Sakura also offers comfortable lounge rooms with huge TV screens, karaoke, and a good Wi-Fi connection.
Where: Naukova St. 59a (close to Victoria Gardens shopping mall)
When: 24/7
Metropolis is generally considered as a healthcare resort that offers diverse relaxing activities for its guests. There is also a nice lounge zone with Finnish saunas, Russian banyas, and Roman steam rooms. Once you heat up enough, you can refresh yourself in contrast swimming pools, lie in Jakuzzis, and drink sedative herbal tea. Massage rooms are also provided, so if you want to feel totally reborn, you should visit one too.
Where: Vasyl’a Stusa St. 2 (parallel to Ivana Franka St., close to Stryisky Park)
When: 24/7
Every traveller knows how bad one can feel after a long bus/train/plane trip, especially when it’s freezing outside. All your body parts seem to have turned into concrete, and you simply cannot perceive the surrounding reality anymore. Luckily, you can fix that by choosing one of Lviv’s SPA centers that will help you renew your body both from the inside and outside.
Leopolis is a luxurious hotel that offers a large set of entertainment services– and not only for those who stay in their rooms. Literally anyone can experience the calm of the hotel’s SPA rooms which include Finnish and infrared saunas, gym, and peaceful lounge zones. A single stay in Leopolis SPA facilities takes ~3 hours, so make sure you get enough relaxation before you go back to the tensed reality.
Where: Teatral’na St. 16 (close to the Rynok Square)
Working hours: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Located close to the Lviv city center, Premium Relax Club offers a wide range of relaxing activities, such as Thai massage, hot stone therapy, and SPA-wraps. In addition, you can visit their exclusive beauty salon providing various cosmetological, makeup, and hairdressing services.
Where: Krushelnytska Solomiya St. 11 (close to Ivan Franko park)
Working hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
If you want to experience a complete body recovery, Wai Thai will definitely make it possible for you. This is a modern SPA center with a professional staff that can relax you using old oriental healing practices which include classical Thai massage, aroma body massage, mud-wraps, body scrub, stone therapy, and many more.
Where: Fredra St. 7 (close to Shevchenko Ave.)
Working hours: 8am – 12am
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