There's always one: Traveling to Lviv With Small Children

On travel websites, in letters to the travel section of NYT, or on the Berkeley Parents Network mailing list someone always writes to ask if anyone has experience traveling to this or that locale with small children. The locales range from the sort of places that I would disparage someone for worrying about bringing a child to, to borderline war zones. Responses range from encouraging common sense to full-fledged outrage.

We contend with these issues in the relative privacy of our dining room. We quickly ruled out a trip to the Socotra Islands because of the practicalities of getting in and out of Yemen with a two-year old - to say nothing of the prohibition against alcohol. So at various points in the planning stages, this trip was going to be a first-time visit to Easter Island and then a return visit to the Galapagos, all of which seemed doable based on our last trip there. More recently we though we were heading to Japan. We had some concerns about finding family-friend hot springs, but they do exist.

As we started our research about Lviv I came across this quote on TripAdvisor:

There is so much to see in Lviv, but I am afraid February/March is not the best season to visit it, if not the worst! If you are ready to brave heavy winds, snow and slash[sic], and ungritted streets with ice - welcome to the City of Lions

It can't be said that we didn't know what we were getting into. We packed the huge coat that my dad gave Axel for Christmas two years ago, we packed three sweaters for him, and we packed leggings for under his jeans and made a go of it.

Some things to keep in mind if you are thinking about traveling to Lviv with a small child, particularly in winter. Babushkas will absolutely voice opinions about your child's exposed ankles, or how he really should be wearing his hat. Axel has little time for hats and less for gloves, and we tend to be tolerant parents. Our attitude toward the weather is that of a tourist, not someone who has to live with it. Imagine our surprise when we got home one day and Axel stumbled about because his legs were numb. We left on the window seat over our radiator and he stayed there very happily for 15 minutes.


Babushkas will be hands on with your child to remedy situations. One day in Strysky Market Axel was at his wit's end, sobbing heavily in his stroller. A round and bundled old woman leaned in to comfort him and he howled louder even as she gave him the cookie below.


This is a smoking city. Cigarette butts accumulate in snow and ice around children's playgrounds. Non-smoking areas in most restaurants we've been to tend to be small - usually two tables near the cash register. It's predictably disconcerting to be taking off your child's clothes when they smell like you do after a night out on the drink. We don't see many children on the streets or in shops. Some shopkeepers seem to be judging Amy harshly for having Axel out and about at the hours we do (never later than 7), even having him in stores at all. They are probably judging me too, but by not understanding the language I'm spared the freight of grief.

For all that, our two-year old loves Lviv. We entered a noisy and thick with smoke middle eastern restaurant the other night and Axel howled when we left for want of a table. The other day a tractor followed us for a solid two blocks up a busy sidewalk, Axel asking what happened all the while. He loves the truck play structure in Strysky Park, the playroom in Puzata Hata, the teenagers ice skating in the old part of town.