many questions! - my trip to ukraine

[Dr Nick]

Hello,

The advice about driving to Ukraine in this thread is mostly good. I have done it twice to Lugansk and back (threads are on here for more background).

Unless it has recently changed though the maximum stay for your car is 60 days. It was when I was there during the summer. But you can leave the country with your car and come back immediately to reset the clock to zero for your car. So if you are planning to stay for the maximum 90 days without a visa you will need to do this once.

Crossing the border can be a bit of a pain. Queues can be very long. Make sure you have plenty of food and drink and that the car is full of fuel when you arrive at the border so you can run the heater or air con as needed. If you are both going to share the driving you should be able to get from your location to the Polish/Ukraine border in one day if you follow my route. It may be that if you cross the border in the middle of the night there is less of a queue, though I haven't tried this myself. You will need to set off very early though ;-)

When driving in Ukraine the E40 is mostly OK for holes, but on other roads be careful. The police are constantly trying to catch people for speeding and other minor offences so be careful how you drive. The speed limit is 60 kmh within towns and villages. The name plate for the town is black text on a white background and this is where the 60 limit ends and starts. As you enter the 60 limit the police will be waiting round the first corner. I would say that during the day there is at least a 50% chance of a speed trap operating in any given large town. Although the E40 is dual carriageway in places, there are pedestrian crossings on it between Lviv and Kiev. Some of these have 50 kmh limits. These are gold mines for the police and they hide just inside the 50 limit all the time with their radar guns. You have been warned. On the plus side there is a lot less traffic in Ukraine (except Kiev) than on the roads you are used to.

Have a great trip!