OVERNIGHT TRAIN in Ukraine -- 1st class sleeper || An expat's best advice on Ukrainian trains

What is an overnight train in Ukraine like? Here's a full 1st class overnight train tour from our SIXTEEN HOUR journey from the Carpathians to Kyiv. I'll tell you how to read your train ticket, give you a tour of the first class sleeper cabin on a Ukrainian train, and give you some of my best advice from the numerous train trips I've done here in Ukraine. Train travel in Ukraine is really convenient and affordable. And while it's not super comfortable or luxurious, it's my preferred method of travel in Ukraine. Do you have any questions about overnight trains in Ukraine? Leave a comment below and I'll do my best to answer them!
Intro: (00:00)
How to read your Ukrainian train ticket: (00:56)
Boarding a Ukrainian train: (01:35)
Views from the train: (03:16)
First class cabin tour: (04:00)
Carpathian snacks: (07:22)
Train toilet tour: (08:22)
Best Ukrainian train advice: (10:47)
Making dinner on an overnight train: (13:48)
Morning on the overnight train: (14:43)
Here's more of my best Ukraine travel advice:
How to book Ukrainian train tickets online (best advice for picking your seat!): • How To Book TRAIN TICK...
Ukrainian intercity train 1st class and 2nd class comparison: • UKRAINE TRAINS || 1st ...
What Ukrainian buses are like: • BUS TRAVEL in UKRAINE ...
** The links might be affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Read more about my Ukrainian adventures and travel advice on my blog: bit.ly/31feB0o
See more of my Ukraine travels on Instagram: bit.ly/3w6qGn3
Check out all my Ukraine travel vlogs: bit.ly/3ctCBDC
I get my music from Epidemic Sound, and I love it. Check out my referral link here: bit.ly/3acGDP0
Song used in this vlog:
Vagabond Train by Dez Moran
Weather Any Storm by Cody Francis

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

What do you think of our train?! The 'fun' thing about Ukrainian trains is it's hard to predict what it's going to look like inside. This one is... not the most modern but not the oldest either! Would you be happy taking this train? Let me know!

[@ATrainTravels]

Nice informative video. My cousin and I just took a train recently from Sumy to Lviv. Very comfortable journey but long and too hot inside the train.

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, definitely the biggest problem with the trains is temperature. It often gets super hot in the cabins during the winter. It's funny - I recently took a fairly old train from Tatariv back to Kyiv, maybe one of the oldest one's I've been on for a while, and the temperature ended up being tolerable the whole time!

[@bocefus7121]

I have just found you and so far I love your vids ! After watching Bald and Bankrupt with his lower class train travel OH MY YES !! First class is absolute luxury !! I do look forward to my marathon education of Ukraine !!! You will have many likes from me !!

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope I'll be able to introduce you to many cool places in Ukraine. :)

[@poweredbysoul6630]

Great info, thank you:) Next time I come to Ukraine, I will have to give the trains a try:)

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Glad you liked it! Yes, the trains are pretty fun. I'm thinking I might try to see what's the longest journey I can do, just for fun. :)

[@user-wg3pr3kq9i]

very nice and interesting to watch you

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@johnschalk1271]

Your video was very informative, thank you for sharing it. I will be taking an overnight train in Ukraine that has 3 "bed" compartments with apparently only one seat. I've been trying to find a photo or video of this kind of train so I can prepare a little for my trip, but so far I have not had any luck. Do you happen to know of a link where I could go to see what this kind of train compartment looks like?

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Thank you for your kind words! Hmm, I'm not sure about this kind of train. It's hard for me to picture it. Does it have a class name on the ticket? If it's coupe, then it's 2nd class. It would be the same size as this compartment, but there would be two top bunks as well. If it's platzkart, it's 3rd class. That's an open seating plan. There are two bunk beds similar to the set up of this cabin, but then along the opposite wall there are two beds running parallel to the windows.

[@johnschalk1271]

@@moonshineandminibuses9051 Hi, this is for the train cars used on the direct route between Warsaw and Kyiv. I don't have a ticket yet because they only put them on sale 20 days in advance, but I have looked at them as they have come up for sale and there are only 3 "seats" for sale in each compartment. I can opt for an alternate route that goes through Chelm but the times are not as convenient for me. This route offers the 2 or 4 bed compartments. I'm reluctant to buy a place on the direct route until I can understand what the arrangements will be like in the compartment that I will be traveling in for roughly 16 hours :)

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

@@johnschalk1271 I talked with someone who did the overnight Warsaw-Kyiv route a few years ago, so it's probably the same compartment configuration. He said the seat was nothing more than a fold-down seat, for like putting on shoes and such. The beds are three beds on top of each other, and you can't really sit up on them. It might be an uncomfortable journey, to be honest... It might be worth going through Chelm.

[@ZhekUA]

Diesel freight locomotive 2TE116 towing passenger carriges for a mountain ride Restaurant carrige added to train in case of 16 vagons it is 16th, usual train size is 9.

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen an overnight train 16 carriages long.

[@ZhekUA]

@@moonshineandminibuses9051 it could be like Mariupol-Lviv long enough distance and if a lot of passengers, it should be more than a day long trip to

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

@Eugene Berezovsky I just saw an article about the longest trip in Ukraine -- it's Rakhiv to Mariupol (I think). I'd kind of like to do it some day, when my language skills are a little better and I can have conversations with my fellow passengers.)

[@paulh6933]

how did u know the water was still?

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

It says "негазована" on the label. "сильногазований" is highly carbonated and "слабогазований" is slightly carbonated.

[@Nanoparticle7]

Strange I have taken the train from LVIV to Kiev and that was like 4 hours. Why 16 hours?

[@moonshineandminibuses9051]

We started way further in the Carpathian mountains, 210 km south of Lviv. But also, there is the 'fast' intercity train between Lviv and Kyiv that takes about 4 or 5 hours. The overnight trains definitely go slower. It's actually not always bad -- often it makes the departure-arrival times more convenient for a night's sleep.

[@ZhekUA]

Overnight train stops at every station on it's way, no metter how small it is, and they move at speed 80-120km/h. Intercity trains move at speed 120-160km/h and on some speed rails they could speed up to 190-200km/h. The passenger trains moves so slow just because railway were designed for 160km/h max, but same time these rails use by a fraight trains that move at speed 120km/h max because waggon design and weight, so even Intercity trains move at speed less than 90km/h on a free track.