Next Stop Ukraine

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Next Stop Ukraine

We are a Lviv-based Ukrainian Travel Company and DMC; we focus on inbound tourism for guests and tour operators from different countries around the world.
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2016 is well over and we are aware that our name has been out of date. We hope you’ve been enjoying this page that our team has put together and now it’s time to reveal ourselves. We are starting a new incoming tour operator and DMC Ukraine travel services company based out of Lviv called Next Stop Ukraine. We will be offering scheduled tours as well as:
Travel services
DMC services

+ specialty tour to match any request including:
Spiritual Tours
Jewish Tours
Photography Tours
Village Stays
Eco-Toursim
Ethno-Tourism
Culinary Tourism
Business Travel
Weddings, Stags, Stagettes
Office Retreats
Arts and Culture
Educational Tours
History Tours
Spa and Relaxation
Skiing, Cycling and Adventure Travel

We hope that if you are travelling may your next stop be Ukraine! :-)

24/01/2026

Hello dear friends… it’s been a while! 😊

02/04/2024

The next "Humanitarian Trip" to Ukraine is happening in May!
If you want to help out. If you feel the need to contribute. Then come along!
Message us for info and details:
[email protected]
*Future trips in July and September

24/02/2022

Beregynya - a symbol of life and fertility, the Mother of all beings, who gives life and protects from evil. This symbol came to us from the mysterious Trypillia civilization. The largest cities of the Trypillian era were built on the territory of the modern Cherkasy region.

It was time of matriarchy and women rightly occupied prominent roles in the family, because they were given the highest power - the power to give life, to procreate. Women were endowed with magical powers for their closeness to nature. Hence the phrase that all women are witches. The word "vid`ma"(witch) comes from the word "vidaty"(to know).

The women of Trypillia were so mysterious - they knew how to cure with herbs and plants, ways of divination, they foretold the fate by the stars and were able to predict the weather. In their gentle hands they held the world of spirits, sacraments and magic, that was unknown to men. And the men respected them for their tireless work, deep knowledge, birth and upbringing of children, for women`s simplicity and complexity, strength and weakness at the same time.

It has been the case since ancient times that a woman in Ukraine has never been a slave. As a young girl, she chose a couple (on Kupala night). As a mother, she had respectful role in the home and family. She was not afraid or ashamed to show her will, desire and temperament, because she never had a ruler over her, who she would had to please or be afraid of. It is the cult of the female principle in Trypillia society that gave rise to the famous phrase "What a woman wants, God wants."

The people of Trypillia left us a legacy of many small female figures. They depicted the goddesses of fertility naked and put special symbolic signs on their bodies. A double spiral was drawn in place of the breasts of the goddesses. A diamond crossed into four lobes was drawn on the abdomen. One grain was pressed into each cell. The thoracic spiral is a celestial symbol of a cloud and lightning that sends rain to the earth. A rhombus with cereals represents a plowed and sown field. It is also the fertile place of the goddess, the fruit in her womb. The combination of both symbols means the marriage of the elements of heaven and earth. Oblique and spiral scratches were made on the thighs, sides and buttocks of all Trypillia figures. They express the symbol of fertility protection. These symbols were applied not only on statuettes, but also on the bodies of real Trypillian women who loved to tattoo themselves.

21/02/2022

February 21 marks International Mother Language Day🇺🇦

Here some interesting facts about Ukrainian language:
🇺🇦 Ukrainian is one of the most widespread languages in the world, and according to the number of speakers, it takes 26th place in the world
🇺🇦 The Ukrainian language is very rich in synonyms. For example, the word “horizon” has 12 synonyms. But the absolute record is the verb “to beat”. According to the “Dictionary of Synonyms of the Ukrainian Language”, it has 45 synonyms
🇺🇦 The Ukrainian language is rich in diminutive forms. Oddly, but even the word “enemies” has its own diminutive form
🇺🇦 The most commonly used letter in the Ukrainian alphabet is the letter “n”. The letter “f” is the least-used letter of the Ukrainian alphabet. Words starting with this letter, in the vast majority of cases, came to Ukrainian from other languages
🇺🇦 The Ukrainian language is officially recognized as one of the most beautiful: it occupies the second place in the world by melodic (after Italian) and the third most beautiful vocabulary (after French and Persian)
Do you speak Ukrainian?😉

14/02/2022

Did you know that St. Valentine’s relics are preserved in Ukraine?😮

A part of the relics of St Valentine made its way to Ukraine on May 13, 1779 and is now kept in a church in the town of Sambir, Western Ukraine. The authenticity of the relics confirms the document of the Pope from 1759. Archival materials indicate that St. Valentine was the patron Saint of the former Perm-Sambir eparchy of the UGCC. Therefore, the local congregation transferred a small glass coffin from Italy, in which is encased a fragment of the skull and a few bones and stone, which is believed to be derived from the tomb of the Saint. The rest of the bones of St. Valentine, described by Church sources, are located in the capital of Italy, in Bologna, several cities in France, Glasgow and in Poznan, Poland.

St. Valentine for many years has been considered as the patron saint of lovers and honeymooners in the whole world. It is believed that who touches Valentine's relics experiencing a great love and a happy family. According to ancient legend Emperor Claudius believed that having a family prevents soldiers from fighting for the empire and issued a law that forbade soldiers to marry. Christian preacher Valentine, despite the decree, continued to secretly marry the enamored. Because of this, he was put in Roman prison and soon sentenced to death.

Sitting in prison Valentine fell in love with a blind girl - a daughter of a prison guard. With his medical knowledge Valentine healed the girl from blindness and in response she fell in love with him. As a priest Valentine could not respond to her feelings but on the night before his ex*****on (the night on 14 February) he sent her a touching letter which was signed "Your Valentine".💞

07/02/2022

Ancient Kyiv in "The Kyivan Rus Park" is a unique reconstruction of one of the most famous and at the same time the most mysterious medieval city of Eastern Europe – Ancient Kyiv of the V-XIII centuries, the capital of the greatest country - Kyivan Rus✨
It is being reconstructed in the size of its historical center known as Detinets of Kyiv or the city of Vladimir in its real scale 1:1, taking into consideration modern scientific knowledge.
Here you can go back in time and feel the unique atmosphere of Ancient Kyiv and the Kyivan Rus✨

13/01/2022

Malanka or Schedry vechir is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on January 13, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar✨

Malanka commemorates the feast day of Saint Melania the Younger. On this night in Ukraine, carolers traditionally went from house to house playing pranks or acting out a small play, with a bachelor dressed in women's clothing leading the troop. Today, Ukrainians all over the world still follow this tradition but with different variations that have been passed down from their ancestors. People gather in groups, dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothing and holding props such as the star and go door to door to their neighbours, nearest friends and family. This is called a Koliada, which starts on 6 January, Christmas Eve and ends on January 19. Traditionally, the first thing to do when you are invited into the family's house is to have the eldest male throw wheat grains around the entrance, which gifts the family with happiness, health, love, luck and more. As the male is throwing the wheat grain, he is saying a verse. Once this is completed, the rest of the carolers join in. Each person sends wishes to the family through these verses, they perform little skits and in between each of these, they sing traditional Ukrainian carols.

People come to these events ready to socialize and celebrate the New Year with friends and family. The event provides a nice dinner with raffles and prizes to be won and ends with a zabava. At midnight, once everyone cheers for the New Year, individual and pair polka dancing is stopped and the kolomyjka begins. When the kolomyjka is finished, everyone resumes to their previous dancing and continue to party the night away. Malanka is often the last opportunity for partying before the solemn period of Lent which precedes Easter.

06/01/2022

Christmas Eve is celebrated in Ukraine today⭐️

According to tradition, on Christmas eve, one should not eat anything, until the first star appears in the sky, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. On the feast table, Ukrainians put 12 dishes, which symbolize the 12 apostles. Due to the Nativity Fast, no meat, eggs or milk are allowed during the supper. Thus fish, mushrooms and various types of grain are the main selections.🌟

The ritual in Ukraine is to start Sviata Vecheria (holy supper) with Kutia. Poppy seeds are widely used for Christmas Eve dishes, because they symbolize abundance and prosperity. In this respect, it was believed that varenyky (perohy / perogies), which are also a symbol of prosperity, with poppy-seed filling when served during Sviata Vecheria, have the most magical potential for bringing prosperity and fecundity!⭐️

Mushrooms, especially dried or pickled, are also one of the main ingredients used in Christmas Eve dishes. Sauerkraut with wild mushrooms or peas, red borscht, mushroom or fish soups are served in Western Ukraine. Pampushky (doughnuts) filled with jam are served for dessert. 😋

This evening the whole family should undoubtedly spend together to remember about the strength of family ties throughout the year. 🌟

24/12/2021

Merry Christmas, friends! 🌲
May your Christmas be graced with peace, joy and happiness!✨
Hope this festive season will bring good luck and good health for you and your families!🌟

19/12/2021

St. Nicholas, Sviatyij Mykolai, comes to Ukraine on December 19✨🎅❄
The night is often called "Magic Night" or just St. Nicholas Day.
St. Nicholas Day for many centuries was one of the main holidays in Western Ukraine. Women baked for this day round cookies called ‘mykolaychyky’ with different fillings. These cookies are put under the children pillows as a sweet presents for the holiday and are given to all the friends and relatives wishing joy and health✨

Shortly before the holiday Ukrainian children (often with the help of their parents) write letters to Saint Nicholas in which all their dearest wishes are listed – material (new toys or other goods) and spiritual (health and happiness for parents, relatives and friends). The fulfillment of the material wish depends on the child’s behavior during the year. For those who behaved well St. Nicholas will definitely prepare the present, and even for those who did not there will be something pleasant (sweets, for example) if they promise to make good✨

St. Nicholas Day in Ukraine is a really bright and joyful holiday. Parents and grandparents tell the children story of St. Nicholas life and teach them to be as kind, laborious, charitable, honest as Saint Nicholas was✨

St. Nicholas history in Ukraine goes back to the 10th and 11th centuries. In churches, his icons are prominently placed on the iconostasis, usually next to Jesus, the Mother of God, or the patron saint of the church. His icons were found also in nearly every home. In the mountains of western Ukraine where the Hutzuls named the four seasons of the year after saints, winter honors St. Nicholas.
Ukrainians believe that in the night of December 19 all their sincere wishes will be heard and fulfilled✨

Have a happy St. Nicholas, folks!

Address

Lviv

Website

https://www.nextstopukraine.com.ua/

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