Holidays in Ukraine: Winter activities for tourists in Carpathian mountains
Holidays in the Carpathians (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
Holidays in the Carpathians in winter are often associated with skiing on snowy slopes. But a large number of tourists nowadays are women with children, who are not always interested in such leisure activities. Marichka Kasyanova, deputy director of the Vidvidai travel company, told RBC-Ukraine what kind of entertainment is offered to tourists during their winter holidays in the Carpathians.
People have learned to relax in nature
People have now learned to relax in nature, says Marichka Kasyanova. Tourists are increasingly interested in picturesque places.
"And I'm not even sure skiing will be the most popular activity this year. There are a lot of natural sites that are popular now. These are places like Lake Synevyr and the Shypit waterfall. In winter, going there means gaining strength, drinking mulled wine, and eating delicious Carpathian cuisine," she says.
"You can visit a farm or an animal rehabilitation center nearby. If people are traveling with children, there is a brown bear rehabilitation center and a wolf park near Synevyr," the expert adds.
Bathing is relaxation with health improvement
The thermal pools of Zakarpattia compete in popularity with the natural sites of the Carpathians, says Marichka Kasyanova.
"It's warm water, fresh air, family vacations, and various entertainments. It's always about health. There are separate pools for children, mini-water parks where they can play for half a day in winter. The peculiarity is that these pools are both indoor and outdoor. When tourists say they won't go to an outdoor pool, they usually end up swimming in these," says the expert.
She lists thermal pools that are popular: "Tepli Vody Veliatyno," the modernized thermal complex "Zhavoronok" in Berehovo, "Kosyno" in the village of Koson, and "Zolota Hora" in the village of Barvinok near Uzhhorod.
Thermal complex in Transcarpathia (provided by RBC-Ukraine)
"Also this year, for the first time in winter, the "Karpatyia" water park in Mukachevo will be open, which also has thermal water," she says.
Bathing in vats in Lumshory, Pylypets, Verkhovyna, and Bukovel is also very popular.
Winter activities for children and sledding
There is no shortage of winter activities at ski resorts and in popular tourist locations in the Carpathians. And it's not just skiing or sledding.
"If we take the Bukovel side, there is the Hutsul Land ethno-park, which is very popular with children, and the Ferris wheel. Now tourists are mostly women with children. Children mostly don't ski; they can only stand sledding for an hour. And then the child wants to go feed a sheep, pet a goat, watch something, drink tea, and the parents want mulled wine," says Marichka Kasyanova.
Sledding in Verkhovyna (guide.karpaty.ua)
She adds that winter activities also include horse-drawn sleigh rides.
"You don't have to pull a sled and put on skis, but here you can just be taken through the mountains with a breeze. This is very popular, especially when it comes to getting to Lake Synevyr, which is 1.2 km one way. The same goes for Pylypets and Verkhovyna."
Food tasting is one of the most favorite pastimes of adults
"For an adult who wants to go on the holidays, drinking mulled wine or wine and tasting Transcarpathian dishes will be top of the list after the thermal baths," says the tourism specialist.
"We serve purely Transcarpathian wine - homemade varietal wines. We also take people to taste jam (lekvar) and sausages, Transcarpathian dishes. Almost every tourist attraction offers Carpathian mulled wine with local honey and spices," she notes.
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Tastings for tourists (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
Gastronomic tourism in Zakarpattia also includes tastings of cheeses (buffalo, sheep, and cow), snails, tinctures, and liqueurs.
