Kharkiv: A Frontline City. A guide for military tourists

“What are you looking for there?”
That’s the question often asked of foreigners heading to Kharkiv. A city shaken by explosions almost daily. A city that has suffered some of the most severe destruction outside of Mariupol. And yet — a city that has not disappeared. Has not surrendered. Has not gone silent.

Today, Kharkiv isn’t a place for tourism in the traditional sense. It is a living document — written in shattered glass, broken concrete, and the silence after air raid sirens. It’s an open-air museum, where every ruin has witnesses and every survivor is a hero.

Getting to Kharkiv in 2025

If you’re traveling from Europe, the most reliable option is a bus from Poland, especially from Warsaw, Rzeszów, or Kraków. Due to high demand and military priorities, train tickets are often limited, making buses the most guaranteed route.

The easiest plan: take a bus to Kyiv, and from there catch a day or overnight train to Kharkiv (9–10 hours). Ukrainian Railways have adapted for wartime conditions, with air raid protocols, light masking, and announcements in shelters.

Kharkiv currently has a curfew, usually from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM. Movement during this time is strictly prohibited unless you have a special permit. Tourists must carry original identity documents (preferably with digital copies). If it’s your first visit — you must have a local guide. They know the safe routes, security rules, and what not to photograph.

Not Destroyed — Transformed

The center of Kharkiv has withstood ballistic missile strikes and aerial bombs. Government buildings, Kharkiv University, Freedom Square — all have been targeted. And yet the city has not erased its memory. It preserves it — in the form of open wounds.

Street art, shrapnel-scarred facades, plaques on buildings where civilians died — these are not set pieces. They are living history. They speak of 2022, 2023, 2024… and now 2025.

People Who Stayed in the Frame

The most striking impression in Kharkiv is the quiet resilience of its people. They don’t hide their pain, but they don’t let it defeat them either. Tens of thousands stayed through the heaviest shelling. They are the city’s pulse.

On the streets, you’ll see soldiers, volunteers, dusty construction workers, and medics. In cafés — people with laptops. In the subway — teenagers studying underground. These aren’t heroes from films. They’re just people who didn’t let Kharkiv disappear.

A Hybrid of Culture and Frontline

Theatres never stopped rehearsing. Artists exhibit their work in basements. The Korolenko Library hosts poetry readings between air raids. Cultural life in Kharkiv is more than resistance — it’s a declaration:
“We’re still here. Alive. Creating.”

Visit the Kharkiv Art Museum, partially damaged by blasts — its walls carry the physical memory of war. Or see the Taras Shevchenko monument, lovingly wrapped in protective fabric every time a new threat looms — a ritual of care in a city under siege.

Places That Speak

Here are a few must-see locations:

• Freedom Square – one of the largest in Europe, once bombed, now cleaned and standing firm.

• Kharkiv Regional Administration building – the epicenter of early missile strikes.

• Saltivka District – the very image of survival: balconies without walls, yet somehow still blooming with flowers.

• The Metro – not just public transport, but a shelter, a school, a stage.

• Pyatykhatky Memorial Complex – a Soviet-era remembrance site, now intertwined with the memory of today’s war.

What You Need to Know Before You Go

• Don’t visit Kharkiv alone if it’s your first time. Always connect with a local guide or experienced volunteer.

• Carry ID documents at all times. Checkpoints are frequent.

• Do not take photos of military sites, vehicles, or troop movements.

• Plan around curfew — public transport and taxis stop operating after 11:00 PM.

• Bring a charged phone, power bank, and offline maps.

Not a Thrill Trip — A Memory Journey

A trip to Kharkiv is an act of respect. You’re not just a traveler — you’re a witness. This is not about taking photos near ruins. It’s about listening, observing, and remembering. Every trip here becomes a story you carry — and maybe retell — in Paris, Toronto, Stockholm.

Kharkiv says, every day,

“We’re here. And we’re not done.”