Please be at NEWARK AIRPORT at least 3 hrs prior to flight departure time.  Scope representative will assist you with check-in.  Your baggage must be checked to your final destination LVIV  (code LWO).  If you have more than one piece of checked baggage, a surcharge of $50 will apply to the second piece and $100 to the third.

At Frankfurt Airport you board your non-stop flight to Kyiv.  Lunch on board.  Expected arrival at your hotel is 4-5:00PM.  Dinner at hotel.

Early afternoon we continue our sightseeing of Kyiv with a tour of Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), an active monastery founded in the 11^th c. and center of Christianity for Kyivan-Rus. Its complex of churches reflects a unique Ukrainian baroque style which is only surpassed by the beauty of the newly reconstructed Uspenskyj Cathedral (1998), destroyed by Soviet mines in 1941. The labyrinths of the “near” and “far” caves hold over 115 burial niches containing remains of St. Antoniy, Nestor the Chronicler, and many religious and political leaders. World-renowned Scythian Gold treasures are exhibited within its walls. 

A short stop at Hanchar Museum before the tour ends with dinner at a local restaurant and a direct transfer to rail station for our overnight ride to Lviv.

Situated in the western part of Ukraine, Lviv, the “City of Lions”, is its heart and soul. Founded in the 13^th c. by King Danylo Halytckyj, it was named in honor of his son Lev (Leo).  Through centuries of Polish, Austrian and Soviet occupation, Lviv was the gateway to “the East”, but with independence in 1991, Lviv is finally free to develop its own Ukrainian identity.  PLAST Ukrainian Scouting Organization was founded in Lviv 100 years ago – hence it was chosen to host the Centennial Celebrations in 2012.

Highlights of today’s morning city  tour are  Rynok, the 15-16^th c. city square, the Dominican Church, Armenian Church Complex, the Chapel of the Bojim Family, the Armenian Quarters, the Opera House and L’viv University.  St. George’s Cathedral, the stronghold of Western Ukraine’s Catholic Church, is our final stop before lunch in a local café.

Opening Ceremonies of PLAST CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS.  Round trip transfers will be provided to this event which is to take place at the Campus of the Ukrainian Catholic University (УКУ) in Sykhiv (suburb of Lviv).

Closing Ceremonies of PLAST CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS.  Round trip transfers will be provided to this event which is to take place at the Campus of the Ukrainian Catholic University  (УКУ) in Sykhiv (suburb of Lviv).

Hotel/Airport transfers will be provided for Scope group members.

LVIV OPTIONAL TOURS:

This tour acquaints the city visitor with the most interesting sites of Lviv:  the High Castle with its breath taking panorama, St. George’s Cathedral, the oldest city park, “Lvivska Polytechnika”  and Ivan Franko National University buildings, the Freedom Avenue with its magnificent Opera House and Shevchenko monument, the old city quarters, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list:  Market Square, Armenian quarters, the 16^th century Assumption church complex, remnants of Lviv  fortifications, City Hall, the Latin Cathedral and the the Boim Family Chapel.

Walking tour of the old city quarters, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list : Market Square, Pharmacy Museum, the former Dominican  and Bernadine Churches, the Armenian Cathedral, Assumption Church complex, City Hall, the Latin Cathedral, the Boim Chapel and the Lviv Opera House.

The open air Museum of Folk Architecture deserves special attention. The exhibit includes wooden structures from the 18th –20th cent., grouped into villages surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes. The Lychakiv Cemetery is known for its beautiful and unique tombstone sculptures. Ivan Franko, Solomia Krushelnytska, Filaret and Mykola Kolessa, Volodymyr Ivasiuk, Volodymyr Tysovsky and other notables are buried there.

Museum has the largest icon-paintings collection in Ukraine.  The Ethnographic Museum displays the rich folk heritage of Western Ukraine.

The Carpathian tram is the only sightseeing route in Ukraine accessed/served by narrow-gauge railway. It travels alongside the Mizunka river in the splendid Carpathian foothills. Opened in the 1860’s, the narrow-gauge railway branch connected Boikivshchyna with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Spreading through the picturesque Gorgany Mountain chain, it was witness to the greatness of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and partisan events taking place there. 

After Lviv, Zhovkva has the largest number of architectural monuments in the region. Highlights include the ancient Castle of the 17^th –18th cent., the Market Square, the Roman Catholic Parish Church of 17^th c. (Renaissance), Basilian Monastery, Church of the Nativity and the 17^th century Synagogue. Krekhiv, village in the Zhovkva district, 40 km from Lviv, was first mentioned in historical sources dating to 1456. It is best known for the 17th-18^th cent. Basilian Monastery. Many structures have been preserved:  St. Nicholas Church, Holy Trinity Church, bell tower, walls and gates. Restored in 1991, the monastery has a beautiful linden tree alley from the 17^th century.

After Kyiv’s Cave Monastery (Pecherska Lavra), Pochaiv is the second largest Orthodox shrine in our country. It is located in the Ternopil region, 140km northeast of Lviv.  According to  legend, it was founded by Kyiv monks fleeing the Tatar invasion of 1240. The Monastery itself was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1527. The central church of the Monastery complex is the Dormition Cathedral (1771-1783). The Pochaivska Lavra is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites in Ukraine. Among its many relics are the footprint of the Mother of God in a rock, spring with healing water and the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin.  The Olesko Castle, located 70km west of Lviv, is a historical architectural structure dating from the 13^th -18^th cent. Bohdan Khmelnytsky spent his youngest years at the castle.  After the 1975 restoration, a museum was established and the Castle now serves as an exhibition site for the Lviv Gallery of Arts. It features five hundred paintings, sculptures and works of applied art from the 10^th -18^th cent.

Rates are subject to minor changes, pending number of participants on tour/excursion and US $ fluctuation.