Lviv: World War II and Jewish History Walking Tour

Absolutely wonderful. Very nice tour. Our tour guide Volodymyr was very knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. Me and my boyfriend loved it. Would definitely recommend!

A Deeply Moving and Insightful Journey Through Lviv’s History

The tour with Halia was incredibly interesting and fascinating. We were visiting my wife’s parents, who are from Lviv. One of the reasons we chose this tour was my great fascination with Philipp Sands’ book East West Street. The tour gave us the opportunity to learn more about Lviv during the Second World War and about the city’s Jewish history. Halia also referred to and quoted from the book several times during the tour, which made the experience even more special for me. Throughout the tour, you could really feel from Halia’s stories how important it is to her to engage with the history of her own city. As a German, I am very aware of the importance of a culture of remembrance and of how difficult it can be to stand up against those who would rather forget. The two and a half hours simply flew by. What I particularly appreciated was how interactive the tour was. Alongside the historical facts, Halia repeatedly shared fascinating, but also very sad and moving, anecdotes about individuals and families — often telling their stories in the very places where the events had taken place. She also involved us throughout the tour, which made the whole experience feel very vivid and personal. It was truly an impressive and deeply moving tour, and one that I believe everyone should experience. Thank you, Halia!

Halia is a terrific guide. Six months ago I had booked the old city walk and she led that that tour too. She has something noteworthy to say at every street corner, but makes sure that participants aren’t fed with disjointed tidbits, but get to grasp the big picture. Halia recounts the stories of her city very skilfully and with great compassion.

An Outstanding Walking Tour! This was an excellent walking tour, made truly special by our guide’s remarkable knowledge and engaging presentation. Halia demonstrated a wonderfully versatile understanding of the city’s history, culture, architecture, and fascinating stories, bringing everything to life in a way that was both informative and interesting. The presentation was clear, passionate, and perfectly paced, with just the right balance between historical facts and captivating stories. It was obvious that the guide genuinely loves Lviv and enjoys sharing its history with visitors. A truly memorable experience — highly recommended to anyone who wants to discover Lviv beyond the usual tourist sights and understand its character, history, and people.

In these difficult times for Ukraine, Haila did a great job in explaining us all about the complex and sad history of WWII and the Jewish community in Lviv whilst also providing insights into the current situation in Ukraine. She taught us about the relations between history and nowadays in a clear and followable manner, and can excellently pinpoint locations and specific details on the spot. Besides, there was a lot of room for questions and interesting conversations with both Haila and Tom. We learned a lot and both agree it was the best tour we've ever had!