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Table of Contents

ארטיקל אין אידיש

• Calendar 📅
• Planning 🧩
• Useful Tips ☝️
• Flights ✈️
• Cars And Shuttles 🚐
• Ukraine Rail 🚆
• In Uman 📍
  • Wartime Regulations ⛔️
  • Lodging & Mikvahs 🛏️
  • Food & Meals 🍽️
  • Davening & Traditions 🤲🏻
• Country List 📍
  • 🇲🇩 Moldova
  • 🇷🇴 Romania
  • 🇵🇱 Poland
  • 🇭🇺 Hungary
  • 🇸🇰 Slovakia
  • 🇦🇹 Austria
• Charters 🛩️
• Contact List 📓

This article is a work in progress, as we are gathering and organizing all the necessary information. Please feel free to share any additional information you might have in the comments or by emailing us at [email protected], and it will be added to the article. Thanks in advance.

2026 Calendar 📅

Zmanim are local for Uman. 15 minutes before and 72 minutes after sunset.

Planning 🧩

Going to Uman always comes with its share of complications (מניעות), but thanks to Putin all the airports in Ukraine are not operational, so for the last few years those complications have grown. This article aims to make things easier by outlining the options available. Here are the steps involved:

1. Flights- see Flights section
   • You can fly into neighboring countries such as Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, or Austria.
2. Getting into Ukraine: see the Country List section for more information. There are 3 methods to cross the Ukrainian border:
   • Car/Shuttle: crossing times at driving borders vary wildly. From/to most countries it should take about 1-2 hrs. From/to Poland it can sometimes take well over 12 hrs.
   • Trains: some countries such as Poland and Hungary have great train options to travel to Uman. Train border crossings shouldn’t take too long – about 1-2 hours.
   • Walking: this option requires arranging transportation to and from the border. If you do go with this option crossings generally don’t take too long, although last year at the Polish border some people reported waiting over 4 hours to cross.
3. See Information for In Uman, including Wartime Regulations and Checkpoints, Lodging & Mikvahs, Food & Meals and more.
4. See waiting times for each border and checkpoint live, and submit your experience to help others at umancheckpoints.com.

Useful Tips ☝️

• Leave Time For Error: Flights get delayed, trains (in Ukraine) almost always get delayed, border crossings get backed up (especially in Ukraine). Make sure you leave a few hours between every leg of your trip so that you can arrive without any added headaches.
• Pack Light: When navigating between different modes of transportation it gets really hard to haul around 2 suitcases and a backpack. If possible pack in a backpack- it can save you a lot of trouble (checked in luggage gets lost quite often, and it also limits your flight options). A lot of stuff that you might think you need to bring can be bought in Uman (Machzir, food, candles, towels, SIM card, etc…).
• Pack Food: Pack enough food to last you until you get to Uman. Trains have hot water available for drinking where you can make coffee, tea, or noodle soup.
• Phone Service: In Uman there’s always a bunch of areilem running around trying to sell you a SIM card for $20. I like to use Google Fi ($75/month) as it works in any country I might need to transit through (Google Fi has to be activated before leaving the US). Airalo is another popular eSim option that works across countries. For more information see @globetrottinggeek’s guide on koshertrippers.
• Check Passport: Passport needs to have at least 6 months validity before expiration to leave the US.
• Bring Enough Cash: Taking out cash in a foreign country tends to get expensive with a lot of fees. Make sure you bring enough cash, it comes in really handy for cars, food and more.

Flights ✈️

The perfect flight varies from person to person, taking into account factors such as price, stops, additional travel time and more. This guide provides you with all the necessary information, and we recommend that you search for flights according to your criteria.

Kiwi Flight Search: feel free to adjust dates, times, airports and other filters according to your needs. Here’s a prefilled link with a sample search for this year.

• Kiwi tends to be the best search engine, and it offers the best combination of flights. They do tend to be more expensive than other sites, so we suggest searching on Kiwi and then looking up that flight directly with the airline to book (on google flights you can see all available booking options with prices).
  • In some cases when the itinerary is a combination of different airlines, the itinerary shown on Kiwi will not be bookable as one segment on other booking sites – you might need to book the two segments separately (but in that case there will be no luggage transfer between the two flights).
• See Contact List for travel agents (note that most travel agents will not piece together a flight itinerary that includes a low-budget carrier, while Kiwi and other search engines will show you flights availble on these airlines).

PointsYeah Miles Explorer: if you want to book with miles.

Latest time to leave: You can leave as late as Wednesday night arriving in Eastern Europe by Thursday night. Just make sure you have enough time to get to Uman from wherever you land.

Earliest flights back: You can come back as early as Monday morning landing Monday afternoon. Just make sure you have enough time to get from Uman to wherever you takeoff from.

Airport List

*Does not include potential border delays.

**Time window varies based on train type and schedule (fast train vs slower train).

***Including transportation from the airport to the train station, and from the train station to Uman.

Cars And Shuttles 🚐

Cars and shuttles can be booked from airports directly to Uman through providers like Nesiya Tova, UmanExpress and Piyachela.

Shuttles and busses cost between $45 and $150 depending on airport and vehicle (Bus, Van, Etc.).

Private cars from/to airport can cost anywhere between $500 and $2,000 and from/to the border start at around $250.

• Uman Express Price Chart
• Piyachala Price Chart
• Nesiya Tova Price Chart (Offering 10% discount for US travelers, mention koshertrippers)

See Contact List for where to book.

Ukraine Rail 🚆

See schedules for each country.

Trains are usually the most reliable and fastest way to cross the border. Walking borders are relatively fine too, but driving borders can get really backed up (sometimes more than 12 hours waiting).

I took the train the last 3 years and found it to be quite a pleasant journey. The sleeping trains are rather old, but if you get a bed in 1st class (2 beds per room) or 2nd class (2 bunk beds per room), you should be able to sleep trough a nice amount of it (3rd class (shelve beds) is not recommended). The sitting trains are a lot newer and faster cutting down the travel time by a few hours.

Airport to Train Station: See information by country.

Train Station to Uman: At the big train stations like Vinnytsia there will be a lot of drivers waiting for customers to drive to Uman for about $100/car and $200/van (off the top of my head). Common practice is to split this with other people heading to Uman, to reduce cost. Commenters have noted that there are Ubers available in Vinnytsia that might be cheaper.

Booking Tickets: Tickets for these trains usually run out very fast so be prepared to book as soon as the tickets are available. They usually go live 20 days in advance (This year tickets for Thursday will be released on Shabbos). Tickets usually cost between $12 and $45.

• Mobile App (Android, IOS): The App now works with all phone numbers (and not just with Ukrainian phone numbers). Some routes (seemingly sleeping trains from Poland) require Ukrainian verification.
• Website: Ukraine Rails has blocked website access for people outside Ukraine so it can only be accessed via a VPN. The website can also be quite buggy when trying to check out and not accept some credit cards.
• Polrail.com: This site seems to also sell Ukrainian Rail tickets from/to Poland. They don’t seem to include all stops so you might need to purchase a ticket going to further stop like Kiev or Odesa.
• Nesiya Tova (See Contact List) told us that they are able to book tickets for groups in advance even before they go live (they charge a 20% fee).

In Uman 📍

Wartime Regulations ⛔️

Checkpoint: When arriving to Uman there’s a checkpoint that all visitors need to go through. You usually have to get out of the car and walk through a tent where they check your baggage for any contraband (alcohol is not allowed). The line can get a bit backed up, and waiting time can be up to an hour. Some drivers will try to go around through different streets but will get sent back to the main checkpoint. Some drivers do have their way of making it through to other easier checkpoints.

Entry Fee: There’s usually a entry fee to come into Uman, And they have checkpoints where they can ask you for a receipt (I have personally never paid it and have never been asked but people are reporting otherwise). Entry fee at the checkpoint will be $45 and you can pay online in advance $27 at aumantax.com or umantax.com to speed thing up.

Carry Passport: There are checkpoints set up all over Uman, and they require that you carry a passport with you at all times. (I believe this was fought as people don’t wanna carry a passport on shabbos and yomtov but I’m not sure of what happened in the end).

Curfew: The curfew takes place between 12:00AM and 4:00AM when you’re not supposed to be on the streets. Usually the curfew is not very strictly enforced for people that are traveling.

Lodging & Mikvahs 🛏️

Lodging in Uman is expensive for Rosh Hashanah. Most lodgings provide bunk beds with 6-8 people per room.

Beds in apartments cost about $300-$400 for a bunk, $500-$600 for a single bed.

Hotels vary wildly and offer a variety of services for the price including heimishe meals, mikvah and some places a private shul. Examples include Hotel One (≈$900), The Chasidesher Kibbutz (≈$800), Hotel B Landau (≈$1,200) and Hoshen ($5,000, private rooms).

Many dirahs and hotel rooms don’t have good showers (or any at all) because a majority of people use mikvahs. Most Breslov chassidim don’t go to the tzion without going to the mikvah first. Mikvah cards can be purchased from hotels for about $100.

See Contact List for where to book.

Food & Meals 🍽️

Yom Tov & Shabbos Meals:

• Most hotels include meals as part of the reservation.
• Sheiner Meals: Israeli style meals that can be eaten over there or picked up to go. Tickets can be ordered for ₪450 at azamin.org.il.
• Feder Meals: American style meals. Tickets can be ordered for $100 at umanfeder.com.

Weekday Meals:

• Sheiner Meals: Mediocre food available for free during weekdays.
• Feder Meals: I believe Feder only provides breakfast during weekdays.
• There are various restaurants and cafes on Pushakana St (Mostly Israeli Style).

Groceries/ Bakeries:

• There are plenty of groceries and bakeries in Uman where you can buy most of what you’ll need

Davening & Traditions 🤲🏻

Tzion: The tzion is the center of Uman. You can find minyanim, shops, and more in the vicinity.

A very big thing in Uman is to go to the tzinyon and say tikun hakluli and give some tzedukah like the rebbe instructed.

Tikun Hakluli Haoilami: On Erev Rosh Hashanah there’s a minhag for everybody to gather around the tziyon and say Tikun Haklali together. It’s very special to be a part of, but is in no way mandatory and don’t feel down if you can’t make it.

Tashlich: People gather at every pond and stream to say tashlich, but a lot of people gather at the lake and it is quite a spectacle.

Tfilos: There all types of minyanim to cater for everyone and every style. Some places sell seats in advance, and some places you’ll need to go early if you want to grab a seat.

Examples Include: Kloiz (biggest minyan, very long davening), Shiener (nice davning with geshmake singing), Nekudah Toivah (singing and dancing), Feder (Avrum Mordchei Shvartz), Toires Chuchem (R’ Itche Meir) minyan near the tzion (very long davening, finishes after shkiah), R’ Shamson Shvartz: (traditional Satmer style minyanim).

Country List 📍

• 🇲🇩 Moldova
• 🇷🇴 Romania
• 🇵🇱 Poland
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇸🇰 Slovakia
• 🇦🇹 Austria

🇲🇩 Moldova

Chișinău Moldova is the closest operational airport, making it the quickest way to get to Uman. The drive usually takes 6-8 hrs depending on border wait time, stops, etc.

The airport is not a big one so flights tend to get sold out early (or cost a lot).

Trains

I wouldn’t recommend the train from Moldova as it takes a really long time and the border crossings with a car don’t take long enough to make it worth it, but it does exist so we included it anyhow

*Every second day.

🇷🇴 Romania

Romania has some airports that are relatively close as well, and are a good option for a lot of people. There are some train options available once you cross the border and we hope to add that information soon.

Airports

Trains

There are no trains that go across the border at Romania. However there are some trains that leave from towns near the border so we included them here.

🇵🇱 Poland

Poland is a really popular option to travel to Uman as well. With big airports and many flights to choose from, it has become a reliable option (there are also some direct flights from NY, unlike most of the other airports mentioned). Poland also has trains that go across the border and all the way to the vicinity of Uman with relatively reliable crossing times (delays up to 2 hours, in my experience).

Poland is also great if you’re looking to split up the journey and make stops at places like Lizensk, Dinov, Riminov and more. These places have kosher hotels with great food, which is really refreshing while on a long journey.

The driving borders from Poland are somewhat unreliable as they can sometimes get very backed up (12+ hrs of waiting). That’s one of the reasons why most people prefer to take the train. You can also walk across the border in some places, but that means that you’ll need to arrange separate transportation on both sides.

Airports

*Does not include potential border delays, which can be substantial when coming to/from Poland.

**Time window varies based on train type and schedule (fast train vs slower train).

***Including transportation from the airport to the train station, and from the train station to Uman.

Trains

All the below trains leave from Przemyśl in Poland and go across the border all the way to big train stations in the vicinity of Uman.

To get around in Poland and to Przemyśl, Poland has a great train network that will get you to a lot of places just as fast as driving would. Tickets and schedules can be found at intercity.pl and polrail.com. Hiring a driver with a car might also be affordable if traveling with more people where the cost can be split. Uber is available in Poland, and a popular and often cheaper alternative in Europe is Bolt (not sure about Lyft).

🇭🇺 Hungary

Traveling to Hungary tends to be a longer journey since it is far from Uman, but if you’re looking to make a fun trip out of the journey, Hungary is a really great option. Great places to stop include Budapest, Kerestir, Ihel, Kaliv, Ratzfert and more.

Budapest has a nice selection of kosher restaurants and some great places to visit. Kerestir has multiple kosher hotels with fresh food and lodging. Other locations also have hachnasses orchim rooms with kosher food and drinks available.

Airports

*Does not include potential border delays.

**Time window varies based on train type and schedule (fast train vs slower train).

***Including transportation from the airport to the train station, and from the train station to Uman.

Trains

All the trains listed below leave from Ukrainian towns near the Hungarian border. The easiest way to get across the border is to take a 20 minute train from Zahony Hungary to Chop Ukraine (it takes about an hour total with the border crossing). Trains from Chop leave from the same train station as the arriving train- the other train stations listed are about a 25 minute drive from Chop.

Keep in mind that you’ll be losing an hour on the clock when you cross the border, so the trains leave an hour earlier on the Hungarian clock.

To get around in Hungary and to the border, Hungary has a great train network that will get you to a lot of places just as fast as driving would. Tickets and schedules can be found at mavcsoport.hu. Hiring a driver with a car might also be affordable if traveling with more people where the cost can be split. Uber is available in Hungary, and a popular and often cheaper alternative in Europe is Bolt (not sure about Lyft).

*There are more stops that depart earlier and are further east.

*There are more stops that arrive later and are further east.

🇸🇰 Slovakia

Airports

*Does not include potential border delays.

**Time window varies based on train type and schedule (fast train vs slower train).

***Including transportation from the airport to the train station, and from the train station to Uman.

Trains

Slovakia is located between Hungary and Poland, and the border crossings are right near the Hungarian border crossings near Uzhhorod- to continue planning the Hungarian portion of your trip, see the train schedule under the Hungary section. I believe there are also trains from Košice (that also stop near Ihel, Hungary) that go directly to Chop across the border. Tickets and schedules can be found at zssk.sk.

🇦🇹 Austria

Airports

Vienna is a large airport that has many direct flights from New York, although it’s usually not cheap. Since Austria doesn’t border Ukraine your best bet is to transit to Hungary, and continue from there.

*Does not include potential border delays.

**Time window varies based on train type and schedule (fast train vs slower train).

***Including transportation from the airport to the train station, and from the train station to Uman.

Trains

There are direct trains from Vienna to Budapest, from where you can continue to the border. Tickets and schedules can be found at oebb.at and mavcsoport.hu– to continue planning the Hungarian portion of your trip, see train schedules under the Hungary section.

Charters 🛩️

Nesiah Travel:

Contact List 📓

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DuddyRosenberg