Review: Solotvyno to Rakhiv by Bus

April 28, 2022June 22, 2023 Koen 0 Comments

In this article we show you how you can travel by bus from Solotvyno on the border between Ukraine and Romania to the city of Rakhiv.

Long road to the east

In the previous chapter, I have shown how easy it is to cross the Romanian-Ukrainian border between Sighetu Marmatiei and Solotvyno.

This was a journey I have done quite a few times before, although this time I would divert from well-travelled paths.

The previous times I crossed this very same border, I took an onward train from Solotvyno to get deeper into Ukraine.

However, this time I had a train booked from the nearby city of Rakhiv, located some 46 kilometres to the north-east of Solotvyno.

When I was travelling, there were no trains linking Rakhiv with Romania (although this was reopened in January 2023) so I had no other option than taking a bus.

border romania ukraine tisza river bridge — *The bridge over the Tisza river marks the border between Sighetu Marmației (Romania) and Solotvyno (Ukraine). ©Paliparan*

Solotvyno bus station

Solotvyno’s bus station isn’t located in the town centre but on the H09 provincial road which runs along its northern edge.

From the Ukrainian border post, it’s more or less a 30-minute walk to reach it.

You can find the bus station – which is not much more than a small shack along the road – next to the WOG gas station.

Inside the small bus station building is a ticket counter and one or two benches for passengers to wait for their departure.

For many departures, it’s however also possible to buy a ticket on the bus.

solotvyno bus station rakhiv — *Solotvyno’s bus station is located on the main road in the north of town. ©Google Maps*

solotvyno — *It’s a pleasant walk from the Romanian-Ukrainian border to Solotvyno’s bus station . ©Paliparan*

solotvyno main road — *The H09 provincial road on which the bus station is located. ©Paliparan*

solotvyno bus station — *Solotvyno’s bus station is nothing more than a small building alongside the main road. ©Paliparan*

Solotvyno to Rakhiv bus

If you want to find bus departures from Solotvyno (or any other city in Ukraine), the rudimentary website bus.com.ua gives you a good overview – if you manage to get the search mechanism working that is.

There are buses from Solotvyno to Rakhiv throughout the day, with a bus departing Solotvyno every two hours or so.

Most of the buses linking Solotvyno to Rakhiv actually originate in cities towards the west like Khust, Mukachevo or Uzhhorod.

Similarly, only a few of the buses passing through Solotvyno end their journey in Rakhiv as almost each and every bus continues towards cities like Yasinya, Ivano-Frankivsk or even Chernivtsi.

In fact, the bus which I took to reach Rakhiv was a Mukachevo-Kolomyya bus, which stops at Solotvyno at 11.50am.

Depending on your departure, a bus ticket between Solotvyno and Rakhiv costs between 50 and 70 UAH (€1.60 to €2.25).

solotvyno bus schedule — *Solotvyno to Rakhiv bus schedule. ©Screenshot*

The bus arrives

It depends on your exact departure what kind of bus you will get as some services are operated by large Volvo or Mercedes buses while others are a smaller ‘marshrutka’.

For those who don’t know the term, marshrutka is the name for a minibus in countries which belonged to the former Soviet Union and they can come in all shapes in sizes.

A marshrutka can come in all shapes and sizes and can be something as small as a minivan (think Toyota HiAce or similar) or an actual minibus.

Whether you are travelling in Ukraine or in a country like Armenia or Kazakhstan, everyone will use the word ‘marshrutka’ for minibus no matter their native language.

Indeed, my 11.50am bus turned out to be a somewhat larger marshrutka.

The marshrutka arrived right on time at the opposite side of the road from the bus station building.

A couple of passengers – including a woman carrying a large bucket – disembarked at Solotvyno, leaving plenty of empty seats inside the bus for me to choose from.

bus solotvyno rakhiv — *Woman with a bucket disembarking the Mukachevo-Kolomyya marshrutka bus in Solotvyno. ©Paliparan*

Along the Tisza

From Solotvyno to Rakhiv, the bus more or less follows the course of the Tisza river.

Even though you can complete this distance in an hour by car, most buses take around one-and-a-half hour for the drive between Solotvyno and Rakhiv due to the many stops along the route.

Make sure you grab a seat on your right-hand side when travelling to Rakhiv as the best views are from there.

Soon after departure from Solotvyno, the marshrutka climbed up on a forested hill high above the River Tisza.

Although the river views are somewhat obscured by the tree cover at this part of the journey, there will be much better views later on.

solotvyno rakhiv route map — *Although it’s around an hour by car, my bus took one-and-a-half hour to complete the journey between Solotvyno and Rakhiv. ©Google Maps*

river tisza view — *View over the River Tisza from the road. ©Paliparan*

tisza river view carpathians ukraine — *Tisza river view. ©Paliparan*

Carpathian views

The road from Solotvyno to Rakhiv takes you through a gorgeous river valley in the Carpathian Mountains.

On this beautiful winter day, the views over the icy waters of the Tisza river and the snow-capped mountains were drop-dead gorgeous.

It for sure made up for the rather uncomfortable journey on this old marshrutka, which had clearly seen better days.

Besides the rather bumpy ride and rock-hard seat, also the distinct foul-smelling body odour of some of the passengers contributed to the general discomfort.

To me, it was however very much part of the charm as there is always has a bit of awfulness added to your travel experience when you take a marshrutka.

tisza river view rakhiv bus — *Gorgeous view over the Tisza river from the Solotvyno-Rakhiv bus. ©Paliparan*

view river — *Make sure you sit at the right-hand side of the bus when travelling north to Rakhiv if you want to enjoy such river views. ©Paliparan*

carpathians view bus solotyvno rakhiv — *Although the bus wasn’t that comfortable, the view of the Carpathians made up for it. ©Paliparan*

bus stop road — *Bus stop along the road. ©Paliparan*

Approaching Rakhiv

As the marshrutka was getting closer to Rakhiv, the river valley widened out a bit and the road conditions improved.

At this point, it started to snow again lightly and even inside the bus it was getting a bit more cold.

However, as the views were still fantastic I again didn’t care much about it at all.

rakhiv solotvyno road bus ukraine — *The Solotvyno to Rakhiv road runs directly along the Tisza river. ©Paliparan*

tisza river ukraine — *View from the bus over the Tisza river. ©Paliparan*

tisza river — *Tisza river view. ©Paliparan*

pedestrian bridge — *Pedestrian bridge over the Tisza. ©Paliparan*

solotvyno rakhiv bus romania ukraine — *View from the bus just a few miles out of Rakhiv. ©Paliparan*

Rakhiv arrival

After a beautiful one-and-a-half hour ride, the marshrutka arrived in Rakhiv.

Rakhiv’s bus station is located next to the railway station in the city centre, although you can signal the marshrutka driver to make a stop at any point along the road if you want to get off before.

rakhiv bus station — *The bus station in Rakhiv. ©Paliparan*

train station rakhiv vokzal — *Rakhiv’s bus station is located right next to the ‘vokzal’ (train station). ©Paliparan*

Conclusion

Although I had no idea before my trip how easy it would be to get from Sighetu Marmației in Romania to Rakhiv in Ukraine, it turned out to be a straightforward journey by bus.

After walking across the border from Sighetu Marmației to Solotvyno, the bus station was easily found and I didn’t have to wait long until the next departure to Rakhiv.

Depending on the time of departure, you can get anything from a comfortable bus to an old, rickety marshrutka when you travel between Solotvyno and Rakhiv.

Although my marshrutka certainly didn’t make for the most comfortable bus ride ever to put it lightly, the gorgeous views over the Tisza River and Carpathian Mountains did make up for it.

Trip report index

This article is part of the ‘Mail From Mariupol: A Pre-War Trip to Ukraine by Train‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:

1. Review: Night Train Bucharest to Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania
2. At the Sighet-Solotvyno Border: From Romania Into Ukraine
3. Review: Solotvyno to Rakhiv by Bus (current chapter)
4. Review: Hotel Europa, Rakhiv, Ukraine
5. In the Land of the Hutsuls: A Visit to the Town of Rakhiv
6. Rakhiv to Mariupol: Riding Ukraine’s Longest Train Route
7. A Tribute to Mariupol: Memories of a Pre-War Visit
8. Ukrainian Railways Mariupol to Kiev Train in Platzkart
9. Review: Ibis Kyiv Railway Station Hotel
10. Review: Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi Station First Class Lounge
11. Ukraine Night Train: Over the Mountains to Mukachevo
12. Review: Latorca InterCity Train Mukachevo to Budapest
13. A Short Stopover in Szolnok, Hungary
14. Review: Ister Night Train Budapest to Bucharest
15. Epilogue: Witnessing the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis at the Border