Metravel city quest
City Lviv: free walking route “Quest in Lviv: Coffee, Lions and the Old Town” along the sights. 8 points. Approximately 2 h 30 min. Quests and legends
They say that two kinds of creatures live in Lviv: people and lions. People make noise in the squares, drink coffee and hurry about their business, while the lions stay silent — made of stone, cast iron and bronze, they hide on facades, fountains and gates and have watched over the city for centuries. No one has yet managed to find them all.
Today you are following their trail. Lviv's Old Town — Polish, Austrian, Armenian and Greek all at once, with UNESCO's support — will reveal itself to you step by step: the churches of three peoples, a river hidden beneath the opera house, a reminder of war lodged in a cathedral wall. And this trail will lead you to High Castle, where the whole city of lions lies spread out before you. Start getting to know the city where its two main lions are already waiting for you.
Tap “Start quest” and head to Market Square and the Town Hall.
The route points in order — what these places are and why they are interesting. Tasks and answers stay inside the quest.
Market Square has been the heart of Lviv since the XIV century. In the centre stands the Town Hall, with a tower you can climb for a panoramic view, while at the corners of the square four fountains flow around figures of ancient gods — Neptune, Diana, Adonis and Amphitrite.
Just a few steps from the square is Lviv's oldest working pharmacy, opened in 1735 and also operating as a museum. Its rooms, with their oak cabinets and retorts, preserve recipes from past centuries, while its signature “iron wine” is said to give you strength.
The Armenian Cathedral, dating from the XIV century, is hidden in a quiet courtyard — it is one of Lviv's oldest churches.
Lviv Opera House is a lavish building in the Viennese Art Nouveau style from the late XIX century, one of the most beautiful in Europe. The theatre was built over the Poltva River, hiding it in an underground conduit — and now the river flows directly beneath the auditorium, while the building slowly stands on a concrete “cushion”.
Construction of the Latin (Catholic) Cathedral began in the XIV century — a blend of Gothic and Baroque, with UNESCO's support. Inside, tall Gothic vaults and stained-glass windows await; it was here that the Polish King John Casimir once proclaimed the Virgin Mary “Queen of Poland”.
An optional stop — and a very Lviv one. “Копальня кави” on Market Square plays on the legend that coffee is extracted from real mines beneath Lviv: guests descend into basement “mine galleries”, and coffee is served in unusual ways.
Dormition Church is the main Orthodox church of old Lviv, built with funds from the townspeople and Moldavian rulers. Beside it, the slender Kornyakt Tower rises more than sixty metres high, named after the wealthy Greek merchant who paid for it.
High Castle is a hill with the remains of a princely fortress and the highest point in Lviv. Almost nothing remains of the fortress itself, but the summit offers the best panorama of the city: tiled roofs, church towers and cathedral domes lie spread out before you.
This route is part of Metravel city quests. Below are the other quests in this city and cities with quests nearby.
Traveller articles about this city will help round out the walk.