A touristic guide for the participants of Frankivsk Half Marathon’19!

On 22 September, Frankivsk Half Marathon’19, a long-awaited running festival and the main sports event in Ivano-Frankivsk, will be held. Participants from different parts of the country and even the world will come to our warm city! We will run along the picturesque interesting route, spend the day in a circle of like-minded people, and meet old and new friends.

To arrive at Ivano-Frankivsk one day before the event is really is a wonderful and wise decision since it will not be boring for anyone in the city on 21 September! Those who arrive early in the morning by train or car, we advise you to quickly settle in a hotel or hostel. Be back in a flash! Then do not lose precious time, because you are in the city where we have been waiting for you for the entire year! We recommend you to have a delicious breakfast in the city center, take a walk in the morning quiet streets, and visit Frankivsk Half Marathon Expo. Here you can pick up your participant’s starting package, as well as plunge into the atmosphere of Pre-Party: DJ, massage zone, interesting activities, sports goods exhibition, master classes, drawing of prizes from half marathon partners, and street food. All that will set us on the same wavelength as an important day of the race as much as possible.

WHERE TO STAY?

We are happy to recommend the comfortable hotel Nadiya www.nadiyahotel.com located on 40 Nezalezhnosti Str., right outside the starting town of Frankivsk Half Marathon! It is here that you can gain strength before the start, relax after the finish contemplating the panorama of the city from the windows of the hotel. And yet, next to it the famous “Hundred Meters” begins, a pedestrian part of Nezalezhnosti Street, rich in establishments and souvenirs. The team of Nadiya has been welcoming guests for many years and supports our half marathon.

We would like to remind you that there are serious discounts for this year participants: In August the discount is 20%, and from September it is 15%

Of course, the city also has other options for settlement, information about which you can easily find in the search engines and public information sites.

Since we are often asked about a budgetary settlement option. We provide useful hostel contacts:
Pilgrim Hostel — 28B Naberezhna Str.
Fontush Hotel and Hostel — 82 Chornovola Str.
Formula 1 Hostel — 433 Konovaltsia Str.
Motelchyk Hotel Complex — 15 Kaluske Shose
Fenomen Hostel — 38 Pivdennyi Bulvar
Bandershtadt Hotel — 264A Konovaltsia Str.
MIF Hostel — 25 Tarnavskoho Str.

WHERE TO GO IN FOR SPORTS?

City Lake and Shevchenko park
Perhaps this is the most favourite place for runners. You can meet them almost at any time of the day or year. The usual running around the lake (the length of the circle is 3 km) can be combined adding to the route the trails of Shevchenko Park and Shevchenko Street itself. On the City Lake, there are two locations with horizontal bars (near the boat rental station and Park Hotel), where you can do stretching and hitching respectively before and after the race.

Dam of Bystrytsia Nadvirnianska (Ivasiuka Str.)
A good and popular place for running. The river flows along one side of the dam. There is a block of gardens and cottages on the other side that separates it from the road. On separate sites, on both sides of the dam, bushes and trees grow forming a kind of natural tunnel. Running there is a pleasure. Closer to the bridge over the river (behind Lehenda Hotel), a sports ground (bars, various horizontal bars, and even barbells) was built. A great place for stretching and strength exercises, which will be useful for every runner. Depending on the needs, the running distance can be increased by moving along the river in the direction of Khryplyn village.

Dam of Bystrytsia Solotvynska

(parallel to V. Stefanyk Embankment)
Ivano-Frankivsk is fortunate to have as many as two rivers surrounding the city. As a result, we have one more excellent place for running: Dam of Bystrytsia Solotvynska . Proximity to the City Lake and Shevchenko park, as well as the ability to combine locations in one race track, adds popularity to the location. Stadium of the University of Oil and Gas is nearby, where you can practice running for short distances and also do strength exercises on the sports field. Also in front of the highest building in our city (14 floors), a volleyball court was built. Here you can have a good and useful time after running.

Vovchyntsi (Vovchyntsi Mountains)
It is an ideal place for those who like to run away from the city bustle. A river, picturesque hills, and a beautiful view of the city give a special charm to the running. This is a great place to change running on the asphalt to the natural terrain, to train strength and endurance on uphill sections. Although all the distances of Frankivsk Half Marathon’17 pass through the streets of the city without elevation changes, the skills of running along the raised terrain and the endurance resulting from this will only benefit you. In addition to that, it is beautiful to meet the sunset here.

German Lakes, Pasichna
This recreational zone is often undeservedly overlooked, but without reason. It is also quite comfortable to run around here. Very soon the space around the German Lakes will become a convenient and comfortable public space, as several initiative groups, which decided to unite their efforts, ideas, and take into account the wishes of the residents, are engaged in the development of the territory to get a high-quality result.

All streets of the city
Just get out of the house or hotel and start running in the city. Draw your own routes, admire the buildings, open new streets, and perhaps even get lost. The main thing is to enjoy running!

WHERE TO EAT?

An opening of Ivano-Frankivsk Gastronomic will be an unforgettable memory of the trip to the half marathon. The following are the recommended establishments in which you can have some delicious food:

FABBRICA/23 restaurants

1 Virmenska Str. /12:00 p.m – 11:00 p.m./
FABBRICA is the Italian restaurant with Ukrainian soul. Use of exclusively Ukrainian products, mainly from local farms, is one of the main principles of FABBRICA. It is designed in such a way that almost all cooking processes are open to guests. You can see with your own eyes how they grind flour, mold fresh paste, and prepare pizza and other dishes directly in the hall. Prices are very pleasant and affordable. The small dance show on Fridays and Saturdays, closer to the end of the working day, is another feature of the restaurant!

URBAN SPACE 100

 19 Hrushevskoho Str. /6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m./

This is a unique restaurant, which is designed to become a successful example of the unification of the community around a common idea. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the profit of the restaurant is directed to the implementation of public projects of the city developing the urban environment of Ivano-Frankivsk. It was founded by 100 socially active people who are united by the idea of the qualitative development of urban space. There is a tasty and very interesting menu here, as well as a calendar in which there are a lot of interesting events from concerts to lectures, a glass studio of Urban Space radio, a store where Ukrainian brands of clothes and accessories are represented (and this means that it is worth visiting to get cool souvenirs)

Vyno & Miaso — 11-15 Nezalezhnosti Str. /10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Kuchnia Restaurant — 41 Sichovykh Striltsiv Str. /11:00 a.m. – 12 a.m./

Florens Pizzeria — 7 Halytska Str., /10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m./

Rondel Meat Club — 2 Nova Str. /12:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m./

Familia Restaurant — 31 Nezalezhnosti Str., /11:00 a.m. -11:00 p.m./

Lehenda Panoramic Restaurant and Cafe — 18a Rynok Sq. /11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m./

Gastro-bar Balkon — 8 Rynok Sq. /10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m./

WHERE TO DRINK GOOD COFFEE?

gif

Coffee culture is well developed in the city and there are coffee houses for every taste. In 48 hours you will be able to visit only some of them, so we offer must-visit places that, in our opinion, are worth visiting:

Hovoryt Ivano-Frankivsk Coffee House

8 Rynok Sq. /8:00 a.m – 9:45 p.m. (Sat, Sun — from 09:00 a.m.)/

There is the most concise collection of urban legends and legendary personalities of the city minted on tabletops. Here you can also find the best coffee in the city. It is prepared from various varieties in almost all possible ways. To complement good coffee or high-grade tea they offer magnificent French pastries, delicious desserts from the warm confectionery of Delikacia. Here you can perfectly feel the spirit of the city, its special atmosphere, which attracts and makes you return to this city and this place again and again.

Delikacia — 20 Nezalezhnosti Str. /07:45 a.m. – 10:00 p.m./

Manufactura Cafe — 6 Mitskevycha Str. /10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m./

A cosy café in the city centre with European cuisine and aromatic coffee

Monday’s coffee & store 11 Franka Str. /11:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m./

Cukiernia 12 Nezalezhnosti Str. /8:00 a.m – 11:00 p.m./

Profiterole — 2 Hetmana Mazepy Str. / 9:00 a.m – 10:00 p.m./

Loft Coffee House — 62a Sichovykh Striltsiv Str. /9:00 a.m -11:00 p.m./

Fabryka kavy — 35 Pivdennyi Bulvar /8:00 a.m -8:00 p.m./

WHERE TO CELEBRATE THE FINISH?

After all the wonderful races and conquered distances, the exciting finish, and the joyful victory ceremony, it is time to celebrate this day with the company of friends. Ivano-Frankivsk pubs are happy to invite you to the celebration:

GOST Bar — 5 Kurbasa Str., /11:00 a.m – 1:00 a.m /

It is a friendly combination of a pub and a restaurant at Inturyst hotel of the 80s. There is a simple home kitchen that reminds old times, and modern burgers, and even mussels… Here you can drink from faceted glasses because it is a symbol of GOST Bar, as well as complex dinners, and you can drink real Ukrainian craft beer.

Bukha-rest Pub — 219a/131 Vovchynetska Str. /12.00 p.m -12 a.m./

Beer Club and Desiatka Bistro on the corner of Hrushevskoho and Shashkevycha Str., /12.00 to 22.00/

Cooper Head — 6 Mazepy Str. /10:00 a.m -12 a.m./

Bar&Kitchen “Grand America” — 23 Chornovola Str. /12:00 p.m -2:00 a.m./

Panorama Pub Internationale — 2a Pivnichnyi Bulvar /12:00 p.m – 4:00 a.m./

Piatnytsia Beer Club — 24 Mazepy Str. / 11:00 a.m – 12:00 a.m./

Lehenda Pub — 34a Nezalezhnosti Str. /12.00 p.m – 1.00 a.m./

Staryi Pes Whiskey Pub — 4 Mitskevycha Sq. /12:00 p.m – 1:00 a.m./

Biblioteka Pub — 10 Sichovykh Striltsiv Str. /11:00 a.m – 02:00 a.m./

Bochka Beer House — 3 Strachenykh Str.

WHAT TO SEE IN THE CITY?

Ivano-Frankivsk is a very interesting city. Especially for the participants of Frankivsk Half Marathon, we asked Taras Prokhasko, the famous Ukrainian writer of the present, a resident of Ivano-Frankivsk, one of the founders of Stanislavskyi phenomenon group of writers, to give his recommendations and comments on local attractions. Guided by his own experience and sincere love for his native city, he offered us routes for every taste. Each of them will allow you to learn more about the city and love it even more. We can walk through the centre of the city, the real and imaginary walls of the Stanislaviv fortress, visit the time machine of Ivano-Frankivsk streets, visit the Kniahynyn-Koloniia, walk along the colourful Shevchenko street, pay attention to the numerous mascarons, stone ancient townspeople, as well as admire the beauty of architecture created for city by architect Jan Tomasz Kudelski after the Marmuliada Fire in the old Stanislaviv.

It should be added that there are also wonderful places for recreation around Ivano-Frankivsk: within a radius of 30-40 km (25-30 min. drive) on the beautiful Tlumach Lake (Tlumach town, 28 km from Ivano-Frankivsk) or on Soldat Lake (village of Staryi Lysets, 11 km from Ivano-Frankivsk,). In about an hour, you can get to Yaremche and the Carpathians, so if you are here for a few days, we do advise you to visit these places.

We wish you an incredible weekend together with us! See you at the start!

You can register for Frankivsk Half Marathon’18 here.