Vernisazh Souvenir Market, Truskavets

Vernisazh souvenir market is a line of wooden pavilions and stalls on Yuriia Drohobycha Boulevard in the very centre of Truskavets, between the Resort Park and the resort’s main streets. Sooner or later every visitor walks past it: on the way to the pump room, on an evening stroll or on the last day before leaving, when it is time to buy gifts for home. The market is open daily and has a Google Maps rating of 4.3 from about four hundred reviews.

Vernisazh is not only about keepsakes. Craftspeople and smallholders from the villages around Drohobych and the Boyko region also trade here, so among the fridge magnets you can find genuine handmade goods and local produce – you just need to know what to look for.

Why go: spa-town shopping and a stroll

The market fits neatly into a trip for water: Pump Room No. 1 is a few minutes’ walk away. Along the boulevard stand stalls with woollen goods, embroidery, ceramics, wooden toys, bags and jewellery, as well as counters with honey, dried mushrooms, herbs, sweets, home-made wine and liqueurs. The market comes to life in the morning and stays open until evening, so you can browse between treatments in any weather – most pavilions are covered.

What to buy

• Woollen goods – socks, slippers, waistcoats, jumpers, hats and mittens of sheep’s wool knitted in Carpathian villages; photos of the market show whole walls of them.
• Mineral water cups – porcelain and ceramic ones with a spout, an essential part of a Truskavets stay.
• Embroidered shirts, towels and bags with Ukrainian patterns, woodwork, boxes and beaded jewellery.
• Dried porcini mushrooms, forest berries, Carpathian herbal teas, honey and jams – traditional gifts from the region.
• Home-made wine and liqueurs, sweets and other treats.

As at any resort market, factory-made souvenirs sit alongside the crafts. To buy the real thing, ask sellers who made an item and where, and look at the stitching and material – hand knitting and natural wool are easy to spot. Bargaining is perfectly acceptable, especially if you buy several things. Choose dried mushrooms that are whole, pale and dry to the touch with no musty smell; ask to taste honey and wine – it is normal practice at the market and sellers are usually happy to offer a sample.

The crafts of the Drohobych and Boyko lands have a long history: people here have always spun and woven wool, embroidered shirts with distinctive Boyko patterns, wove wicker and carved wood. The spa trade has given these crafts a second life, and for many families from nearby villages the Truskavets market remains an important place to sell.

Practical information

• Address: Yuriia Drohobycha Boulevard, Truskavets (resort centre, by the Resort Park).
• Hours: daily 7:00–19:00 (per Google Maps; individual stalls may open later or close earlier).
• Season: all year; the most sellers and the widest choice in summer and around the autumn and New Year holidays.

Getting there: the market is in the pedestrian zone of central Truskavets, 5 minutes from the central pump room and a 10–15-minute walk from the railway and bus stations. Trains and buses run to Truskavets from Lviv (about 100 km) and Drohobych; drivers can use the paid car parks near the centre.

At a glance

• Address: Truskavets
• Opening hours: Daily 7:00–19:00
• Season: All year round

Photos: lh3.googleusercontent.com.