Verkhovyna

Verkhovyna sits on the Black Cheremosh at the centre of the Hutsul highlands and is where the surrounding valleys come to trade. It is a working town rather than a resort, with a market, a museum of Hutsul life and a strong living tradition of music: the trembita horn, the fiddle and the tsymbaly are still played here, and festivals through the summer bring players in from the valleys. It is the road base for Pip Ivan and the Chornohora.

What you actually see

• The Hutsul music - trembita, fiddle and tsymbaly played at festivals and gatherings.
• The market - the trading centre for the surrounding mountain valleys.
• The museum - Hutsul dress, tools and domestic life in the town.
• The Cheremosh - the river running through the town between steep slopes.

When to go

May to October is the season and summer brings the festivals. Winter is cold and the mountain roads difficult. Market days are the liveliest.

Honest expectations

The town itself is plain and the interest is the surrounding culture rather than the buildings. Accommodation is guesthouse level. Roads in from any direction are slow.

Nearby

Kryvorivnia is down the valley, and Dzembronia is the trailhead for Pip Ivan.