Lviv, Ukraine

( Barry Zwick )

Lviv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to more than half of Ukraine's architectural treasures, was spared the bombings of World War II. It is the Ukrainian city most often compared to Prague, Czech Republic.

In 1990, when Prague drew international attention, the city was ready for backpackers, but not luxury travelers. Restaurants, for example, were noted more for their Czech Budweiser than for their food.

There's no such problem in Lviv. As I strolled down Prospekt Shevchenka, a broad boulevard lined with turn-of-the-last-century luxury apartments, I found a patisserie called Veronika under candy-striped umbrellas.

-- Barry Zwick

Read more: A liberated Lion City is roaring

Pictured: The Church of the Transfiguration near Lviv's Prospekt Svobody