There are several larger cities in the Carpathians that make a good base for excursions. Uzhhorod, population 125,000, is the center of the Transcarpathian oblast, the most southwestern region of Ukraine. Its name literally means "city (horod) on the Uzh, because the serpentine River Uzh descends from the mountains and winds through it from west to east. Once the westernmost outpost of the Kyivan state, Uzhhorod fell under the Polovtsi, a Hungarian tribe; was ruled by Transylvanian princes and Austrian Hapsburgs; and was part of Czechoslovakia in the 1920s and 1930s. It has a sizable Hungarian Population.


Uzhhorod is a pretty city with a relaxed ambience. Cypress trees and iron-cast statues — an example of regional art — lend a touch exotic to this traditional center of pottery production. Autumns here are particularly pleasant with colorful trees and a grape harvest footbridge links the city center on the north side to the hotels, railway and bus stations on the south side. In the town square are shops with latest western goods and an interesting multi-cultural flea market with Hungarians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, and Poles selling all kinds of Western goods at bargain prices.


The castle-fortress on the hill at the end of Kapitolna (Капітольна) Street near the town center was built on the site of the earlier palace of the Ukrainian prince Laborets, who was executed by the Hungarian army in 896. The castle was in use between the 13th and 17th centuries. Inside is an art gallery and the Museum of Regional Studies, whose area archeology exhibit includes a fine collection of Bronze Age objects. Its folk art collection shows the variation among different ethnic groups. Adjacent to the castle is the Museum of Folk Architecture and Folkways, a collection of several dozen old wooden buildings containing traditional furnishings, costumes, and crafts of the indigenous ethnic groups including Hutsuls, Romanians, Hungarians, and Boikos.


Uzhhorod has numerous small, new cafes, many which feature Hungarian or Slovak dishes. For traditional area cuisine there's the Karpaty Art and the Toranado with its Western American decor. The Kaktus is popular for its good food and coffee, its cowboy bar, and a band that plays American country songs and classic rock nightly. For a taste of Italy, try Delizia, a very good joint venture pizza restaurant. On the south edge of the city the Hungarian Restaurant, one of several restaurants and coffee shops in the huge modern tourist hotel Zakarpattya (Закарпаття), serves moderately spicy dishes accompanied by a band or floor show. Korona, a smaller, recently-renovated hotel is more charming than the Zakarpattya, while newer and cleaner is the tin; Atlant near the Koryatovych Bazaar. The Atlant has only four or five rooms and a very good restaurant.