The Tunnel of Love is not a standalone attraction with a ticket booth and a turnstile, but a living stretch of railway near the village of Klevan in the Rivne region, where tree branches have closed over the tracks into a solid green arch. You can reach it from Rivne in an hour by marshrutka or suburban train, and the best time to go is late May or June, when the leaves have just opened and the tunnel stands bright green. Entry is free, there is no fence, and this is at once the main draw and the main trap of the place.
What the Tunnel of Love is and where it really is
The location lies in the Rivne district of Rivne Oblast, on a section of track between Klevan and neighbouring Orzhiv. The total length of the green stretch is about 4 kilometres, though the densest, most photogenic arch is shorter, and it is this part that most visitors reach on foot from the station.
The arch here is only half man-made. Several times a day a shunting timber train runs along the tracks to the wood-processing plant in Orzhiv and back. Over the years the locomotive and its cars trimmed the branches on either side, and the plants learned to grow so as not to get in the way of the train. The result is a dense corridor of foliage that no landscape designer ever planted on purpose. This is an important detail: the line is a working one, and the Tunnel of Love lives by the schedule of the factory train, not of the tourists.
How to get to the Tunnel of Love from Rivne
Klevan lies about 25-30 kilometres northwest of Rivne, and this is the most convenient starting point. There are several options.
| Way | Travel time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Marshrutka from Rivne | about 40-60 min | They depart from the railway station; tell the driver you are going to the Tunnel of Love, and they drop you off closer to the entrance |
| Suburban train | about 30-40 min | Zdolbuniv-Kovel/Lutsk line, Klevan stop; then a walk from the station |
| Car | about 30-40 min | The road toward Lutsk, then signs to Klevan; there is somewhere to leave the car near the station |
| Taxi from Rivne | about 30 min | The most expensive option, but with no transfers and no dependence on a timetable |
From Klevan station to the tunnel entrance it is a 15-20 minute walk. The landmark is simple: look for the track that heads toward the forest and follow it. There are signs in place, but they are not always noticeable, so a phone with an offline map will not hurt.
An important point that guidebooks rarely mention: you are walking on a live railway. The train here is slow and loud, easy to hear well in advance, but you must step off the tracks when a train approaches. With children and dogs, keep this in mind throughout the walk.
When to go so the tunnel is green
The difference between a good and a bad visit here is measured in weeks, not seasons. Bare tracks in March and a solid green ceiling in June are literally two different places.
| Period | What you will see | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| Late May - June | Fresh bright leaves, the densest arch | The best time |
| July - August | Green, but the leaves are darker and dustier | Good, but heat and mosquitoes |
| Late September - mid-October | Golden autumn, a warm palette | The second most beautiful wave |
| November - March | Bare branches, no arch to speak of | Only for the silence and solitude |
The peak of greenery falls in late May and June. That is exactly when the most people come, and here lies the main trade-off: in the most beautiful week you share the tunnel with dozens of couples, wedding photographers and tour groups. If you want a shot without other people's backs in it, come on a weekday and early, before nine in the morning.
The second honest warning concerns mosquitoes. In summer there are many of them in the forest corridor, especially toward evening and after rain. Repellent here is not a whim but basic gear, on a par with comfortable shoes.
How much it costs to visit the Tunnel of Love
There is no direct entry fee. The tunnel is an open section of track; there are no booths and no tickets. Your budget consists of the journey and small things on the spot.
- Travel from Rivne and back by marshrutka or train will cost little; this is the cheapest item of expense.
- A taxi or petrol costs more, but saves time and does not tie you to a timetable.
- Food and water to bring along: there is little infrastructure near the tunnel, so it is better to have a proper meal in Rivne or Klevan.
Transport prices change quickly, so specific amounts are deliberately not given here. Check the fare before your trip; it is a matter of a few minutes on the carrier's website.
What else to see in Klevan
The tunnel alone is worth the trip, but the walk does not last long, and it makes sense to add the village to it. In Klevan the remains of the Czartoryski Castle from the 15th-16th centuries have survived, with two towers and a moat, and nearby stands the Church of the Annunciation. Klevan station itself is atmospheric too: the wooden station building and the old water tower give the same retro shot as the track in the forest.
If you are going for a full day, it is sensible to combine Klevan with Rivne or with the road to Lutsk. Then the tunnel becomes not an end in itself but one stop on a full itinerary through the Rivne region.
The legend, the film and why people come from far away
The local tradition is simple: a couple who walk through the tunnel holding hands and make a shared wish will see it come true. Hence both the name and the flow of lovers, weddings and photo shoots.
Its fame has spread far beyond the region. In 2014 the Japanese director Akiyoshi Imazaki made a film about this place, "Klevan: The Tunnel of Love," which was shown at a film festival in Hanoi. After that the Rivne railway was talked about by travel media around the world, and today foreigners come here who learned about Klevan before they had heard of Rivne.
If you are going for the first time, plan your visit for late May or June and for a weekday morning; that way you get both the greenery and the quiet. If you have already been in summer and caught other people's heads in the frame, come back in golden October: the same arch, a different colour and ten times fewer people.
