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Crimean Roundabout - a guide to the main resorts of the Crimea
ACKBARA WORLD
Last year during two weeks in June we drove through almost all the major cities of Crimea. And I prepared a small review of the main resorts of the peninsula, because the emotions are still fresh and the information is relevant.
Of course, I do not "incite" you as well as we are, to go around the whole Crimea with backpacks on his shoulders (although who knows, maybe you "will" this type of trip?), but I hope that after reading this review, you can conclude what city would like to go to you.
But first, a little bit about transportation
There are two ways to get to Crimea: by bus from Novorossiysk to Kerch and by plane to Simferopol. We entered by bus and left by plane.
Novorossiysk is a beautiful city with a very unusual and majestic embankment, so why not start your Crimean trip from there? The bus costs about 600 rubles per person, travels about 5 hours.
There's nothing to do in Kerch, though - it's sad and Soviet. But the ride over that long bridge is a very memorable experience. Interestingly, we still have to cross the border, even though we are traveling through Russia. Apparently, this is because Crimea is a Republic.
Inside the Crimea you can also travel by bus from 100 to 500 rubles, from 30 minutes to 4 hours between cities. This is very convenient, so even if you do not have a car, you can easily get from one point of the Crimea to another.
If you drive a car, I'm sure there are other laws at work here, which I, as a pedestrian, find difficult to reason about.
There's nothing to do in Kerch, though - it's sad and Soviet. But the ride over that long bridge is a very memorable experience. Interestingly, we still have to cross the border, even though we are traveling through Russia. Apparently, this is because Crimea is a Republic.
Inside the Crimea you can also travel by bus from 100 to 500 rubles, from 30 minutes to 4 hours between cities. This is very convenient, so even if you do not have a car, you can easily get from one point of the Crimea to another.
If you drive a car, I'm sure there are other laws at work here, which I, as a pedestrian, find difficult to reason about.
Illustration by: Sergey Merkulov
Novorossiysk is a beautiful city with a very unusual and majestic embankment, so why not start your Crimean trip from there? The bus costs about 600 rubles per person, travels about 5 hours.
There's nothing to do in Kerch, though - it's sad and Soviet. But the ride over that long bridge is a very memorable experience. Interestingly, we still have to cross the border, even though we are traveling through Russia. Apparently, this is because Crimea is a Republic.
There's nothing to do in Kerch, though - it's sad and Soviet. But the ride over that long bridge is a very memorable experience. Interestingly, we still have to cross the border, even though we are traveling through Russia. Apparently, this is because Crimea is a Republic.
Автор иллюстрации: Сергей Меркулов
Inside the Crimea you can also travel by bus from 100 to 500 rubles, from 30 minutes to 4 hours between cities. This is very convenient, so even if you do not have a car, you can easily get from one point of the Crimea to another.
If you drive a car, I'm sure there are other laws at work here, which I, as a pedestrian, find difficult to speculate about.
How to rent a place in the Crimea
Bucking used to work in the Crimea, only if you specify that the purpose of your trip is business. Now neither Bucking, nor Airbnb do not work in Russia even via VPN, they just write that there are no options for accommodation. So you have to get out of it.
One way to find lodging - just punch in Google "Hotel in Yalta," and on a special tab, such as Pictures or Maps, you will pop up "Google Hotels," where you can also rank options by price and read reviews. It is very convenient.
You can also search for lodging options in the Ostrovok app, on the Aviasales website, and on good old Avito. Or you can even book a package tour from operators such as Online Tours, for example. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's less of a headache.
You just need to choose the right resort for your taste.
By the way, there's another way to find a place to live. When you come to town, you just walk through the yards where it says "Housing". And rent a room or a house where it looks good. But during the season this method is very dangerous - there may not be any room. Although we've checked in that way a few times, and it was successful and cheap.
Автор иллюстрации: Сергей Меркулов
WARNING:Every Crimean town has a beautiful waterfront and very good wine. With your permission, I will not repeat this in every paragraph.
Feodosia
A very cozy little resort, perfect for families. In addition to the promenade, there are also beautiful streets, which you want to walk and walk around.
And several interesting museums: the museum of Aivazovsky (who wrote the sea), Green (who wrote Scarlet Sails) and museum-apartment of the Tsvetayevs (well, about them everything is clear).
Rent a small apartment in the attic and go to the sea every day. Diversify lying on the beach with museums and trips to excursions. Eat at local restaurants and restaurants. Be inspired by the sea. Walk in the cobblestone streets and squares. In Feodosia, by the way, still a lot of things are restored and repaired, so every year the small town should become better and better.
Koktebel
It is only 15 kilometers from Feodosia - so close that there are still city buses from the usual stops. But the Black Sea and the embankment are probably the only things these cities have in common.
Koktebel is a very party and youth vacation. Rastamans, nudists and backpackers - you will find them all here. So if you want to get away, come here, you will not fail!
Of interest is the museum apartment of Maximilian Voloshin, where almost all the poets of the Silver Age came to hang out 100 years ago. A very interesting house in the shape of a ship, where many of the writer's personal belongings are preserved. He, by the way, was a very extraordinary person.
Sudak
An ambiguous resort, where there is not only the sea, but also the mountains. One of the main attractions of Sudak - the Genoese fortress, which is visible from the waterfront. And thanks to all this landscape creates a very special, unlike anything else.
But outside the fortress and the embankment, of course, Sudak is so a little "soviet" that it becomes sad. Neither beautiful streets, nor atmospheric houses. There is nothing to admire outside the tourist center with souvenirs, in general.
Although because of the fortress and landscape Sudak, of course, greatly exceeds the expectations of tourists. So, too, I recommend it for family holidays with children.
Novyi Svet
Elite resort for those who want solitude with nature. Very small town is located between two rocks, the drive to him 20 minutes and 17 rubles from Sudak. But it is very beautiful and comfortable.
This is such a European, unlike anything else in Crimea. I would compare it to Turkish Kash. From the embankment to the mountain here rise new hotels and parks, and species restaurants are waiting for guests. It seems to be good to go here for affluent honeymooners.
Prices here are higher than in other resorts. But the nature and the atmosphere is so great that you don't want to leave!
This is such a European, unlike anything else in Crimea. I would compare it to Turkish Kash. From the embankment to the mountain here rise new hotels and parks, and species restaurants are waiting for guests. It seems to be good to go here for affluent honeymooners.
Prices here are higher than in other resorts. But the nature and the atmosphere is so great that you don't want to leave!
One of the main attractions is the Golitsyn Trail and Chaliapin Grotto. A very large-scale museum-reserve, where you can (and should!) walk for a long time along the rocky paths. The views here are very inspiring!
Alushta
Quite a large city with a lot of purely Crimean entertainment and a huge "children's" infrastructure. "Aquarium", "Dolphinarium", "Zoo" and other children's entertainment. So, if you are planning a vacation in the Crimea with a large group of children, it will be the perfect option.
Quite a large city with a lot of purely Crimean entertainment and a huge "children's" infrastructure. "Aquarium", "Dolphinarium", "Zoo" and other children's entertainment. So, if you are planning a vacation in the Crimea with a large group of children, it will be ideal.
However, we did not like Alushta much from an aesthetic point of view. The music on the squares and the squares themselves seemed to us a bit "stuck" in the early 2000s. But "taste and color", so to speak.
Yalta
Yalta, of course, is beautiful. First, it is large, and there are high-rise buildings and wide streets, while painted with Crimean coloring, which gives even more room to walk.
Secondly, Yalta is completely different. In the daytime the waves crash against the yachts here. In the evening it lights up with thousands of lights. At the same time, if the city Yalta is not enough, you can go to the mountains or the palaces - around town there are a lot of points to visit. But you can turn off the central embankment and go to Yalta, which has not yet been restored (this is where the former Mosfilm, which filmed the "Caucasian Captive"). And it will be another Yalta.
Secondly, Yalta is completely different. In the daytime the waves crash against the yachts here. In the evening it lights up with thousands of lights. At the same time, if the city Yalta is not enough, you can go to the mountains or the palaces - around town there are a lot of points to visit. But you can turn off the central embankment and go to Yalta, which has not yet been restored (this is where the former Mosfilm, which filmed the "Caucasian Captive"). And it will be another Yalta.
In general, here - for the most diverse rest. And for a long time, I would bookmark Yalta for two weeks.
And there is also Chekhov's house-museum - the famous Belaya Dacha. Here everything is as in the life of the writer, his sister preserved the atmosphere both in the revolution and in World War II with the German occupation. Our museum-apartment of Gorky, of course, is no worse, but here in the room of Anton Pavlovich's favorite woman still smells of her perfume.
Gurzuf
A beautiful resort near Yalta, where many vacationers go year after year. The international center Artek, the majestic Ayu-Dag Mountain and so cold, but close Adalary are very close.
On this trip, we were not in Gurzuf, but I was in Artek three times as a child, and with this place, of course, I have my own very special memories.
Sevastopol
It's a completely different Crimean city. From all the resorts it somehow stands apart precisely because it's a CITY.
With the familiar stores, the bus stops, the incredibly landscaped promenade. And white houses that look like Cypriot or Turkish buildings.
Sevastopol has the greatest importance as a Black Sea port, which is probably why it was twice destroyed to the ground - in the Crimean War and World War II.
It is worth taking an excursion from the water to see our Black Sea fleet and hear a lot of ship's stories. Here you feel in the center of a large, beautiful and European city - so if you are a fan of exactly "urban" recreation, you should definitely come here.
Bakhchisaray
A small mountain town, where there is no sea, but there are mountains, Turkish color, Crimean Tatars and the famous mosque of Khan, which inspired Pushkin's "Bakhchisarai Fountain. In addition to the mosque, the main point of attraction - perhaps the restaurant "Alie" with hospitable hosts and incredibly tasty dishes.
Bakhchisaray looks more like a Turkish city than a Russian one. It is quite different, so if you are interested in trying something more "oriental", it is advisable to visit it.
Evpatoria
Here we did not stop here. But I can not miss this resort in my description, because it is here sandy, not pebble beaches, and it is in Evpatoria most often come with children and for treatment.
Semphyropol
The city where everyone usually ends or begins their journey. It is perceived as a transit point, and for good reason.
It has an absolutely beautiful center (somewhat similar to Nizhny Novgorod), lots of parks and interesting streets. The absence of the sea can be solved by the pool in the hotel. Of course, this is still not the whole vacation, but nevertheless, well-groomed Sevastopol may well be a great point of your trip.
And I also advise you to visit the Museum of the History of the Crimea - it's the largest of all the cities and very good.
It has an absolutely beautiful center (somewhat similar to Nizhny Novgorod), lots of parks and interesting streets. The absence of the sea can be solved by the pool in the hotel. Of course, this is still not the whole vacation, but nevertheless, well-groomed Sevastopol may well be a great point of your trip.
And I also advise you to visit the Museum of the History of the Crimea - it's the largest of all the cities and very good.
Also right in Simferopol is the Scythian Naples - the oldest city of the 3rd century BC, or rather its ruins. You can also visit it for a change!
What else do you need to keep in mind when traveling in the Crimea:
- Many apps and games in Crimea do not load + to the usually blocked. I almost couldn't get into Tic Toc, and Lyosha was playing games through a VPN.
- The bottled water from Crimean producers is very unpalatable! As if it had been desalinized, but the salty sediment remained. We used to buy "Kubai" or the mainland "Holy Spring.
- In the Crimea, there are very comfortable and cheap buses from city to city. You should find out about them at the bus station in each city. Sometimes buses run from the usual stops and cost 20 rubles. You can ask local people about such nuances. If you don't understand the schedule - call directly to the number on the board. Luggage costs separately, 10% of the ticket.
Crimea is not just a Russian resort, where you can lie down, sunbathe and swim. It is also a place of strength, a very ancient peninsula with a rich history of conquest and formation.
If you have never been there - it's time to visit. If you have been there 1/2/3 times - also not superfluous will be to go to the Crimea, but only in another city, in order to once again be imbued with this unusual and strong energy.