Excursions in the Crimea by car on your own. Independent travel around the Crimea in September

Everything you wanted to know about organizing independent trip to Crimea: how to get there, where to live, what to see, prices, food and transport. All conclusions are based on practice. Honestly and to the point, as always. We read and go to travel to the beautiful Crimea!

To Crimea, of course, you need to go exclusively on one's own- it's not even discussed. It doesn’t fit in my head how you can go to the Black Sea peninsula on a ticket - it definitely won’t end with anything good. Crimea needs to be felt, lived, smoothly flowing from one of its locations to another, adhering to its own personal rhythm. That's when you get a travel melody, and not a cacophony of a beach holiday with a limited interspersing of vulgar excursions.

Crimea is downright created in order to travel around it on your own: it is easy to get there, there are no language barriers, and finding accommodation is easy. The travel route should also be formed only by yourself, based on your preferences - everyone will find here a hundred thousand million places and activities to their taste.

So pack your bags (or better backpacks) and!

I wrote this material based on Crimea in August-September 2014, that is, after the peninsula became part of Russia. So all the information is fresh and up-to-date, and if there are no further political changes, then everything written should be relevant for 2015, 2016, and subsequent years.

How to get to Crimea

You can get to the peninsula in a variety of ways, but, alas, now, after the closure of the Ukrainian border, there are one less of them - you can no longer get to Crimea by train through the territory of Ukraine. Too bad, because it was The best way. Now there are three options left: the plane, and. Read more about this point of organizing an independent trip to the Crimea in the special material "", also all the nuances of ways to get to the peninsula are discussed in the article.

Flight tickets can be searched on search engines and Skyscanner. At Skyscanner, on a special page, you can see how much the cheapest tickets to Simferopol cost from all cities of Russia at once.

Did you know that sometimes a ticket is cheaper than a flight, and it can be purchased instead of a ticket for a regular flight? At the same time, the price of the tour includes flights, accommodation, transfers, insurance and meals of your choice. Hot tours on the best prices you can search on the services and - they compare the offers of 120 tour operators and therefore are able to find the best option. You can buy a ticket online, which is very convenient.

(Photo © site)

Accommodation: where to stay in Crimea

In Crimea, it is very easy to find housing at an extremely low price, and there are just a lot of options for where to stay: boarding houses, private sector, hotels, rented apartments, cottages, campsites, hostels and so on. Prices can start from zero (if you live as a savage in a tent) and end ... I don’t know where, but probably somewhere high. We lived in different cities and chose different types housing. They paid for housing in the range from 200 rubles per room per day (our price record for travel accommodation is set in) to 800 rubles (in Sevastopol). The average price is 400-500 rubles for a good double room in boarding houses with air conditioning, refrigerator, own toilet and shower.

(Photo © site)

Housing in Crimea independent trip you can search on the spot - a local resident, seeing people with backpacks, will certainly offer to help him find housing.

But you can also use the Hotellook accommodation booking service - there you can find private guest houses, flats and apartments. There are more and more Crimean offers - you can find a suitable option in almost any city and resort. During our trip to Crimea with R in August-September 2014, we lived mainly in the private sector. I especially recommend finding a mini-boarding house with Aleksey in Sudak: the price for an excellent double room with air conditioning, toilet, shower and refrigerator is 400-500 rubles, and the owners Aleksey and Alla are good, hospitable people (we stayed with them twice). In addition, inexpensive housing options can be found in our article about in the Crimea - for example, apartments in Evpatoria cost from 1000 rubles per day for two.

How to book a hotel in Crimea? You can find a convenient accommodation option for yourself on the popular search engine Hotellook - it compares the prices of various booking systems and finds the best one.

(Photo © site)

Prices in Crimea

Prices in Crimea are still good! But I'm sure it won't last long - sooner or later joining Russia will backfire with a sharp rise in prices. But this year, 2014, the cost of housing, food, and travel remained at the same level as before - that is, it was low. By the way, you can calculate the approximate budget of your own.

I have already mentioned housing prices above, but about transport prices it is written below.

As for food prices in Crimea, the situation is as follows:

Products in stores generally cost the same as in other regions of Russia. Vegetables and some fruits (figs, apples) are much cheaper in season, but the cost of the same watermelons and lemons is much higher.
Prices in public catering in the Crimea are very pleasant. In the resort towns of the peninsula, it is easy to find inexpensive canteens, eateries and fast food establishments (samsa, pasties, pancakes, pizza, etc.). A complex lunch in the dining room will cost 100-150 rubles per person. Pastries with meat (samsa and the like) cost 30-60 rubles apiece, depending on the size and institution - as a rule, these things are very tasty and satisfying.
Fish and other seafood are expensive. It has always been and remains a mystery to me why in Russian seaside cities such high prices for seafood. It's kind of crazy.
Drinks: kvass and beer - 50-70 rubles per liter, local wine - from 100 rubles per liter, milkshakes - 40-50 rubles per large glass (0.5 liters), hot chocolate (real) - 100 rubles per glass 150 ml.
A few more examples of food prices in the Crimea: hot corn - 15-50 rubles. per piece, cakes - 25 rubles. a piece, a box of Turkish delight - 100 rubles, figs - 50-80 rubles each. per kilogram per season, tomatoes and cucumbers - 15-30 rubles each. per kilogram, homemade fig jam from grannies - 150 rubles. for a can of 0.5 liters.

(Photo © site)

Look for interesting excursions on the Sputnik and . Individual and group, without crowds of tourists.

Crimea is one continuous interesting place. If you go on an independent trip to the Crimea with a pre-built route, then with a high degree of probability in practice it will change a lot. Every corner of Crimea has rich history, full of sights and covered with hundreds of legends and myths. Arriving at some place, you will learn about historical monuments, natural beauties and dozens of locations that you have not heard of before - and you will want to see and visit them all. Going to travel around the Crimea, get ready for the fact that over and over again you will have to make a difficult choice: where there is time and the opportunity to go, but where, alas, not.

We tried to make our list Crimean places with a diagnosis, and also developed. We also have good review.

(Photo © site)

Local transport in Crimea

Travel around Crimea, using regular buses is very simple, since they are ubiquitous and all-pervading. Buses between the cities of Crimea run very often, they travel quite quickly, and the fare is inexpensive (cheaper than in other regions of Russia).

The main transport hubs of Crimea, from which you can go to almost anywhere in the peninsula: Simferopol (number 1!), Sevastopol, Kerch, Evpatoria.

The most convenient and interesting way to travel around Crimea is by rented car. You can pick up a car on the Skyscanner Car Hire website - there is a wide selection of cars, rent from 1700 rubles per day.

(Photo © site)

Urban transport

Travel by city public transport is very cheap - usually about 10 rubles. In Sevastopol, we felt that we had returned to the distant 90s, when we were told the price of a trolleybus fare - 5 rubles. We couldn't even imagine that this could happen. And in Sevastopol there is a unique view public transport- intracity boats. They run between opposite shores of the bay, and also go to Inkerman. The ticket price is also low - for example, the fare from Nakhimov Square to the North Pier costs 12 rubles (5 minutes on the way).

The only problematic city in terms of intracity bus service(of those in which we were) - this is . It seems to be extremely popular resort, but with buses plying around the city, trouble. It is difficult to leave Sudak and go to Cape Meganom: for this you need a bus going to Solnechnaya Valley, but it runs very rarely, at intervals of 2-4 hours, and stops moving early. We lived at this resort for a long time and wrote an article dedicated to urban, suburban and intercity. In it you will find timetables, useful links, as well as information on how to get by bus to attractions around Sudak.

(Photo © site)

Food: what to eat in Crimea

A lot of appetizing, satisfying and healthy things can be eaten in the Crimea. If you are going to the Crimea on an empty stomach, then I recommend filling it with the following nutritious and tasty elements:

Dishes of Tatar cuisine: lagman, pilaf, samsa and so on - tasty, satisfying, good!
Hot corn. Apparently, this is a traditional resort delicacy - it is especially popular near the sea. I often enjoyed hot corn during the time (there, by the way, it costs only 12 rubles) and was glad to meet it in abundance in the Crimea.
Wine and kvass. Delicious, and the choice is very rich.
Oriental sweets: Turkish delight, sherbet, halva and more. Something tasty, something not very - as lucky. But in any case, many of these delicacies can hardly be found in other Russian cities, so it makes sense to try as many new treats as possible.
Figs, grapes, apples and other local fruits, berries, vegetables. Everything grown in the Crimea (except for watermelons) is very cheap, and the quality and taste are usually excellent.

(Photo © site)

Where is Crimea located?

And finally, the answer to the most intriguing question: where is Crimea? Crimea can be found on the world map! Or touch. Choose the option that you like.

Crimea on the world map (the most interesting places in Crimea are circled):

To always be aware of all the latest news, subscribe to our public

It was told how we compiled the route to the Crimea, what we paid attention to and how we corrected it. We made a video for better understanding. In the second part, let's get down to the fun part. We will make a route in the Crimea, as well as search interesting places and attractions that we will mark on the map and transfer to the smartphone.

Route across the Crimea by car.

Let's get started. First, we will make a route through the cities of Crimea. The starting city is Kerch. We will refer to it the entire nearby district up to the village of Primorsky. For visualization, we recommend creating a travel plan in Google maps. To do this, you need to create a map:
1. We go to the service "My Cards" at this link ;
2. Click on the button "create new card» and get into the editor mode;
3. The world map has opened, we find and zoom in on the region of interest, we have it in Crimea;
4. In the left menu, click on the layer without a name and rename it to "Kerch";
5. In the same menu below, we change the display type of the base map to “satellite” - its advantage is that you can see trails and country roads suitable for driving by car:

6. Now it is worth deciding on the route in the Crimea. First, it is made preliminary, after marking the sights it is already brought to its final form:

7. You can sketch a route in several ways, we showed it by the example of adding routes. The purpose of the sketch is to determine the list of cities, the cities will be waypoints and layer headers, we have the following list:
7.1. Kerch;
7.2. Feodosia;
7.3. Ordzhonikidze;
7.4. Koktebel;
7.5. Sunny Valley;
7.6. Sudak, Meganom, New World;
7.7. Marine, Zelenogorye, Malorechenskoe;
7.8. Radiant, Alushta;
7.9. Utes, Partenit, Gurzuf;
7.10. Nikita, Massandra, Yalta and up to Katsiveli - Big Yalta;
7.11. Foros;
7.12. Balaclava;
7.13. Sevastopol, Inkerman;
7.14. Bakhchisaray;
7.15. Simferopol;
7.16. Evpatoria;
7.17. Olenevka, Mezhvodnoe, Guarding;
7.18. Belogorsk - the final point, after it to the crossing to Kerch.
The result was a route around the Crimea, covering all the main resort towns, we show on the example of the entire Crimea, by analogy, you will draw up your plan for the region you are going to.

Route across the Crimea. Search for attractions.

Next, we proceed to search for sights and mark them on the map. Let's show on the example of the first point - the city of Kerch. We start with the banal - we drive the query "Sights of Kerch" into the search engine and look at the result. Immediately in the first line, sights are shown in pictures, we write them out:
1. Mithridates - mountain;
2. Fortress Kerch;
3. Yenikal lighthouse;
4. Church of St. John the Baptist;
5. Yenikale - Turkish fortress;
6. Panticapaeum - an ancient settlement on Mount Mithridates;
7. Kerch Museum;
8. Tiritaka - an ancient settlement;
9. Lapidarium.
We get acquainted with the description of the sights and decide for ourselves which of them I would like to visit. For example, we do not like exhibitions and museums. But the ancient settlements and fortresses, as well as natural beauties, are to our liking. Having sifted out the superfluous, we begin to search for the coordinates of the sights. We drive “Mount Mithridates - Kerch coordinates” into the search engine, we look at the results - as practice shows, a lot of the desired sights with coordinates are on the wikimapia website, continuing to make a route in Crimea, you can search for coordinates directly on this site.
1. Copy the coordinates 45°21’2″N 36°28’10″E from it, drive it into the search bar on the map we are creating - we are shown a point that we add to the Kerch layer:

2. Edit the point - choose a color, write a name, description, you can add a photo to understand what it is on the journey. You can add an icon from existing ones or upload your own:

3. It turned out that the city of Panticapaeum is located here, 2 items from the list are in one place, this is how this item looks like after editing:

4. By the same principle, we act with the following attractions, which happened after adding:

5. Next, we study sites, maps, blogs of travelers, we search for “attractions in the vicinity of Kerch” on request. The longer you search, the more you will find little-known, but standing places which will be interesting to visit. For example, ancient cities were searched on this map:

After such a search, the following sights of Kerch and the surrounding area were added:
1. Melek-Chesme barrow;
2. Fort Totleben;
3. Settlement of Nymphaeum;
4. Settlement Ilurat;
5. Bulganak mud volcanoes;
6. Opuk nature reserve;
7. Crypt of Demeter;
8. Adzhimushkay quarries;
9. Settlement of Parthenius;
10. Settlement of Porfmiy;
11. Lake Chokrak;
12. Royal mound;
13. Kazantip nature reserve;
14. Lake Tabechik;
15. Cape Chauda;
16. Unfinished NPP;
17. Arabat fortress;
18. Ancient settlement of Acre;
19. Elken-Kaya - rocks in the sea;
20. Mud volcano Dzhau-Tepe.
There are 29 attractions in total. Believe me, this is not all. Kerch is famous underground passages and perhaps even cities. Many mud volcanoes are not included in this list. Crimea is truly rich in sights. Even the first point of the trip is enough to diligently explore and enjoy the variety of noble places for 2 weeks, the final route through the Crimea is full of icons, like a Christmas tree. There is a risk, especially with ancient cities, that you will not be able to find them if their location was determined from a map from the Internet.

See the video below the article for a good example of planning and a bonus - places suitable for spending the night in a tent and with convenient car access.
Following the example of Kerch, we are doing the rest of the cities, we hope the algorithm for searching and compiling a route is understandable.

Route across the Crimea. Route between attractions.

If you are traveling with a tent or by car, you should also find and mark the proposed places for spending the night. It is more problematic with a car, not everywhere there is an entrance to the sea. If you spend the night in hostels, hotels, hotels, also mark them on the map in order to plan a route to sights from them.
You can plan a route right away, but we do not recommend doing this. It is not known for sure where you will be able to spend the night. For ourselves, we chose the most correct option for us: to make a plan in the evening, before the day of following the route, or directly in the morning. All this is done on a smartphone.

Route across the Crimea. How to download tags from the map and transfer to the phone

Now we need to download the labels, for this we do as in the pictures:

Finding a file

We find this file in the downloads folder and transfer it to the smartphone. You can transfer to your phone in the following ways:
1. Through USB cable;
2. Send by email;
3. Bluetooth, in general, in any way, like a regular file or music.
Then you need to find this file on your phone and open it with the navigation app. Ours is Maps.me. We recommend it to everyone, it is free, does not require an Internet connection, there is information about springs, attractions, shops, etc. The main thing is to download maps of places where you will go in advance. You can also create routes and drive along them.
This is where we end the story of how we worked out the route through the Crimea, the trip along which we made in May 2016. For a better understanding, do not forget to watch the video, everything is clearer there. Thank you for your attention, ask questions in the comments and share your thoughts and experiences!

Route across the Crimea. Video:

For those who dream of going on a big trip around the Crimea, we have compiled a tourist route to the most interesting places and sights. You can drive along it by car, bus or bike. It is developed based on personal experience and future travel plans.

We offer a capacious itinerary for a great trip around the Crimea from Kerch Strait to Tarkhankut and back. We have already been to the peninsula four times and before each trip we made lists of attractions. It takes a lot of time and effort - this is how the idea was born to systematize the experience and create a route for a big trip around the Crimea. Finding something sensible on this topic on the Internet is not easy, so we undertook to fill the gap. The route will allow you to save time before the trip - you no longer need to shovel through mountains of articles, everything is in one.

Rent a car is the best way to travel! - reliable and convenient service car rental in Crimea. Choose a car according to your taste and budget. The cost of renting a car is from 1000 rubles per day. Got questions? The Russian-speaking support service will help you in everything.

Poppy fields in the vicinity of Bakhchisaray. For two weeks of traveling across the Crimea, we found dozens of such fields.

Our trip to Crimea - route map

The tourist route includes both the cities and towns we visited within the framework of the previous ones, and those planned for visiting. The itinerary can be changed at your discretion, and the list of attractions does not pretend to be complete. If you know interesting sights that are not included in the list, write in the comments, we will be happy to supplement the article.

When planning a trip, calculate the approximate one - this way you will save yourself from excessive expenses.

This is how the route across the Crimea looks like on the map from Kerch to Tarkhankut (Belogorsk and Stary Krym were not included, since Google did not allow more labels):

Kerch - Bosphoro Cimmerio

Our itinerary of a great journey through the Crimea is opened by the Hero City of Kerch. This is one of ancient cities world, but unpopular with tourists. Many people in Kerch are only passing through or devote no more than one day to the city, but in vain - there is something to see here. Many ancient settlements, monuments and burials will interest lovers of antiquities: the ancient settlements of Panticapaeum, Mirmekiy, the Tsarsky and Melek-Chesmensky mounds, the monuments of the Crypt of Demeter and the Lapidarium. There are also ancient fortresses of Kerch and Yeni-Kale, as well as an archaeological museum.

The nature here is not as picturesque and diverse as on the southern coast of Crimea, but in the vicinity of Kerch you can find Amazing places: salty pink lake Koyashskoe (Opukskoe) in Opukskoe nature reserve, salt Lake Chokrak with healing mud and hydrogen sulfide springs, Bulganak mud hills field (valley of volcanoes) and much more. Did you know that there are more than 50 mud volcanoes on the Kerch Peninsula?

Of course, in Kerch there is no shortage of beaches, various holiday homes, hotels, cafes and restaurants - in general, the tourist infrastructure is developed here and you can have a good rest. The beaches are mostly sandy and sandy-shell.

Personal experience. We had 1 day for the city. We saw the Yeni-Kale fortress and Mount Mithridates. They also wanted to get to the Kerch fortress, but due to the construction of the bridge, the road to it was blocked.

In the Crimea there are landscapes in the spirit of Franco Fontana. On the way from Kerch to Sudak.

Feodosia - given by God

Next stop in our great trip in the Crimea - Feodosia, or Kafa. That was the name of the city in the Middle Ages, which accounted for its heyday. In general, the city was founded in the 6th century BC by the Greeks, but the ancient buildings were practically not preserved. But the monuments of the Middle Ages have been preserved:

the remains of the Genoese fortress and tower (St. Constantine, Dock, Round, Thomas);
medieval Armenian and Greek churches (church of John the Baptist, St. Sergius, St. George, Archangels Michael and Gabriel).

There are also Orthodox churches, the Mufti-Jami mosque, monuments, museums (money museum, museum of antiquities, hang gliding museum, A. Green museum, etc.) and fountains (Armenian, Aivazovsky, "Good Genius"). Many buildings of the late 19th - early 20th century (mansions, summer cottages, villas, for example, "Milos", "Flora", "Aida", etc.). And, of course, it is worth visiting the Aivazovsky National Art Gallery, which houses not only his works, but also paintings by other marine painters.

Feodosia ends (and for many visitors - begins) Main ridge Crimean mountains, which means that the landscape outside the window from now on will gradually change - from the steppe and small hilly terrain to high mountains. In addition, not far from Feodosia, near Koktebel, there is the famous Karadag nature reserve.

Personal experience. We chose the Aivazovsky Museum.

(Photo © kamicatzen / flickr.com)

Koktebel is a bohemian place

The next point of our tourist route in Crimea is a village with the romantic name Koktebel. In fact, there is nothing romantic and bohemian in it - a typical seaside town with tourism infrastructure. But since the end of the 19th century, famous figures of art and culture flocked here, who glorified Koktebel as a bohemian place. The village is also known as a gliding center thanks to updrafts on the Uzun-Syrt plateau. He also gained fame thanks to the Fox Bay ("Fox"), chosen by naturists and hippies.

What else to see in Koktebel and its environs:

the Golden Gate rock (take a boat trip);
salt lake Barakol;
Cape Chameleon, which changes its color depending on the lighting;
"Starfall of memories" - Mount Koklyuk;
paragliding flights and views from the Uzun-Syrt plateau (Mount Klementyev);
vintage wine factory;
museum of nature of Karadag;
for children - dolphinarium.

Personal experience. We went to the Starfall of Memories, Uzun-Syrt and the salt lake Barakol, which dries up - a kind of mini-salt marsh.

(Photo © a "Shioji / flickr.com)

Climb up to the Starfall of Memories. Mount Kokluk, Koktebel.

Sun Valley - 300 Days of Sun

The road from Koktebel is very picturesque - the route passes by the Sun Valley. Bizarre rocks with vineyards on the slopes and a steep serpentine dizzy (in the truest sense of the word).

Sunny Valley is peace and quiet, no tourists, deserted bays, sunny weather, cloudless skies and, of course, mountains. The valley is closed by mountains on three sides, it smoothly descends to the sea. Here, 3 km from the sea, there is a village of the same name - one of the centers of winemaking in the Crimea. Try unique wines made from grape varieties that grow only in it: "Black Doctor", "Meganom", "Solnechnaya Dolina".

The valley is conducive to secluded relaxation and unhurried walks in the mountains. The area is full of trails! We recommend visiting Echki-Dag, where there is an unusual karst cave "Ear of the Earth" - it goes 132 meters deep.

Personal experience. We just rode along this road and stopped at the lookouts.

(Photo © Sergiy Kadulin / flickr.com)

Sudak and the New World

The next point on the Crimean itinerary is Sudak and Novy Svet. They need to give a lot of time - the area is rich in natural attractions. In the New World, these are the Golitsyn Trail, the Tsar's Beach, the juniper grove, the Sokol and Karaul-Oba mountains, the Kosmos peak, the valleys of Hell and Paradise, the Stairs of the Tauris. In Sudak there is a Genoese fortress, capes Meganom and Alchak, as well as mountains Ai-Georgy and Perchem-Kaya. We recommend staying in Sudak (housing and food are cheaper than in Novy Svet), and in the neighboring village.

Not far from Sudak lies the Cimmerian steppe - the red Kapsel valley, mercilessly scorched by the sun in summer. Riding along it, admiring its harsh beauty, is a pleasure. You can go to the coves and swim - some of them have campsites.

We advise you to go on a boat trip with dolphins- this is amazing. They swim right under the boat and jump out of the water! You can even swim in the open sea with them. Price - 600-700 rubles per person for 1 hour. The video can be viewed on Instagram using the hashtag #boat-hunter. Book a tour by phone 89780652938, name is Vitaliy.

Personal experience. We lived in Sudak and Novy Svet for the fourth time and visited all the sights more than once. It remains only to climb the Falcon.

Our boat trip to a flock of graceful dolphins.

Alushta - Valley of Ghosts

Alushta is a boring town, there is nothing interesting there. All the beauty beyond its borders is the bizarre rocks of the Ghost Valley and the Demerzhdi massif. Great luck to visit the valley in the fog and cloudy weather, when the pillars seem ghostly. Tourists are advised to meet the dawn on Demerdzhi - an amazing sight. Also of interest are Mount Kastel and the Chatyr-Dag caves, as well as the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall near the village of Generalskoe.

In Alushta, we saw the most boring Aluston fortress in the world - don't even waste your time on it. There is also the medieval fortification of Funa and the palace of Princess Gagarina, as well as various old estates. In general, tourists come here primarily for beach holiday and treatment - there are many boarding houses and sanatoriums in Alushta and its environs.

Personal experience. We came to Alushta for the sake of Demerdzhi - there we found both fogs and the scorching sun. On the way to Alushta, take a look at the Water Disaster Museum - touching and amazing.

Very picturesque rocks!

We were lucky to see the fogs during the climb to the top.

From the top of Mount Demerdzhi, panoramic views of the sea and the villages on the coast open up.

Enjoy the breathtaking video from the Valley of Ghosts in the Demerdzhi Mountains:

Yalta and its environs

Further along the route of travel across the Crimea - Yalta. Only here attention should be paid not to the city itself, boring, large and noisy, but to its environs - Big Yalta, which includes Gaspra, Simeiz, Massandra, Gurzuf, Nikita, Alupka, etc. For example, on the way from Alushta to Yalta on on the highway (if you make a route through the Crimea) you will see a sign to the Nikitsky Botanical Garden - we recommend visiting if you are not indifferent to the flora! In addition, the Nikitskaya cleft is interesting in Nikita. Next - Massandra: visit the Massandra Palace and Park, a winery where you can taste wines, and the Vorontsov Grotto.

In the vicinity of Yalta, you can find a lot of interesting things and spend busy days:

descend or climb Ai-Petri along the picturesque trails - Taraktashskaya, Shtangeevskaya, Koreizskaya or Botkinskaya;
visit temple cave Iograph and Wuchang-Su waterfall;
walk along the Solar Path from Livadia to Gaspra (or vice versa) and see the dolmens;
climb Ai-Petri on a cable car - next to Yalta (in Miskhor) there is just the lower station of the cable car for climbing the mountain;
visit the caves on the Ai-Petrinsky plateau, walk along the suspension bridge over the abyss and go down the zip line at a speed of 40 km/h;
visit the Grand Canyon.

Architecture lovers will be interested in the palaces of Livadia (the Yalta Conference was held here), Massandra, Emir of Bukhara and Count Mordvinov, Armenian church and a Roman Catholic church. Children also have something to do: in Yalta there is a theater of marine animals, a zoo and an aquarium, a crocodile aquarium and the Glade of Fairy Tales.

Personal experience. We went up and down Ai-Petri by car, and also rode the cable car. Lesha walked along the suspension bridge to the battlements.

We admire the clouds and views from Mount Ai-Petri.

Lesha walks along the suspension bridge on the top of Ai-Petri.

Ai-Petri in the clouds (Photo © mr_wood / flickr.com)

Gaspra is not only "Swallow's Nest"

Usually, when traveling around the Crimea, tourists come to Gaspra only to see the Swallow's Nest Palace. However, there are many attractions there: for connoisseurs of antiquities, we recommend the Taurus necropolises, the Roman fortress of Charax and the ruins of the Gaspra-Isar fortification, lovers of trekking and active rest- a walk along the "Solar Path", where Nicholas II rested. Another attraction of Gaspra is the palace of Prince Golitsyn and Countess Panina (now the sanatorium "Yasnaya Polyana"), where the museum room of Leo Tolstoy is located.

Not far from Gaspra is Koreiz - it is worth visiting the Yusupov Palace, Miskhor Park and the lighthouse of Cape Ai-Todor.

Personal experience. They looked at the "Swallow's Nest" only from the side, because all the tourists out loud advise not to go inside. From the lookout you can see beautiful rocks against which the waves beat.

(Photo © pilot34 / flickr.com)

Alupka

First of all, Alupka is known for the chic Vorontsov Palace, the former residence of Count Vorontsov. Now there is a museum in the palace, and the no less beautiful Alupka Park is spread over 40 hectares - very natural and harmonious. It is pleasant to walk here, inhaling the aromas of cypress, juniper and about 200 other plant species. Always shady and cool, the park sometimes attracts more tourists than the palace. Also noteworthy is the museum-apartment of Kuindzhi.

As for natural attractions, it is worth visiting the Shaan-Kaya rock and the lake located near it - views of mountain range simply excellent.

Personal experience. We visited the Vorontsov Palace and Alupka Park - they are really impressive.

You can also look for housing in Crimea on the spot - as soon as you get off the bus at the station, dozens of offers for renting the best housing will fall on you, certainly cheap and always with a sea view. Classic Crimean holidays.

Sevastopol - White City

To see all the sights of Sevastopol and its environs, you need to spend a very, very long time. Start an introductory tourist route from the city itself: Malakhov Kurgan, ancient and mysterious Chersonese (we recommend either early in the morning or closer to sunset), Vladimir Cathedral and the Tower of the Winds, the panorama "Defense of Sevastopol", Historic boulevard, Count's Quay, etc. - it is worth devoting a separate article to the sights of the hero city.

Must see in the vicinity:

Cape Fiolent and Jasper Beach with the rock of the Holy Appearance and Diana's grotto - you have to master 800 steps down and back;
the most beautiful Cape Vinogradny (our favorite);
the beaches of Sevastopol - there are many of them, but some of them can clearly be classified as natural attractions, for example, Lyubimovka beach is very beautiful if you go behind a pile of stones (to that part of the beach that nudists and campers have chosen);
Balaklava: Atmospheric Submarine Museum, Balaklava Bay, Genoese Cembalo Fortress, Northern and Southern Forts, Sunny Path to the Inzhir Tract;
Baidarskaya valley and Fatma-Koba grotto;
Valley of death;
Inkerman: cave monastery, Maiden's Tower, Chernorechensky canyon;
Chorgun bridge-aqueduct and Chorgun tower and much more.

This is only a small part of the sights in the vicinity of Sevastopol - write in the comments if you were somewhere else!

Personal experience. We were on Fiolent, Cape Vinogradny, Inkerman and Balaklava, and also spent the night in a tent on Lyubimovka beach.

Favorite place in Crimea - Cape Vinogradny in Sevastopol.

(Photo © mr. Wood / flickr.com)

Bakhchisarai - eastern garden-palace

Let's continue our long journey through the Crimea - the road leads us to the ancient Bakhchisaray, the real center of the hiking and active Crimea. The city is located in the foothills, so the area is very interesting. In our opinion, the main attraction of Bakhchisaray is not the Khan's Palace (although it is good), but cave cities, fortresses and monasteries: Chufut-Kale, Magup-Kale, Kachi-Kalyon, Eski-Kermen, Tepe-Kermen, Chelter-Koba, Bakla, Syuyren, Shuldan.

Bakhchisarai is a city with an oriental flavor, which makes it special. Be sure to visit the Karaite cemetery Balta-Tiymez, the cemetery of dervishes and Old city- very atmospheric places.

As in Sevastopol, in Bakhchisarai great amount natural attractions that you can’t see in a couple of days - you need to live here for at least a week. By the way, the city has very tasty cuisine - mainly Crimean Tatars live here.

Personal experience. We visited Chufut-kale, the Khan's Palace, Balta-Tiymez, the dervish cemetery and the temple in Laki. Disappointment befell us in the village of Laki, where we drove 20 km for the sake of the church of St. Luke. Previously, there was an unusually beautiful Greek temple with frescoes and mosaics, dilapidated in the Second world war. It still stands there - only it already sparkles with whiteness and gold in the best traditions of Orthodoxy. Caring hands restored it, painting over all the beauty and memory of the past. Now inside - a soulless white space with cardboard letters "Christ is Risen" and cheap icons.

Landscape in the vicinity of Bakhchisaray - view from cave city Chufut-Kale.

Simferopol

caves (Marble, Serpentine, Red);
cliffs and rocks (above Kalinovaya beam, Tash-Dzhargan tract);
the ancient settlement Naples Scythian;
Kessler's estate.

Watch the amazing video of the Crimean caves:

Evpatoria

The next city on our route through the Crimea is Evpatoria. There are many religious shrines here - mosques, temples, tekie: the Duma-Jami mosque, Tekie dervishes, the temple of St. Elijah, Karaite kenas and so on. In addition, the city has many museums and monuments. What else to see? Turkish baths, kyarizes (ancient plumbing) and the Old City in general.

In the vicinity of Evpatoria there are several salt lakes where you can improve your health with the help of therapeutic mud and mineralized water: lakes Moinaki, Donuzlav, Dzharylgach and Yarylgach.

One of the most impressive places on our long journey through the Crimea is Cape Tarkhankut, the westernmost point of the peninsula. It is better to stay in the small village of Olenevka on the coast - from there it is convenient to get to the nearest attractions by bike, car or bicycle.

Tarkhankut is famous for the picturesque Dzhangul landslide coast in the northeast and Atlesh (Big and Small Atlesh, the Bowl of Love, a lighthouse in the Mayak village) in the southeast. Miami Beach in Olenevka is sandy, and the sea is crystal clear, coral reefs are visible from the cliffs, so divers and windsurfers hang out here. Such popular Soviet films as "Pirates of the 20th century" and "Amphibian Man" were filmed on Tarkhankut.

Personal experience. We looked at everything that is in the vicinity. Be careful on Dzhangul! Do not drive your car close to the edge, the bank may collapse.

The steep coast of Tarkhankut - a view from the sea during a boat trip.

A grounded cargo ship near the coast, Tarkhankut.

Belogorsk - white mountain and lions

So our journey through the Crimea ends - on the way to Kerch bridge we will stop by a small Belogorsk. Why is he remarkable? Nearby there is a picturesque white mountain- Ak-Kaya rock, where they filmed soviet film"Headless horseman". In addition, the area is interesting for the Kok-Asan gorge with the Chermisovsky cascade of waterfalls, which form "baths" with emerald water. A tourist route, passing through the Kok-Asan canyon, is extremely picturesque - we highly recommend it!

Each person periodically experiences an acute need for new experiences, a change of scenery and relaxation. It is important to listen to this desire. However, you don’t always want to change everything around you drastically: climate, cuisine, people, spend time adapting. Especially when it comes to holidays with children. It is also not always convenient to trust your vacation to travel agencies. What to do in this case?

The ideal option would be a vacation in the Crimea, organized independently. It is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Let's figure out how to go to the Crimea on your own.

Travel plan

First of all, you need to collect as much information as possible about where you want to go. There are only five large cities in Crimea, and each of them is interesting in its own way. Decide which one independent rest in Crimea you prefer: beach and relaxed or active, with hiking and sightseeing. The more you describe your future independent Crimean trip, the easier it will be to plan a route and create an entertainment program.

Secondly, you need to decide on the duration of an independent trip to the Crimea. How long will your entire vacation take? How much time would you like to spend actively, and how much relaxed, how to relax in the Crimea? Be sure to study the main attractions, excursion programs and trips that are offered, compare the cost, read reviews. Make a preliminary travel plan to the Crimea yourself.

Thirdly, you need to calculate the budget of the trip. To do this, you need to study the prices of tickets, housing, find out how much you spend on food, how much entertainment costs, how much you want to spend on gifts and souvenirs. It is most convenient to plan costs as follows. Allocate a separate amount for tickets and accommodation. Decide in advance which excursions you want, set aside money for them. Find out how much you are willing to spend on souvenirs. The money left over for food, travel and inexpensive entertainment is best divided by the number of vacation days. So you get a daily limit that you need to fit into. It is very important to keep track of expenses while traveling independently in Crimea, this will help control spending.

Fourthly, you need to book tickets and rent accommodation in Crimea on your own. collect all Required documents take care of the insurance.

The stage of planning an independent trip to the Crimea can take a lot of time. You don't need to be afraid of it. The magic is that the more time you devote to preliminary preparation, careful collection of information, analysis, calculations, choosing the best accommodation, the most interesting places and programs, the better you can organize everything, the easier and more enjoyable your vacation will be.

When is the best time to go

Admirers of the Crimea, of course, argue that it is wonderful here at any time of the year. The choice of season depends on the purpose of the trip as a savage.

If you are interested in seeing natural sights, admiring waterfalls, lush, fresh greenery, walking a lot, then April and May are recommended. At this time, Crimea and travel are especially good, the rivers are full-flowing, it is not hot and there are not so many vacationers.

If an independent trip to the Crimea has the goal of sunbathing and swimming, of course, you need to go in the summer. The sea is warm here from May to October, the season starts in June, the most popular time is from mid-July to the end of August. At this time, there are especially many tourists here, there is a strong heat, fruits ripen and prices rise significantly for everything.

If you want to swim and go sightseeing, but at the same time not to push on the beaches and not overpay for everything, then you should go here in the fall, starting from mid-September. It's not so hot anymore, people are starting to leave, prices are dropping, and the water in the sea is still warm and comfortable for swimming. We can say that September is the ideal time to make an independent trip to the Crimea, as the reviews testify.

A few words about winter. Winter activities have never been strong point Crimea, although the snow lies in the mountains. You can go skiing or snowboarding in Ai-Petri, there is all the necessary infrastructure: slopes and lifts, equipment rental, cafes, shops, guest houses. You can take an instructor. There are trails near the Marble Cave and on the Angarsk Pass. the center winter tourism Yalta is considered to be in the Crimea.

Flights

The fastest way to get to Crimea is by plane. A large airport is located in Simferopol, it is here that the main Russian airlines fly. There are direct flights not only from Moscow and St. Petersburg, it is easy to fly from the regions: Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Perm and other cities.

Independent travelers in Crimea with experience assure that the plane is not only the fastest way to get to the Crimea, but also the cheapest.

It is most convenient to purchase air tickets through the service for several reasons:

Also in favor of the service is the ability to choose an airline, the time of departure, arrival, the ability to see in advance how long the journey will take when choosing one or another option. Buying tickets is very easy with a credit card.

Calendar low prices for air tickets

Check airfare prices:

How to get there by car

The option of an independent trip to the Crimea by a private car is considered one of the most inconvenient, this is due to the problems that arise on Kerch ferry. Therefore, motorists often leave their cars before the crossing and continue on by bus or ferry. It may also be difficult to cross the border.

The most popular way for today, how to go to the Crimea, is through Krasnodar region to the crossing from the port "Caucasus" to the port "Crimea". The car can also be transported by ferry, paying for this from 1700 rubles. You will have to wait quite a long time for your turn. The situation is a little easier at night and on weekdays. If you wish, you can go by a rented car if you live very far from the Crimea, but cannot imagine your life without an iron horse. You can rent a suitable car. If you are going on an independent trip to Crimea by car, remember that parking fees may be required.

How the ferry works

You can get acquainted in detail with all the information related to the operation of the ferry, the cost of travel and the purchase of tickets on the official website gosparom.ru

Let's list the main things you need to know. Ferries run around the clock, departing once every hour. The journey takes 40 minutes.

Children under six years of age are entitled to free travel. A ticket for a child under the age of 12 costs 80 rubles, for an adult 150 rubles. The free baggage allowance is 25 kg, everything that is carried in excess costs 10 rubles per kilogram.

Buy e-ticket can be done on the website above. The ticket must be printed for independent travel to the Crimea.

Housing

There are many accommodation options in Crimea. The search technique includes only two options: on the spot or in advance via the Internet.

In Crimea, the method of self-searching for housing on the spot implies a certain risk. Despite the fact that there are many offers at least in season, at least not in season, there is a chance that in the period from mid-July to the end of August you will not find what you want. Of course, they won’t leave you completely on the street, but the location can be inconvenient, the conditions are not very comfortable, and the cost is high. Therefore, it is better to deal with the issue in advance.

The rental price depends not only on the season, but also on the city. For example, it is more expensive to live in Yalta, it is cheaper in Alushta. Cheap housing can be rented in Feodosia, Sudak. Sevastopol is also considered expensive city. To budget options include Bakhchisaray, villages in the suburbs of Evpatoria, Koktebel, which is distinguished by the presence of a large number of good and inexpensive hotels.

Booking hotel rooms on RoomGuru

find inexpensive hotel from RoomGuru right now:

Renting an Airbnb

Airbnb is an excellent resource that, on the one hand, helps to save money, as it offers options without intermediaries, and, on the other hand, guarantees reliability and security. The site will require you to register. It is important to fill out a profile in detail, tell about yourself, this increases the likelihood that the owners of the accommodation you like will agree.

Here you can find not only standard hotels and hostels, but also interesting unexpected options, like a castle. The site allows you to communicate directly with the hosts, find out all your questions and pay for the reservation safely. If you wish, you can also offer your housing for rent.

Airbnb is real good way find inexpensive place for living, save on the services of an intermediary and find new, interesting acquaintances. Read more about this service written.

Required documents

Due to the fact that Crimea is now part of Russia, the conditions for entering its territory for citizens of the Russian Federation have become much easier and more pleasant. A visa is not needed for the trip, entry is possible with an internal Russian passport. You must bring your child's birth certificate with you.

The only exception is the road through the territory of Ukraine. For such entry, you will need a foreign passport. If a trip to Crimea takes place with a child without a second parent, then you will need to issue a notarized consent to take the minor abroad and, of course, a foreign passport must also be issued for the baby.

Main attractions

There are a lot of interesting places here, it makes no sense to list everything, so we will focus only on the most popular ones.

The castle "Swallow's Nest" can be called a symbol of Crimea. It is located on a steep cliff, beautifully hangs over the sea, looks especially romantic against the backdrop of sunset.

Famous Livadia Palace, Messandrovsky Palace. These are imperial residences. In Alupka, there is another symbol of the peninsula - the Vorontsov Palace, surrounded by a magnificent park. The Nikitsky Botanical Garden is famous for its unique collection of rare plants; the pride of the garden is the rose garden.

These were the main attractions of the South Bank. What to see on the West Coast?

Here, first of all, the hero-city of Sevastopol is of interest, in which the famous monument to the sunken ships is located. Not far from the hero city are the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Tauric Chersonesos. This monument is included in the UNESCO list. In Evpatoria you can visit the medieval monastery of dervishes.

Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Tauric Chersonese

East Coast famous primarily for its beaches. The city of Sudak is interesting here with its ancient Genoese fortress. The neighboring Novy Svet offers a visit to the Golitsyn's house-museum, during the tour there is a tasting of champagne wines. In Kerch, you can visit the ancient Turkish fortress Yeni-Kale. In Koktebel is the main natural attraction of the Crimea - the ancient dormant volcano Kara-Dag. Here you can also admire another symbol of the peninsula - the Golden Gate, an amazing rock of an unusual shape, which turns golden in the rays of the sun.

Genoese fortress in Sudak

Gorgeous and Crimean mountains. It is worth going to the Marble Caves, climb Mount Ai-Petri, enjoying the trip to cable car before observation deck, admire the Crimean waterfalls. The most beautiful and powerful waterfall in the Crimea is Dzhur-Dzhur, water flows from a height of one hundred meters. Also in the mountainous part is the famous Bakhchisarai with khan's palace and Fountain of Tears.

There are also many fascinating places for children in Crimea. Not far from Yalta, you can visit a private zoo, there is also a wonderful town "Glade of Fairy Tales", which is liked not only by kids, but also by adults. In almost every resort town Crimea has a water park, an amusement park. There are several dolphinariums on the peninsula, the largest in Europe is located in the Cossack Bay of the city of Sevastopol.

You can buy inexpensive and interesting excursions on the website.

Approximate travel cost

Let's take a calculator and figure out how much an independent trip to Crimea will cost for one person living in Moscow. Let's say that it was decided to rest in Crimea from June 13 to June 26, 2016, Yalta was chosen for vacation.

A direct flight from Moscow to Simferopol and back will cost 10,673 rubles. Next, you still need to get to Yalta. A direct trolleybus runs along this route, the ticket price for it is 98 rubles. You can take a bus and get there for 110 rubles. The total cost of travel will be about 11 thousand rubles.

We choose housing. Most inexpensive option- a place in a shared hostel room with a bunk bed. For twelve nights, such accommodation will cost 5280 rubles. Guest house with a place in a superior quadruple room - 16,200 rubles. The simplest hotel with an economy class double room - from 18,000 rubles.

The Airbnb website offers accommodation in a separate room in an apartment from 628 rubles per day. For twelve days - 7536 rubles. Total accommodation, depending on the degree of comfort, can cost from 5280 to 18,000 rubles and more. Consequently, travel and accommodation will require from 19,000 to 40,000 rubles.

Meals in Crimea depend on whether you eat in cafes and restaurants or manage more modest options. In a cafe, a salad costs from 50 rubles, a barbecue from 200 rubles, a cocktail from 130 rubles. Fruit from 100 rubles per kilogram, seafood from 80 rubles per serving. There are many grocery stores, you can buy in them and cook your own food. Therefore, at least 1,000 rubles per day must be spent on food and travel by local transport. Total 12,000 rubles for the entire holiday in the Crimea.

Excursions from 700 rubles, entrance tickets can still be added to the cost.

Gifts and souvenirs. A box of local sweets costs from 190 rubles, wine from the Inkerman factory from 120 rubles per bottle. They bring teas and herbal teas, dried fruits, souvenirs from shells, cosmetics, fish from Crimea. How much to spend on gifts? It is difficult to answer this question, someone carries a lot with them, someone chooses to leave light.

It turns out that the approximate costs will be from 39,000 rubles per person. Is this a budget trip? In 2017, an independent vacation in the Crimea will only be more expensive.

How to save

The advantage of independent travel to the Crimea is that you yourself regulate the cost of the trip. How to vacation on a budget? Here are the main directions for cost optimization.

Do not go during the high season (July and August). Prices at this time are significantly, but unreasonably high. A trip in early June or September will give you no less pleasure, but it will cost less than an independent vacation in the Crimea from mid-July to the end of August. The most pleasant and budgetary are independent vacations in May and October.
You can reduce the cost of air tickets if you choose not a direct flight, but fly with a transfer. The difference in cost for one ticket can reach up to ten thousand, depending on the city of departure and the date of travel. It is also convenient to use the low price calendar on the service to select the optimal cost, it makes sense to subscribe to a direction and wait for a promotion from the airline.
Oddly enough, keeping track of expenses during your trip and planning your budget well will in itself reduce costs, even if you don't set yourself the goal of saving money.
When planning a trip to the Crimea, get acquainted with the experience of other tourists, read on the forums about the places you plan to go. People generously share information about interesting but inexpensive shops and cafes. As a rule, such establishments are located away from popular hiking trails, so you need to find out about them in advance.
How to save on housing in Crimea? It is better to rent housing not in Yalta or Sevastopol, but in Bakhchisarai, Koktebel or a suburb of Evpatoria. The most budgetary are the smallest resort villages. Use the site to select options.
Majority excursion programs You can visit on your own using public transport. There are also private tours, which can only be accessed as part of a tourist group. But there are not many of them.

Hello dear travelers and lovers of the sun, sea and mountains! So the two-week independent trip around the Crimea ended, after which we usually write a final review of the country (region, region) with the route, total costs and other useful information which is so necessary when planning a trip.

General budget

This time we went without a tent and without hitchhiking (we don’t count a couple of kilometers on a ride). Therefore, the costs are already slightly higher and closer to the people, let's say so. In any case, there will be no hotels with suites, private cars and other expensive frills. You can safely consider the trip as a budget trip within the framework of the usual conditions. Prices for the duration of the trip - summer 2015 (unless otherwise indicated in the text).

We flew to Crimea from Moscow by Aeroflot at a price of 7,500 rubles. per person (both ways). Pretty good price for June. ground transport anyway it would be more expensive.

The cost of air tickets to Crimea today (clickable):

1. length of stay - 13 days
2. financial expenses for two:

railway tickets Kirov-Moscow (3600 rubles),
air tickets Moscow - Simferopol (Crimea) - 15,000 rubles;
housing - 7270 rubles.
for other expenses - about 10,000 rubles.
total- 35 870 rubles. for two.

3. briefly about the weather in June - three days of light rain, the rest of the time the temperature is about 25C. You can swim.

Map of our route

29.05 —
30.05 —
30.05 —
30.05 —
31.05 —
31.05 —
01.06 —
01.06 —
02.06 —
03.06 —
03.06 —
04.06 —
04.06 —
05.06 —
06.06 —
07.06 —
08.06 —
09.06 —
10.06 —

Transport in Crimea

I talked a little about public transport in Simferopol at.

I'll run briefly. If you want freedom of movement, a bit of comfort and have rights in your pocket, then of course it’s better, and, as they say, do not deny yourself anything.

In any case, even if there are no rights, but you want comfort, you can always order to any resort.

And if you want to feel the local "flavor", you can use public transport. I advise you to look at the maps and schedule in more detail at home, save a lot of time and money. I will not post timetables here, there are a lot of them on the Internet both in photographs and simply in text form (for example, the same Yandex.Schedules). On our blog, at the beginning of each article, I also wrote how to get to the place that I described. So some information can be obtained here.

By the way, in the Crimea the longest trolleybus line (96km just from the airport in Simferopol to Yalta)! On this remarkable transport at number 52, which runs almost every 25 minutes, I advise you to ride too.

In general, transport links in and between cities are quite decent. Even from sparsely populated areas, you can leave in the right direction without any problems if you know the schedule. Moreover, the cost of public transport is still at a low level (when compared with our small city of Kirov).

For example:

travel by trolley bus around the city - 7 rubles.
on buses and minibuses - up to 10 rubles.
to regional settlements with a radius of up to 20 km - up to 30 rubles.

However, if you buy tickets for intercity buses at the box office, then get ready to pay a "fee" for servicing the bus at the station. This is how the cashier justified the extra 15 rubles that I saw as an additional line to the main price of 25 rubles. in Bakhchisarai.

So here's my advice right now: if you want to travel for the price indicated in the price list or even cheaper, it is better to immediately contact the bus driver. True, in the season this can threaten with the fact that you have to ride standing up. But, we were always lucky to find empty seats.

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, local authorities seriously set about putting in order not only resort towns, but also transport communication. Namely, the introduction of a single database for the purchase of tickets at all stations. Knowing how everything large-scale is done in Russia, the predicted happened - the system began to falter. As a result, often at different stations of transport they sold tickets for the same place to several people. I think you yourself understand how it all ended in the end: abuse, disputes, discontent, etc.

In some cases, it was generally impossible to buy a ticket for intercity buses at the bus station. For example, in Sudak we could not get a ticket to Simferopol (to the airport) for several days and dangled to the station every day. Until I found out that there is a second ticket office in the city near the coast. Therefore, upon arriving at the bus station, do not be too lazy to find out about the presence of a second ticket office in the city, just in case.

Housing

I already wrote in articles on Crimea that finding housing in Crimea is not such a difficult task, and prices are lower if you go there in the off season. The season begins in the Crimea on June 15, so our trip still fit within this framework. Therefore, I did not torture myself with the search for housing via the Internet, but decided to look for it on the spot.

Moreover, those who have already visited our resorts know that local grannies, intermediaries or just owners of private apartments who want to earn extra money on you are sitting at any bus or railway station in the resort town. Of these three categories, I would be afraid only of intermediaries, because they often deceive with the declared characteristics of housing. What does it mean?

In Alushta, we came across two women who arranged a whole auction (only to reduce the price) for us, just to earn extra money. One of them was an intermediary, the other was a homeowner. Both said that the accommodation has a shower, toilet, kitchen, internet, etc. Both are dropping the price. But who do you trust more? The intermediary essentially does not care where and in what conditions you will live, the main thing for him is to earn money, and the owner is the owner. He will lead you to his private residence, which means that he will be responsible for what he said. And the deception is that, yes, housing has all the above benefits, but in what condition exactly? And in such that the shower and toilet can be on the street. As well as the kitchen. And all this can be in a very deplorable state. Therefore, I advise you not to waste your time or energy on them.

About how exactly we managed to find housing and its cost, you can read in the relevant articles above. On average, I can say that it is lower than 500 rubles. (per room for two) we did not find in any place. The most expensive happened in Sevastopol - 870 rubles. for a half suite, although they could have rented a simpler room for 700. And in other cases, the average price per room is 700 - 800 rubles. Under the conditions that I always tried to knock out a lower price and the housing was clean and consistent with the original description, although the locals told me that it was below 1000 rubles. in the Crimea, housing is not found.

Basically, we lived in the private sector, and only once rented a room in a small hotel in Balaklava for 700 rubles. for two.

If you are traveling during the season, then it is undoubtedly better to resolve the issue with the apartments in advance. For this purpose I advise you to use the service Roomguru.ru, which compares prices in all major booking systems (Booking, Agoda, etc.) and finds the best one!

Food and prices

Food prices in Crimea are not much different from prices in other parts of Russia. I don't see much point in paying attention to it. If we ate in an inexpensive cafe or canteen, we spent an average of about 250-300 rubles. for two. This amount included one serving of the first, two servings of the second, salad, tea. This is taking into account the fact that I usually did not take meat, since it is not important for me. Especially in summer.

Many advise trying the local Tatar cuisine: large portions, tastier, but the cost is almost twice as high.

Yes, Crimea is located in the south, so there should be a lot of fruit here. But, we were at the beginning of June, which means that only cherries, sweet cherries, and sometimes strawberries could be seen on the market. All three types of berries cost about the same anywhere in the Crimea - from 100 to 150 rubles. per kilogram. Rarely, but it was possible to find the remains of overripe cherries from some granny for 70 rubles. In Sudak, we even met a few cherry trees. Surely, there are more fruits here in the season, but do not expect low prices, especially in tourist places.

And of course, vacationers come here for Crimean wine, chacha and others. alcoholic drinks. My companion, for example, bought two bottles of house wine as a gift from the owner of the guest house where we stayed. Because he had his own vineyards. A 1.5 liter bottle cost him 150 rubles. And I do not drink alcohol in any form, so this question is not very interesting for me.

Attractions

I didn’t like that the price policy for attractions in Crimea looks like a low-cost policy. If earlier, while Crimea was still part of Ukraine, tickets were basically the same for everything, now the attraction is divided into several parts and the fee for each part is separate. From which it follows that if you look at everything, it will come out much more expensive. An example of this is Nikitsky Botanical Garden or the Vorontsov Palace.

Some examples of prices:

Golitsyn trail — 100 rubles.
Marble cave - 350-500 rubles.
Nikitsky BS - 200-500 rubles.
Vorontsov Palace - 300-500 rubles.
Cable car to Ai-Petri — 500 rubles. round trip.
Genoese fortress - 150 rubles.

Moreover, prices in season and prices in the off season may be different.

Personal impression

In general, I liked the trip to Crimea. There are really beautiful mountains and the sea, clean air, warm sun. For the now Russian resort, everything is at a fairly good level, combined with inexpensive prices. I especially remember the Bakhchisarai region, I would like to study it better.

People are the same as in central Russia, with the only difference that they have not yet been reached Russian laws. I think this will be fixed soon.

It is a pity that summer is not in Crimea all year round, otherwise it would have made a worthy competition to foreign resorts. For lovers of "all-inclusive" - this is of course not an option, but for an independent and family vacation quite.

Thank you for your attention, if you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. Have a good rest in Crimea!