Crimea trip

This summer we decided to make a trip along Crimean coast starting from Feodosiya and finishing at Yevpatoriya. Crimea is a beautiful place having long and rich history.

Most of pictures are made by mobile phone so they aren't really good but I hope they don't ruin the impression.

To Crimea

I booked the flight to Simferopol with layover in Saint-Petersburg by Rossiya Airlines. When we arrived to Sain-Petersbug early morning then we were surprised that our connection flight was moved to the evening. We were forced to pick up all our luggage and then we moved to Rossiya Airlines office. They said they don't have any idea why they didn't contacted us about this change. Also they said they are sorry but they cannot help us: no left luggage service, no food etc.

We moved to the center of Saint-Petersburg and took a trip on Saint-Petersburg canals. It was rainy, we were tired but Saint-Petersburg was great.

Feodosiya

Nothing really exciting about Feodosiya. A long coquina beaches around Feodosiya, a lot of sea. There are some old buildings, nice seafront and Aivazovskiy museum. A nice place as family resort.

Noviy Svet

Then we moved to Noviy Svet. This is a place I can love. Juniper forest, mountains and the sea. We lived near of the juniper forest and walked there everyday.

Hurzuf

After that we moved to Hurzuf. Hurzuf is a nice place as well: narrow and winding streets going up and down, Checkov's dacha.

We stayed in the hotel located in Artek - well known USSR pioneer camp. Artek has huge territory over 200 hectares (over 500 acres) and no doubts it's one of beautiful places I've ever seen.

Before Artek the Russian resort named SuukSu was located here.

There are Aldary here - two rocks in the sea. There's a Pushkin crag, they said he liked to visit these places.

Chaliapin wanted to build there Palace of Arts but failed to do that because of revolution.

The label says: "In Crimea in SuukSu there's a crag named Pushkin. I decided to build there a Castle of Arts. I told myself: kings and knights had castles. Why wouldn't artists had a castle? F. I. Chaliapin."

Nikita

We visited Nikitskiy Botanical Garden. It's small (couple hours is enough to walk it) but very very nice.

Chatyr-Dag

We visited amazing Emine-Bair-Khosar and Marble caves in Chatyr-Dag mountain.

Alupka

Then we moved to Alupka. Alupka is Vorontsov Palace and Vorontsov Park. Park is nice, palace is majestic. Rest of Alpuka didn't make any impression.

Big Yalta

Around Yalta (referred as Big Yalta) there are a lot of attractions including Vorontsov Palace in Alupka I mentioned above. We visited some of them.

Ai-Petri is a mountain and there's Gondola lift there. A flat plateau on the top, couple caves, a lot of restaurants of eastern cuisine and amazing view.

The Swallow Nest in Gaspra, a tiny palace over the cliff. Nowdays it's museum.

Yusupov palace is resort of Ukraine government nowdays but it's open for tourists occasionally.

The Livadia Palace of Nicolas II, Russian tsar.

The Massandra Palace, a country house of Alexander III, Russian tsar.

Sevastopol

Then we moved to Sevastopol. Sevastopol is hero city, participant of two wars: Crimean War and World War II. It has large amount of monuments and very handsome.

The Panorama Museum (The Heroic Defence of Sevastopol during the Crimean War).

The Monument to the Scuttled Ships. 

There's ancient Greek city named Chersonesos.

Frunze

Then we moved to Frunze, village near of the Saki city, a medicinal resort. Frunze is the sea and pebble beach, nothing else. Pretty quite. 

Few hours we spent walking in Saki. It's ashore the Saki lake known because of its medical mud. There's lot of people using wheelchairs there.

Yevpatoriya

And finally we moved to Yevpatoriya. It has long sand beaches and nice downtown. A good place for children.

Tarkhankut

Tarkhankut is one of beautiful place of Crimea: cliffs, caves, tunnels and diving of course.

Getting back

Rossiya Airlines surprised us one more time when were heading up home. They moved our initial flight from Simferopol right after our connection flight from Saint-Petersburg. So we spend couple days in Saint-Petersburg waiting for the next flight. The good thing they paid for the hotel and food.

We visited Petergof Palace and Leningradskiy Zoopark next day.

So if you wanna take a look at Saint-Petersburg then please choose Rossiya Airlines. It's really amazing city.