Crimea River

Looking for something to do in Crimea Ukraine?

Anyone who has been struck down by historic church fatigue syndrome after a weekend in the Golden Ring will agree that travel in Russia and the CIS, while spiritually rewarding, can be a little repetitive at times. If you’ve reached the point where you can’t face another train journey spent staring out of the window at a wall of birch trees, then the overwhelming amount of history and geography crammed into Crimea’s small area might be just what you need to ease your travel ennui. The national pastime of getting invaded by just about everybody has created a fascinating blend of European and Middle-Eastern cultures, while the bizarre geography of the South, with sheer cliffs rising abruptly from wild meadows, is also unforgettably distinctive. Arriving in the undistinguished capital of Simferopol, it’s easy to wonder what all the fuss is about. However, a short hop to the south coast will open up a wealth of holiday possibilities, from lazy beach-based lounging to hardcore climbing and hiking trips.

Crimea contains 517 kilometers of beaches for those who want nothing more than to act like a stereotypical Brit and dedicate an entire holiday to frying every square inch of skin an angry shade of pink. The most famous and most-visited of the Crimean beach resorts is Yalta, formerly the number one summer holiday destination for party bigwigs. It boasts three pebbly beaches, a newly renovated promenade and swarms upon swarms of Russian and Ukrainian tourists. Sandy beaches and a quieter atmosphere can be found at Sudak, where a stunning Genoese hilltop fortress overlooks the wide sweeping bay, or at Feodosiya, which also offers mineral springs, mud baths and a Mediterranean style old town.

On the other hand, if lying inactive while sand gradually works its way into every bodily niche sounds more like a cruel form of punishment than a form of relaxation, then pack your granola bars and lose yourself in the maze-like valleys of the originally-named Crimean mountains, which run parallel to the southeastern coast. I say that figuratively: make sure you take a guide if you aren’t a very experienced map-reader. I made the mistake of thinking that the remnants of my geography knowledge from school would suffice, and assured the girls that I was practically a master orienteer, before leading them on a scenic but humiliatingly circular route. Hiking is also a great way to explore some of the more remote Crimean sights, such as the eerie wind-carved rock formations in the Valley of the Ghosts, or the ancient cave cities dotted around the countryside. Apart from looking pretty, the weird geology also creates some excellent opportunities for climbers of all levels, while the rolling terrain and well-maintained trails could have been made for mountain biking. The websites tryukraine.com or mt.crimea.com can both help to organize adventurous excursions of all types.

However lazy or active your holiday might be, it’s worth taking at least a little time to delve into Crimea’s checkered past. Russian history buffs will undoubtedly want to spend some time in Yalta, where you can visit the Livadia Palace, which was the scene of the Yalta Conference as well as the summer residence of the last tsars. You can also watch your friends turn glaucous with envy when you tell them you’ve taken the world’s longest trolleybus between Yalta and Simferopol. It’s reputedly extremely slow and boring. More contemporary Soviet history can be found at Balaklava, near Sevastopol, where a nuclear submarine base, built to withstand a direct hit from an atomic bomb, operated in deepest secrecy until 1991. It’s now been made into a museum, which can be visited with an easy-to-arrange guide. If you want to get acquainted with some genuinely Crimean history and culture, then the Tartar town of Bakhchisarai, midway between Yalta and Simferopol, is the best place to start. The Hansarai palace in the middle of town was formerly the seat of the Crimean Khans, while just outside of town there’s a 15th century Orthodox monastery carved into the side of a cliff. Bakhchisarai also makes a good starting point to explore the cave cities; while you’re there, try some real Crimean food, such as charcoal-grilled rams’ testicles, or just regular shashlyk for the unadventurous.

If all this sounds a little bit too worthy, and all you want from a holiday is intoxicated frolicking and cool laser effects, then check out the KaZantip festival, which runs from July 21 to August 26 in Popovka, on the West coast. These guys certainly take the view that bigger is better, with 14 stages and thousands of superstar DJs you’ve never heard of playing trance and techno for five eardrum-tickling weeks. You can book tickets and accommodation on kazantip.com.

Considering how much Crimea has to offer all types of tourist, the biggest surprise it that it’s not completely overrun. With a little initiative, it’s possible to organize a cheap, varied and novel trip which will leave you wondering why everyone doesn’t go.

• Getting there — Four to seven trains a day leave from the Kursky Vokzal for Simferopol; some continue to Sevastopol or Feodosiya. A platskart berth as far as Simferopol will cost around 1,000 rubles, depending on the type of train. Aeroflot has two daily flights from Sheremetyevo to Simferopol from 11,690 rubles for a return ticket. You can fly from Domodedovo with Domodedovo Airlines for approximately 15,000 rubles return.

• Accommodation — Most people who go to the Crimea stay in the “chastny sektor” i.e. in a hut rented out by one of the babushki who infest every station, bus stop and busy street corner. This can be as cheap as $10 a night. There is also an emerging luxury cottage market, and prices for a three-bedroom cottage in Zolotaya Bukhta, a beach town Simferopol, start at $70 per night on vtu.hotmail.ru. Otherwise, for a whopping $220 a night in peak season you can stay in the four-star Oreanda, Yalta’s finest hotel, with its own private beach.

• Visas — Almost no one needs a visa for Ukraine except for stays of greater than 90 days. Citizens of Australia or New Zealand do need a visa, which must be arranged in advance, although no invitation is required at present.

LINK: http://elementmoscow.ru/articles.php?i=204000&s=05-getaways