Crimea is one of the best resorts in Russia. This peninsula, washed immediately by two seas - the Black and Azov Sea, is known as a healing place since ancient times. In the XIX century on the territory of this peninsula, in Saki, the world's first mud therapy resort was opened. At that time, the wife of Alexander II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, was treated on the southern coast of Crimea.
In today's article, we will talk in detail about where it is better to relax on the Crimean peninsula.
Climate of Crimea
The climatic conditions of the Crimean peninsula have a beneficial effect on the well-being of vacationers. The climate of the southern coast, and, therefore, many of the resorts of the Crimea, can be described as subtropical. Often the weather conditions in this part of Crimea are called Mediterranean. Subtropics stretch from Cape Aya to Feodosia. Such tourists' favorite cities as Yalta, Alupka, Alushta, Sudak are just in this zone. By climatic parameters, they are sometimes compared with the famous resorts and ports of Italy - Ravenna and Genoa.
The southern coast of Crimea is also an incredibly sunny part of our country. So, the sun in Yalta shines on average 2233 hours a year, and in Alushta and Feodosia - 2265 hours. This is about the same as in Nice and Cannes, and an order of magnitude more than in Sochi. According to reviews, where it is better to relax, in the Crimea or Sochi, it is impossible to judge unambiguously. Both places are unique in their own way. There is no seasonality typical of temperate latitudes; there is no autumn and spring in the usual sense. The year here is conditionally divided into two seasons: warm (from May to October) and cool (from April to November). During the warm season, breezes blow from the sea during the day, and towards the sea from the mountains in the evening. Thanks to this, the air in coastal towns is surprisingly clean, saturated with sea salts and forest aroma.
The climate of most of the territory of Crimea can be conditionally characterized as temperate-continental. This part of the peninsula is called the Steppe Crimea. Seasonality is more pronounced here, but a huge number of hours of sunshine are still noted. For example, in the relatively remote from the sea Simferopol, the sun shines on average 2469 hours a year.
Mineral waters of Crimea
It is worth noting that Crimea is famous for its mineral waters. There are more than a hundred sources, and about ten of them are used for medicinal purposes.
Local mineral water is used in the treatment of diseases of the liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, as well as to improve metabolism. In Crimea, you can find a wide variety of mineral waters, the most popular of which are Theodosia, Yalta, and Crimean.
Cultural Heritage of Crimea
In addition to its natural riches, Crimea also boasts a variety of cultural heritage sites: the famous and most amazing Swallow’s Nest, a favorite of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin Bakhchisaray, Kerch's visiting card - the Great Mithridates Stairs, the ancient Greek city of Chersonese, Tauride, Nikitsky Botanical Gardens, the Balakava Genoese Fortress and Theodosius, countless palaces - Livadia, Vorontsov, Massandra.
Enumerate all the Crimean sights worthy of attention, you can ad infinitum. And this proves only one thing: this peninsula definitely justifies its popularity and deserves to be chosen as a place for its holiday from year to year.
Where is it better to relax in the Crimea?
There is no doubt that the Crimea is a great place to relax. It attracts our domestic tourists with its beautiful nature and picturesque coast. However, where is it better to relax in the Crimea to a greater extent? Let's move on to a deeper analysis of the resorts of the Crimean peninsula.
Yalta
Yalta is one of the best and most popular resorts of the Southern coast of Crimea. Yalta is rightly called the pearl of the Black Sea. In Yalta, amazingly beautiful nature, magnificent beaches, and also there are many resorts. This place is exactly where it is better to relax at sea in the Crimea. Also, in addition to a beach holiday, in Yalta, you can spend time with health benefits. The city is famous for its natural healing properties - air saturated with iodine, volatile and medicinal herbs aromas, sun and sea. In boarding houses and sanatoriums of the resort city, aerotherapy is widely practiced in combination with gymnastics and various water procedures. Most resorts specialize in the treatment of respiratory diseases, including bronchial asthma, diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Separately, it is worth paying tribute to the incredible natural beauty of Yalta. The view from the famous peak of Mount Ai-Petri is definitely breathtaking. This peak can be reached by car or on foot, but it is best to use the Miskhor - Ai-Petri cable car. After only 15 minutes of travel in the passenger cabin, the southern coast of Crimea appears in front of tourists in all its glory.
Architecture lovers can appreciate the famous monument of history and culture “Swallow's Nest”. The romantic castle, built at the beginning of the 20th century, literally hangs over the Black Sea.
The castle is located on the Aurorina rock of Cape Ai-Todoy in Gespra, and it is very convenient to get to it from Yalta: you can use both bus routes and the ship.
Plus, next to Yalta, there is the famous "Massandra" - a grape-winery. The Massandra wine collection is the largest in the world and has about a million bottles. Therefore, all lovers of good wines should visit this place for the purpose of tasting.
Tourists of all ages come to Yalta from year to year. Here you can easily find something to your liking and mood. In Yalta, a beach holiday with excursion activities, hiking in the mountains and visiting concerts and festivals is easily combined. In this city, it is ideal to relax both youth and families with children.
Alupka is a seaside climatic resort town of the southern coast of Crimea, which is located on the southern slope of the Crimean mountains, at the foot of the already mentioned beautiful Ai-Petri mountain. Alupka is located southwest of Yalta, only twenty kilometers from it. Due to such a close location, tourists can easily travel around all the Yalta sights. Plus, in Alupka itself, there is a beautiful Alupka Park, also known as Vorontsov Park, which makes up a single ensemble with the Vorontsov Palace.
However, if we talk about nightlife, then here it is much less saturated than in Yalta. The scope of children's entertainment is also not particularly developed.
But despite this, Alupka is famous for its resorts, the first of which was opened here more than a hundred years ago. In Alupka there are such resorts as a sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense of Russia (treatment of respiratory organs); health resort for children "Alupka"; sanatorium of mother and child "South Coast" (somatic profile); health resort for them. A. Bobrova, which treats bone tuberculosis in children.
Alushta
Alushta is less famous than Yalta, but no less attractive resort city. It is located thirty kilometers from Yalta, in the north-east of it. Therefore, weather conditions here are similar to Yalta. Where is it better to relax in the Crimea: in Alushta or Sudak? Let's figure it out, because each place has its pros and cons.
All sanatoriums of Altushty are concentrated in picturesque places and quiet areas. This resort is great for people with problems in the respiratory tract and the cardiovascular and nervous system.
Alushta Mountain Amphitheater is one of the most beautiful on the entire peninsula. From here you can climb the western and highest peak of the amazing mountain range Church Cape. To the west of the valley are beech and pine forests of the Crimean reserve.
Due to the fact that Alushta is a less famous resort compared to Yalta, there are much fewer tourists. This has its pros and cons: for example, the nightlife in Alushta is not as bright as in Yalta. However, if we talk about family vacations, then this city should not be discounted. Alushta is not just a resort city, but also a generally interesting town with many interesting places and corners. Here you can find a lot of entertainment for young travelers: a water park, an aquarium, a dendrozoo and even the Crimea in Miniature Park.
Zander
Sudak is a city of republican subordination in southeastern Crimea, a traditional center for wine production and a resort. It is located just a few kilometers from Alushta, Simferopol and Kerch by ferry. The nature of Sudak is quite diverse, there are wooded mountain ranges and desert plains.
The climate of Sudak is largely similar to the weather conditions on the southern coast of Crimea - in Yalta, Alupka and Alushta. The city is located in the valley of the Sudak River, on the banks of the convenient Sudak Bay, which is bounded on the west by Mount Krepostnaya and on the east by Cape Alchak. Throughout the bay, nature created wonderful pebble-sand beaches, for which the city is so dearly loved by vacationers.
If we talk about the sights of Sudak, then its pearl, without a doubt, is the Genoese fortress of the XI-XIV centuries, as well as three temples of the IX-XIII centuries. The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in the village of Kozy, moreover, is the oldest of the existing temples of Crimea. Also famous are two large-scale buildings of Prince Lev Golitsyn - his seaside estate New World. Other sights of Sudak and its environs include natural beauties. For example, the Sokol rock massif (or Kush-Kaya), the Oryol mountain (or Koba-Kaya), the Alchak nature reserve, and the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall. All this beauty is inspiring and amazing.
The richest combination of natural health factors of the Crimean coast allows visitors to Sudak to undergo excellent spa treatment. The basis for a successful recovery is climatotherapy, balneotherapy, as well as numerous methods of traditional and alternative medicine, combined with a pleasant and calm atmosphere of relaxation. The main areas of treatment are disorders of the nervous system, respiratory diseases, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases, gynecological diseases, disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Where is better to rest youth in Crimea? Sudak also has plenty of entertainment for the younger generation: ATV rides, bike rides, plenty of water activities, a water park, and diving. In the evenings, the embankment of Sudak begins to play with new colors - tourists fill clubs, cafes, restaurants located exactly on the coast.
We can conclude that this city has a fairly developed infrastructure. Therefore, it is ideal for both youth and family holidays - representatives of each age group will find something to their liking.
So where better to rest in the Crimea: in Yalta, Alupka, Alushta or Sudak? There is no single answer to this question, it all depends on the purpose of your trip and your expectations. Young people will be most interesting in Yalta and Sudak, Alupka is ideal for spa treatment, but with the whole family you can go to any of these cities. At a minimum, the answer to the question of where it is better to rest youth in Crimea is now known to our readers. Now let's go to the west bank.
West coast of Crimea. Where better to relax?
On the southern coast of Crimea, without any doubt, many resort places are abundantly represented. However, do not underestimate the western coast of Crimea, where it is better to relax alone or young couples. Although it is less popular with vacationers, here also everyone can find a paradise for their vacation.
Western Crimea is primarily the resorts of Balaklava, Sevastopol, Yevpatoriya, as well as the mud spa town of Saki. Therefore, when asked where to relax in the western Crimea, these places first come to mind. The latter are the largest health centers of the entire peninsula. This is where it is best to relax for people suffering from respiratory diseases: the air here is saturated with useful salts and ions, which in combination with the aromas of the steppe herbs makes it especially healing. The western part of the peninsula is a place where it is better for asthmatics to rest in the Crimea. And it was here, in the city of Saki, in 1827 that the first mud baths in Russia were founded. The bottom of Lake Saksogo is covered with a thick layer of silt mineral mud with high healing properties. Currently, nine resorts are open in Saki. For the treatment of vacationers, therapeutic mud, brine and mineral water are used.
In the western Crimea, and more precisely in the territory of the city of Sevastopol, the famous reserve "Tauric Chersonesos" is located - the former Greek policy, city life in which was continuously maintained right up to the end of the XIV century. And not far from the resort of Saki is the ancient Greco-Scythian settlement Kara-Tobe. Therefore, everyone who wants to touch history should definitely stop at least once to rest on the western coast of Crimea.
Rest in the Crimea during off-season
So, for the summer holidays, both the southern and western coasts of the Crimea are certainly perfect. However, it often happens that in the summer we do not get the coveted vacation. Therefore, it is worth finding out where it is better to relax in the Crimea, when there is an off-season - in March, in April, in September and in October. Let's try to understand what the weather is like in Crimea in spring and autumn and what you can do on this wonderful peninsula.
Where is it better to relax in Crimea in March? The first spring month is the time when nature on the peninsula wakes up and blooms after a short winter sleep. Temperature during the day can reach 20 degrees, and at night drop to zero. Of course, this weather is not suitable for a beach holiday. That is why it is worth devoting time to the excursion program: at this time there is a unique opportunity to see the Swallow's Nest and the Vorontsov Palace without crowds of tourists. Also, the famous Nikitsky Botanical Garden, located not far from Yalta, is especially beautiful in spring - you should definitely include it in your list. Therefore, in March, the South coast, headed by Yalta, is ideal for relaxation.
Let's understand now where it is better to have a rest in Crimea in April.
In April, the weather is even better and confidently held at around 20 degrees. In addition to excursions, hiking and boat trips, you can go to the steppes - the flowering steppe can be seen only in the spring. Where is it better to relax in Crimea in April? Thus, in April, the choice of places for recreation is even wider: you can stop both on the southern southern coast, and in the unique Bakhchisarai, both to go to Yevpatoria and to Kerch.
Conclusion
Autumn Crimea is also incredibly beautiful. The combination of warm weather, beautiful nature and fresh fruits can turn your vacation into a fairy tale. So, September is the beginning of the velvet season in Crimea. Still very warm, but not hot anymore. You can both swim and go to conquer the mountain peaks. "Where is it better to relax in the Crimea in October?" - a rather controversial question. In October, the weather is more like autumn, but sometimes it reaches 20 degrees. In the second half of the month precipitation begins to fall. October is an ideal month for active tourism lovers visiting Crimea. Also in October, prices for spa treatment are noticeably reduced, so this month should be considered if there is a need to improve your health. Therefore, it is best this month to do the treatment of the body or visiting local attractions.
We hope that our article has been useful to you in many aspects. Have a nice rest!