The Crimean peninsula is the pearl of the Black Sea coast, a real dream of a tourist.
To visit all the sights of Crimea, it will take more than one year. In the first place on the list is the Black Sea, the azure waves of which are the main reason for the unprecedented popularity of the peninsula. Pure seawater with a temperature of +24 ° C attracts and bewitches. The entire coast from Yevpatoriya to Kerch is a continuous line of beaches, resorts and boarding houses. Beaches in the Crimea are of two types: sand and pebble. In the northwestern part of the peninsula, starting from Cape Tarkhankut to Sevastopol, all the beaches are sandy, and the rest of the coastal strip is occupied by pebble beaches that stretch to Feodosia itself - the hometown of the famous marine painter I.K. Aivazovsky. From Feodosia, a strip of sandy beaches begins again.
The most famous sights of Crimea with a description can be found in travel guides - it will be more convenient for you to navigate and to plan a travel route.
swallow's Nest
In the town of Gaspra, between Yalta and Alupka, there is the famous Swallow's Nest - a medieval palace built on the edge of a cliff and open to all winds. It can rightfully be called a visiting card of the Crimea.
Ayu-Dag
Ayu-Dag Mountain also enters the sights of Crimea , which resembles a huge bear crouched by the sea. Ayu-Dag is translated as "Mount Bear". At the foot is the picturesque Partenit Valley with several resorts surrounded by cypresses and cedars.
Vorontsov Palace
A little to the west, near Alupka, is the Vorontsov Palace - a masterpiece of castle architecture, built in the first half of the 19th century by the English architect Eduard Blor. The palace served as Governor-General Count M. S. Vorontsov as a summer residence.
Mount Ai-Petri
At some distance from the coastline is the legendary Ai-Petri Mountain, hanging over Alupka. The famous hundred-meter battlements on the top of the mountain are clearly visible. A unique unsupported cable car stretches from the coast to Ai-Petri. The mountain is noted in climatic reports as a zone of hurricane winds. There were attempts to use the power of a mountain wind to generate electricity, but the blades of the generators could not withstand the pressure and broke.
Not far from Yalta, at the foot of the mountain range, there is another palace built on the initiative of Crown Prince S. M. Vorontsov. This is the Massandra Palace, which passed into the possession of Emperor Alexander III in 1889. The castle’s history is sad: Vorontsov died before the end of construction, and the emperor did not manage to visit the palace, having died in 1894 in Livadia. In Soviet times, the palace was used for recreation of the highest party leadership of the USSR. Currently, the Massandra Palace is part of the Alupka Museum Reserve.
Rural attractions
If you move along the coastal highway from Alushta towards Feodosiya, then on the 22nd kilometer tourists will immediately discover three sights of the Crimea: the villages of Solnechnogorsk, Malorechensk and Rybachye. At first glance, there is nothing special in the villages, no palaces or ancient buildings. However, they personify the primordial nature of the peninsula; the whole history of Crimea is concentrated in them.
When traveling to a hill, a tourist may be speechless, the panorama that opens before him is so beautiful. Below is a real Crimean village, neat little houses under red tiled roofs, drowning in peach gardens, dark green cypress trees, beaches unique in their pristine nature, huge boulders in the clear sea water, the size of a trolleybus, on which you can sunbathe.
Nikitsky garden
A maritime tram runs from the pier in Solnechnogorsk, on which you will sail to the next attraction of the Crimea - Nikitsky Botanical Garden. This is a world center for studying the flora of the southern regions, botany and fruit growing. Nikitsky Garden is one of the oldest scientific centers on the planet, founded in 1812. The territory contains unique plants from around the world, and the layout allows you to get acquainted with the flora of not only the Crimea, but also the whole world.
Genoese fortress
Closer to the eastern tip of the peninsula, you can visit another attraction of the Crimea - the city of Sudak. At the top of the mountain is the ancient Genoese fortress, built in the 15th century to protect against enemy attacks from the sea. Along the outer perimeter of the fortress there are 14 battle towers, an entrance gate, a Consular tower and a watchtower of St. Elijah. The internal defensive line of fortifications, the citadel, consists of four towers, united by a fortress wall.
Sudak - an ancient city
The city of Sudak is also included in the sights of Crimea. It is famous for its unique underwater pastures, starting right from the coast and extending two hundred meters into the open sea. At a depth of four meters spread out vast green areas - expanse for fish, crabs and dolphins. The Black Sea bottlenose dolphins visit the underwater thickets early in the morning to feed and play. Tourists-divers can take part in dolphin games, which are quite benevolent towards people.
36 km from Sudak, there is a literary attraction of the Crimea - the village of Koktebel (Planerskoye), in which there were the most famous Russian writers. Maximilian Voloshin, Marina Tsvetaeva, Konstantin Paustovsky, Marietta Shaginyan and many others lived and worked here.
Hero City Kerch
Crimean sights, photos of which are presented in the article, include the city of Kerch, whose history goes back to prehistoric times. The primeval sites discovered by archaeologists date back to the eighth millennium BC. Currently, Kerch bears the honorary title of a hero city. Ships from all over the world depart from the port of Kerch, ferry services have been established across the Kerch Strait to the Krasnodar Territory.
New sights of Crimea
All tourist places of Crimea cannot be described. Among the new attractions is the Miniature Park in Yevpatoriya, which contains elegant models of Crimean palaces and castles. Models are made on a scale of 1:25 and exactly repeat the originals. A new museum, “Pirates of the Black Sea”, which is located in the historical quarter of the city and is an old pirate ship with chests full of looted treasures, also appeared in Yevpatoria. An ice cream museum was opened in Sevastopol, and the Museum "Craft Town" is located in Simferopol, on the territory of Vernadsky University.
All Crimean sights, photos of which can be found in tourist guides, are now available for visits throughout the peninsula. Palaces and natural caves, unique plants and modern exhibitions await tourists.