| The capital of Crimea, Simferopol (the population is about 340 thousand). |
The economical and cultural center and joins all the roads of the peninsula.
The Crimean Mountains in the south extend in three parallel ridges from Sevastopol to Feodosia, covering 150 kilometers. Their souhern slopes are almost vertical, and the northern ones gently come into inter-ridge valleys or planes.The Main Ridge rises as a nearly continuous barrier whose central part is over one thousand meters high. The ridge protects at its southern cliff a narrow patch of land, the famous Southern Coast of Crimea, from cold winds.
Overall, it is that of a moderate zone. However, the Southern Coast of Crimea from Cape Aya in The west to Mount Kara-Dag in the east is called Sub-Mediterranean, since climatically this coast is similar to the Mediterranean region, as for the sunshine, water and air temperature, mode of precipitions; the wildlife and vegetation are of the sort observed in the subtropics. The average temperature in January is +4*C. The climate in the northern, plane part of Crimea is continental, of a moderate zone. seldom frosts can reach -30*C, but the average temperature in January is from -2*C to +1*C.
in Crimea is hot throughout the whole territory (the average temperature in June is +24*C, in August the heat can exceed 40 degree C, but it is easy to withstandbecause the air is dry), sunny days are pleasantly refreshed by short showers - mostly in the afternoon. The time frame of the summer vacation period seems to be set by the middle of May (though the resorts are habitually populous on national holidays within the beginning of May) and the end of September. Summer days are very long: at 4-6 AM, it is already light, and it gets dark at 9-10 PM.
gives you a tender treat with its sunny days (and even weeks), with rains as well.
usually does not differ much from late autumn, but in the mountains it is a mere wonder: dry frosty air, clean fluffy snow.
the deep waters of the Black Sea warm up slower near Yalta and Alushta, than they do at the northern or eastern coast of Crimea.
at our resorts substantially exceeds that of Nice or Sochi. From April until October, in Evpatoria the sun shines, according to longstanding records, for 1982 hours, with no clouds.
in Crimea is practically always and everywhere low, within 65-80%. This parameter is under 15% in Sahara, about 90% (up to 100% during the raining period) in Thailand,and here you breath easily even in a heat. The relative humidity values in Yalta's area, according to many-year data, are the lowelst in Europe.
The integrities are the Belbek Canyon, Mangup-Kaleh, Karaul-Oba.The geological phenomena are the Red Caves and Mount Demerdji. In addition, there are botanical phenomena - giant trees, long-liver trees, for instance, the famous "airplane" pine tree on Mount Ai-Petri, a number of 1000-y.o. berry yews.
Crimea is one of the most ancient granaries of the world. The orchards and vineyards of the sunny peninsula do not need special appraisals. As far as aromatic crops are concernad, virtually nothing can match Crimea. The Crimean trademark keeps stable by dozens of rural canneries and large tinned food factories in towns. In addition, most delicious Crimean muscatels are the best in the world; other wine grades meet the most demanding tastes as well.
No doubt, the resorts and tourism set the peninsula's business-like pace; it is highly intense from May untill October, and during the New Year and Christmas time.
only is exchanged at special posts. The exchange posts are numerous and work almost without breaks and days-off. Large banks provide for exchange not only US dollars and EURO, but a couple of dozens of other popular currencies as well.
Certain banks, hotels, company shops in large towns accept credit cards and traveler's checks of the most popular systems, but it is not a general practice. Anyway, in business centers and large hotels there are automatictellers, so, you do not need to have large sums of money about you. The automatic tellers give money in US dollars, EURO< but please mind that for settling the accounts in Crimea you always need Ukrainian grivnyas.
Simferopol is the main gate to Crimea, and the passengers mostly arrive though its railway station.
For air transportation, the Crimean capital's Central airport. Available are direct flights to many cities of Ukraine, Russia and to Tel-Aviv, Istanbul (the most convenient transition point), Larnaka, Frankfurt-on-Maine.
The Simferopol - Alushta mountain trolleybus highway is the longest and most picturesque in Europe. The departures are from the railway station to all the towns of Crimea.
Seasonal differences in prices are considerable everywhere, in winter the prices are at the minimum level, though they can rise at the New Year and Cristmas time, in spring and autumn they are medium, and in July and August they are at their maximum. September is the "velvet" season and its prices are close to the summer ones.
The emergency medical aid (the telephone number is 03) is free of charge for tourists from 11 countries of CIS. The citizens of other countries should have medical insurance when they are obtaining the visa or crossing the border. The drugstores work from 9 AM until 6-8 PM and are rather numerous; the pharmaceutical posts are in hotels and large shops, in every city there are "drugstores on duty" that work round the clock.
| Bakhchisarai and its Neighborhoods |
The Bakhchisarai area is one of the most interesting in Crimea, with an unusual density of geological, archeological and military-historical monuments.
The city of Bakhchisarai (in the Crimean-Tatar language it means "the Palace-Garden") was founded in the end of the 15th century as the capital of the Crimean Khanate that fell off the Golden Horde. In the used-to-be Khan's Palace that locates in the center of the "old city" the History and Architecture Reservation Museum is housed.
Passing through the Siren village that is situated between Bakhchisarai and Sevastopol, one can reach the Belbek Valley and examine the medieval cave towns - Mangup and Eski-Kermen; up to the Sokolinoye village, there is the famous Great Canyon of Crimea.
A popular place of educational excursions is the Crimesn astrophysical observatory in the upper reaches of the valley; this observatory is the largest in Europe.
| Yalta and its neighborhoods |
Yalta is the most famous city of Crimea. Not far from Yalta are situated: the palac of the Emperor Alexandr III in Massandra; the Livadia's Great White Palace to be the summer residence of Russian Emperors Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicolas II, here in february 1945, the governmental heads of the three allied powers - USSR, USA and Great Britain - held the Crimean Conference; the romantic Palace "Swallow's Nest"; in Alupka a large estate appeared that belonged to Count M.S.Vorontsov, its palace is a brilliantly successful combination of the English and Moslem architectures, with a magnificent park, upon visiting the Vorontsov Palace during the Yalta conference, W.Churchill experienced here, "in remote Russia, a feeling of the old England"; the Nikita Botanical Gardens; in addition, a remarkable structure built in recent years is the cable cartrack on Ai-Petri Mount; the winemaking "Massandra".
| The Hero City of Sevastopol and neiborhoods |
It is a very large tourist center. Its position at the center of the Black Sea has defined strategic interests to it of all the empires, including Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, British, and Russian.
Sevastopol is now in the lead on the number of foreign tourists, first and foremost from England, France, and Italy, visiting the heroic battlefields of the Crimean War of 1854 - 56.
You can go into the antique history of these places in Chersonesus that existed for about 2 thousand years.
Eastward from the Southern Bay, there is the Ship Side of Sevastopol. Famous is the Malakhov Mound. Here the strongholds and massive marine guns of the Crimean War (1854-56) remain.
In the small ancient town of Balaklava the remnants of the Genoa Cembalo Fortress are notable. People lived here for thousands of years before it was built. Homer is supposed to mention them in "Odyssey" under the legends about immeasurable treasures of the English "Black Prince" frigate sunken during the members Crimean War, in 1854. In the Balaklava battle, the of many aristocratic families of Great Britain perished.
| The Hero City of Kerch and its neighborhoods |
Here 26 centuries ago the Bosphoran Kingdom was, in the antique scope, a really large and strong state. Its treasures are exhibited now in the Hermitage and in the British Museum. However, in Kerch and its neighborhoods not much has been done for showing the sights to tourists: the crypt of the Old-Greece goddess Demeter with unique frescos, a portion of the archeologocal dig on Mount Mithridates, where the capital - Pantikapeus was situated, the dig of the subordinate cities - Tiritaka, Nimpheus, Iluratum. According to Homer's and other antique authors testimony, on the coast of Cimmerian Bosphorus (the Kerch Strait) Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War, was born.
| Alushta and its neighborhoods |
Alushta (36 kilometers southward from Simferopol). In terms of transportation, this area is the most convenient, attractive to automobile, bicycle tourism, horseback riding and hiking. Alushta's mountain amphitheater is the most beautiful and extensive in Crimea.
Marine excursions are good here, especially at the foot of Sudak's Genoa Fortress, past thr wonderful Novy Svet's bays or the "pipes" of "the stone organ" - the Karadag Volcano. You will learn a lot on history, geology, phytology walking the tourist paths to mounts Karaul-Oba, Choban-Kule, the Champaing-making plant in the Novy Svet and wine cellars of the Solnechnaya ("Sunny") Valley.
| Feodosiya and its neighborhoods |
Feodosiya is one of the oldest cities of Europe. It is older than 26 centruries. The city was one of the centers of the Great Silk Path.
70 kilometers to the west from Simferopol, is one of the best places for treatment and health improvement of children. Here you'll find the shallow, warm and safe Kalamit gulf, golden sand beaches, curative muds and brine of salty lakes, thermal mineral water springs.
The population of Crimea is about 2 million. But in August, up to 2 million visitants stay simultaneously on the peninsula, at these periods the whole population number doubles. Presently Russians are the largest portion of the Crimean population, then follow Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars (their number is rapidly growing). Russian persists as the language of international communication in Crimea.
CRIMBALKAN LTD
14 Oktyabrskaja str. Simferopol 95000
Crimea
Ukraine
ICQ 299661357
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e-mail: balkan@pop.cris.net
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