Holidays in Derbent - how to get there, what to see, where to stay

Derbent is a city on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Republic of Dagestan, the southernmost city in Russia (Derbent on the map of Russia). If Makhachkala is the administrative capital of the Republic, then Derbent is, without a doubt, the tourist capital of the region. The city is also the oldest in Russia, it is already more than 2000 years old, and it is filled with historical sights and museums, there is even a beach holiday here.

Most tourists visit Derbent for one day with excursion groups by bus from other resorts in the south of the Russian Federation, most often these are resorts of Caucasian Mineral Waters. The program of such one-day tours is quite standard: a tour of the southernmost and Derbent fortress Naryn-Kala, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and a walk through the streets of the old quarter.

But it is quite possible and worth coming here for a few days. After all, to visit only the most interesting places of the city, you need at least two days, and if you want to see everything, then four days will fly by unnoticed. Moreover, the number of interesting places here is replenished. For example, in 2021 a glass bridge appeared over the archaeological site, and in 2022 the largest and most modern light and music fountain in Russia was opened.

In addition, holidays in Derbent can be supplemented with trips to other attractions in the nearest and more distant corners of Dagestan, as well as relax here on the beaches. In recent years, another type of recreation in Derbent has begun to develop – this is medical dental tourism. And yet, there's just great fishing here.

However, we will reduce the praises about Derbent and return to earth to tell about some of its problems and disadvantages for recreation. You need to understand that this is far from a full-fledged and developed beach resort, and, most likely, it will never become such. And it's not at all about the poor development of the beach infrastructure, the lack of entertainment and some features of the local mentality, but in the original natural conditions.

Yes, there is a sea and beaches, there is a place to stay and take a walk. But the sea itself is unlikely to delight seasoned beach lovers, for example, compared to the Black Sea. So, the water here warms up later, and you can swim comfortably only starting in July. The purity of the water causes a lot of controversy: although someone claims that it is cloudy because it is saturated with beneficial algae and iodine, and therefore beneficial to health, this is a very dubious argument. And, finally, the cleanliness of the shore here also causes a lot of complaints. Everything looks clean and beautiful from the outside, but there is a lot of garbage of natural and artificial origin on the beaches in the sand. Well, the beaches are very modestly equipped: there are no water activities here, boiled corn and cheap diluted draft beer at every turn.

Nevertheless, if you can't imagine a holiday without beaches, and at the same time you are located in Derbent, then we advise you to go for a beach holiday to the beach next to ekranoplan Lun. The water and the shore there are much cleaner, you can relax and swim in open swimsuits, and there are very few people. True, there is no infrastructure there either, and you can only get there by your own transport or taxi, city transport does not go there.

And Derbent is by no means pleased with the prices for accommodation. Budget options here are "the cat has cried enough", and saving on vacation compared to Sochi or Crimea is unlikely to work here, rather the opposite. But the prices for food here are very pleasing, visiting the sights is also affordable.

That is, the meaning of everything written and our opinion is that it is possible and necessary to go to Derbent, and you can even stay here a little to relax on the beach. But we would not recommend the city as a full-fledged beach resort and a place to relax for the entire period of your vacation yet.

There are not so many tourist places in Derbent where you can have a cheap and tasty meal. Here are cafes and restaurants in Derbent that tourists recommend:

• Cafe Buro345 (345th Dagestan Rifle Division Street, 8B/2) – very large portions, traditional dishes, and be sure to order coffee with urbech here for dessert.
• Restaurant St. Petersburg (street X. Tagieva, 35) is an inexpensive cafe with various cuisines near the Derbent embankment.
• Restaurant Rodnik (on the highway near the Derbent fortress) – national cuisine at affordable prices.
• Cafe National (Vokzalnaya Street, 2) is an excellent cafe with a national flavor near the railway station.
• Kebab Cafe (46 Pushkin Street) is an inexpensive cafe where you can have a quick and inexpensive snack, including colorful fast food.
• Dining room No. 1 (44 Pushkin Street) is an inexpensive good dining room where you can just have a tasty and inexpensive meal without any frills.
• Garnet Dining room (Salman Street, 5) is an atmospheric place with a cafe setting and prices like in a dining room.

Dagestan in general, and Derbent in particular, have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, which has led to an increase in prices for hotel accommodation and rental housing, while the quality has not improved at all. The simplest rooms for two in high season here cost from 3000 rubles, it is cheaper to find only "dead" apartments for rent. The demand for accommodation is high, and therefore we advise you to plan your vacation and book accommodation in advance.

To search and book, we recommend using these reliable Russian systems:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Derbent on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search for affordable housing in Derbent on Sutochno.ru (we recommend it, the bonus system works)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Derbent on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Derbent on Otello from 2Gis

Derbent is located in the south of the Russian Federation on the shore of the Caspian Sea, 2000 kilometers from Moscow (Derbent on the map of Dagestan). You can get here from other regions and cities of the Russian Federation in the following ways:

• By plane to Makhachkala airport, and from there to the city center by taxi or with transfers by public transport.
• By train from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tyumen and other cities along the route to the railway station in the city center, and from there to the hotel on foot, by taxi or public transport.
• By train from Makhachkala to the railway station in the city center.
• By bus from the regions of the European part of the Russian Federation to the Northern bus station of Derbent, and from there to the place of rest by taxi or public transport.
• By car one at a time from automobile routes through Volgograd, Elista, Rostov-on-Don, etc.

Details about each of the ways how to get to Derbent with prices and schedule here.

Derbent is a large city, from edge to edge along the coast stretches for 15 kilometers. And if you intend to get to know him closely, then most likely you will not do without transport. Here you can travel by taxi (Yandex.Taxi and Uber aggregators work, as well as the Anzhi local taxi app and website), city buses and minibuses work (the fare costs 27 USD), you can rent a bicycle. You can also rent a car in Derbent, but in our opinion it is more convenient to do it at the airport in order to get to the city by it. Car-sharing services are not working in Derbent as of 2023.

There are not very many public transport routes: 1 city bus and 12 minibuses. But this is enough to get to the most interesting places and attractions in the city. In particular, the most popular routes are #11 and #6 because they can take you to Derbent Fortress and Old Town. To plan a route, you can use with Yandex maps or the 2Gis application, where you can set a route on public transport and even see the current position of buses en route.

Learn more about all the ways, how to navigate Derbent and urban transport here.

Derbent can be called the tourist capital of Dagestan. Not only are the most famous cultural and historical sights of the region located here, it is also the oldest city in Russia, it is already more than 2000 years old.

The largest and most famous landmark of the city and its hallmark is the ancient fortress of Naryn-Kala, which people come to see with excursions even from resorts from other regions. Fans of historical places will be equally interested in not so large-scale, but significant monuments of architecture and history, for example, the old town district, the Juma Mosque, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Armenian church, the house of Peter I. There are also several museums worth visiting in Derbent. In general, in order to get acquainted at least briefly with the most "top" sights of Derbent, it takes at least two days, and to see everything, it is better to plan four or more.

In addition to city attractions from Derbent, you can visit other interesting places of Dagestan. If you are in your car, then during the day you can easily go to Samur forest, Khuchni, Akhtyn hot springs and Akhtyn fortress, mustard springs in Izberbash, abandoned aul Gra and many more cool places in the Republic. To do this, see our map of Dagestan and download points of interest from there to your navigator or smartphone. If you don't have your own transport, then you can buy excursions on these excursion search sites with tourist reviews:

• 📷 Search for excursions in Derbent on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 Search for excursions in Derbent on Tripster.ru

In detail we tell you about all the sights of Derbent here.