Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
RussiaIn the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, the real treasures of the Crimea are hidden – ancient cave monasteries carved right into the rocks. These places breathe history, keep legends and amaze with their unusual architecture. Here, time seems to have frozen: narrow paths lead to hermit cells, half-erased frescoes and mysterious grottoes where monks once prayed.
Why is it worth seeing these monasteries? They are not just beautiful – they are unique. Unlike traditional temples, these monasteries were created by nature itself and the hands of ancient architects, merging with mountain landscapes. Here you can climb the steps cut in stone, look into the ancient churches, feel the coolness of the underground passages and enjoy stunning views of the valleys of the Crimea.
Each monastery has its own history, its own secrets and a unique atmosphere. Are you ready to embark on a journey in the footsteps of medieval monks? Then go ahead – amazing discoveries are waiting for you ahead!
Assumption Cave Monastery
This is a landmark and an active place of worship, which tourists and guests of Bakhchisarai do not miss. The fact is that this beautiful cave monastery and temple are located on the way to Chufut-Kale, which in turn every tourist is obliged to visit. Therefore, it is simply impossible not to look at the monastery on the way. In addition, since 2015 it has become a monument of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation of federal significance, and it is also the largest Crimean monastery in terms of the number of novices. According to one version, the history of the monastery begins no later than the VIII century. Learn more about the Assumption Cave Monastery here.
🕐 Working hours: The monastery is open to the public from 09:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free of charge, donations for the restoration of temples and voluntary fees for excursions are welcome.
🚶 How to get there: The Assumption cave monastery is located on the outskirts of Bakhchisarai, a couple of kilometers from the tourist area on the way to Chufut-Kale (Assumption Cave Monastery on the map). Usually it is visited independently or as part of an excursion to Chufut-Kale, but you can only visit the monastery separately. From the center of Bakhchisarai it can be reached on foot or by city bus no.2. For more information, see the link with the full description.
Kachi-Kalon Cave Monastery
Kachi-Kalon is an Orthodox medieval cave monastery in a rock, a monument of cultural heritage of federal significance. It is located on the vertical slope of one of the rocks of the inner mountain range of Crimea. Kachi-Kalyon is not the most popular tourist attraction among mass tourists, because it is lost in the shadow of the much more famous and promoted Khan's Palace of Bakhchisarai and Chufut-Kale, where more tourists are brought by buses with excursions. However, this does not detract from its attractiveness for tourists. This place is, in its own way, Unique and definitely worth visiting, and therefore we recommend that you include it and the nearby Hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa in the program of your trip and vacation in Bakhchisarai. Read more about the Kachi-Kalon cave monastery here.
🕐 Working hours: officially, the Kachi-Kalon is open from 09:00 to 18:00, seven days a week. In practice, you can visit it at any time, just passing by a non-working cashier. But be careful when visiting in the dark – it's dangerous.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: Adults – 200 rubles, children aged 16-18 and students - 150 rubles, pensioners - 150 rubles. Preschoolers are free. A tour guide of 100 rubles / person is also offered.
🚶 How to get there: The Kachi-Kalon Cave monastery is located 8 kilometers from Bakhchisarai on the way to the village of Mashino, Sinapnoye, etc. (Kachi-Kalon on the map). It is convenient that it is located right next to the asphalt road, which means that you will not have to get long and far along the primer. For the same reason, you can get here from Bakhchisarai by regular commuter buses that depart several times a day from the bus station.
The hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa or the Beaded Temple
The hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa is also known as the Bead Temple. He received such a "nickname" for being richly decorated with beaded weaving made by parishioners and monks. It is believed that this is the only such temple in the world. It is located near the Kachi-Kalon cave complex and we recommend visiting both places at once. Moreover, the Hermitage is actually a historical continuation and revival of the Kachi-Kalon cave monastery. The fact is that earlier the source of St. Anastasia, which was one of the reasons for the foundation of the monastery, was located in the fourth grotto of Kachi-Kalon, but eventually dried up. After the closure of the old cave monastery in the Soviet years, it was decided not to revive it in the same place in the rock, but to build a new one nearby. Therefore, it is now in the active stage of construction, but this does not prevent its visit at all. Read more about the Beaded Temple here.
🕐 Working hours: open to tourists from 09:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free of charge, donations and shopping in shops are welcome.
🚶 How to get there: The hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa is located 8 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa Skete on the map). You can get here by your own transport or taxi, as well as by regular commuter buses from Bakhchisarai.
Shuldan Cave Monastery
This is a functioning ancient monastery and at the same time a historical and architectural landmark in the western part of Crimea. This place is very interesting and will be primarily attractive to those tourists who like to get acquainted with sights that are not very popular among mass vacationers. The history of the Shuldan monastery began in the XII-XIII centuries. It was at this time that it was erected by monks persecuted by the Byzantine authorities. In its original form, the monastery consisted of 20 caves. All of them were in 2 tiers. After one of the earthquakes, part of the caves was destroyed. But tourists still have something to see. Learn more about Shuldan Monastery here.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free of charge, donations are welcome.
🚶 How to get there: Shuldan Monastery officially belongs to the territory of Sevastopol and is located 33 kilometers from its center (Shuldan Cave Monastery on the map). It is located 26 kilometers from Bakhchisarai. It is best to get here by your own transport, but you can get there by city buses from Sevastopol and Balaklava, or by passing intercity from Yalta, Foros and Bakhchisarai. For more information about all the methods, see the link with a full description of the attraction.
Chelter Marmara Cave Monastery
This is one of the most interesting and intriguing cave monasteries of Crimea, an archaeological monument and an object of cultural heritage of federal significance. According to various estimates, it dates back to the VIII—XV centuries, but there is no exact information. Located on Chelter-Kaya Mountain at an altitude of about 380 meters, its caves are cut right into the steep slope of this rocky mountain. And what's cool, while it is little known among mass tourists. Group excursions rarely get here, so the place retains an atmosphere of privacy and tranquility. A dirt road to the monastery leads almost to the very top of the mountain, from where you can go down the stairs to the caves through a through grotto. There are no problems getting here by car or even by public transport, but if you don't have a serious SUV and don't have experience driving on difficult dirt roads, you'll have to walk a little more. Read more about Chelter Marmara Monastery here.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free of charge, donations are welcome.
🚶 How to get there: Chelter-Marmara officially belongs to the territory of Sevastopol and is located 33 kilometers from its center (Shuldan Cave Monastery on the map). It is located 26 kilometers from Bakhchisarai. It is best to get here by your own transport, but you can get there by city buses from Sevastopol and Balaklava, or by passing intercity from Yalta, Foros and Bakhchisarai. For more information about all the methods, see the link with a full description of the attraction.
Syuren Fortress and Chelter-Koba Monastery
Although these are two different attractions, they are located in the same place and are visited together, so we talk about them in one article. They are lost in the shadow of more popular places near Bakhchiarai, such as Chuftu-Kale, Mangup-Kaloe, Kachi-Kalon, Eski-Kremen, but, in our opinion, they are definitely worth a visit, especially if you have already visited the listed places. Here you will see: the ruins of the ancient Suiren fortress on the mountain, the observation deck at the tip of the rocky cape, the ancient cave monastery Chelter-Koba. Read more about the Syuren Fortress and Chelter-Koba Monastery here.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: officially, the entrance to the route to the fortress is paid: adults – 100 rubles, children up to and including 15 years and preferential categories - free of charge. Moreover, there are no ticket sales and controls at the entrance, you need to buy them at the cash desk of the Khan's palace and then go here.
🚶 How to get there: located near the village of Bolshoe Sadovoye, 16 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (fortress on the map). It is best to visit by your own transport, but you can hire an excursion jeep in Bakhchisarai for a trip around the neighborhood, take a taxi or buses. For more information about the visit route and how to get there, follow the link with a full description.
Cave Monastery of the Annunciation
This is an ancient cave monastery in the rocks of the Baba-Dag mountain range, on which the ancient cave city of Mangup-Kale is located. In our opinion, this is one of the most inaccessible monasteries compared to other monasteries in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, so we definitely recommend visiting it, and first of all we will not. However, if you have already visited the monastery of Shuldan, Chelter-Marmara and others, and you want something new and interesting, then you will not be disappointed here either. Ideally, it is worth combining his visit with a tour of Mangup-Kale, but in principle there is no difficulty in visiting it separately. The monastery is reached by a fairly long climb along the path, but it is quite possible for any healthy person to overcome it. Read more about the cave Monastery of the Annunciation here.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free of charge, donations are welcome.
🚶 How to get there: located in Bakhchisarai district near the village of Khoja-Sala and the famous cave town of Mangup-Kale, 25 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (Cave Monastery of the Annunciation on the map). You can visit it yourself by car, by taxi, with an individual excursion by jeep, or get here by commuter buses. For more information about the visit and how to get there, follow the link with a full description.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaklava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: