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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Syuren fortress and cave monastery Shelter-Koba (also Chilter-Koba) although 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-Kale, Kachi-Kalon, Eski-Kremen, but, in our opinion, definitely worth a visit, especially if you have already visited the listed places. Which is good, large groups of tourists are not brought here, this is generally still a little-visited and not popular place among tourists. But this only makes it more interesting. So hurry up to visit it before the tourists come here in a big stream, because the popularity of the sights of the Bakhchisarai district is growing every season.
Here you will see:
- Ruins of the Suiren fortress on the mountain (rocky cape). It dates from the VI-VII centuries, VIII-X centuries, the middle of the IX century. or XI-XII centuries. In general, no one really knows exactly when it was built. The fortress walls, a two-story round tower, and the ruins of other outpost buildings have been preserved here.
- Observation point at the tip of the rocky cape. Be sure to go further beyond the fortress to the tip of the cliff, there are cool views from there. There is a platform over the cliff to take extreme photos. And on the very edge of the cliff there are faces carved in the stones, try to find them there.
- Chelter-Koba Cave Monastery. An ancient cave monastery, presumably founded in the XIV-XV centuries, or in the XIII—XIV centuries, and according to other sources in the VIII—IX centuries. In general, as with the fortress, no one really knows anything. But it is known that it was destroyed in 1475, when the Ottomans invaded the Crimea, and since then it has been abandoned. The monastery was revived only in the early 2000s, today it is active. It can be freely visited by tourists, and believers can pray in the temple, leave a note and light a candle. But do not forget to dress appropriately when visiting: women on the territory of the monastery can only be in scarves and long skirts. You can take them for free at the entrance to the monastery.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Officially, the entrance to the route to the fortress is paid: adults – 100 rubles, children under 15 years old inclusive and preferential categories - free of charge. Moreover, there are no ticket sales and controls at the entrance, you need to buy them at the box office of the Khan's Palace and then go here.
🚶 How to get there
The Syuren Fortress and Chelter-Koba Monastery are located near the village of Bolshoe Sadovoye, 16 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (fortress on the map). It is best to visit them on your own transport, but you can hire an excursion jeep in Bakhchisarai for a trip around the neighborhood, take a taxi or buses.
The starting point to the sights is located behind the village of Bolshoe Sadovoye. From here to them you will have to walk. Both attractions can be viewed in 3-4 hours. The route is simple, the trail is marked, the elevation differences are small. But still, in order not to get lost, it's better to download apps with offline maps Organic maps or Maps me to your smartphone in advance, you can also use Yandex maps, there are also these trails there. Organic maps can download our points from the map, there is both the beginning of the route and the points of attractions themselves, you will find everything without any problems. And here is a brief instruction on the route:
- The walking part starts from the parking lot, which is easily accessible by any car, and asphalt leads to it. Here is the parking on the map.
- From the parking lot, you can drive another 500 meters along a rocky dirt road if you have an SUV or you come here in an excursion jeep. Also, jeeps are "on duty" here in the parking lot, but it's up to you to decide whether to hire it from 500 meters away.
- Further from the end of the dirt road only on foot along the trail. The fortress and the monastery are located in different places and along different paths, so you will have to go to the fortress and the observation point (one and a half kilometers with a climb and a descent of 170 meters), then return to the fork and walk to the monastery (500 meters with a climb of 100 meters). There are no difficult areas where you will have to climb, there is just an ordinary trail with a moderate slope.
And now more about how to get here:
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With excursions and jeeps
We have not seen inexpensive group bus tours with a visit to the Syuren Fortress and monastery. But maybe they will appear in the future. Now you can come here with an individual jeep tour from Bakhchisarai. Jeep rides in Bakhchisarai are offered everywhere, you can easily find them on the main street in the old town, through hotels or owners of rented housing, at the entrance to the Khan's Palace. Drivers offer standard routes they have worked out around the neighborhood, but you can easily create your own program and coordinate with them. The cost of a one-day trip starts from 5000 rubles for the whole car (up to 6 people), but this is an approximate price, it all depends on the specific conditions and route.
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Independently by car
You can get to the parking lot where the route starts without any problems at all by any car, motorcycle, or whatever you want. The road is completely paved, parking is free. Further on foot as described above.
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On your own by bus
You can take suburban and intercity buses here from Bakhchisarai during the day. To do this, you need to take a bus from the Bakhchisarai bus station to the village of Bolshoe Sadovoye, and walk 1 kilometer from the stop to the beginning of the route. Buses run about 1 time per hour, so it's better to leave early in order to have time to return on the same day. You need a bus to the village of Sokolinoe, it passes through Bolshoe Sadovoye.
💥 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: