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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Tepe-Kermen is a monument of early medieval urban planning and architecture of Crimea in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, or, in other words, an early medieval fortress city. It is a monument of cultural heritage of federal significance. The fortress is located on the mountain of the same name at an altitude of about 540 meters, and consists of a network of rock rooms, cave temples, rock passages and ruins of entire neighborhoods. Tourists can visit this place freely, since it is considered an open-air museum, however, a small nominal fee must be paid for admission. This is one of the most striking, but at the same time little-known tourist attractions in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, which is definitely worth a visit if you like little-trodden hiking trails. However, you need to be prepared for a difficult and protracted ascent of the mountain on which this landmark is located.
The territory of modern Tepe-Kermen includes more than 250 cave structures, including at least two churches. But this is an approximate value, since the area has not been fully explored. You can see here not only the remains of ancient structures, but also beautiful nature, because from the height of Tepe-Kermen there is a view of the Kachin Valley.
Tepe-Kermen, as a fortress, was formed during the split of the Roman Empire. At that time, the settlement was a fortified point located at an altitude of 540 meters above sea level. The inaccessibility of this place was also due to natural factors: steep slopes, high position. Therefore, by the XI century. The fortress became a large city for that time.
🕐 Working hours
Theoretically, the open-air museum is open from 09:00 to 18:00, seven days a week. However, in practice, you can visit it at any time, since there are no means restricting access.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
adults – 100 rubles, children aged 16-18 and students – 50 rubles, pensioners - 50 rubles. Preschoolers are free. A tour guide of 100 rubles /person is also offered. The ticket office is located in the parking lot on the north side, but does not always work. If there is no one at the checkout (and this happens), you can pass without paying.
🚶 How to get there
Tepe-Kremen is located 15 kilometers from Bakhchisarai near the village of Mashino, through which one usually gets to the complex (Tepe-Kermen on the map). Unfortunately, public transport hardly goes here, group excursions are not offered, and therefore you can visit it either on your own transport or with an individual guide-driver.
On your own transport
A normal asphalt road from Bakhchisarai leads to the village of Mashino, and along the way you will pass another landmark of Quality, so that their visits can be combined. In the village of Mashino, from the main road, you need to use the navigator or road sign to turn onto a dirt road, and you will have to drive 2-4 kilometers along it, depending on the route you choose. There are two ways to get to the mountain from the north and south, and therefore you will need to get to one of the starting points, from where the path will continue on foot:
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The path from the north is a little further away and a more difficult road for a car leads to it, but it is much easier to climb on foot. You need to go to this point - parking and entrance from the north in Tepe Kremen on the map. This road in dry weather is quite passable for any car, but on the "puzoterki" the car will have to be left a few hundred meters before the end of the journey, and then on foot. On cars with high suspension, you can safely reach the end of the road and parking near the information stand. Then you have to go to the top about half a kilometer and gain 100 meters in height.
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The way from the south is easier for the car, but on foot you will have to climb a very steep slope and gain almost 300 meters of height. Good trekking shoes are needed here, because you will simply tear up ordinary sneakers on the rocks. You need to go from the south to of this point on the map. You can easily get to it by any car, even on a wet surface, unless there are deep puddles.
With a guided tour
We did not come across ready-made excursions to Tepe-Kermen, and most likely there are none. But in Bakhchisarai, you can hire a guide driver in a jeep, and visit several places in the vicinity at once. The price is negotiable. So, a trip to Tepe-Kermen and Kachi-Kalon will cost from 3000 rubles per car. You can also book an individual tour to Tepe-Kermen on Sputnik8.ru or Tripster.ru.
In Tepe-Kermen by public transport
From Bakhchisarai you can take a commuter bus to the village of Mashino. Buses depart several times a day from the Bakhchisarai bus station, check the schedule on the spot. You need to go to the stop "Warehouses", and from there walk 2-4 kilometers to one of the starting points (see above), and then climb up.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaclava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: