The ruins of Pantikapei in Kerch and how to visit it

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

The ruins of the ancient city of Pantikapei are located on the slope of Mount Mithridates in the center of Kerch, and their visits must be combined. The Greeks laid the foundation of the city of Kerch by building on this site one of the oldest cities in the world - Pantikapei, in the seventh century BC. Today, there are very few tourists to see, only one arch and a few remnants of columns, but this place is a landmark and must-visit.

Pantikapei was the capital of the Bosporan kingdom, which included the ancient cities of Nymphaeum and Tiritaka, also located within the city of Kerch. It was the largest of the ancient cities of the Black Sea region. On the top of Mount Mithridates there was a huge courtyard complex of rulers, around it during the excavations ruins of temples, sanctuaries, forts, residential buildings and a fortress wall were discovered. There are several mounds -mounds in the district that served as a necropolis for the Scythian nobility, among the most famous are Tsarsky and Melek-Chesmensky. The city became the object of numerous attacks and wars, was destroyed by an earthquake.

Today you can walk along the ruins completely freely, but, unfortunately, it will not be very interesting without information plates. But from the top of the mountain you can see a panoramic view of the city and the coast.

💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Crimea with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites:

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