Rest in the villages of Popovka and Mirny

General information

Popovka and Mirny are two small resort villages on the western coast of Crimea, 30 kilometers from Yevpatoria (Popovka and Mirny on the map of Crimea). Mirny is a village with a population of just over four thousand people, and Popovka is a village with a permanent population of less than 300 people. Both villages are located almost across the road from each other, so they are usually considered as one Resort and in fact they are.

The center of the village of Mirny is located at a distance of about one kilometer from the shore. There is a bus station, shops and markets, there is even a park and a walking alley for vacationers. And Popovka lies directly on the seashore along the beach and is an array of private houses, small hotels, guest houses, boarding houses.

Rest in the villages of Popovka and Mirny

Until 2013, the world-famous electronic music festival "Kazantip" was held on the beach in Popovka, and today people come here for a relaxing holiday on excellent sandy beaches. This is a great place for a carefree holiday with family and children, for older people. For the young and energetic there is not much entertainment, as, however, there are almost none for children, but a wonderful beach covers these shortcomings.

They also come here because of the salt lakes with healing mud. They can be treated completely free of charge and independently with therapeutic hydrogen sulfide mud or blue clay. However, there are no specialized hospitals or sanatoriums here, for this it is better to go to Saki.

The weak point of Popovka and Mirny is not a developed infrastructure, a small amount of entertainment and a complete lack of attractions. And although the sea and the beach here are just perfect for children's holidays, it should be frankly said that after a few days the children begin to get bored. Prices in markets, shops and cafes are inflated, while the quality of food is low.

Many complaints about the cleanliness of the beach. The beach within the village is rarely cleaned, and outside it never at all. There are no garbage bins, and therefore vacationers often just bury it in the sand. There is almost no infrastructure on the beach: there is only one paid toilet.

The cleanliness and grooming of the village of Popovka itself is also not at its height: there are almost no asphalt roads, and after the rain all the primers turn into a swamp.

But for objectivity it is worth saying that the resort is developing and improving every year. And if you were here a few years ago and remember only the complete devastation, today you will be surprised by the developed center with shops and a market near the bus station, cleaner streets. The old art objects left on the beach from the time of the Kazantip festival have been updated and renovated, and now they have bars and cafes. And there is a new conditional pedestrian zone at the exit from Mira Street to the beach.

✔ Advantages of the resort

• A wide and very long sandy beach with fine sand.
• Not many vacationers, quiet peaceful environment and plenty of space on the beach.
• Shallow depth and smooth sandy bottom, perfect for relaxing with children.
• Nearby there are two estuary lakes with free therapeutic mud.

❌ Disadvantages of the resort

• It is not very easy to get by public transport from the airport.
• There are no attractions and little entertainment for children and adults.
• Urban and tourist infrastructure is poorly developed.
• Poor arrangement of streets in Popovka: dirt and dust, there are no normal roads.

Beaches in Popovka and Mirny

Popovka Beach is an example of an ideal sandy beach on the Black Sea. According to some tourists, this is generally the best beach in the Crimea, and there is some truth in this. The strip of sand is very wide, reaches 100 meters. And at the same time it is very long: it stretches in both directions from the village for many kilometers.

The sand is fine, white-gray, sometimes mixed with broken shells, but the water is still clear and without a cloudy suspension. The slope of the bottom is small, and you can safely go a hundred meters from the shore, so Popovka Beach is ideal for holidays with young children. What is still good, the water in hot weather warms up quickly, which will also appeal to children. Even at the peak of the season, there are not many vacationers on the beach, and if you go a little away from the main exits from the village to the shore, then you will be completely alone.

The special charm of Popovka Beach is given by the remains of art objects and buildings of Z. City, left here after the Electronic Music Festival "Kazantip" held many years ago. For many years they were abandoned, crumbling and rusting. But now this part of the beach was renamed "Lukomorye", the objects were partially restored and restored, and began to be used as entertainment, bars and cafes.

Beach infrastructure is still poorly developed. There are no paid or free toilets, changing cabins, few sun loungers and umbrellas for rent, which are usual for city beaches. Therefore, you have to hide from the scorching sun in the shadow of Z structures.You can either bring a portable umbrella or awning, and instead of a chaise longue, use your towel or mattress. There is a shower and a paid toilet only at the exit point to the Lukomorye beach, and in other parts of the coast you will have to run "into the bushes". Beach activities include rental of SUP-surfboards and kayaks, inflatable children's slides and trampolines, and a massage point. But motorized entertainment such as riding a banana, tablet, parachute, etc. here begin to work only at the height of the season. The previously working children's mini-water park "Aphrodite" right on the shore closed, but may restore work in the future. But for children it will be a great pleasure to climb the intricate designs of Z. City, so they will not need any other entertainment.

Infrastructure in the villages of Popovka and Mirny

As we wrote above, Mirny and Popovka have become much better in recent years, this has also affected the infrastructure. The main shopping area is located on Syrnikova Street next to the bus station, where there are several grocery and industrial stores, daily necessities and leisure goods are sold, there is a market for local products and clothing, and there is a single pharmacy. If you need to buy something during your vacation, we advise you not to be lazy and go here, because here you can buy almost everything, and prices are lower than in other parts of both villages. If we talk specifically about the resort area of Popovka along the beach, then everything is bad with shops there: there are only a few "selmags", food and drinks in which are sold to vacationers with a large mark-up. For serious purchases like electronics, clothing, expensive alcohol, it is better to go to Yevpatoria, where near the bus station there is a large market and a huge supermarket.

The tourist infrastructure in the villages is also developing. From the center on Syrnikov Street, a conventional pedestrian and tourist alley stretches deep into the village of Mirny, where excursions and side dishes are sold, pavilions for the sale of draft drinks, trays with tourist goods, cafes and fast foods work. Another shopping pedestrian zone is in the place of access to the beach from Mira street, but so far everything is much more modest.

In the shops in the center you can pay in cash and a bank card, but in the small shops of Popovka, for services and entertainment on the beach, for accommodation in hotels and guest houses accept mostly cash. You can withdraw cash from the card at one of the four ATMs of RNKB bank on the street.Syrnikova. For withdrawing money from cards of third-party banks, including SBER, a commission of about 1% is withheld.

Hotels and accommodation where to stay

You can stay for rest both in Popovka (closer to the shore and the beach) and in Mirny (1-2 kilometers to the beach). The bulk of hotels, guest houses and boarding houses is located in Popovka just a few minutes walk from the beach. There are also many private houses, the owners of which rent rooms and houses entirely. In Mirny you can stay in a room or an apartment in an apartment building.

The closer to the beach, the more expensive housing is, but there is no point in overpaying here for proximity to the sea. A walk from the second or third line of Housing to the beach will help to save a little on accommodation and kill time, which during the rest will abound and there will simply be nowhere to go.

Usually in hotels and in the private sector, WiFi, air conditioning, cleaning are provided. Meals are at an additional cost, or you can cook yourself, for which most accommodation has a shared kitchen. If you decide to stay with private traders, be sure to discuss and check the work of WiFi, air conditioning, the performance of equipment in the kitchen, as often promised by private traders is not true. It is highly recommended that when vacationing in the summer do not save on the availability of air conditioning and book accommodation in advance.

Find and book hotels, apartments or apartments in Popovka and Mirny via the following websites or the Hotellook search form:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Popovka and Mirny on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search hotels on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search for housing in Popovka and Mirny on Sutochno.ru
• 🛌 Search for recreation centers in Popovka and Mirny on MirTurbaz.ru

Weather and tourist seasons in Popovka and Mirny

As in most resorts of Crimea, the tourist season in Popovka begins in June. At the same time, in the first half of June, the water is still slightly cool for children, but you can already sunbathe. But in the nearby shallow lake Oyburskoye, the water at this time warms up perfectly.

The peak season and the best weather is in July and August. At this time, the water in the sea warms up completely, precipitation becomes less. True, in early July, the water for a few days may temporarily become colder due to undercurrents, but this quickly passes. September is also a great time. The warm weather is gradually declining, but the sea remains warm until the very end of September, and sometimes you can swim comfortably even in October.

Current weather in the villages of Popovka and Mirny and forecast

How to get to Popovka and Mirny

The resorts of Popovka and Mirny are located 30 kilometers north of Yevpatoria (Popovka and Mirny on the map of Crimea), and therefore all roads and transport lead here through Yevpatoria. To begin with, here is a brief description of the ways to get to Popovka and Mirny:

• By plane to Simferopol airport, and from there by taxi, the only direct bus or buses with transfers in Yevpatoria or Simferopol.
• By train to Simferopol or Yevpatoria railway station, and then walk to the bus station and take a bus, or take a taxi.
• By bus from Simferopol or Evpatoria, as well as from other places in Crimea with transfers through these cities.
• by car across the Crimean Bridge and further along the route through Simferopol and Yevpatoria (this is the shortest and best route), or along the southern coast of Crimea through Koktebel, Sudak, Alushta, Yalta (this is a picturesque route, but much longer and may require an additional overnight stay along the way).
• Buy a ready-made package tour with transfer directly to the hotel in Mirny or Popovka.

Unfortunately, ready-made package tours to Popovka or Mirny are not formed and sold by tour operators very often, and therefore you should count on one of the ways to get to these resorts yourself. But first you can check the availability and prices for ready-made tours from reliable tour operators on these sites:

• Tours to Popovka and Mirny on Travelata.ru (🎁 тут промокоды на скидку при покупке)
• Tours to Popovka and Mirny on Level.Travel
• Tours to Popovka and Mirny on Onlinetours.ru

Learn more about each of the ways, how to get to Popovka and Mirny here.

Attractions and entertainment

Directly at the resorts of Popovka and Mirny there are no worthy attractions and very little tourist entertainment, because these are just small villages. During the rest in them you can visit only a few places that hardly reach the title of attractions: Z. City or the remains of" Kazantip", the square of naval aviators, the mini-water park" Aphrodite", a pedestrian alley, and two salt lakes with therapeutic mud on the outskirts.

Fortunately, from here you can go almost anywhere in the Crimea to the most significant sights of the peninsula in the form of a one-day or excursion for several days. They are sold in hotels and guest houses, and are also offered by distributors on the pedestrian alley, at the exits to the beaches and on other streets of the villages.

A feature of local excursions is that many of the inexpensive options involve a transfer to Yevpatoria. This means that you will first be taken by minibus to Yevpatoria, and there you will join the group in a large bus. This does not cause much inconvenience, but you need to be prepared for these features and loss of time. Also keep in mind that the departure of excursions, especially in long-distance directions, is scheduled several times a week. Therefore, plan their purchase in advance, better in the first days upon arrival on vacation. Well, as an option, you can buy excursions immediately from Yevpatoria and get to the place of departure yourself by bus (from 60 USD), taxi (from 350 USD) or by your own car. You can find and book excursions from Yevpatoria on these sites:

• 📷 search for excursions in Yevpatoria on Tripster.ru
• 📷 search for excursions in Yevpatoria on Sputnik8.com

If you prefer to get acquainted with interesting places yourself, then by bus during the day you can go to Yevpatoria or Saki and see the sights there. Evpatoria is especially interesting, because it is an ancient city with a large number of historical and cultural attractions, museums. Therefore, we advise you to read separately about sights of Yevpatoria in this guide. Well, if you come to rest on good transport, then you open a lot of places where you can go during the day in the immediate vicinity.

Learn more about all attractions in Popovka and Mirny with opening hours, costs and how to get to them here.