Overview of the resorts of the Crimea and which place is better to choose

There are a lot of resorts on the Crimean Peninsula, and they are all very diverse. Here you can find large developed cities of Yalta, Feodosia, Sudak, Yevpatoria, Sevastopol with Entertainment and attractions, and very tiny tourist villages with a beach, several hotels and a rustic atmosphere. Choosing the right place to stay in all this diversity, and not to be mistaken, is not so easy. In order not to spoil your vacation, we have prepared an overview of the resorts of the Crimea and instructions for choosing the most suitable for you:

Map of resorts in Crimea

Beach resorts

• The southern coast of Crimea

  The most popular beach recreation area is the southern coast of the Crimea (abbreviated – YBK), washed by the Black Sea. Here are the most developed and equipped resorts: Yalta, Alushta, Lazurnoye, Utes, Partenit, Gurzuf, Otradnoye, Nikita, Alupka, Koreiz, Simeiz, Katsiveli, Blue Bay, Foros, Balaklava (in fact, Balaklava refers to Sevastopol). Almost everywhere in the South Caucasus there are pebble beaches with clear water, very beautiful mountain landscapes, and even in small villages you can find a developed tourist infrastructure. There is also a lot of entertainment, excursions to all the sights of the peninsula are offered. What is good, all the cities and towns here are connected by developed public transport, so having mastered a little, you can independently (without excursions and using an expensive taxi) visit all the sights and entertainment of this part of the peninsula, or visit remote and less crowded beaches.

  Of the minuses of accommodation on the YBK, it is possible to single out only the pebble beaches themselves (this is a minus for those who prefer sand), and their popularity (they can be really crowded). Well, some of these resorts are located on steep slopes,and to get to the beaches, you have to constantly go down, and back up.

  

• West Bank

  Another popular area for beach holidays is the West Coast, also washed by the waters of the Black Sea. Here is a very popular city among vacationers Evpatoria, rightfully considered the capital of children's and medical recreation of the Crimea, and if you go to the peninsula with children, the best place for a family holiday can not be found. Also in this part are the city-hospital Saki, and many small resort villages: Lyubimovka, Kacha, Sandy, Nikolaevka, Novofedorovka, coastal, Zaozernoye, Shtormovoe, Popovka, Mirny, Olenevka, Chernomorskoe.

  All resorts on the West Coast are united by a warm sea, many kilometers of sandy beaches, as well as dull landscapes, because this is a steppe zone. Therefore, if you prefer the sand on the beach to pebbles, it is better not to go to the YBK, but here, but forget about the beautiful landscapes. With public transport, entertainment and attractions, everything here is also not as good as in the South Caucasus. In fact, the only developed tourist center is the city of Yevpatoria, and in other places the tourist infrastructure is poorly developed, and there are practically no attractions other than the beaches themselves.

  

• East Coast

  In the East and south-east of the peninsula is also a series of resort towns and villages. The largest cities here are Feodosia, Sudak and Kerch. But in addition to them there are many more settlements, including exclusively resort ones, i.e. built up with hotels and holiday homes: Novy Svet, Veseloe village, Morskoe village, Privetnoe village, Rybachye village, Malorechenskoye village, Sonnogorskoye village, Kurortnoye village, Koktebel village, Ordzhonikidze village, Beregovoye village, Primorskiy village.

  The beaches here are mixed sand and pebbles, but you can find both pure sand and pure pebbles. In general, these places are beautiful and very picturesque, with mountain landscapes and many attractions, and at the same time more convenient for recreation, since there are no such large height differences as in the South Caucasus. But the mountains and beauty here are not at all resorts, so be careful when choosing.

  

• North Shore (Sea of Azov)

  In the north, the Crimean Peninsula is washed by the Sea of Azov. It is much smaller than black, and therefore very warm. Even the tourist season here begins a couple of weeks earlier than on the Black Sea. Almost everywhere on the shore there is a wonderful clean sand, and the depth is very small, which makes these places ideal and safe for swimming even the smallest children. But the bad thing is that these places are rather deaf.

  There is only one developed village-the resort of Shchelkino, but even it is not easy to get to it, and ideally it is worth going here by private transport. Other resort places, such as Kamenskoye, Mysovoye, Pesochnoye, Kurortnoye, Arabatskaya Strelka, are generally in such a wilderness that they can only be reached by taxi or private transport, and the infrastructure is developed as in the most ordinary village. Therefore, going to these parts, you should take with you everything that you may need on vacation, up to drinking water. Some tourists come here to rest with tents and camp away from populated areas, where for many kilometers there is not a soul on the beach.

  

Sightseeing resorts

In almost every seaside town or village you can find group excursions to the sights of the island. Also in large resorts there are many interesting places and attractions that you can visit yourself. But there are several places in the Crimea in which there is no beach holiday at all, but there are a lot of attractions. This is primarily the city of Simferopol, Bakhchisarai and its environs, the city of old Crimea, the village of Zelenogorye. Objectively it is worth saying that to go to these places for the entire period of your vacation in the Crimea is not worth it, but if you have a flexible route and you can allocate a few days to visit them, then it is definitely worth it.

• Simferopol. Administrative and cultural capital of the peninsula. There are many museums, theaters and concert halls, historical sights, a tourist pedestrian street. Ideally, it is worth spending two full days in Simferopol.
• Bakhchisarai. In Bakhchisaray and its surroundings there are several unique historical sights, which will take a couple of days to explore. But you can see at least some of them as part of excursions from the beach resorts of the Crimea, in Bakhchisarai itself without stopping.
• Zelenogorye. It is a small mountain village surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery. Most of all, it is known for the beautiful mountain lake Panagia, the Panagia tract and the Arapati waterfalls, which can be seen during a day visit. But this place is becoming more and more popular and developed as a high-altitude resort where you can spend a few days. You can spend time here on trekking trips through the surrounding mountains, visit a traditional Russian bath, try homemade food and natural village products. The infrastructure in the village, however, is still very poorly developed, you will have to stay either in one of several guest houses or in the Houses of local residents.

So, where to go to the Crimea on vacation:

• If you prefer relaxing on sandy beaches it is better to go to the Eastern Shore (Feodosia, Sudak, Kerch), the western shore (Evpatoria, Mirny, Popovka, Saki, etc.), or north to the Sea of Azov.
• If you prefer pebble beaches then go to one of the settlements of Greater Yalta or to Yalta itself, to Alushta, Foros.
• If you prefer steppes and deserts beautiful mountain scenery then you should not go to the West Coast (Evpatoria, Mirny, Popovka, Saki, etc.), to Feodosia and everything east of it, and to the resorts of the Sea of Azov (Arabatskaya Strelka, Kamenskoye, Shchelkino, Mysovoye, Kurortnoye). The most beautiful mountain landscapes you will find on the YBK, near Sudak, The Noviy Svet, in Koktebel.
• If you need more entertainment and fun on vacation, it is best to go to Yalta or Evpatoria. Evpatoria is especially good for trips with children. You can also go to Feodosia or Koktebel, but there is not much entertainment there.
• If you want heal then you need to go to the capital of mud treatment in Saki, and it is best to correct the health of children in one of the children's sanatoriums of Yevpatoria.
• If you are interested historical and cultural attractions it is worth visiting Simferopol, Sevastopol, Bakhchisarai, Sudak, Feodosia, Alushta, Evpatoria and other major cities of Crimea. But even if you do not stay in one of these places, you can see any sights of the Crimea with the help of group excursions. But keep in mind that if you stay in small remote resort towns and villages, such as, for example, Kamenskoye, Pesochnoye, Kurortnoye, group excursions will not be easy to purchase, and most likely you will have to overpay.
• If you need deserted sandy beaches and wild camping on the seashore, then head north to the Sea of Azov. Here the beaches stretch for tens of kilometers, but the tourist infrastructure is very poorly developed, so take everything you need for a holiday with you.