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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Castle "swallow's nest" it is the most famous symbol of the Crimea. His image can be found on advertising booklets, magnets, mugs, plates, and all sorts of other souvenirs. Built in a very picturesque place, on top of the 40-meter cliff of Cape AI-Todor. Initially, at the end of the XIX century, a wooden structure was erected here for a general who participated in the Russian-Turkish War. But in 1912, the new owner, oil industrialist P. L. Shteingel, built a stone castle in the Gothic style. Today it is a monument of architecture and history.
However, if objectively-then this place can be called a typical "trap for tourists". The place is beautiful, the views from the observation deck are not bad, but nothing more. There is nothing to see and do here. You will spend no more than 5 minutes near the castle, and most of them near souvenir trays, or waving off annoying offers to take pictures with animators. You can get inside, but only the first floor is available, and there is absolutely nothing to see there. Calmly stand and enjoy the beautiful views from the castle site will not work, because everything is packed to the brim with tourists, and you will have to literally push your elbows. But on the other hand, you can not visit Yalta and miss one of the symbols of the peninsula, just weigh the efforts to get here with the value of this attraction. Our opinion (the authors of the site) is that you should not go here specifically, but if you drive by, or have nothing to do in Yalta at all, then you can see.
🌐 Website: http://lasto4kinognezdo.ru
🕐 Working hours:
- from May to October 09:00-19:00, seven days a week
- from November to April 09:00-16:00, Monday-closed
💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: visiting the site near the palace is free, entrance inside is 200 rubles for adults, 100 rubles for children.
🚶 How to get there: Swallow's Nest is located in the village of Gaspra, 10 kilometers from the center of Yalta (swallow's Nest Castle on the map. Most often it is visited as part of Group sightseeing tours, but it is very easy to get there on your own by buses No. 102 (from the bus station, once an hour), No. 132 (from the center from Lenin Square, every half hour). Go 20 minutes to the stop "swallow's Nest" , the fare starts from 38 rubles. From the stop directly to the castle you still have to walk 800 meters along the steps first down and then up along the souvenir shops and shopping malls.
In the summer from the pier on the embankment. Pleasure boats go there, and in our opinion this is the best option to see this place. There are walks with disembarkation on the spot for one hour, there are options when the boat just swims to the shore and you look at the castle from the water, and there are simply non-pleasure boats with delivery to the swallow's nest Pier. The cost of 300 rubles in one direction. The schedule changes every year, so check on the spot, but in general, different boat options depart at least 10 times a day.
And of course, you can combine both ways, having sailed to the castle by boat, and go back to Yalta by bus.
By car, you can drive along the asphalt road right to the castle, but you will have to pay 200 rubles for parking, which is disproportionately expensive. To save money, you can leave the car on the side of the road near the bus stop (there are also shopping malls and cafes), and then do the standard tourist path 800 meters up the stairs on foot, which in principle is also interesting.
