Tourist information about Crimea for independent travel

General information

Crimea (Crimea) - the peninsula in the Black Sea and the Republic of the same name as part of the Russian Federation. The capital of the Republic is the city of Simferopol. Crimea is located in the south-west of the country, washed by the waters of the Black and Azov seas (Crimea on the map of Russia. You can still get here by plane, bus or car across the bridge, and in the near future a railway connection will open.

The territory of the peninsula is 27,000 square kilometers, which is almost half the area of the Moscow region, while the population is three times less.

But whatever the situation in the political field, one fact remains immutable: the territory of the Crimean Peninsula is a wonderful place for recreation, tourism and travel. The nature of the peninsula is rich, the relief is diverse, the history is rich and interesting. Here you can find rest as lovers of lazing and sunbathing on the beaches, and lovers of traveling in search of interesting historical sights and beautiful natural formations. The region is not deprived of entertainment, including zoos, water parks, festivals, exhibitions, etc. Diving is possible at individual resorts. Well-developed nightlife, there are many discos. From the excursion, in addition to simple trips on comfortable buses to interesting and colorful places, cycling or hiking tours, hiking in the mountains and walks in national reserves are offered. And it is impossible not to mention the winter vacation in the Crimea – the ski resort AI-Petri. By the way, in the near future there will be several more ski resorts, at least such plans for the local tourism industry.

You can travel around the Crimea both on a ticket and on your own. Tours to the Crimea are offered today from almost all regions of Russia, you can buy departmental or vouchers from enterprises to specialized sanatoriums at very low prices. However, it is much more interesting to travel around the Crimea on your own, especially since for such trips you do not need to know a foreign language, do not have to face cultural misunderstanding and adapt to someone else's mentality. Everything here is native, and so far very inexpensive. Thus, flights to Crimea from Moscow, St. Petersburg and some regions are subsidized by the state and look more attractive than in the Krasnodar Territory. Public transport for travel throughout the peninsula is very developed and inexpensive. And for those who want to really save money, including on accommodation, there is an opportunity to stay not in a hotel, but to rent a room or apartment from private traders, or even go "wild" with a tent and spend the night in campsites, of which there are a huge number. All information for independent travel in the Crimea you can get on our website, starting from this page.

Popular resorts of Crimea

• Simferopol. The administrative and cultural capital, the main transport center and airport. No beaches, just attractions.
• Evpatoria. Here are the best sandy beaches in the Crimea, well-developed infrastructure. Perhaps this is the best place to relax with children.
• Yalta. The most popular resort on the coast. Beach holidays and entertainment.
• Gurzuf. A village in big Yalta, known all over the world for children's camp Artek, but for adults there is a place to relax. The beaches are pebbly, there is a promenade and a pedestrian historical center reminiscent of European countries.
• Partenit. A cozy village in big Yalta, but not the best place for independent travelers. Access to the beach here is almost completely limited to sanatoriums, and for "savages" there is only a short section covered with pebbles.
• Theodosius. One of the most popular resorts with sandy beaches. In the center of the city the beaches are pebbly, but on the outskirts and in the suburbs of Feodosia there are beautiful sandy beaches.
• Koktebel. A world-famous resort, a place of Bohemia. There are music and dance festivals, and in general it is a very fun and party place.
• Sudak. A city with a developed infrastructure, a good promenade, Entertainment, a landmark landmark - the Genoese fortress. But the beaches in the city are so-so. But very close to the village of Novy Svet with its beautiful beaches.
• Novy Svet. Very cozy and beautiful village with a sandy beach. Around the village there are nature reserves and hiking trails. But prices are high, there is almost no inexpensive housing.
• Alushta. A developed resort town, large by local standards. A great place for those who find Yalta too noisy, but it is far from a village. There are no beaches in the city center, there is practically no promenade, but places for swimming can be found in the "professor's corner" area.
• Saki. The main mud clinic of the Crimea. It is located on the shore of the Saka lake, famous all over the world for its healing mud.

All resorts and tourist places of Crimea

Beach	Yalta, Evpatoria, Saki, Zaozernoye, Mirny and Popovka, Shtormovoe, Lyubimovka, Gurzuf, Partenit, Theodosius, Koktebel, Beregovoye, Primorsky, Resort, Ordzhonikidze, Sunny Valley and coastal, Sudak, Novy Svet, Veseloe, Morskoe, Alushta, Solnechnogorskoe, Malorechenskoye, Rybachye, Lazurnoye, Utes town, Privetnoe and Katran, Kamenskoye and Arabatskaya Strelka villages, Balaclava, Nikolaevka, Novofedorovka, Simeiz, Goluboi Zaliv, Katsiveli, Kacha, Nikita and Otradnoye, Peschanoe, Shchelkino, Mysovoe, Pesochnoye, Pribrezhnoe, Kurortnoye, Steregushee
Sightseeing tours	Simferopol, Zelenogorye
Other cities	Jankoy

See full review of Crimean resorts, and also use interactive assistant for choosing a resort in Crimea.

Resorts of Crimea on the map

Tourist seasons in Crimea, when to go

Beach holidays in the Crimea are not possible all year round. Although the average temperatures here are higher than in most regions of Russia, a comfortable beach holiday is possible only in the summer.

High tourist season almost the entire territory of the Crimea falls on the period of May-October. At the same time, May and June, although warm months, are not very suitable for swimming, since the water does not yet have time to warm up. The peak of the beach season is in July-September. The water at this time warms up well, in addition, the amount of precipitation decreases. In the second half of September and October comes the so-called Velvet season, when the sea is still warm enough for swimming, but the air begins to cool down, in the evening the temperature drops and you even have to dress warmer. In some resorts, the tourist infrastructure at the end of September begins to collapse.

Off-season or off-season runs from November to April. At this time, beach holidays with rare exceptions are impossible, but this is a great time for excursions, sightseeing.

Ski season the resort of AI Petri starts in December and lasts until April.

Current weather in Crimea (Yalta) and forecast

* - прогноз указан по местному времени. Данные получены с https://openweathermap.org. Если отображаются устаревшие даты, обновите страницу с помощью F5+Ctrl.

Time in Crimea

Time in Crimea does not differ from Moscow and does not translate from summer to winter.

Useful tips for the Crimea

Branded alcohol stores. throughout the Crimea, you can find branded alcohol stores that sell wine and champagne of local production. Although in most cases such shops do sell original local alcohol at a reasonable price, some of them are just speculating. For example, a bottle of the same wine in the supermarket cost 190 rubles, and in the company store 400 (Season 2015).

Attractions in the Crimea. Many attractions and entertainment here work seasonally, and some even closed after the accession of the region to Russia (this is due, among other things, to land and property rights). Therefore, before you go to any distant attractions, be sure to check with the locals or by phone whether it works now.

Guided tours and entrance fees. When buying a tour, please check whether the fee for admission to museums and access to attractions is included in the price of excursions. Often you have to pay extra for the entrances.

Money and plastic cards in Crimea. Unfortunately, so far it is better to go to the Crimea exclusively with cash. Plastic cards are almost never accepted here, there are no major Russian banks (including Sberbank). You can withdraw money only at ATMs of local banks with an additional commission. This situation will presumably continue until the sanctions of Western states are lifted from the peninsula.

Prices in Crimea. Be prepared for the fact that prices for basic necessities and food are more expensive here by 20-50 percent than on mainland Russia. And this applies not only to coastal resort areas, but in general. Prices are especially high in small private stores, while large supermarkets keep relatively low prices.