Which resort in Crimea is better to choose? There are so many of them that it's hard to figure it out! We have compiled for you a complete guide to all important resort villages. Choose the best one for your vacation.
Crimea is not limited to Yalta, Alushta and Sevastopol. It has hundreds of large and small resorts that you have never even heard of. I have been to the peninsula several times, I traveled around it both by buses and by car. And finally I made a list of resorts in Crimea with a short but capacious description of each. So you will quickly form an opinion about the resort, and follow the link to read more about the place you are interested in.
I tried to give not only a dry description of each resort, but also to share my impressions with you. Of course, I have not yet been to all cities and towns, but I will gradually supplement the article. And my map with marks will help you easily navigate the peninsula.
Detailed map of Crimea
Kerch
The oldest city in Crimea. It is green and generally pretty, especially in the center, where there are beautiful old houses and in general everything is combed. The infrastructure is developed - to live comfortably.
Kerch is one of the few Crimean resorts with sandy beaches. Calmly come to rest with children! The only negative is the beaches are far from the center. If you do not want to travel from Kerch to the sea every day, settle in the suburb of Geroyevskoye (also called Heroevka, Eltigen) or Arshintsevo, where the main city beach with developed infrastructure is located. There are houses and hotels, cafes and restaurants.
There are a lot of all kinds of antiquity and cool places around like a pink lake, mud volcanoes and wild General's beaches. There are few tourists - for example, we climbed the Yenikale fortress alone.
Look at the reviews about Kerch.
Shchelkino
We haven’t been to Shchelkino yet, but we wanted to go there for the sake of the Kazantip nature reserve. Judging by the reviews, it's a good idea to relax with children at the resort: there are few sandy beaches in the Crimea, while Shchelkino and the neighboring village of Mysovoye are full of them.
The sea in those parts of the Azov, clean, does not bloom. The depth begins 20-30 meters from the shore, and the bottom is even, without holes and stones. The village is quiet, with some kind of infrastructure - however, like almost everywhere in Crimea.
Look at the reviews about Shchelkino.
Feodosia
Developed resort with long beaches - almost endless. You go, go, and along the road stretch beaches with hotels and cafes, although Feodosia has long been over. They are mostly sandy, there are shell, small pebble or mixed ones. We really liked the sandy-shell beach in Beregovoye - we hung there for a long time, looking at the multi-colored wreckage and admiring the incredible color of the sea.
The town itself is a typical mixture of a resort with a port city. For an unassuming beach holiday with excursion elements, it is quite suitable!
Find out more about the rest in Feodosia.
Ordzhonikidze
Quiet village with beaches for all tastes and picturesque hills. Come here if you want a measured rest - there are no noisy discos, few people and cars. But there is awesome nature and clean sea.
Ordzhonikidze is still one of the most budgetary resorts in Crimea. There are many guest houses, but they are modest. There are also few entertainments, but you will not be bored - you can always go to Koktebel and Feodosia, they are close by.
There are various beaches - from sandy to rocky. The village itself is flat, so it is comfortable to rest with children and the elderly.
Read about the rest in Ordzhonikidze.
Panorama of the beach in Ordzhonikidze
Koktebel
There is nothing bohemian in Koktebel for a long time, except that there is a slight aura of romance in the name. Now it is a small village with decent guest houses and reasonable prices. The infrastructure is developed, there is even an inexpensive dining room on the beach. The terrain is quite flat, it will be comfortable with a stroller. For children - a water park and a dolphinarium.
The beach is picturesque thanks to the Karadag mountains, but fences, ugly awnings and umbrellas spoil it. The coating is mainly pebbles, sometimes with an admixture of sand. According to reviews, the cleanest sea is in the Quiet Bay.
There are many interesting things in the vicinity - we went to Mount Koklyuk ("Starfall of Memories") and the salt lake Barakol. Take a boat trip to the Golden Gate and walk along the ecological trail along the Karadag massif (possibly only with a guide), climb to Cape Chameleon.
Read about the rest in Koktebel.
Zander
Of all the resorts in Crimea, I most often come to Sudak, because there are a lot of interesting places around! I love the surrounding mountains very much, and in the city there is a place to walk: a green park, a Cypress alley, a long embankment, a Genoese fortress and Cape Alchak-kaya.
The pike perch is quite large, with a well-developed infrastructure. Hotels and food are cheaper than on the South Coast. The landscape is hilly in places, so choose your accommodation carefully.
I like the beach at the resort - it is small pebble in places, and in some places with dark gray soft sand. But it is disfigured by concrete piers and rusty canopies left over from Soviet times. I don’t understand why they still don’t get rid of them! The water is clean enough, the entrance is shallow, so you can come with children. Another big minus - in the season on the beach everyone is on top of each other.
New World
Novy Svet is a tiny village, but in terms of prices it is closer to the resorts of the South Coast of Crimea. Advice: settle in Sudak, and go to Novyi Svet by car or bus. The village is mountainous, with narrow streets lined with cars.
The main beach is small and small, there are a lot of people during the season. Covering - sand with pebbles. All the infrastructure is available. Go to the wild Tsarskoye beach, where Nicholas II rested - you can get there for free on foot through the mountains or for a fee by boat.
The nature is beautiful in Sudak, but even more beautiful is in Novy Svet. There’s just a bomb! How many times have I been on the Golitsyn trail, the valley of Hell and Paradise, the Kosmos peak - and I never cease to admire. From the water, the coast also looks great: we took a boat trip along the coast and swam with a flock of dolphins in the open sea.
Rybachye
At this resort, my parents are constantly resting. They say that there is the cleanest sea in Crimea! The beach is pebbly, but the stones are average. The depth begins gradually, so there are many parents with children.
Rybachye is part of the Alushta district, but there are very few people there even in August. Quiet, calm - no discos and loud music from cafes, as in Sudak or Yalta. True, the infrastructure is still sluggish, unlike Alushta, but the prices are average. There is no special place to walk - no green alleys, no embankment, but you can go hiking in the mountains.
Panorama of the beach in Ryabachye
Solnechnogorsk
"Sun" - this is how locals affectionately call this resort in Crimea. The village is not for the fastidious - the infrastructure here is frankly weak. Those who want complete peace and quiet come here. We can say that this is almost a wild vacation with pieces of civilization - there is no entertainment at all, just a couple of cafes and shops.
But there is beautiful nature around! From the village it is convenient to drive around the surroundings - to the Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall, to Demerdzhi, the Grand Canyon, to "Taigan".
The beaches are a mixture of pebbles and sand. The entry into the sea is smooth, and the bottom is even. The water is very clean. The disadvantage of the village is a lot of steep ascents and descents.
Look at the reviews about Solnechnogorsk.
Panorama of the beach in Solnechnogorsk
Alushta
Alushta is a kind of mini-Yalta, a fairly large resort in Crimea with developed public transport. It is convenient to travel around the surroundings and to neighboring towns and villages. There are plenty of hotels, cafes and shops.
The city is green, there are nice alleys and a wide embankment, children's attractions. It would be beautiful if not for the terrible urban development, the remains of kiosks and advertisements everywhere. In the summer everything is decent, but in the low season it looks dull.
Alushta is hilly, with narrow streets. Parking is difficult, and not all hotels and guest houses can leave a car in the yard during the season - keep this in mind.
There are a lot of different beaches. They are mostly pebble, sometimes mixed with sand.On some there are large stones, which tourists really do not like. The beaches are crowded during the season.
Read reviews of tourists about Alushta.
Yalta
The most famous resort in Crimea is the Yalta brand city. It is the most crowded, in our opinion. In many ways, they are similar to Alushta: there is also a lot of greenery and beautiful nature, well-developed transport, a lot of entertainment, a large selection of cafes and hotels. But the landscape is mountainous, so the streets are narrow and there is tight parking and traffic. And it is also not easy with a stroller and the elderly: if your home is on a hill and far from the sea, rest will not be a joy.
In Yalta, there is a new wide embankment, along which vacationers are very fond of walking. There is almost always a crowd, many cafes, shops and entertainment. You will not get bored!
The beaches, as elsewhere on the South Coast, are pebbly. The farther from the center, the cleaner the beaches and the sea. There are a lot of people during the season, and there are no free sunbeds until after 11 am.
Partenit
Partenit is a humble green resort. No noisy entertainment, heaps of souvenir shops and kebabs. Only magnificent nature, blue-blue sea and beautiful mountains.
The village is mountainous, with narrow winding streets, steep descents and ascents - it will not be easy with small children, but tourists do not complain. The beaches are small, pebbled.
As in any other southern resort of Crimea, prices for everything are high - as in Yalta.
Look at the reviews about Partenit.
Gurzuf
This resort is small, green and romantic. I like it with excellent views of Ayu-Dag and rocks. Tourists choose the resort because of the clean sea, developed infrastructure and picturesque views.
A long embankment stretches along the sea. The beaches are good, with facilities, but pebble. There are stones in the water, so swim in your slippers. Public beaches are crowded during the season - if you want some privacy, head to the beaches near Ayu Dag or swim where the rocks are.
The village, like other resorts on the southern coast of Crimea, is mountainous - it will be difficult to climb with small children and elderly people in the heat. Settle closer to the sea, since housing prices are lower than in Yalta.
Learn about the rest in Gurzuf.
Alupka seemed to me unsettled and uncomfortable: the village huddled on a mountain, and narrow streets, meandering, descend to the sea with a steep serpentine. The trouble with parking is that we barely found a place outside the season at Vorontsovsky Park. In general, the infrastructure for a comfortable stay is all there.
The beaches of Alupka are narrow and pebbly. The descent to the sea is steep, which is inconvenient for children and the elderly.