Crimea

Very few places in the world combine both natural beauty and rich historical heritage like Crimea.

Crimea is rich with natural attractions. Subtropical climate of Southern Crimea is famous for its healing power, and the Crimean medicinal mud of its saltwater lakes (in the city of Saki) is as potent in its healing as that of any mud of the Dead Sea. The Crimea is blessed with some of the most awe inspiring caverns in the world. For thousands of years nature has been at work slowly creating this magical underworld. There are about 850 caverns already explored, and each year 10 or more are discovered. In Soviet times Crimea was one of the most popular resorts both among common citizens and the leaders of the country.

The mysteries and legends of this ancient land, its marvellous nature and salubrious climate have attracted people from olden times. At different periods of its history Crimea was settled by Skythians, Sarmats and Taurs. Greek, Roman and Byzantine cities flourished here. Tatar khanate existed here (first as part of the Golden Horde, then as an independent Giray dynasty). Here in the 10th century Kyiv prince Vladimir the Great accepted Christianity. Many monuments from those times were preserved and can be visited.

Simferopol - the Capital of Crimea
This is the traditional starting or terminal point of Crimean tours.
Built on the site of the 15th-century Tartar settlement Ak Masjid (White Mosque), the city was granted a charter in 1784. The main tourist attraction is Neapolis archeological excavation site, the ruins of the capital of the Scythian state in the 2nd century B.C. It was destroyed by the Huns some 600 years later. Excavations started there in 1827; they revealed many marble and bronze statues, and a large burial ground with stone mausoleum and the graves of 72 Scythian noblemen with gold ornaments and weapons.

There are many historical buildings and palaces in Yalta. One of them is Livadiya Palace - the family palace of the Russian Royal family, built in 1911 in the style of Italian Renaissance with the elements of Byzantine, Gothic and Arabic architecture. 1945 the conference of the leaders of 3 allied countries (the USSR, the USA, Great Britain) took place in the palace. The Yalta conference determined the political situation in the world for the second half of the 20th century.

Another interesting place worth visiting is "Swallow Nest" - a tiny palace, looking like a medieval castle with bastions and battlements, located on the cliffs of Ay-Todor Cape right over the sea. From Ay-Todor the whole Bay of Yalta opens out to the viewer. There are also the ruins of a 2,000-year-old Roman fortress nearby.

We would also recommend to visit Nikitsky Botanical Garden - a huge park with 28000 of trees, flowers and plants from all over the world.

In Massandra (5 km from Yalta) the Central Research Institute of Viticulture and Viniculture is located, which has worked to improve some 800 varieties of grape and several thousand hybrids from Algerian, French, Italian, Hungarian and Syrian vines.

Sevastopol
One of the best-known cities in the Crimea. Seaport and an industrial, scientific, and cultural centre of Ukraine. During the 5th-6th c. the city was the bastion of the Byzantine Empire on the northern shore of the Black Sea. During the 9th-10th c. it played an important role in the economic and political relations between Byzantine and Kyiv. In 988 the Kyiv prince Vladimir the Great captured Sevastopol, where he was converted to Christianity.

There are many historical attractions here. Among them are the ruins of Khersonesus, a Greek colony built in 422-421 BC, Vladimirsky Cathedral (The Cathedral of St. Vladimir), Vorontsovsky Palace, a unique monument of the architecture of a beginning 19 centuries and resembles English castles of 16 centuries, and the fortress "Kalamita", built by Turks.

The great Sevastopol sea aquarium is the only museum of its kind in the countries of the Black Sea, one of the oldest in Europe. There are various inhabitants of the Black and other seas, including exotic fish of fantastic colourings and forms form the Indian ocean, Japanese and Red Seas, Amazon river.

In the city you may see the monuments to heroes who defended Sevastopol during the Russian-Turkish War of 1854-1855 and during the Soviet-German War of 1941-1945.

Alushta
Alushta is the second biggest resort of Ukraine after Yalta. It stands on a hilly valley surrounded by Kastel, Babugun, Chatyrdag and Demerdzhy Mountains. Its history begins in the 6th century when the Byzantines erected the Aluston Fortress.
Alushta's biggest attraction is the Crimean National Nature Preserve. The preserve covers well over 70,000 acres - it is a huge open-air museum with ancient trees and a variety of Crimean animals (moufflons, gazelles, foxes, etc.). It can be visited only with a special official permit.
The most interesting routes are to the Dzhur-Dzhur Falls and the Ghost Valley on the Demerdzhy Mountain.
To the west of Alushta is Kastel Mountain with remnants of ancient fortress, "Karabakh" park, Utes-Karasansky one, Plaka Cape with wonderful view and Birds Island is known in many adventure films.

.