Even those who are passing through Yalta will find something to do from morning until evening. You can stroll along the palm-lined promenade, visit palaces and the Chekhov Museum, ride the cable car and see the entire city from a 140-meter height. To avoid missing out on anything, you can always go on a tour with a local guide, although exploring the city on your own is no less interesting. So, what to do in Yalta if you have a whole day ahead of you?
Yalta. Photo: @ekaterinakayurowa
Take a walk along the embankment
The Yalta promenade is one of the most picturesque on the entire southern coast of Crimea. On the oldest walking street in the city, you will fully experience the atmosphere of a seaside resort. There are view restaurants and cafes with terraces, piers and snow-white yachts, and among the passers-by there are many street musicians and souvenir sellers.
Along the Lenin Embankment (that’s its official name) you will reach the Yalta Lighthouse and the plane tree of Isadora Duncan, under which she and Sergei Yesenin made dates. Take a photo at the monument to Chekhov's "Lady with a Dog" - this is where the plot of this story unfolds. And if you want to swim, go down to Massandra beach - there you can rent a sun lounger or sit for free on the pebbles right by the sea.
Massandra beach. Photo: @tu4ka_from_crimea
Entertainment on a mountain plateau
In winter, the Ai-Petri plateau is covered with a one and a half meter layer of snow. This is the best place in Crimea to go skiing. It doesn't get too cold here during the winter months. The temperature remains confidently at -4°C. Snow cover persists from December to April. Its surface is covered with a dense crust that supports skis well.
There are different ways to get to the ski resort:
- by car to the fork to Bakhchisarai;
- by cable car, the beginning of which is 10 km from the city.
From the upper station of the cable car you can get to the complex by snowmobile or walk. There are ski slopes, cafes and equipment rentals. Those who wish can stay overnight there. The complex includes several sanatoriums and a tourist center. There is a village nearby where you can rent a room in a private house.
Employees of the Yalta ski club give skiing lessons to beginners. There you can also learn how to drive a snowmobile. In February, a festival is held here with sports competitions and other entertainment. Ai-Petri has ski slopes for both beginners and professionals. All of them are equipped with lifts. In addition to skiing and snowmobiling, there are other activities here. You can go horseback riding or tow a snowmobile. According to tourists, the service here is not inferior to the famous Krasnaya Polyana.
Climb up by cable car
Right in the center of the embankment, next to the Tavrida Hotel, there is the lower station of the Small Cable Car "Yalta - Gorka" , which leads to the top of Mount Darsan (the Big Cable Car "Miskhor - Ai-Petri" is no longer located in Yalta). Double glass cabins run non-stop, so you’ll have to jump on the go. In just 12 minutes you will find yourself at the top of the 140-meter Darsan, which offers views of Yalta and the coast. Walking down from Darsan to the Hill of Glory, you will see a memorial dedicated to all the soldiers who died in wartime on the southern coast of Crimea.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 21:00
Cost: adult – 400 rubles, children – 200 rubles (both ways)
"Yalta - Gorka". Photo: @annakonstantinovna
Massandra beach
The next point on the route of what to see in Yalta in one day is Massandra Beach. This is the best beach in Yalta, awarded the “blue flag”, very beautiful, well-maintained and modern. There are a lot of people here, not like on the beach in Nikita.
Here you can rent a sun lounger for 200 rubles and sit in the best cafes in Yalta overlooking the sea. Prices are higher than the city average, but it's worth it.
Go to the botanical garden
A walk through the Nikitsky Botanical Garden can take a whole day, but if time is short, you can devote a few hours to it. The garden area is divided into Upper and Lower parks. It is especially good to walk around the landscape park during flowering: in April the “Tulip Parade” is held, in May-June - the “Iris Carnival”, from May to December - the “Pink Waltz”, and in October and November - the “Chrysanthemum Ball” with all kinds of their varieties.
Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Photo: @sh_s_crimea
At any time of the year, you can try to find a way out of the Green Maze and walk through the Cactus Greenhouse. The Paradise Garden is designed in such a way that no matter what season you come, you can always admire flowering plants of all kinds. In the Lower Park, be sure to go to the round pond with lotuses and stroll through the grove of Lebanese cedars. Among the plants you will find turtles and frogs, and in the pond you can feed koi carp. In summer, you can even swim - just go down to the sea, where Nikita beach .
Tip: from the Yalta bus station you can easily get to the village of Nikita on the legendary trolleybus No. 52 - it follows the longest trolleybus route in the world from Yalta to Simferopol; From the NBS stop to the garden, walk about 1.5 km. For those who want to save time, it is better to choose bus No. 29 or 29A.
How to get there
The easiest way to get to the peninsula is by plane. Russian airlines Aeroflot, S7, Donavia and Utair, as well as charter airline Vimavia, fly there from all three Moscow airports. Planes are often full, so it's best to book tickets in advance, especially if you want to sit by the window or with a companion. The flight takes 2.5 hours. Round-trip fares from Moscow start at 5,500 rubles (about $86).
At the moment, the only travel company for foreign guests working in the south of Russia, including Crimea, is Southern Comfort - tours to the south of Russia. The company employs guides who speak English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and other languages, reliable drivers and managers who can organize individual tours in accordance with the wishes of the client.
Visit Chekhov's "White Dacha"
in the House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov with his mother and sister. After Chekhov's death, the dacha passed to his sister Maria, who preserved the original furnishings of those times in the living rooms.
In the halls you will see Chekhov’s personal belongings and interior items from the early 20th century, and if you join the tour, you will learn the stories associated with this house. For example, they will tell you about the landscape of Levitan’s work, which helped the writer cope with longing for northern nature, and about other objects dear to him. After the tour, take a stroll through the garden, where trees were planted by Chekhov himself more than a hundred years ago.
"White Dacha" Photo: @chekhov__yalta
The resort pearl of Crimea - Yalta and its surroundings
Millions of tourists come here every year, and it seems like they can fit in all sorts of places? Yalta itself is small and cramped. The streets of the “old city” are not at all designed for modern, dense car traffic. They are narrow and winding, the roads go through “mountains and hills”, you have to turn the steering wheel so much that by the evening your hands get tired, and the next day you want to leave the car in the parking lot and only walk.
But this will not always be a good decision. Yalta is an expensive city, and in order not to pay exorbitant prices for hotel accommodation in its central part, it seems logical to rent a room somewhere “on the outskirts”. Moreover, these “outskirts” are very vast and are also called Yalta, only Big.
This is a real resort region, which stretches for 72 km along the Black Sea coast and includes dozens of southern coastal villages from distant Krasnokamenka to luxurious Foros. And if you rent a hotel room in Gaspra, Massandra or Koreiz, which locals call almost Yalta districts, you won’t be able to leave your car even for a day. The distances to the city from these villages are quite large; covering them on foot is unrealistic.
Driving around Yalta itself, you will definitely notice the striking contrasts of its buildings. The city has an old district, the development of which began in the 19th century, and a modern one. The first one creates an ambiguous impression. Many of the attractions of Yalta are located here - ancient mansions and museums, but along with them there are also old, rickety shacks that “emerge” from the narrow alleys. In the modern area there is nothing to do at all except find a room at a more or less reasonable price in one of the newly built hotels. In addition to hotels, it is built up with Soviet panel high-rise buildings and is of no tourist interest.
Therefore, when going to Yalta by car, initially plan to see not the city itself, but its main centers of attraction located in close proximity. Only then will you understand why Yalta is called the resort pearl of Crimea. And why for two centuries the “rich and famous” have been flocking here, building up the coast first with palaces and family estates, and then with luxury hotels and 5-star hotels.
News agency "Politics Today". / Alisa Denisova
Visit the Yalta palaces
3 km from Yalta is the southern residence of the Romanov dynasty - Livadia Palace , which the royal family owned since 1861. On excursions around the White Palace they talk about both the fates of the emperors and the Yalta Conference, which took place within its walls in 1945. And if you go around the main building on the left, you will find a field for playing giant chess.
Livadia Palace. Photo: @ruslanrichi
Today, the Livadia sanatorium is opened on the territory of the palace and park ensemble. Solar Path , a 7-kilometer path for vacationers in Yalta sanatoriums, begins from Livadia Park Walking along it is suitable both for those who are relaxing at a climatic resort, and for everyone who wants to walk along a shady path with sculptures and benches.
The Massandra Palace of Alexander III is also located in the vicinity of Yalta. Since Livadia remained the main royal residence, the romantic castle in the eclectic style was used as the emperor’s hunting lodge. The museum is worth visiting if you are attracted to classic palace interiors or Ukrainian art of the mid-20th century. In good weather, it is worth taking a walk through the landscaped park with sculptures. When you come here in the summer, you can take a photo with the castle in the lavender fields in the background.
Massandra Palace. Photo: @gorbatikovaa
Tours for active recreation
More and more people are leaving busy cities for holidays that combine the thrill of sport with the admiration of nature. Yalta is suitable for this like no other place. After all, active tourism is one of the glorious traditions of the region. As the first and best resort of the Russian Empire, Crimea became the cradle of professional active tourism when, in the 1890s, the Yalta Mountain Club began offering horseback riding and hiking tours to enjoy stunning views of the mountains and sea.
Currently, Yalta has added to its magical nature and wonderful climate such modern active tourism opportunities as:
- paragliding;
- surfing;
- diving;
- hot air balloon flight, etc.
Combine these modern activities with the added benefits of the region's rich cultural and historical heritage that you can only experience here:
- climb the mountains along ancient Roman paths;
- dive into the sea to see sunken ships from the eras of Ancient Greece and Byzantium, battlefields of the Crimean War and World War II;
- the amazingly contrasting landscapes and flora of Crimea have everything to satisfy the needs of the most demanding walker - take time to stroll through the charming dachas along the coast, surrounded by parks and aristocratic estates in Greater Yalta;
- get acquainted with the mysterious kingdom of Crimean caves;
- explore Crimea on horseback;
- try your hand at mountain biking while riding along the winding Crimean roads;
- Climb the mountains of your choice whether you are a beginner or an experienced climber;
- allow yourself to escape from your daily routine by paragliding down from Mount Ai-Petri, enjoy the coolness of the sea wind, filled with the salty smell and freshness of pine forests, gliding over the picturesque seashore;
- discover the secrets of hot air balloons and discover the region's natural diversity in a guided basket;
- take amazing flights in a helicopter or airplane;
- try to fly a military jet under the guidance of a professional pilot instructor;
- Rent water sports equipment to enjoy jet skis, jet skis, banana boats, speed boats;
- Rent a pleasure boat to admire the beauty of the coastline;
- You don't need to be an experienced diver to enjoy the exciting underwater world - take a short underwater tour with friends (professional instructors will help you explore the many wrecks and find exciting snorkeling spots).
