Yalta

See

thumb|250px|The Armenian church.

Most of the sights are some way out of town and will require a bus, boat or taxi to reach. However, within the town you can see:

Chekhov's house - 112 Ulitsa Kirova. Anton Chekhov wrote "The Lady with the Dog" and many of his other short stories here. The house is small and there is a museum nearby dedicated to the writer, well worth a look if you enjoy his work. Sadly, Chekhov's house is falling into disrepair, due to lack of funds. The good news is a fund has been started to raise a large sum of money to full restore the house in the future. Lenin's Statue - proudly guards the eastern end of the waterfront promenade, the perfect East meets West landmark. Waterfront promenade and beaches - the promenade (Lenina Naberzhenaya) has shops, cafes and various amusements. The beaches have smooth pebbles, not sand. Some are better than others and for a small entrance fee, you can get access to a nice beach close to the Soviet tourist monster, Hotel Yalta, which is to the east of the city centre. Summers are very hot, 32 °C or hotter, If you buy a drink from the cafe on some of the beaches, they will lend you an umbrella! Roosevelt Street (Russian: Улица Рузвельта Ulitsa Ruzvyelta) - not such a tourist draw but a quaint reminder of the city's important role in World War II. Try to find the plaque with Roosevelt's profile in relief and a short dedication in Russian and English.

thumb|350px|Livadia Palace, former royal retreat and site of the 1945 Ya…

Do

thumb|250px|The [[Swallow's Nest, Neo-Gothic folly on the way to Alupka.]]

Walk The Tsar's Path (Tsarskaya Tropa, Russian: Царская тропа; also called the Solnechnaya Tropa, Russian: Солнечная тропа) that runs for 6 km from the Livadia Palace to the castle-like former coastal home of Prince A. N. Golitsyn, a friend of Alexander I, now the Yasnaya Polyana resort. Minibus 26 will take you back to Yalta. The path keeps a very level course until near the end where it heads uphill to Yasnaya Polyana. However at the point where it starts to go uphill, if you head downhill on the nearby road you will end up at the Swallow's Nest. The start of the path may be hard to find - it is slightly downhill of the palace and the row of buildings next to the chapel.

Explore the region around Yalta - it is steeped in history and there are many interesting places to visit within an hour's mini bus ride from the city.

Buy

Foreign bank debit and credit cards can be tricky to use at ATMs and banks, cash will likely be needed. Exchange offices are plentiful and exchange rates are pretty good.

All areas of Crimea are famous for their red onions. It is said that they used to be much sweeter than they are now, but they are still a delicacy that are quite expensive elsewhere.

Vodka is very cheap and plentiful - you will be amazed at the many varieties available. Take a trip down to the souvenir shops located on the far side of the harbor, for numerous trinkets and other interesting reminders of Yalta. If you speak English that the prices tend to go up!

Honey In this region you can buy almost everywhere fresh honey from apiaries. The best prices are during the summer time.

Eat

There are several very nice little cafes at the main market (Ovoshnoi Rynok). They are not expensive, and are cleaner and serve fresher food than many in other areas. They have quite a good selection of food and it is well prepared. Best though to only eat hot food, for safety's sake.

Try shopping in the many markets for local produce. There are great bargains to be had on meat and vegetables. You might have to overlook some of the health standards, but as long as you wash and cook the food well - you should not have a problem.

Drink

There's a nice cafe just over the little bridge at the port. You need to enter a building and go to the highest floor to reach it. It's not something most people dare, but if you do it you're rewarded with a great view of the town, and nice cocktails.

To get the best Vodka, take a visit to one or two of the supermarkets outside the city centre and you will find a great selection at prices you will not believe.

Sleep

Summer sees the city inundated with tourists and there are lots of apartments and hotels available. Apartments come in all shapes and sizes but do not expect Western standards most of the time. However, do not judge an apartment by its outside: many decent places are housed in pretty shabby looking buildings.

Prices vary and are dependent upon the apartment's proximity to the sea and how much the owner think you can afford to pay! Try to avoiding "foreigner pricing" by speaking Russian, by not dressing flashily or showing wealth, and by negotiating in rubles rather than dollars or euros. Better places with all the mod cons may go for US$50-200 per night.

Apartments further away from the centre might also have their water turned off at night - this is common in Ukraine, be warned! You might also suffer power cuts, but this all adds to the local flavour. Also, keep your apartment clear of garbage in summer, otherwise you will attract giant cockroaches!

There is a hostel of the conventional type for those who are uncomfortable negotiating (and it can be tricky) but remember with a bit of effort you could get a whole private apartment for not very much more than the price of a single dorm bed.

Go next

There are several interesting places within the Greater Yalta area. Many are listed in the See section. Also nearby are:

Alupka - (about 30 min from Yalta) home to the Vorontsovsky Palace, a fanciful mixture of Middle-Age and Moorish architecture. Also one of the longest cable car rides in Europe up Ai-Petri (St Peter's peak), the views are great. Gurzuf - small seaside town with a Tatar flavour.

Going beyond the Greater Yalta area may take you to:

Alushta - the next major coastal city east of Yalta. It's on the Yalta - Simferopol trolleybus route. Balaklava - (about 1½ hours from Yalta) beautiful harbor town overlooked by a Genoese fortress towers and a former closed city due to its submarine base. Bakhchisaray - the scenic journey through the mountains and canyons makes this route an appealing alternative to the coastal road. Sevastopol - busy bustling city of over a half a million people. Home to the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet. Simferopol - gateway to Crimea. Good shopping and plenty of places to eat.