Things To Do, Yalta
Author: Anothertravelguide.com
- DO SPARE SOME TIME FOR A STROLL ALONG THE TSAR'S (SUN) TRAIL, not just to tick the box of „a day spent in a healthy way" after the 6580-metre walk but rather because the Tsar's Trail offers an opportunity to see Yalta and its vicinity from a slightly different vantage point. The trail starts at the Livadia Palace; for a kilometre and a half you follow a level route (at 140 metres above sea level) through a growth of juniper trees, cypresses and other trees and all sorts of lovely and fragrant plants. During the first kilometre or so you may stumble upon a rare fellow pedestrian or someone lost in a book on one of the benches; as you approach the halfway point, you will hardly meet a soul. The path (Tsarskaya- or Solnechnaya Tropa) was created in the mid-1800s and originally was a lot shorter, linking just two properties owned by the Tsar's family; in 1900/1901 at the request of Tsar Nicholas II it was extended to 6580 metres. If you happen to have seen the photographs at the Livadia Palace museum, featuring the Tsar's family on a stroll, the sun creating eerie play of light and shade through the tree branches intertwined above the trail, you might indeed start to feel like a time traveller - particularly if the surrounding silence is interrupted by chants coming from the hilltop Orthodox church nearby. Sadly, every now and then the spell of the lovely walk is broken by a highway crossing the path or a fence behind which yet another high-rise concrete monster is looming. That's the reality of the Crimean coast today.
- DO VISIT THE GHOST VALLEY. Take the Sudak road and turn in the direction of the village of Luchistoye; not far from Alushta you will find yourselves at the foot of Demerji, one of the most beautiful Crimean mountains (1356 m). Wind, sun and water have created a fantastic relief with cliff crests that are reminiscent of birds, all sorts of magic creatures and even a woman's face. Depending on your mood and/or time limits you can either climb the Demerji peak from which the view of the surrounding landscape is nothing if not magnificent - or simply take a nice walk along the path that starts from the now legendary giant boulder immortalised in the classical Soviet era comedy Prisoner of the Caucasus. The village of Luchistoye offers guided horseback tours of the mountains, either several hours long or overnight ones (you will have to spend the night in a tent). The route leads across mountain meadows and lakes. A two-and-half-hour tour costs approximately EUR 22, six to eight-hour tour - EUR 42 and a twenty-four-hour tour will set you back EUR 72.
- DRIVE THE LENGTH OF THE OLD SUDAK ROAD. It starts near Alushta and, stretches of it running along the coastline or, alternately, winding up the mountains, can, without the shadow of a doubt, be ranked among some of the most scenic panoramic roads in the world. Both sides of the road are lined with proudly tall cypresses casting long shadows, vineyards, cliffs and the seashore.
Stop at one of the coastal fishing villages, say, Ribachye, for lunch: you will find a roadside restaurant under the poetic name of Yuzhnaya Noch or The Southern Night - a rustic waterfront terrace of wood planks with purple plastic chairs and tables and matching purple paper tablecloths. Salad is still served the way they used to in the Soviet era: finely chopped in glass dessert bowls, cutlery carefully wrapped in half of a paper napkin; the decor is made more festive by a basket of purple plastic petunias hanging from a beam. A warm, locally-coloured and authentic place.
- DO VISIT THE CHURCH OF INTERCESSION OF OUR LADY (Tserkov Pokrova Presvyatoy Bogoroditsi in Russian) in Oreanda; in the late 1800s it was lauded as one of the most beautiful churches in the Crimea. During the reign of Alexander III the whole royal family attended the church to pray. However, there is another reason for the popularity of the church among the visitors to the Crimea: as you approach the edge of the cliff you will see a white building surrounded by trees at your feet; that is the dacha of the former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The bench immortalised by Tchekhov in his Lady with the Dog (Dama s Sobachkoy) short story is also right there.
- DO ENJOY THE VIEW FROM THE SWALLOW'S NEST. Although it is one of the most visited Crimean tourist landmarks, the panoramic view is reason enough not to skip it - if you have made it this far! The miniature-size mock-Gothic castle on top of the 40-metre Aurora Cliff was built in 1911 commissioned by the oil entrepreneur von Steinheil. The building was damaged twice: in the 1927 earthquake when a dangerous crack appeared on the cliff beneath the castle, and during World War II. In the 1970s the cliff was solidified with a cement plate and the building - renovated. It currently houses an expensive Italian restaurant not worthy of a special mention or a visit.
- DO MAKE TIME TO VISIT THE VORONTSOV PALACE. Its architecture is a unique blend of styles: the west wing is reminiscent of a medieval street enveloped by high city walls but the southern section features oriental influences. The construction of the palace lasted twenty years (between 1828 and 1848). The ideal time to visit is shortly before closing time: the tourist buses are gone, the souvenir stalls are dismantled, and suddenly the place acquires a completely different charm. The beautiful palace garden is perfect for a late afternoon stroll before sunset. You may notice quite a few local couples picnicing on the benches: filigree vodka set gets unpacked from its velvet box and an elegant shot of spirits is chased by another...
Keywords: Yalta
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