The resort town of Alupka is located on the slopes mountain range Ai-Petri. V tourist routes along the southern coast of Crimea, the city enters primarily because of the Vorontsov Palace. However, locality ancient history and you can devote the whole day to exploring its sights.
How to get to Alupka and navigate
Alupka located 18 kilometers from Yalta, you can get here by bus number 107 or 115 from the bus stop "Bus station". From Simferopol to Alupka there is a bus"Simferopol - Simeiz". By car, you need to go from Yalta along South coast highway and turn off at the pointer. There is paid parking near the Alupka bus station. Cars are also parked on Frunze street, not far from the western entrance to the park of the Vorontsov Palace.
It is easy to navigate in the city, although it was built up chaotically and the streets are rather winding. But attractions, hotels and shops are concentrated on a few streets around the central Lenin Square. The city runs the only bus - number 10. Minus walking tours that there are practically no sidewalks on the streets.
Walking route along Alupka
You can start exploring the city with architectural and historical monument located next to the bus station - the largest temple on south coast Crimea Church of the Archangel Michael. This church is on the corner Lenin streets and Sanatorium dead end, you need to go up a small street from the bus station to a dead end and go to the corner.
The first temple in honor of the Archangel Michael was built in Alupka in 1820 at the expense of Count Mikhail Vorontsov, but they chose an unfortunate place for the construction on the mountainside, and because of landslides, the temple squinted. Already in 1908, instead of the first dismantled temple, another one was erected in a new place, in the center of the city, but this building was also unlucky: the temple was damaged by an earthquake and was closed. Only at the end of the 20th century the church was restored, and now services are held inside. The church is open from 8.00 to 17.00.
After visiting the temple, you can go in the direction of the Vorontsov Palace: along Lenin Street, you need to go to Rosa Luxembourg street. Both of these streets are colorful and worthy of a leisurely stroll. You will come across viewing platforms with views of the sea, pretty old mansions, entwined with greenery, squares and parks of sanatoriums. On Rosa Luxembourg Street there is a small fruit market. On the wall of the house at number 22 you will see a sign informing that the estate of the artist Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was located here. Now in the so-called " cottages Kuindzhi” hosts the base of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, students of the Academy come here for practice, and here, in the courtyard, exhibitions of student works are sometimes held, where everyone is invited.
Rosa Luxembourg Street will lead to central square named after Lenin, the former Bazarnaya. The old name is still quite true: there are many shops and cafes. In the old days, a mail coach from Yalta arrived on this square every day, bringing not only letters, but also passengers. Five streets depart from the square: in addition to the Rosa Luxembourg street already known to you, this Krasnogvardeyskaya street, Amet Khan Sultana, Kalinina and Frunze. The last two are essentially a large shopping promenade.
You can take a walk along the long, narrow and beautiful Frunze Street, built up with old houses with terraces and twisted fences of yards. However, it is better to leave the walk on the way back and turn onto Sanatorium descent, and from it to Palace Highway. This is a shady walking street that passes by the buildings of the Vorontsov Palace and leads to the entrance to the Vorontsov Park.
Vorontsov Palace appeared in Alupka in the first half of the 19th century by order of the Governor-General of Novorossia, Count Vorontsov. Now it is part of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve with interesting expositions. Historical interiors have been preserved in the Ceremonial Halls of the main building. There are many exhibits dedicated to the family of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. Separate thematic exhibitions operate in the wing of Vorontsov's daughter, Countess Shuvalova, in the "Butler's Apartment" and "Vorontsov's Kitchen", in the hall "Under the plane tree".
From November 1 to March 31, the palace is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, ticket office until 16:15. In the summer season, the opening hours of the palace are extended until 19.00-20.00.
Sufficient time should be taken to walk around park of the Vorontsov Palace, divided into two zones - Upper and Lower parks. The park area is open to everyone, and you can visit it for free. Group excursions are held in the park several times a day (at 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00).
V Upper park there is the famous Solnechnaya Polyana, where the oldest cypress of Crimea grows - it is over 200 years old. The sculptures of lions on the southern terraces of the park, from where a beautiful view of the sea opens, became the symbol of the palace. And the most interesting decorations of the park are "chaos": two natural heaps of stones of volcanic origin, inscribed in the landscape. From the "big chaos" you can go down to three artificial lakes, the largest of which is "Swan".
Through Vorontsovsky Park you can go to the main beach of Alupka - " Vorontsov baths". The 100-meter strip of the beach is covered with small pebbles and is filled with tourists to the eyeballs during the season. However, there are changing rooms, showers, toilets, equipment rental, so on a hot day it is quite possible to complete the walk by swimming in the sea.
Walking to the sea from the Lower Park, you can admire Rock of Aivazovsky. It is believed that from this hill, protruding from the sea near the coast, the artist once made sketches for his landscapes. Now on the rock there is a tablet in three languages and steps carved into the stone, along which you can climb to the observation deck.
Where to eat deliciously in Alupka
- At the end of the visit, you can visit tasting room Massandra plant- it is located at the bus stop, near the entrance to the Vorontsovsky park. Or you can go for lunch at one of the popular restaurants.
- If you return by the familiar route to Rosa Luxembourg Street, it is worth stopping by house number 30, the famous ethno-cafe "Roomi". This small establishment opened in the building where in the 1920s the no less popular cafe "Belyaly" ("Reckless" in translation from the Crimean Tatar) was located. It is difficult to notice the cafe from the street: it lurks in a small alley. The interior is decorated in oriental style, there are only a few tables in the cafe, homemade Tatar cuisine and a cozy atmosphere.
- You can go the other way - return to the bus station along Frunze Street, and on the way go to " Caramba bar"(house number 10). The restaurant with a summer terrace in the shade of cedars and cypresses is stylized as a port tavern, its menu is very extensive, and there is free wi-fi.
- Finally, you can have an inexpensive and quite tasty lunch in cafe-dining room "Magnolia" on Lenin Square, which was once the main dining room of Alupka. There is a large selection of simple and quite high-quality dishes.
– amazing place where thousands of tourists visit every year.
Everything here is thought out to the smallest detail to make your vacation a success. Even transport links.
Getting to Alupka is easy from anywhere in the Crimea.
And you won’t be able to get lost in the city itself, there are buses, sea boats, bicycles and taxis at the service of the tourist here.
How to get there
The South Coast Highway connects the main resort towns Crimea, and stretches along the entire sea coast. This is a comfortable road with several lanes for traffic.
Locals refer to the South Coast Highway as the "lower road". The fact is that the highway runs south of all other Crimean highways, so do not be surprised if you hear such a name. The South Coast Highway also passes through Alupka. If you move by car, then from Alupka you will have to drive only 14 km along this highway. And from Sevastopol - 65 km.
If you are planning to go to Alupka by car, then you should take into account that parking in the city is not easy. There is a parking lot near the western entrance to Vorontsovsky Park (Frunze Street).
There is also paid parking near the local bus station. True, at the peak of the tourist season, finding a free place is not an easy task.
You can just leave the car on the side of the road, but the streets here are narrow, and the car will quickly become a traffic jam.
Well developed network bus routes. So, you can get to Alupka as follows:
1. From Yalta - by buses No. 107, No. 115. These routes follow the old Sevastopol highway, which runs just above the South Coast, which means it is quite far from the line of beaches.
Buses go around Vorontsovsky Park (attraction of Alupka) from the north side and disembark passengers at the bus station. Station address: crossroads st. Lenin and Palace Highway.
Travel time from Yalta to Alupka will be in this case 25 minutes. It is worth considering that this way to get to Alupka is suitable for those who need to get into the city itself or the park. If you intend to be on the beach or in one of the hotels by the sea, then choose the route below from Yalta.
2. From Yalta - by buses No. 132 or No. 102. These buses follow just in time for the beaches of Alupka. Their route is laid along the South Coast Highway. In this case, passengers are dropped off not at the bus station, but at the Vorontsov Palace stop. It is located at the east entrance to the park. From here it is convenient to get both to the park itself and to the sea. There are buses to Alupka about 20 minutes.
3. From Sevastopol, through Alupka, all routes pass in the direction of the Simeiz resort. Travel time will be one and a half hours. But you should definitely clarify at the box office that the bus will make a stop in Alupka itself, otherwise you can get into a situation where you will be rushed past the town with a breeze.
4. There is no direct communication from Simferopol to Alupka. But there is a regular bus, following the route Simferopol-Simeiz. He makes a stop in Alupka. Travel time - 3 hours. Separates Alupka from Simferopol almost 100 km.
5. You can also get to Alupka sea transport . The berth is located at the western edge of the Vorontsovsky Park. Boats run from Yalta to Alupka every two hours.
True, unlike the bus, the boat takes longer. Approximately one hour. And in rainy weather and stormy winds, flights are completely postponed. Therefore, you can get to Alupka by sea only if you do not have enough adventures in your life, and you have enough time for such a trip.
By the way, the location of the pier is very inconvenient. To the main attraction of Alupka - the Vorontsov Palace - you will have to walk another 15 minutes on foot through the park. The pier in general - as if it was built on its own, without reference to the city.
Transport inside Alupka
Everything is simple here. There is only one public transport in Alupka - bus.
Bus number 1 (previously called number 10) runs around the city.
Its route is laid out in such a way that it forms a ring, so the starting and ending stops coincide.
The interval of movement of the city bus is small - 15 minutes. At the same time, it will take some 45 minutes to cover the entire bus route.
Usually locals rarely use public transport. They are more accustomed to walking to any point of the city, fortunately, Alupka is a small resort town.
But tourists often resort to the services of a local bus, only in order not to get lost and quickly get, say, from the park to the beach, or from the hotel (in the northern part) to the sea.
Getting around in Alupka is easy: all government agencies, catering, hospitals and large shops are concentrated in the central part of the town - this is Lenin Square and the surrounding streets. Beaches and entertainment for tourists are closer to the sea.
Ticket prices
- For a long-distance trip from Yalta to Alupka, a tourist will have to pay 65 rubles. But, you see, this is a small amount.
- From Sevastopol, the cost of the trip will cost 80 rubles.
- For the Simferopol-Alupka flight, you will have to pay almost 100 rubles.
- For a city bus in Alupka itself, the price is just as low and amounts to 14 rubles.
- A boat trip from Yalta to Alupka will require 150 rubles from you.
- With "private traders" you can easily bargain for 100 rubles.
