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Yalta Because of the spectacular setting and excellent climate Yalta is a great place to visit. And because it has some good hotels it is an excellent base from which to explore Crimea. The sights include Gorbachov's dacha where he received the fateful call to return to Moscow before his downfall, and the extraordinary Tudor-Moorish palace at Alupka which was built for the English educated Count Mikhail Verontsov. This is where Churchill and Roosevelt stayed during the 1945 Yalta conference. The Soviet period has bequeathed a few brutal architectural failures that dot the bay. But these seem quite insignificant against the green wooded escarpment that soars up to the high ridge that forms the breathtaking back-drop to the town. The peak at Ai-Petri, even on the hottest day, often has a smudge of cloud hovering over its summit. 
Sometimes, it seems within minutes, huge black storm clouds develop and burst, pelting rain down on the holiday makers below. But this is just a brief local shower and meanwhile, a short way up the coast, the sun shines brilliantly. The peninsular has several micro-climates - that at Sudak about 100 Km to the East is more predictable. Sevastopol 60 Km to the West is much more arid. Yalta's promenade along the harbour and sea-front retains its elegant charm from a century ago. 
Perhaps you can imagine Anton Chekhov, whose house is a 20 minute walk from the sea-front, still sitting in a cafe and sketching the start of his short story 'Lady with a Lap-dog': The appearance on the front of a new arrival - a lady with a lapdog - became the topic of general conversation. Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov, who had been a fortnight in Yalta and got used to its ways, was also interested in new arrivals. One day, sitting on the terrace of Vernet's restaurant, he saw a young woman walking along the promenade; she was fair, not very tall, and wore a toque; behind her trotted a white pomeranian.Later he came across her in the park and in the square several times a day. She was always alone, always wearing the same toque, followed by the white pomeranian. No one knew who she was, and she became known simply as the lady with the lapdog.' If she is here without her husband and without any friends', thought Gurov, 'it wouldn't be a bad idea to strike up an acquaintance with her. 
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 Holiday in Yalta & CrimeaDiscover some of the fascinating history of Crimea - see the old Tartar capital at Bakhchisarai, and Sevastopol centre of the Crimean War where you can visit the Valley of Death and see what it was really like in the Panorama Museum. Find out more Black Sea TourEnjoy the convivial atmosphere of Odessa where the locals are reknowned for their relaxed humour. See the lush Danube Delta and the extraordinary fauna. Find out more |