Day 1: Arrival to the airport of Simferopol

Transfer to the Bahchisaray

Accommodation in tourist centre "Prival"

Dinner at the hotel restaurant

Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Tepe-Kermen;

Lunch at the hotel restaurant;

Free time

Dinner at the hotel restaurant

Excursion to Crimean Astrophysical Observatory

Day 3: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Uspenskiy Cathedral and visiting of Chufut-Kale

Lunch at the hotel restaurant

Excursion the Bakhchisaray Palace

Dinner at the hotel restaurant

Day 4: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Surenskaya Fortress

Lunch - picknic

Excursion to Eski-Kermen

Dinner at the hotel restaurant

Day 5: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Grand Canyon;

Lunch - picknic

Visiting of Silver waterfall

Dinner at the hotel restaurant

Day 6: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Voroncovskiy Palace with visiting Nikitskiy Botanical Garden; Lastichkino Gnezdo

Lunch at the local restaurant

Excursion to Livadiyskiy Palace

Dinner at the restaurant

Day 7: Breakfast at the hotel;

Excursion to Sevastopol;

Lunch at the local restaurant;

Excursion to Submarine`s Museum

Dinner at the restaurant

Day 8: Breakfast at the hotel;

Transfer to the airport;

Departure;

1. Excursion to the Khan`s Palace

Bakhchisaray means the "palace of gardens" (tatar). It was a capital of the Crimean Khanate (XV-XVIII). When the Crimea was absorbed by Russia, Bakhchisaray became a standard provincial town. Now, Bakhchisaray is popular town of more than 30,000, and is centered in the large agricultural region of the Crimea. Bakhchisaray is the town of excursions. The main tourist attraction is Khan's Palace. This is a "must see" for any visitor to the Crimea. Although this city is growing in population, the old portion of the city is most interesting for tourists. This old part of the Bakhchisaray has retained a medieval atmosphere with it's narrow and curved streets, as well as many other medieval attributes, including Khan's Palace.

2. Excursion to Uspenskiy Cathedral and Chufut-Kale

Duration: 3,5 – 4 hours

Supposed Uspenskiy Cathedral was built at the end of the VIII – beginning of the IX centuries and consider as one of the oldest in Crimea. It's foundation connected with appearence of icon-admirers - monks and seculars, who escaped the Vyzantine icon fighters' prosecutions after the ecclesiastical Council in 754 A.D.. After the peninsula seizure by the Golden Horde inhabitants, most of the monasteries stopped their existence. Uspensky Cathedral was preserved, and since the XV century it had become the Crimean center of the Orthodox. It had been existing till 1778. When the bulk of the Christian population had been resettled by the Russian Government, the monastery became deserted. Since 1850 the gradual revival of Crimean Christian monasteries began; after the restoration, the Orthodox Uspensky convent was opened. During the Crimean war the hospital was settled in it and till now graves of the Sevastopol defence participants lying at the ancient monastery cemetery. In 1921 the monastery was closed by Bolsheviks, and little by little it had fallen into a state of neglection and began to collapse. Over the past years the main monastery church has been partly restored named after The Virgin Mary Assumption, and in 1993 the male monastery was opened here. The rock in Chufut-Kale is situated on the plateau of the mountain offshoot, dominated over the three deep valleys. The nature prepared an inaccessible constructive stand, but the human being created the town on it. The fortifications amplified a natural protection. In XIII century fortress was inhabited with Alans who considered to be the most powerful tribe of iranian origin. However, tartar troops of Golden Horde conquered the fortress. Men-warriors, as usual, were killed and the last population was slaved. Tartars overruned the town, and allocated a garrison in it and called it 'Kirk-Or' ('40 fortifications'). The first Crimean knan Hadji-Girey in XV c. invalued the fortress with great dignity. He turned it into his fortified residency and created a dependable shelter in a period of fighting khans with Golden Horde for their independence. After Crimean Knans migrated to a new capital - Bakhchisaray, Kirk-Or was a citadel of the capital and a prison of the famous captives: Lithuanian ambassador Lez, polish hetman Potozkiy, a favourite of Ivan-the-Terrible - Vasiliy Griaznoy. Russian ambassadors, Vasiliy Aytemirov and a prince Romodanovskiy spent 3 years in the khan's prison, one of the favourites of the Tsar, a russian voivode, Vasiliy Sheremetyev was forced to spent 21 years in a dungeon. During this time 4 Khans were replaced in Bakhchisaray. In the middle of XVII c. tartars left Kirk-Or. Only Karaimes stayed there. Tartars considered them to be jewry. Since that time they began to call the town Chufut-Kale that means 'Jewish Fortress'. Karaimes lived there more than 2 centuries. Since that time Chufut-Kale became deserted. Population left the severe plateu and migrated to Bakhchisaray, Simferopol, Yevpatoria. In 1852 last inhabitants quited Chufut-Kale.

Established in the 6th century A.D. simultaneously with many other Byzantine fortresses, Tepe-Kermen developed the features of a town by the 10th century, and declined in the 14th century. Tepe-Kermen differs from the other "cave towns" of the Crimea because of the great density of artificial caves (up to 300 in number) and relatively small area covered by the site of the town (about 1 hectare). This is one of the worst studied sites of the Crimean Middle Ages. For example, it is still unknown how the dwellers of Tepe-Kermen solved the problem of water supplying. The scholars have presumably interpreted some caves as churches and defensive casemates with embrasures. The site still keeps the traces of residential buildings, which were erected above the ground. Some scholars incline to interpret Tepe-Kermen as a cave monastery; others explain it as a feudal fortification, which dominated over the valley of Kacha river.

4. Excursion to Crimean Astrophysical Observatory

The unique climatic conditions of Simeiz - small nebulosity, dry and clean air promoted the establishing on the territory of the village the astronomical observatory. In the very beginning of XXth century it was founded on the top of the Cat mountain by then owners of Simeiz - brothers Maltsovs, who passed it as a gift to Pulkov astronomical observatory. Later this department of observatory grew into independent Simeiz astrophysical observatory. In 1925-26 the biggest in the USSR reflecting telescope with the mirror diameter of 1 meter was built up here. With its assistance a number of fundamental scientific researches have been carried out, big astronomical discoveries were made. Especially should be noted the discovery of rotation of stars, made by academician G.A.Shain, which brought the public recognition to scientists of Simeiz. It should be also mentioned the successful researches of determining of radial velocity of stars, performed in the observatory. Simeiz astronomers achieved many results during monitoring of small planets. They have discovered more than 130 of heavenly bodies. One of the discovered small planets was called Simeiz. For 65 years the astronomers were carrying on their researches. In 1974 the center of astrophysical researches was transferred into village Nauchniy near Bakhchisaray, and the place of Simeiz observatory was occupied by station of observation of space satellites of Academy of Sciences, which is one of the parts of international program ТInterkosmos. The direct attitude towards the space-studies also has the Department of radio-astronomy of Crimean astrophysical observatory of Academy of Sciences. In the middle of 1950-s here, on the coast of Goluboy Zaliv the 22-meters radio-telescope was built up, one of the biggest in the world. In October, 1959 for the first time in history it received the pictures of the dark side of the Moon, transmitted by soviet space station Luna-3. The unique equipment also studies the nature of the Sun. With its help several very important researches were performed, which helped to understand and predict the sun weather. Today the guests of Simeiz have a wonderful opportunity to join the excursion around the observatory, which includes the inspection of astronomical equipment, watching the space objects through the telescope, getting acquainted with the Тstar map of the sky and the slide-show.

Defensing Surenskaya fortress was built in VIII centure. On the east side of the fortress there were gates and arc, but it sloughed. On the west side was the sally wicket. There are loopholes on the walls and in the lower part of tower. The fortress was covered with frescos, but nowdays there are just a parts of it.

6. Excursion to Eski-Kermen

Eski-Kermen is one of the big Crimean cave-town. Now it is neglected and mute, but in the Middle Ages it was taking dominant position in economic life of nearby settlements, it was the big center of trade and handicrafts. Eski-Kermen is founded on the plateau which was difficult to access at the beginning of the 6 century by scyth-sarmats probably. In translation from tatar language it means "Old Fortress". Eski-Kermen was well fortified. Defensive walls made from big lime-stone blocks of 2m wide and 3,5m of height were stretching above the precipices. Towers-casemates were carved in rocks or made with stone. In case of siege the deep well on 70 cubic metres of water was cut. The most part of precipice territory was not built as a reserve of protected area and refuge for the inhabitants of valley in case of war danger. Dwelling town was taking 10 hectares area and almost everywhere was built with two-stored houses covered with tile. The ground floor with cellars cut in the rock served for economical needs, the first dwelling floor was wooden and with balconies as a rule. The town had water-pipe made from potter's pipes bringing water from springs of neighbouring hill beyond 4 kilometres; several cult constructions, necropolis. Eski-Kermen slopes are cut by caves. There are about 350 caves that mainly dated from XII-XIII cc. The caves served as housing for livestock, craft-work shops, grave press-houses and reservoirs for grape juice. There was a lot of hard trials in fortune of fortress. In the 8c the first destroy of Eski-Kermen happened. At the end of the 13c the town stopped existing finally: in 1299 it was burnt by Nogay hordes...

7. Excursion to Grand Canyon

Up to 350m deep and no more than 3m wide at its narrowest, the Canyon is thickly wooded and part of a series of conservation areas covering most of the coastal range of mountains. You can walk along the floor of the Canyon or along one of the higher paths along the sides. The view of this grand ravine is really magnificent. The impetuous and powerful Auzun-Uzen' river, running through the bottom of the canyon, forms numerous small waterfalls, cascades, rapids and pools. It's worth making a detour to the famous `Vanna Molodosty' (Bath of Youth), named by the Tatar Khan who used to make regular trips to it because he claimed it rejuvenated him. The `bath' is a 3m deep `kettle' in the rocks, fed by a clear mountain spring. After a hot hike through the woods the water feels colder than it actually is (about +8oC) but boy, is it refreshing!

After Grand Canyon you`ll visit a wonderful Silver waterfall, where you can make a beautiful photos and enjoy by attractive landscape.

8. Excursion to Voroncovskiy Palace and Nikitskiy Botanical Garden

Voroncovskiy Palaca was built in the 1830s by Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the Palace is located at one of the most scenic spots on the Crimean coastline in Alupka. It now houses a magnificent collection of art. The English-educated Russian aristocrat, Vorontsov served as the governor for the Crimea and Caucasus. He was good to the Tatar population, we were told by a fellow Tatar. Vorontsov had a Tatar shepherd whom he visited once a year, had a cup of coffee with him, and left with the shepherd a pouch of gold coins, his yearly salary. NIKITSKY BOTANICAL GARDEN Established in 1812 by order of Tsar Alexander I, the botanical gardens at Nikita are among the oldest in the country. Perched on a slope above the sea just a 10 minute minibus ride from Yalta, they are well worth a visit, beautifully but carefully laid out by botanist K.K.Steven so as not to disturb some of the original species. Here you can see a 1000 year old juniper and a 500 year old oak tree, both native to Crimea, as well as many of almost 15,000 species collected from all quarters of the globe. Interestingly, this is one of the few places in Crimea where you can see olive trees. Apparently olive cultivation did not develop here, in contrast with the mediterranean countries, because the olive was designated as bourgeois and un-proletarian after the 1917 revolution. For some reason fig and almond trees were not labelled in the same way, so fresh home-grown figs and almonds are on sale everywhere in Crimea - but not olives. Specimens were, however, allowed in the botanical gardens! The Nikitsky gardens are a perfect place to meditate and put the finishing touches to your personal philosphy of life, the universe and just about everything. They stay open late in the evenings in summer, and a stroll in the gardens after a hot day on the beach or sightseeing is a pretty good way to unwind. There's a restaurant and fruit-tasting too. As well as being a place of beauty and peace, the gardens have a practical side - half of the peaches and apricots grown in Ukraine are from varieties selected from the Nikitsky garden's huge collection, and seeds are also exported to Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria. The gardens' Scientific Centre exchanges seeds and information with 600 institutions worldwide.

LIVADIISKI PALACE. When Yalta turned into a place of summer rest for noble families, the Polish magnate Lev Pototsky purchased Livadia. In 1861, the Appanage Department purchased this Palace for the Tsar family. The architect Monigetti reconstructed the lordly estate; the Pototsky's house began to be called the Grand Palace (as distinct from the newly built Small Palace, or, as it was called, Chocolate Palace). The estate counted about 70 buildings.

9.

Lastochkino Gnezdo. The building is compact in size (20 m long by 10 m wide; 65 ft by 33 ft). Its original design envisioned a foyer, guest room, stairway to the tower, and two bedrooms on two different levels within the tower. The interior of the guest room is decorated with wooden panels; the walls of the rest of the rooms are stuccoed and painted. An observation deck rings the building, providing a view of the sea, and Yalta's distant shoreline.

Sevastopol - the second biggest Crimean city. Located in a unique harbor, it was bound to become a navy base. The history of the city starts with the foundation of a Greek colony Chersonesus in 422 BC. Since then the city has been playing the key part in history and the development of the Crimea and the whole country. It is called the cradle of Russian Christianity as the place where Prince Vladimir was first of Russian rulers to adopt christianity and from where the religion spread to Russian lands. After the decline of Chersonesus the area was not densly populated until Sevastopol was founded in 1783 as a naval base and fortress on the southern boundaries of the Russian Empire. Most of the city's history is linked to its military glory, the very name Sevastopol translated from Greek means 'magnificent, glorious'. The name seems justified, the city having survived two prolonged attacks during the Crimean War of 1854-1855 and World War II. The city was twice destroyed and twice rose from the ashes.

Panorama Museum

Hersones