Guide: all countries » Ukraine » Yalta »

Sightseeing in Yalta - what to see. Complete travel guide

Many travelers associate the enchanting Crimean city with the hot sun, wonderful beaches, picturesque nature, and incomparable architectural monuments. These thoughts are absolutely true. Yalta is a wonderful city for those who want to relax in a beautiful and romantic place. Yalta is the most popular and most famous Crimean resort. It is a picturesque port city that started to attract travelers from other countries over a century ago.
Top touristic routes around Yalta: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Yalta from bird's eye view! Swallow Nest, Livadia Palace, Massandra Palace, Glory Hill, Roman Catholic Church, Villa Elena, all those monuments are defining the image of Yalta … Open
The first references to the city date back to the middle of the 12th century. For a hundred years, its culture has gained a lot of new facets and has been reflected in amazing historical monuments. Yalta attracts fans of beach and ecotourism but fans of sightseeing tourist won’t be bored here too. Travelers have a wide choice of places for pleasant recreation, for example, enchanting city beaches and squares.
Remarkably, almost all the beaches of Yalta were paid until 2010. Now, the entrance to them is absolutely free. There can be extra charge only for beach equipment. With it, the biggest part of the coast is distinguished by very good equipment. In 2012, a range of Yalta beaches earned honorary awards for high environmental indicators, which made the resort more attractive. Active travelers can hike through the woods and mountainous areas. The acquaintance with local flora and fauna is also an excellent way to diversify your recreation. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Top touristic routes around Yalta: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Yalta from bird's eye view! Swallow Nest, Livadia Palace, Massandra Palace, Glory Hill, Roman Catholic Church, Villa Elena, all those monuments are defining the image of Yalta … Open
When admiring the panorama of the resort from a birds-eye view, you can see that there are lush green plantings literally a step away from the coast. To enjoy the soft sea and unique nature, it is not necessary to leave the resort, as everything here is within walking distance.
In Yalta, there is a wide choice of boarding houses and sanatoriums, so the guests of the resort have an excellent opportunity to have a wonderful vacation with a profit to their health. Yalta is unique in offering wonderful conditions for recreation of fans of different types of tourism. Eco, health, beach, food, sports and extreme tourism  people with different interests and financial possibilities love vacationing here. The resort has been gaining its flawless reputation for many decades. Today, it is one of the most attractive tourist places in the territory of Ukraine and the former CIS countries.
Top touristic routes around Yalta: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Yalta from bird's eye view! Swallow Nest, Livadia Palace, Massandra Palace, Glory Hill, Roman Catholic Church, Villa Elena, all those monuments are defining the image of Yalta … Open
Undoubtedly, the main historic symbol of Yalta is the fascinating old castle with the romantic name “The Swallow’s Nest”. It was built on top of the bluff rock at the beginning of the 20th century. Originally, the castle belonged to Baron von Stengel. The rich baron wanted his luxurious house to look like German castles. Before the Revolution of 1917, the castle had been in private ownership. After the Revolution, it was nationalized. The castle was damaged significantly by the earthquake in 1927. Then, the historical monument was abandoned. It was restored and recognized as a monument of national significance not so long ago.
Another popular historical site is Livadia Palace that was built at the beginning of the 20th century too. In the 19th century, the first royal residence was built at the site of the palace. Consequently, it was rebuilt completely upon the order of Emperor Nickolas II. He was really impressed by luxurious Italian residences. When he returned from Italy, the Russian Emperor wanted to build the one in his homeland. Today, the guests of Yalta can see the same palace as it was like in the period of the reign of Nickolas II.
Top touristic routes around Yalta: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Yalta from bird's eye view! Swallow Nest, Livadia Palace, Massandra Palace, Glory Hill, Roman Catholic Church, Villa Elena, all those monuments are defining the image of Yalta … Open
The unique monument in the arabesque style is the Dulber Palace. It was built for Petr Romanov. After the Revolution, the palace was rebuilt into a jail where the representatives of the royal family were detained. It was restored completely not so long ago. There is a beautiful landscape garden around the palace.
The wonderful Massandra Palace is a monument in French style. It was built for Count Vorontsov. The palace had not been finished when the count lived. Consequently, it was being built under the guidance of Emperor Alexander III. Like many other royal residences, the Massandra Palace went through several rough historical periods after the Revolution. You can learn about that time during the excursion.
Top touristic routes around Yalta: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Yalta from bird's eye view! Swallow Nest, Livadia Palace, Massandra Palace, Glory Hill, Roman Catholic Church, Villa Elena, all those monuments are defining the image of Yalta … Open
The most significant religious monument in Yalta is the Cathedral of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century and is a unique architectural monument. Its design in Byzantium style makes it very special. The cathedral has preserved beautiful paintings and religious relics. It is located on the territory of the picturesque park.
Reference information
Map of all castles
Survived castles around Yalta
♥   Castle 'Swallow’s Nest Castle' , 8.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Mangup' , 30.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Chufut Kale fortress' , 33 km from the center. On the map   Photo

Sights around Yalta from our guide 'Extreme places on Earth'

Gorge Maryam-Dere

From the series “ Survived Artifacts of Early Christian Civilization”
Check on the map:   Distance from Yalta center - 49.9 km.
Amazing tours along the gorge are conducted for pilgrims and tourists. The length of the landmark is about 2 km. Besides the monastery, guests of these picturesque places will be able to see the wonderful mountain scenery, look at the once inhabited caves and see the remains of the rock art. Currently, the Assumption Monastery goes through another large-scale reconstruction. The renovated building looks incredibly impressive. There are lots of visitors in the monastery. All travelers can experience its unique relics and special historic atmosphere. … Read further

Inkerman Cave Monastery of St. Clement

From the series “ Survived Artifacts of Early Christian Civilization”
Check on the map:   Distance from Yalta center - 45.8 km.
In the 17th-18th centuries, the cave monastery began to attract the attention of royal personages. It was visited by Catherine II, Princess Maria Alexandrovna and Tsar Alexander III, as well as other members of the royal family. Today, the cave monastery is a tourist attraction of national significance. After renovation, it looks incredibly impressive. For decades, archaeologists continue to work close to the monastery. Tourists will be able to see other early Christian artifacts in this wonderful historic district. As scientists believe, more than 1 500 years ago, one of the world's largest Christian communities could be situated there. … Read further

Balaclava Naval Base

From the series “Famous Abandoned Military Bases and Forts”
Check on the map:   Distance from Yalta center - 45.2 km.
The museum is quite large, its visitors have a chance to look into the preserved old dry dock - a place where the submarines were repaired a few decades ago. The arsenal of the military base has also been preserved and today represents the largest exposition of the museum. At present the military-historical complex is being renovated. It is planned to expand the size of the museum soon and to complement the collection with new unique exhibits. The military base is open to visitors all year round. … Read further

Sightseeing in regions nearby Yalta

Livadiya
In ancient times, there were big meadows at the site of the modern resort. So, many people thought that Livadia got its name exactly because of its relief, as the Greek word “livadion” means “lawn, meadow”. The territory of Livadia had long been settled, which ... Open »
Koreiz
Koreiz is a wonderful resort village located 12 km from enchanting Yalta. The boundaries of Koreiz and Gaspra have long mingled and only the indigenous people can say where one village ends and another starts. In Russian literature, this picturesque Crimean village was ... Open »
Hurzuf
Gurzuf - one of the popular Crimean resorts, where every summer thousands of tourists come. The average annual air temperature here is exactly the same as in Nice, but precipitation falls, on the contrary, lesser than on the Cote d'Azur. The name of the village comes ... Open »
Alupka
In the XX century, Alupka becomes a popular resort, at this time more than 200 private resorts are being built on its territory. It is worth noting that Maxim Gorky, Fyodor Chaliapin, Ivan Bunin, Mikhail Kotsyubinsky, Sergey Rachmaninov, Lesya Ukrainka and other ... Open »
Simeiz
Simeiz offers not only wonderful nature and upscale wellness centers, but also rich cultural heritage, the acquaintance with which will certainly diverse your recreation. Most of the excursion objects are unique nature attractions but fans of walking along historical ... Open »
Alushta
One of the most ancient and charming cities of the Southern Coast of Crimea, Alushta strikes with its extraordinary beauty, compact size and amazing nature. Once, there was a very ordinary small village. It was at the intersection of several important trade routes, and ... Open »
Secure Connection
Main Office
Weegschaalstraat 3, Eindhoven
5632 CW, The Netherlands
+31 40 40 150 44


Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | About us
Copyright © 2002 - OrangeSmile Tours B.V. | Incorporated by IVRA Holding B.V. - Registered in The Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel KvK, The Netherlands) No. 17237018