Everything about the village of Koktebel in Crimea

If we compare Koktebel with other villages, where at least 3,000 people are not recruited too, it turns out that for its scale it is simply incredibly famous. In the top 5 resorts of Crimea, according to the version of the rest, he probably would not have entered, but he was definitely one of the best among those who did not get there. At the same time, certain people will surely be found who say that it is here that they are most comfortable and that they would love to return there.

Because of its modest size, this village is not on every map yet, but it will not be so difficult for an experienced tourist to find it. It is located in the south-eastern part of the Crimean peninsula. Should be guided by Theodosius - it is to her Koktebel submits administratively. The village itself is located about 20 kilometers away from it, if you move along the highway from Feodosia towards Sudak, Alushta and Yalta, therefore, the general direction is south-west.

If you think that such a small village must be a corner of peace and comfort, you are very mistaken - knowingly, tiny Koktebel is included in the extended top of the Crimean resorts. It can not be called a typical youth resort, because couples often come here, just at the expense of tourists, this is not the same provincial town as anyone could have imagined. As a result, in terms of infrastructure, there is even something that is not in most regional centers, but more on that later.

It is known that Koktebel is an older settlement, but history does not know the answer to the question of when it was founded. Somewhere here, in ancient times, the settlement of Athenaeon was located, but only about books are known about it, but there are no real archaeological finds. Until about the year 900, there was a rather large city inhabited by Christians, later destroyed by the Pechenegs.

For a good three hundred years after that, there were only ruins here, and then at the end of the XII century, the Venetians came here - they founded a new village, on the maps of those times, signed as Sidima. After a century and a half, the village was handed over to the Genoese, and in 1475 the young Ottoman Empire subordinated this territory to itself.

For many centuries, the area around today's Koktebel was settled only periodically, and the cities and villages that stood here did not last longer than several centuries. The modern village appeared only two hundred years ago and was alternately populated by the Crimean Tatars, the Bulgarians, the Russians, but until the end of the nineteenth century, when it gradually began to become a popular resort, the population even in 100 people almost never reached.

Part of the popularity of this place is associated with two people who are here. The surname of the first was Junge, he had an estate here, where he invited many cultural and scientific workers - writers, scientists, artists.

The tradition was developed and multiplied when Maximilian Voloshin, famous for his poems and landscape drawings, settled here. Thanks to him, a huge number of prominent literary figures of that time visited here and it is considered that at the beginning of the twentieth century there was one of the centers of Russian pre-revolutionary nudism here, which then was known only to Bohemia.

In Soviet times, nudism was in deep decline, but due to the abundance of Bohemia, the place became considered elitist, and the local nature allowed turning the neighborhood of Koktebel into a center of gliding.In 1944, due to the deportation, the village lost not only the Tatar, but also the Bulgarian population, and a year later, the Tatar name fell under the knife - until 1992 this place was on the map as Planerskoe.

To this day, Koktebel remains so popular in many respects because the bohemian tradition of gathering here has not disappeared anywhere - a huge number of festivals and creative gatherings are held here, which attract participants and numerous viewers.

The popularity of Koktebel, of course, would not have been possible if there was no pleasant and mild climate here. The main thing for which local nature is valued is a special healing air, since on one side there is the sea, on the other - mountains covered with forests. For this reason, Koktebel is considered by many as a climatic health resort.

Despite the fact that the village is located closer to the eastern Crimea with its temperate climate, the declining Crimean mountains are still enough to protect it from the cold northern winds.

Even in January-February the average temperature here is a comfortable 1-3 degrees of heat, in July-August the figures correspond to 23-24 degrees. The water in the middle and end of summer warms steadily to 24-25 degrees. The main influx of tourists, who are also interested in beach holidays, is observed from May to October.

Most of the tourists who come to rest in the small villages of the Crimea, expect that the excursions and the rest of the entertainment program can be ordered for an additional fee, choosing one of the neighboring town. With Koktebel, everything is not so - even though it is small, even in itself offers a lot of options on how to relax interestingly and unforgettably. You can find curious entertainment for both adults and children.

Despite the fact that Koktebel itself is small, the sights here are not only natural, but also man-made. The compulsory program for those who are here for the first time, and regardless of hobbies, includes the following items.

• Karadag Nature Reserve. Perhaps the main natural attraction of Koktebel surroundings is the extinct volcano Karadag and a piece of virgin nature adjacent to it. The age of the cone is, according to scientists, more than 140 million years old, located near the placer jasper and amethyst. The species diversity is very impressive here - 15 local representatives of the animal world and 100 species of fish are considered rare and protected by law. All this also looks very picturesque, and the highlight of Karadag is the Golden Gate rock, close to which you can sail by boat.

• Cape Chameleon. Another very interesting place created by nature itself. The name of the cape is given very aptly, because with a change in the position of the sun and cloudiness, this geological structure can visually change its color. To catch all the beauty of this place, 5 minutes is hardly enough, but during the day its color can change up to two dozen times.

• House Museum of Maximilian Voloshin. This person was extraordinary, for a long time he lived here and is the most famous permanent resident of Koktebel throughout its history - no wonder that the locals created a whole museum in the building where the poet lived. First of all, the institution will be interesting to fans of Voloshin’s talent, as many of his paintings are collected here, as well as manuscripts, documents and photographs of those times. The organizers also tried to recreate the original atmosphere of a century ago.

• The eponymous factory of vintage wines and brandies. Contrary to his name, he is not located in the village that gave him his name, but in neighboring Shebetovka, where, by the way, the excursion is constantly organized. If a person is not a principled sober, it is likely that he tried the products of this plant at least once in his life, especially since she has been awarded many international awards over the decades.

The so-called Green path - the author of the famous “Scarlet Sails” walked from the neighboring Old Crimea to visit his friend Maximilian Voloshin. Not everyone can overcome this route, since its total duration is at least 15 kilometers, and even along mountainous terrain. However, it is precisely this that attracts lovers of hiking, because on the way you can meet a huge number of scenic spots.

If you need to entertain the kids, pay attention to the places below.

• Aquapark. For most potential holidaymakers who have not yet been to Koktebel, there are two surprises. The first is that the three thousand people have their own water park, so you don’t need to go anywhere - you can entertain the kids with a water slide, visit a spa or a jacuzzi right here. The second surprise can be considered a bonus to the first one - in a small seaside village there is not just a run-down aquapark, but the largest in the whole Crimea, and this is already a big plus in favor of choosing this resort.

• Aquarium. It would be a shame to a popular holiday village located on the sea coast not to have its own terrestrial collection of living marine creatures. Here it is quite impressive, and the entrance ticket will cost about 300 rubles.

• Dolphinarium. And here is an object that is not found in many large cities, although getting into a dolphinarium is the dream of most children and a significant number of adults. Dolphins will show visitors the real performance, and for a fee they will be given the opportunity to also swim and take pictures with these friendly representatives of the deep sea.

• Bird Park, or dynotherium. This exhibition is in some way unique - there are few other places where there are expositions of live birds, mostly devoted to parrots. There are several dozen of these bright feathered here, and they happily communicate with visitors, agreeing to sit on the arm. Some other birds are represented in the collection. For those parents who brought the youngest visitors here, there is a bonus, because for kids up to five years old admission is free.

If you still have little Koktebel, problems with the organization of excursion tours to other cities, such as Theodosia and Sudak, should not arise. The entire southern coast of Crimea is of interest both from the point of view of ancient architecture, preserved from ancient and medieval times, and due to the striking natural wealth of these places.

As befits a seaside resort, Koktebel and its environs abound with beaches. They are presented here absolutely for every taste - for example, many of them do not involve payment for admission and are available to everyone. There are quite unusual children's beaches - there it will be especially interesting for kids, but you will have to pay for them.

Of the top beaches with well-developed paid infrastructure usually distinguish “Surf”, “Blue Bay”, “Sunrise”, “Old Fortress” and Central.

It should be said quite separately about the nudist beach of Koktebel - it was founded, as is commonly believed, by Voloshin himself. Considering how long it has existed, today a whole subculture has taken shape around it, so that lovers of sunbathing and swimming naked will not be forced to constantly look around, looking for condemning glances. The local nudist beach is widely known in the post-Soviet space and can boast of considerable popularity.

As we already understood, Koktebel is too an atypical settlement for its size, therefore it is easy to get to it. Comfortable getting here will not prevent even the fact that there is no airport nearby, and in the village there is no railway.

Most tourists from outside the peninsula inevitably first come to Simferopol - there is a busy airport located there, serving 70 destinations in Russia, and inter-city buses usually travel there. From here it is possible to get to the former Planerskoe even by direct buses - they depart both from the Kurortnaya bus station and directly from the airport. Depending on the carrier and its exact route, travel time can be 2-2.5 hours, at prices you should be guided by 400-450 rubles per person.

If this is more convenient for you, transplantation can be done in Feodosia - it is located very close. The bus travels 20 kilometers, separating the starting and ending point, a maximum of half an hour.

With the opening of the Crimean Bridge, more and more Russian citizens began to come to rest in the peninsula on their own cars, and this practice is quite typical for residents of the adjacent Krasnodar Territory. If this is your case, then Koktebel is good for you also because this resort is one of the closest to the Crimean bridge.

Initially, the route is actually the same; it leads to Simferopol and to all other regions of the peninsula, but at the right moment you should turn left to Feodosia, and then follow the road to Sudak, Alushta and Yalta.

Considering that Koktebel has been focused on receiving guests for more than a century, one should not be surprised that the problems with the settlement here most likely will not arise. Accommodation is here for every taste - from campgrounds and guest houses in the private sector to boarding houses and hotels of decent level.

Most vacationers arriving here say that the best option in terms of combination of price and quality is precisely the settlement in the private sector. Locals live at the expense of arriving, because they themselves are interested in renting out the living space, and they had plenty of time to develop their business.

In this case, all the fundamental modern conveniences are organized here, and the cost of such accommodation will be cheaper than in a hotel of a similar level of comfort.

Given that the air here is not just healthy, but even useful, it is not surprising that there are a large number of health facilities. - sanatoriums and boarding houses. A vivid example of how comfortable living can be here can be the “Azure Koktebel” pension, which offers the highest level of organization of rest. First of all, this is a closed territory, where outsiders cannot get, and she herself is a self-sufficient town with entertainment for all tastes.

The sports ground with exercise equipment and tennis tables will help to maintain your own health, and while adults are resting in any way they like, professional animators will work with the children.

Many Koktebel hotels prefer to modestly call themselves guest houses, although in fact these are good hotels with a high level of service.

Consider a few of the most popular and well-known hotel establishments of the village.

• "Oriole". This guest house is located 6 minutes walk from the seashore and looks like a classic wooden manor, which in a town with ancient resort traditions looks quite colorful. Despite the fact that this place is not located on the first line, it is often praised for its convenient location - the bus station of the village is only 3 minutes walk away, you can reach the center with all its infrastructure in 10 minutes. If the kitchen is shared, then all the other amenities are in the rooms, which is very convenient.

• "Yellow Hills". This guest house is somewhat reminiscent of the idea of ​​the above, but the implementation here is completely different - this is just a stone manor, one of the important advantages of which is a beautiful view of Karadag. A useful bonus of this place is that it offers rooms of completely different categories - you can live both in the main building and in individual houses.

• "White griffin". But this is already a full-fledged hotel, which presents all the amenities that a tourist can expect from such an institution. We will not argue that this is definitely the best hotel in Koktebel, but its advantage is that in many respects it is focused on conveniently organizing excursions for its guests - in short, a good option for those vacationers who do not consider a good vacation on the beach a good vacation.

Despite the fact that Koktebel receives guests all year round, most of them arrive in the summer, whereas in the cold months most of the infrastructure simply does not work. If you come here for wellness or educational purposes in the winter, pay attention to the hotels. "Meganom" and "Tepsen" - they work 12 months a year.

Many Crimean resorts are mercilessly criticized by modern tourists for the fact that the infrastructure there is outdated, the population is not so friendly, the prices are foreign, and the service is not even domestic, but Soviet. Koktebel in this regard still stands out quite well for the better - apparently, the bohemian presence of many years affects.

Numerous festivals further increase the percentage of intellectuals and creative people, because there is always interesting.

However, Koktebel is such a village, once in which you forget about all the additional details, because on the scale of the Crimean peninsula this is one of the most beautiful places, and with healing air. After hard work, any rest has a regenerating effect, but a vacation spent in Koktebel can give the most valuable thing - to make a person feel alive.

Browse the beaches and hotels of Koktebel, see below.