Crimea in winter: where to go and what to see?

Crimea is known as a hugely popular tourist location - tourists come here not only from the entire post-Soviet space, but also from Western Europe. The main tourist season is in the warm half of the year, since one of the main local “magnets” is the sea, surrounding the peninsula from almost all sides. The sea is not only in the Crimea, but the region is unique - here, near the beaches, there are mountains, and ancient sights.

Consider what to do on the Crimean peninsula in non-resort months.

In winter, looking at the alternation of snow and slush outside the window, many people want to go somewhere far to the south, where it is always warm. Crimea is located in the south, but it would be a big mistake to assume that it is located far enough so that it is warm all year round. Contrary to popular belief, winter is here, and it is far from always as mild as one might think. At the same time, the climate on the peninsula is basically not the same in different parts, this should be discussed separately.

The warmest of all, of course, on the southern coast of the Crimea - this is where the subtropical climate is. Winter is, of course, not a typical Russian, but it is still not very pleasant to spend the winter here: in December, the average daily temperature is usually above zero, but frosts are characteristic at night. It should be borne in mind that in the subtropical part of Crimea there are no places at all remote from the sea, which means that fog and dampness regularly occur here, which only aggravates unpleasant impressions of low temperatures.

The eastern coast of Crimea is another popular resort area to the east of Feodosia. It is no longer a subtropical climate, because winter is even cooler here, though not much. The average night temperature in January steadily goes to minus, during the day it stays at about zero degrees. By the way, the bitter (relatively) frosts here also happen - up to 15 degrees, but this is rather the exception than the rule.

Snow cover here is not as long as in even more northern regions, but here it is, and for locals is not a wonder. At the same time, experienced people say that it is here that the winter is transferred a little easier, because in the interior of the peninsula there is no humidity, due to which it shakes.

Winter Crimea, especially when it comes to coastal regions, is exposed to strong winds, storms are common on the east coast.. The peak of wind activity occurs in February, which is why many consider it to be the coldest month on the peninsula. This, of course, is arbitrary, since at the end of the month daffodils may already bloom on the southern coast, which is not exactly what happens in January.

Considering the specifics of the local weather in winter, it is pointless to go to the Crimea at this time to the Crimea. Accordingly, the sights of the peninsula come into play, as well as the mountains. The latter, for example, do not have popular ski resorts, but if you live in the Crimea itself or in the neighboring Krasnodar Territory, you can even go here on your own car for the weekend. Wherein skiers are advised to choose relatively large villages in the mountains or well-known ski resorts., because often the road can be covered with snow, and the goal will be unattainable, and you yourself will be locked up.

A kind of renaissance is experiencing a central Crimea in the winter, at least in comparison with the southern coast, the number of tourists increases substantially in favor of Simferopol and its surroundings.

The Crimean capital is devoid of any serious attractions, and even on the scale of the peninsula is not a recognized tourist center, but you can stop here to comfortably travel on excursions to all major cities in the region.

From non-coastal cities of the central Crimea, the greatest popularity among tourists received Bakhchisaraiand if you find yourself on the peninsula in the winter, it is necessary to get here necessarily. The main attraction of this place are cave citiestherefore you are almost indoors - it is not as cold here as outside. You can relax with the whole family in the southern part of the peninsula, tied precisely to the cardinal points, and not to the tourist region, known as the southern coast.

For example, Zanderlocated in the subtropics, it is rather cool in winter, and due to its small size, there is practically no entertainment activity left in it - just restrict yourself with a sightseeing tour of the local sights of antiquity. The same can be said about Alushta - it is considered the warmest place in the Crimea, but if you have already been in the winter at least in Turkey, you will not be warm here, and even in some places the preserved greens will not impress. Whether business Sevastopol - it is not part of the subtropics, but due to the large size of the city it is always interesting here.

Major cities of Crimea are generally good precisely because life never stops completely, and local architectural monuments remain relevant at any time of the year. The same Yalta and Sevastopol are good because they spend here impressive New Year's shows, and museums work year-round. For this reason, people often come here in winter with children, but it is important to explain to the child that you are going to the sea, however, you will not sunbathe and swim.

As for Evpatoria, its sanatoriums invite children for rest and recuperation even during the winter holidays. Theodosia can complete the big picture, which also never stops accepting tourists.

If you are not traveling from even more southern regions, you can come to the Crimea for the winter without much concern - it is unlikely to be colder than at home. Another thing is that elderly people and families with small children are usually not recommended winter visits to Kerch and its environs.

Not all the sights of Crimea are equally interesting at all times of the year - for example, the Nikitsky Botanical Garden works in the winter, but most plants look more scarce and unattractive than it could be in summer. The same applies to many other beautiful places, because The Crimean peninsula is famous for its palaces with aristocratic parks.. However, not all interesting places are susceptible to cold damage.

If you do not like to organize your own travels, but you want a rich program in which in a short time you will be shown absolutely everything interesting without missing anything. contact travel agencies. Local operators offer impressive tours with an eye for the winter, but get ready for a good week to travel.

As a rule, a capital sightseeing tour of all outstanding places of the peninsula involves visiting several of the most famous cities, each of which is given 1-2 days. The panorama of the Sevastopol Bay, the picture gallery of Ivan Aivazovsky in Feodosia, the thermal springs near Kerch, and the interior of the palaces mentioned above are only a very short summary of everything that can be included in the program.

Many citizens would be happy to go on foot to the mountains, but that in the summer, but in the winter such entertainment is not advised even by the locals. Another thing is that sightseeing trips to the mountains are quite in demand - for example, nothing prevents you from visiting the most famous local caves, including Marble, Red and others. About the cave cities mentioned above, there are in the Crimea and monasteries, hollowed out in the rocks. Inside the caves, as already mentioned, a little warmer, and local travel agencies climb out of their way so that visitors want to go there - say, There is a completely unusual way to celebrate the New Year with Santa Claus, the Christmas tree and champagne right underground.

Children may be somewhat disappointed, because in the winter, not a single Crimean water park usually works - there is not a number of people who would make the work of the enterprise profitable. Another thing - dolphinariums: the pets have nowhere to go, in any case they want to eat every day, and therefore such places give an idea even when the auditorium is weakly filled. If you agree that this may be interesting, go to Sevastopol, Evpatoria or Alushta. In Yalta, you should go to the local zoo, which is called "Fairy Tale".

Alternative entertainment options for kids can be local museums - they are not always boring, as some adults might think. For example, the Feodosia Money Museum presents to its guests an impressive collection of coins, which can be used to track the entire history of this city, which has already turned 2500 years old. The exhibition “Crimea in miniature” is very informative and allows you to take a virtual tour of the entire peninsula in just a couple of hours - this is also a very interesting experience.

For those who believe that the sea is necessary in order to walk on it, there are sightseeing tours, allowing to explore the navy. This option is available all year round in Sevastopol, and this is one of the main reasons why this city attracts a significant number of tourists throughout the year. Nearby is another very interesting object - in Balaclava there is an underground factory that excites the minds of all lovers of the secret and unusual.

We must not forget that Crimea is a famous wine-growing region, and local wineries carry out tasting excursions all year round. Not only is it informative, you can also try a huge number of different brands of alcoholic beverages at one time, having the opportunity to visually compare them. It is relatively inexpensive, but after such a tour you will be able to call yourself a gourmet, and friends and acquaintances will ask you for advice on what kind of wine to make for the holiday.

If the endless tours you do not deceive, but in general you agree to go to the Crimea in the winter, you need to think about what to do on the spot. Do not think that there is absolutely nothing to do here during the season - Local live precisely due to tourism, because guests will always be welcome. Many people are confused by the fact that vacation in the Crimea, washed by the seas from almost all sides, will be deprived of traditional bathing in the winter.

Even if you do not belong to the "walrus", for which the low temperature of the water is not a reason for refusing to swim, the problem can still be solved - for this purpose, there are indoor pools present in any more or less large city. This is not the same as swimming in a real sea, but the “minimal program” will be observed - you will visit interesting excursions and take a dip.

The beautiful nature of Crimea literally requires that people walk on it, however, in winter it can cause problems - it is difficult to walk through the snow or slush. To simplify the task, You can go to picturesque places on horseback - horseback rides are organized even in the winter months. You can hardly ride a horse around the city, but you can get out of it and explore the fascinating cliffs, from where a large view of the sea opens up.

For those who regard any body of water as an opportunity to fish, it will be interesting. option of sea fishing. You can visit such an event in any settlement overlooking the sea - as a rule, this issue is individually solved with local people who have their own boat and all the necessary gear. The sea off the coast of Crimea, especially from its southern side, usually does not freeze, so even in winter, fishing does not look like sitting out over the hole.

For many winter visitors to the Crimea, entertainment must necessarily be combined with treatment, but how exactly this combination is provided depends on the particular package. Many resorts offer indoor swimming pool right on the territory and treatment with healthy Crimean air combining sea and mountain smells. At the same time, in your free time, you can engage in any activity for which there is infrastructure - for example, playing table tennis with your neighbors.

Other recreational facilities are guided by mud treatment (such sanatoriums are usually located in Evpatoria and its surroundings). Already such a procedure, passed by a man for the first time, may seem to him a kind of entertainment.

In addition, many large hotels offer their guests a full-fledged show program for each day, if you come during the New Year holidays. For such institutions, this is also a high season, due to which they can organize a full-fledged team of animators, and staging interesting performances, and even the arrival of celebrities on a Russian scale with a concert. Finally, no one bothers you to spend your leisure time as if you were a local resident.

Attend theaters and cinema, ask about the variety of local catering establishments, go to art exhibitions - in a word, do everything the same that you love to do in your hometown.

Among all the tourists, at least once in their lives who came to the Crimea, the percentage of those who did it in the winter is very small. In many respects, it is precisely because of this that it is considered that this peninsula is good mostly by sea, although an attentive person during holidays probably noticed that this is not true. Among the positive comments most often you can find the opinion that the person who came to the Crimea 10 times in the summer did not recognize him, and already on the first trip here in the winter you can know the real soul of the peninsula.

In the summer, most vacationers who have escaped from their boring work most want to go to the beach, which is why too many interesting things pass by them. For people who think and are open to everything new, the Crimean peninsula is curious in any season - it just won't work to get bored.

About what to do in the winter in the Crimea, see the following video.