There is a distinctive open-air museum — Glade of Fairy-Tales (“Polyana Skazok”) in Yalta. It was founded by folk artists Pavel Pavlovich Bezrukov in 1960 . The Glade of Fairy-Tales is situated at the foot of Stavry-Kaya cliff (“Cross cliff”) on the right bank of the Vodopadnaya Stream (“Waterfall stream”). There is a wonderful collection of wooden sculptures on fairy-tale theames. (далее…)

Livadia (“Meadow”) is a settlement 6 kilometers far from Yalta. The main sight in the settlement is the Livadia Palace. It is the former summer residence of the Russian tsar. The paiace was built by the architect Nickolai Krasnov in 1911, and for his work Nickolai Krasnov was given the title of Academician in Architecture. (далее…)

The Alupka Palace is the main sight of the town. It was built for one of the richest landlords of Russia, the governor-general of the Novorossiysky Krai, Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov.

The palatial ensemble embodies many typical features of the 16th century English Tudor castle. (далее…)

Simeiz (“Sign”) is located by the southern slopes of the main range of Crimean Mountains at the base of Mount Koshka, 18 kilometers (12 miles) west from Yalta.

There are prehistoric dolmens nearby; Simeiz (“Sign”) lies in the locality where at one time there were Tauri settlements and fortifications. (далее…)

Oreanda.

If you walk from Livadia palace along the «Sunny path” (former «Tsar’s path») a haif- rofunda. Below stretches a very old park in the midst of which lies the cluster of buildings of the Nizhnyaya Oreanda Sanatorium.

In the 1820’s the Romanovs acquired Oreanda (“Border”) and in 1852 a luxurious palace was built here for the Grand Duke Constantine. But the palace was burnt down in 1882.

The park was laid out while the palace was being built; the contours of its small ponds reproduce the outlines of the Sea of Azov, the Black, the Caspian and the Aral Seas.

On the elevation to the left of the sanatorium stands a grey church, which was built from the stones of the burnt down palace. This church is mentioned in Chekhov’s story «The Lady with the Dog». (далее…)

The first written reference to Alupka dates back to the year 960 A.D. The name is supposed to derive from the Greek word «alepu» which means «a fox». The settlement is situated on the mountainous terrain and is unplanned. Homes were built along the mountain paths, which now are the streets. (далее…)

Miskhor (“Half Town”) is a resort situated between Yalta and Alupka. The first known inhabitants in these parts were the Tauri, then Romans built a fortress on Cape Ai-Todor.

The tour of Miskhor ends at the dock where the pleasure boats are moored. Here on a small rock one can see the bronze figure of a mermaid with a baby in her arms, while on shore next to a fountain stands a young girl with jug. These sculptures created by the famous sculptor Amandus Adamson in 1893. He was inspired by the romantic legend about the beautiful Girl Arzy who was kidnapped for the harem. In a year she threw herself into the waters with her baby boy in arms. That same evening a mermaid holding a baby appeared on the sea shore near Miskhor and the fountain began its marry babbling again… (далее…)

Gurzuf («mountain valley»)  is a picturesque Crimean scenery which is situated 16 kilometers to the east of Yalta.

The first written reference about Gurzuf occurs in the writings of the Byzantine writer Procopius (500-562) who lived at the time of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). Procopius writes about the construction of a Byzantine fortress «in the district of Gurzovit». (далее…)

Yalta («Coast») stretches along the coast of a sea bay on the slope of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains. In ancient times the Greek settlement of Jalita existed on this territory. In the Middle Ages there was the Byzantine and Genoese settlement, they named it as Kaulita.

In 1837 it was turned into a district city which began to be developed according to the 1843 plan.

At the end of the 19th century Yalta has a rapid growth, and the development of valleys of the Derekoika and the Uchan-Su Rivers.

Now it is a significant resort and cultural centre whose boundaries widened thanks to multistory housing developments on the adjoining slopes. (далее…)

Alushta is an ancient town on the Crimea’s Southern Coast. Alushta inherited its name from the Byzantine fortress of Aluston, which was built here  in the 6th century A.D.Byzantine emperor Justinian I (483-565) who also rebuilt the church of St. Sophia at Constantinople. In the present-day you can look round the remains of the Byzantine fortress, its defense tower and part of a wall. Alushta attracts tourists by its unusual climate, pleasant beaches and picturesque surroundings. (далее…)