Correspondent to Woman’s Day ride around the Peninsula and found the best places to stay.

I admit, I was skeptical about the Crimea, a hundred times I heard that in Soviet times there is little that has changed, but because preparing for the worst: food in the canteen, overnight at grandma’s in the room and the crowds of tourists in flip-flops to toe. But it turned out not so bad. First, I was pleasantly surprised by the nature of the Crimea – the mountains, azure water, lush vegetation, vineyards. Traveled half of Italy and France, I can confidently say that the scenery is very similar. The main thing – to know the place. This is my second conclusion: the more popular the resort, the sad picture. The Soviet Union continues to exist in cities such as Feodosiya, Sudak, Gurzuf, to a lesser extent, in Yalta. And between these towns hiding places where pristine nature combined with the new hotels of European class. But about them later.

Road

There are two ways to get to the Crimea: easy and interesting. In the first case, as everyone guessed, we are talking about the plane. The direct ticket from Moscow to Simferopol and back will cost about 12 thousand rubles if purchased in advance in high season prices can be more expensive. Advantages of this option are obvious: two hours – and you’re there. Minus: access to the coast will have their own. A taxi costs about 15 000 rubles.

An interesting option is the car. From the pros: at least you can drive around the entire Peninsula, but the ferry and the serpentine. We go to the Crimea by car from Sochi. I have to warn you: go this way with children is not advised, the road though scenic, but very heavy. It would seem that only 500 kilometers away from Sochi and Kerch, but go you 9-10 hours. The fact that half of the way from Sochi to Gelendzhik, – a very steep serpentine road, where the turns and even the traffic police are on duty, so that the excess does not allow it. Said to be even from Moscow to Kerch to drive 1500 miles, than to go from Sochi. In the Crimea, by the way, the road is very good, there are a few new tracks, for example, between Yalta and Sevastopol, which a pleasure to drive.

But the biggest test is, of course, a ferry, ferrying you from Novorossiysk to the Crimea land. The tickets can be purchased on the official website. However, we never managed to do – the site hung for several days, and the phone number on this same website, there was no answer. I had to go at random. And we were pleasantly surprised when, on reaching the ferry crossing, saw that there are no queues, everything quickly and smoothly. Before relaxed. On the way back we stood in line for four hours! And this despite the fact that I went six ferries! If we had an e-ticket, we would have stood in line for an hour max.

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