Simpheropol, Yalta, Sebastopol, Odessa
Ukraine
6 Day Tour
3 Days in Yalta
3 Days in Odessa
Day 1, Simpheropol - Yalta
Arrive in Simpheropol in the afternoon and after 1.5 hour ride arrive Yalta, the principal city of the Crimean Riviera. In the late 19thc., the Russian aristocracy built palatial homes and hotels here and all along the spectacular coast. Russia's great writers Pushkin and Chekhov resided here, and Mark Twain was a visitor. In the afternoon, we travel 15 minutes west to Livadia, with its enormous complex of Tsar’s palaces. It is here that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in 1945 and agreed on the post-war division of Europe into East and West. Still further in the same direction, at Alupka, we will visit the park and spectacular, 19th century, Casa Loma-type palace of Count Voronstov.
Check into hotel in Yalta.
Day 2, Yalta - Sebastopol
You spend all day on a guided tour of Sebastopol, which was founded by the Russian Navy at the end of the 18th.c. During the Soviet era, no foreigners were allowed anywhere in this area. Now the Russian and Ukrainian navies share the base. There is an interesting navy museum and an aquarium.
On a peninsula, just outside the city, you will find the well preserved ruins of a large Greek city Chersonese Taurica, founded 500 B.C. as an independent Greek city-state. After conversion to Christianity it became a Byzantine republic, and was ultimately destroyed by the Tartars in 1299. The ruins are being restored and preserved as a national monument.
If you saw one of the several film versions of the "Charge of the Light Brigade", the suicidal attack of British troops on fortified Russian positions during the Crimean War (1854-56), you will be interested in seeing the actual site of this battle at Balaklava on the hills above Sebastopol. A panorama in the city depicts one of these battles.
Overnight in Yalta.
Day 3, Bakhchysaray – Odessa
After checking out of our hotel, we travel to the old Tartar capital Bakhchysaray. The palace is dominated by the graceful minarets of the 16th century mosque which may be visited. After visiting Khan's Palace and Assumption Mountain Monastery, we take the overnight train to Odessa.
Day 4, Odessa
Perennially popular and much loved, Odessa celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1994. According to legend, its first mayor wanted to build a city to rival Paris’ beauty. Generations of artists, poets and scientists have expanded the city's glory. Mechnikov, Pirogov, Mendeleev, Pushkin and Bunin, among others, lived here. Your city tour includes a viewing of the obelisk and eternal flame that honors the Unknown Sailor. We will then take a pleasant stroll along Primorsky Boulevard, the city’s most popular promenade, lined with many of Odessa’s finest buildings and monuments. Our walks takes us past the impressive Potemkin Staircase and the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, Europe’s second grandest theater after Vienna.
Check into hotel in Odessa.
Day 5, Odessa
Your exploration of Odessa would not be complete without a visit to the labyrinth of catacombs that lace their way under the city and its environs. Our journey begins in the village of Nerubaiskoye, originally built as a southern Cossack military settlement at the end of the 18thcenturyHere, your guide will escort you on a fascination underground walk of approximately 500 yards, including stops at the command post for the brave members of the World War II resistance effort. A recreation of the resistance headquarters will be visited in the local museum after you leave the catacombs.
There will be leisure time in the afternoon before boarding the overnight train to Kiev or Moscow.
