Yalta is the pearl of the Crimean South Coast, the most famous city of the peninsula among tourists, its unofficial capital. If you came to the Crimea to rest, then visit Yalta is worth a visit. Many tourists prefer to stay here, while others, wishing to spend their vacation in more remote from the bustle of the city corners of ancient Taurica, come here to simply walk around the city and get acquainted with it.
Even if you come to Yalta for a few hours or just one day specifically to see this city and make an idea about it, this time will be enough to see its main attractions and feel the atmosphere. But we are talking about Yalta itself, not about Big Yalta, which includes, in addition to the city, several other villages with palaces, which, of course, are worthy of separate attention.
Most visitors to the city begin their acquaintance with Yalta at the bus station, where buses arrive from almost anywhere in Crimea. If you arrive early and have at least ten hours before departure, right from the bus station you can go to the suburb — Massandra, where one of the famous palaces of Big Yalta is located, as well as a winery, where you can visit the tasting and a beautiful park. If you have a little less time, you should go towards the city embankment along Kievskaya Street, and if you have only a couple of hours to spare, it is better to go to the embankment by transport.
Having seen Massandra, you can return to the city and start getting acquainted with it by going down to the sea or returning to the bus station. If you went on foot to the sea along Sverdlov Street or Mukhina Street, the way will lead you to Polikurovsky Hill, where one of the old cult sights — the Church of St. John Chrysostom is located at 10 Tolstoy Street. Near the temple there is an observation deck with a beautiful view of the city. Then you should go towards the embankment along Roosevelt Street. It is interesting that the street with this name appeared in the city not for nothing, but because this American president visited the city in 1945.
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If you walk from the bus station straight to the embankment along Kievskaya Street, make a small detour — turn to Trenyev Street, which will cross Kievskaya Street and follow it to Zagorodnaya Street: house #3 will immediately draw your attention — it is a beautiful Armenian Church, built in 1909-1917. (scenes of the movies «Three Fat Men», «Gadfly», «Shield and Sword» were filmed here). You can not return to Kievskaya Street, but continue down Sadovaya Street. The road will lead you to the house №13 — it is the hotel «Tavrida», where many prominent people stayed. Among them are N.A. Nekrasov, who worked here on the poem «Who shall live well in Russia», M.P. Mussorgsky, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A.P. Chekhov, N.K. Roerich, I.A. Bunin and others.
Further draws attention to another attraction, it is located at the address Sadovaya № 2 — the magnificent Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, laid in 1891. Having examined the building, along Krasnova St. we go down to the embankment.
The embankment is the heart of Yalta, where life boils at any time of the day during the tourist season. Without seeing it, it is difficult to make a full impression of the city. It is interesting that the action of the movie «Assa» and the story «Lady with a Dog» by A.P. Chekhov unfolded here. By the way, this is where the writer stayed in the house № 21/1 in 1899. Following the embankment past numerous cafes and restaurants, boutiques and souvenir shops, you can fully appreciate the atmosphere of the city, which is always more tourists than anywhere else in the Crimea. At the end of the embankment is an interesting structure, made in the form of an ancient Greek ship — it is a restaurant «Golden Fleece». Opposite it you can see a huge sycamore tree — its age is more than 500 years, and it was near it ballerina Isadora Duncan negotiated dates with Sergei Esenin.
Having touched the very center of Yalta, you should go to Ekaterinenskaya Street (formerly Litkenskaya). Here it is remarkable that the whole street is a monument of history and culture. The classic of Armenian music D.A. Spendiarov lived in house No. 3, where Chaliapin, Rakhmaninov and other prominent people visited. And the beautiful openwork house No. 5 belonged to Chaliapin’s first singing teacher — opera actor D.A. Usatov. House No. 8 is the Museum of Lesya Ukrainka, next to it there is her monument.
Further you can go down to the sea on Pushkinskaya Street and visit the Museum of Local Lore, as well as see the monument to the poet and the most beautiful church — it is the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, erected in 1906 (house #25). From here you can walk to 41 Kommunarov Street, where rises Palace of Emir of Bukhara — one of the most impressive buildings of the city.
Or from Ekaterininskaya St. you can go up to Kirov St. — the longest street in Yalta, where there are also many sights. House No. 15 is one of the most beautiful in the city, here lived the famous scientist A.L. Berthier-Delagarde, House No. 112 houses one of the most visited museums in the city — the house-museum of A.P. Chekhov.
A perfect end to the acquaintance with Yalta will be a visit to the Museum «Glade of Fairy Tales», which can be reached by taking off at Kirov Street on any transport going in this direction. The museum is located at the address Yauzya Street #28, here is an open-air fairy-tale world, where you can see many characters of cartoons and books.
Having made a one-day walk around the city, some tourists decide that next time they will definitely spend their holiday in Yalta to get better acquainted with the city, while others, having seen the sights, return to a peaceful vacation in lesser-known corners of Krym, enjoying the tranquility away from the big cities.