Gurzuf in Crimea: all about the resort

Crimea is beautiful and amazing, despite the seeming monotony. Every resort here deserves careful consideration. In our article, let's talk about Gurzuf.

The name of the urban-type settlement Gurzuf is of Crimean Tatar origin. Administratively, it is subordinate to the authorities of the Yalta urban district, which is part of the Republic of Crimea. You can find a village on the map 18 km northeast of Yalta - the mouth of the Avunda River will serve as a reference point for your search. The central part of the village is located at an altitude of 63 m above sea level.

Linguists have not determined reliably the original meaning of the toponym "Gurzuf". Some experts believe that this is a distorted Latin word for "bear". According to another version, the name is borrowed from the Taurus or Goto-Alan languages ​​and originally meant simply "mountain valley".

What is beyond doubt is the long history of Gurzuf. The earliest human settlements in this area appeared in the III millennium BC. It is assumed that in ancient times, the Gurzuf valley was inhabited only by the Taurus. The first written mention of it appeared in the middle of the 6th century. Later, the Byzantines, Khazars, Genoese, Turks lived here..

The city has become a resort since the early 1880s, at this time hotels, a restaurant and an embankment were being built. Pedestrian bridges are thrown across the river. Attention was paid to the development of the resort sector in Gurzuf in the following decades. In addition to the beautiful nature, the advantage of these places is comfortable temperature - its average annual indicators are 13.4 degrees.

The population of Gurzuf in the XX century has grown significantly. The largest increase occurred between 1926 and 1939 (from 2446 to 6115 inhabitants). The decline in the number of townspeople, which began in the late 1980s, has been reversed in recent years. Gurzuf is growing and developing, modern hotels are being built and parks are being developed.

Summer leisure in Gurzuf is almost as expensive as in Yalta and Foros. One of the reasons for the high prices is the complete lack of industry and the high quality of the beaches. The village is actively used not only for adults, but also for children's leisure. Thanks to the mountains, cold winds from the main part of the peninsula practically do not penetrate into the territory of Gurzuf, while fresh winds blowing from the sea exclude stagnant air.

The climatic conditions of Gurzuf allow you to rest in it all year round, but the most the best period for holidaymakers comes in May. Excellent weather, judging by the reviews, develops in the second half of June. Due to global warming, summer comes earlier and earlier: references in old sources that the sea warms up well in July are no longer relevant.

Traditionally, it is believed that in June a surge in tourist activity begins in Gurzuf. The air then warms up to 25 degrees, and the water in the sea - up to 21 degrees. In September the season ends the average air temperature during this period is 24 degrees, and water - up to 21.6 degrees.

The distance from Gurzuf to Yalta is 12 km, and to Simferopol airport - 80 km. There are no railway stations or air terminals near the resort, so you will have to go there by bus. By air, Gurzuf can only be reached from Russian airports. Connecting flights with transit through Moscow may turn out to be even more profitable for residents of remote regions of Russia than direct flights. The main thing in such cases is to choose routes that do not require changing the airport.

Gurzuf has a unique trolleybus line connecting Simferopol, Alushta and Yalta. Tourists often use buses to Yalta and Sevastopol, or go to the trolleybus on route 55. In both cases, you will have to get to the place where the track turns. From there, many travelers walk for 20-30 minutes and find themselves on the spot. Sometimes tourists use commuter buses routes 31B and 106, flights are dispatched hourly or even more often.

Buses reach their destination in 2 hours, but a trolleybus will take about 3 hours. When buying tickets at the box office, they say: "before turning to Gurzuf." An alternative option involves a transfer near the Simferopol railway station (more precisely, at the Kurortnaya bus station). The advantage is that buses leave from here approximately every half hour. But some of them drop off the riders not in Gurzuf itself, but at the turn.

There is only one way to come from Simferopol to Gurzuf without transfers - this is Taxi... The fare for the trip will be at least 1,600 rubles. You will have to spend 90 minutes on the road. You can find a taxi rank at the exit from the airport or order a transfer in advance, and the second option is safer and more reliable.

Single ticket, sold at the box office or through the Russian Railways website, includes travel by train to Anapa or Krasnodar, and then a transfer to the resort by bus and ferry. As in the previous case, they usually buy tickets to Yalta, and from there they go by buses 31B and 106.The latter option will be more convenient if you want to come as close to the tourist center as possible.

After the opening of traffic on the Crimean bridge, it became quite convenient to drive a personal car. This method gives you maximum freedom of movement. Having reached Kerch, they continue along the federal highway E97, which leads to Feodosia. After driving 5 km after it, you need to make a left turn near the village of Nasypnoye. Near Alushta, they change the route again - now you need to move along the E105 to Gurzuf itself.

An excellent option is hostel "Solnechny", the distance from which to the coast is 500 m. The administration took care of free access to wireless Internet. The payment for a room per day is at least 457 rubles. The hotel is located much closer to the sea "Jaguar" - only 250 m to the sea.

There is a guest house at the same distance from the coast "Suite for May 9". You can rent a place there for 2,400 rubles a day. A good choice can be guest house Holiday Home Kristella. It is located at a distance of 1100 m from the sea, but this disadvantage is compensated by free Wi-Fi, barbecue facilities and rather low prices - from about 2,000 rubles per day per room.

Just 640 meters from the sea is guesthouse "On Builders"... The rooms in the guesthouse are quite clean, there are French balconies, from where you can see both the sea and the mountains. Since the hotel is located far from the center of the village, there is silence around.

The basic room rate includes breakfast. For extra money, you can get three meals a day. The hotel has a swimming pool.

When choosing various options for settling, one must remember that the fee is determined not only by the conditions provided. Two hotels of the same class or the same guest houses can offer their guests different prices only because they differ from each other in distance to the sea. Some hotels include meals 1 or 2 times a day in the room rates. It is necessary to clarify this point additionally.

As for the sanatoriums, they are in most cases recently renovated and have all the required infrastructure. Some health resorts offer personalized wellness programs. In sanatoriums and boarding houses, a little meager food. However, the problem with him is easily resolved, because getting to any cafe or restaurant will not be difficult.

It is not difficult to rent housing in Gurzuf from private owners. It should be remembered that they sometimes charge even higher prices than official hotels. Renting a home near the waterfront is only suitable for people with a solid budget. For families with children, this option is hardly suitable. Discos and other noisy events are often held on the embankment, causing a lot of inconvenience at night.

When choosing a temporary shelter in Gurzuf, you should definitely be interested in how far it is from entertainment centers. Those who value silence are recommended to stop at Artekovskaya Street.

You can start sightseeing in Gurzuf and its environs on the way to the resort. Usually a trolleybus ride is chosen for this purpose. It is long and tiring, but the result lives up to expectations. The mountain Ayu-Dag is considered to be a kind of visiting card of the village, which literally means "Bear Mountain".

Experienced guides always try to show visitors:

• fragments of an old fortress;
• Jenevez-Kaya rock;
• Gazebo of the Winds;
• rocks of Pushkin, Chaliapin and Adalara.

For sightseeing of many attractions, it is advisable to order excursions... They allow you to easily get to memorable and iconic places located on private territories. Even some of the beautiful parks of Gurzuf belong to specific sanatoriums, boarding houses, and they are not allowed there without paying a fee.

Returning to the Ayu-Dag mountain, it is worth noting that it is the most famous of all the mountains of the peninsula. The origin of the summit is unique - it is a kind of failed volcano, in which magmatic processes suddenly stopped.

Climbing the mountain in spring allows you to enjoy the view of blooming snowdrops. However, Ayu-Dag is beautiful in any season. In summer, it is most often viewed from the sea as part of an organized excursion. Lovers of extreme and romance prefer to climb the rock itself, and then search miniature hard-to-reach beaches.

There is another symbol of Gurzuf in the sea - a couple of small islands of Aladara. Since ancient times, they have been surrounded by unusual legends. The white color of the calcareous rocks on these islets is very attractive.

In Gurzuf itself, the attention of tourists is immediately attracted by the Pushkin embankment. The area is ideal for walking. The entire embankment is paved with pink and white marble tiles. It is even washed with shampoo to achieve shine. It is especially pleasant to walk along the embankment in the evening, as soon as the lanterns are lit, listening to the music heard from the summer cafes.

It is not for nothing that at this time crowds of tourists stroll leisurely along the alleys among the extraordinary sculptures. And during the day, travelers most often visit the beaches. They covered the entire coast in Gurzuf and even spread far beyond its borders.

There are paid and public sections of the coast. In any case, everything that is somehow suitable for swimming is covered with pebbles or boulders of various sizes.

If we talk about the buildings of Gurzuf, then it is imperative to mention Suuk-Su Palace... It was built at the beginning of the last century with the intention of decorating the territory of Gurzuf. The building itself is decorated in the spirit of Renaissance architecture, and a beautiful park is located around it.

Connoisseurs of cultural heritage will not pass by the Pushkin Museum and the Chekhov House-Museum. The main park of the village can be no less attractive for visiting. It was destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century. The territory of the park covers 12 hectares; over 100 ornamental plant species are grown here. There are beautiful fountains and sculptures in the park.

The most attractive fountain in the park is considered to be "Goddess of the Night". Around it is a sculptural composition accurately copied from a project developed in Germany. Baroque sculptures reproduce one of the plots of ancient Greek myths. No less beautiful and fountain "Rachel"... Its creator is not known for certain, but it has been established that the fountain has been operating since 1890.

Moving from man-made to natural beauties, it is worth noting the centuries-old geological monument - the Red Stone rock. Its height is 430 m. The rock consists of pink-yellow limestone.

The surrounding vineyards and forested mountain slopes add color to it. Medieval warriors used the rock to observe the surroundings. Now it is mainly climbed by rock climbers.

On the top of the Shagan-Kaya mountain is the famous Gazebo of the Winds. Its height above sea level is 1400 m, which opens up a completely extraordinary view of the mountains, the coast and the sea. The gazebo was built in the middle of the last century before the arrival of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev in these places.

Families with children very often come to rest in Gurzuf. The benefits of the resort include beautiful mountains, clear sea water and affordable rental rates. There are a lot of options for renting real estate for family vacations at the resort. At the same time, their improvement and quality of service are usually no worse than in the hotels of more famous resorts.

Judging by the comments of tourists, a couple of years ago the quality of playgrounds in Gurzuf was not very good. Now on the embankment there are rides designed for children of different ages.

Younger visitors to the resort will definitely like the park located near the sanatorium. There are many beautiful sculptures and flower arrangements in the park. It will be interesting for schoolchildren to get acquainted with the literary museums of Gurzuf.

Those who have had a chance to relax in this resort village note its compactness and good climate. The nature of Gurzuf and its surroundings leaves a pleasant impression. The resort is always clean and calm. Vacationers note that the cost of services here is a little overpriced, but in general, Gurzuf leaves an extremely favorable impression of himself. As a joke, vacationers call it the most European resort on the entire peninsula.

In the next video, see everything about Gurzuf in Crimea.