Kerch (Crimea): features of recreation, choice of beach and list of attractions

Despite the fact that Kerch is one of the three largest cities on the Crimean peninsula, it is usually not included in the list of the most popular local resorts. There are many reasons for this - there is also a temperate climate, while 100 kilometers further you can find yourself in the subtropics, and the presence of a busy seaport, and in the same nearby subtropics there are no extraneous pollution in the coastal water. However, it would be a huge mistake to think that there is no need to go to Kerch - this city is worthy of attention, and not only as a seaside resort.

The city of Kerch is the most eastern in the Crimea - it is located on the shore of the Kerch Strait, dividing the Azov and Black Seas. Within the city limits is the extreme eastern point of the entire Crimean peninsula - Cape Fonar. The city stretches along the coast for 42 kilometers, therefore, it can be safely called one of the most seaside for hundreds of kilometers around. Today it is a fairly large city with a population of 151 thousand people, which continues to grow.

The convenient geographical position at the junction of two seas has been of interest to the peoples living in the vicinity since ancient times, therefore it is not surprising that human settlements appeared here incredibly long ago.It is proved that the first people appeared here in prehistoric times, but if we talk about more or less modern settlements, then their traces date back to about 8 thousand years BC.

However, this did not resemble civilization in the current sense, but around 610-590 BC, the ancient Greek settlement of Panticapaeum appeared here, which is not much younger than the same Rome... The Hellenes came here from Miletus in Asia Minor. The settlers from there founded many other cities in the Crimea, but it was around Panticapaeum that the Bosporan kingdom arose already 100 years later. For about 8 centuries, the city, located extremely successfully, intensively traded with all the surrounding peoples, due to which it was able to dictate its will at least to the surrounding settlements, and the Roman Empire, which at its best times even reached the Crimea, considered the Bosporan kingdom its ally.

With the beginning of the great migration of peoples, problems arose with trade - at least the Huns in the 370s badly battered both the kingdom and the city itself. For another 100 years, Panticapaeum was interrupted as a regional center, and then fell under the influence of Byzantium. However, for a powerful empire it was, though important, but a distant outskirts, which had to constantly fight off the raids of either the Turks or the Khazars. The latter even belonged to Panticapaeum for some time in the 8th century.

In the 10th century, the Slavs came to the northern shores of the Black Sea, and that part of its coast, where Kerch is located, was controlled by them for a couple of centuries, more precisely, by the Tmutarakan principality. In those days, the city for the first time received a name similar to the modern one - Korchev. From the 12th century on, Korchev was increasingly attacked by the Polovtsians, who were in a good position to cut it off from Kievan Rus, because the city gradually returned under the influence of Byzantium. In 1318-1475, the port belonged to the Genoese, who intensively developed maritime trade in the region. According to some studies, during this period, Circassian princes gained significant influence in Vospero, as the Italians called it.

In 1475, the city was captured by the Ottomans and came under the direct control of Istanbul. By that time, the main trade routes had shifted, and the former Korchev began to gradually decline, especially since he was periodically ruffled by the Zaporozhye Cossacks. Gradually, the influence of the Slavs in the areas adjacent to the Sea of ​​Azov from the north and east grew more and more, and in 1701 the Turks, who had come to their senses, fearing direct attacks by the fleet on Asia Minor, began to build the Yeni-Kale fortress here.

Most beach tourists go to Crimea for the sake of the southern coast, since this is the only narrow strip on the entire peninsula where the climate is subtropical. Kerch does not belong to the southern coast of Crimea in any way, it is far enough away from it, because the climate here is temperate. Most often it is characterized as moderately hot with mild winters and minimum precipitation.

For 2008-2017, the amount of precipitation in the city was estimated at an average of 368 mm per year - this is not much more than at Cape Meganom, known for its semi-desert climate. As for the air temperature, in this regard, Kerch is somewhat different even from the adjacent regions of Crimea - despite the fact that the average daily temperature in summer is quite high here, even at the height of a summer day there is rarely at least 35 degrees of heat, it's just that the nights are not much cooler than days ...

As for the swimming season, it starts quite early from the side of the Sea of ​​Azov - this reservoir does not differ in significant depth, and therefore it warms up quickly. By the end of May, you can expect a water temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, but due to the fact that it is not even close to the subtropics, in the same September no one will give guarantees of comfortable bathing.

Kerch is not very popular as a tourist city, but its size itself requires that there are no problems with housing here. As a result, vacationers will be able to find a haven here for every taste and budget - you can either rent a guest house or a room in the private sector, or rent a room in a hotel with a swimming pool, or settle in a recreation center that also offers minimal wellness procedures.

Choosing housing in Kerch, you need to carefully look at its location - 42 kilometers of coastline is not an indicator, because not all of it is suitable to be considered a beach worthy of relaxation. For example, housing described as being onshore may not be as good if it is on the shore of a strait, where large numbers of passing ships inevitably pollute the water. The nearest normal beach may be several kilometers away from here, and then this is not at all what is usually expected from a luxury vacation.

By the same logic, one should not always chase the settlement without fail in the center. A city stretched out so strongly must necessarily have several local centers, where all the infrastructure is presented within walking distance, and not a couple of tens of kilometers.

At first glance, the city, which stretches along the sea coast for 42 kilometers, should simply abound in beaches. But you shouldn't think that everything is so simple - whatever one may say, Kerch remains a major port and industrial center, so you can't (and should) swim everywhere... At the same time, 4 main beaches can be distinguished, which are located in pleasant places, are properly groomed and have a developed tourist infrastructure.

Let's say right away that, unlike the resorts of the southern coast of Crimea, in the eastern part of the peninsula, the beaches are made mainly of sand, not pebbles.

• Urban. Wearing such a name is the same as being "Central", because it is from this name that tourists usually expect the maximum return in terms of infrastructure. In this regard, this location does not fail - there is everything that may be needed for a good sunbathing and swimming. There are even catamarans for rent here, and this is the dream of many people, even who visit the sea regularly.

• Youth. Another place where vacationers should definitely come. As the name implies, this beach is chosen by young people, and the entire infrastructure is tailored precisely to their needs - there are not only classic changing rooms, showers and toilets, but also romantic gazebos and practical barbecues. There are a million ways to be entertained here.

• Moscow. This beach is also considered one of the best in the city - there are always a lot of people here, and all of them cannot be wrong. This place is often praised for its good infrastructure designed for the needs of the whole family, but perhaps it is not worth going here with small children - the bottom here is not too flat, and therefore descending into the water poses some danger for kids.

• "Traps". Near the village of the same name, there is the only wild beach on our list - the infrastructure here is not only not abundant, but absent altogether. This factor drives away the predominant number of tourists, so the place remains not only uncrowded, but also clean.

The Kerch beach "Turtle" is outside our list, however, in general, it cannot be ignored. The fact is that this beach is completely atypical.

• It is overgrown with grass, so you will have to sunbathe not so much on the sand as on the lawn.
• The beach has a specific feature that can scare off any unprepared tourist. Algae often gather in this place off the coast, which rot over time and begin to exude a completely indescribable aroma.

While the visitors shy away in horror, for some reason the locals love this place very much, especially since things are not bad here with the infrastructure. If you like experiments, take a look here too - suddenly in your heart you are a resident of Kerch, and you will also like it. In addition, sometimes the wind drives away the accumulated algae from the coast, and then even an unadapted person can breathe here.

Kerch, perhaps, loses to the resorts of the southern coast of Crimea in terms of the lack of a velvet season, but this rather large city cannot be called boring. It so happened that the capital of the eastern part of Crimea is perceived purely as a port, but there are also plenty of interesting things here.

• Mount Mithridates is one of the symbols of the city, it is located right in the middle of it. Once at its top was the center of the ancient Panticapaeum, and today it is a popular observation deck with a beautiful view of the city.

• Church of John the Baptist is the oldest example of Christian architecture in Kerch, its construction dates back to the 10th century. At the same time, for a thousand years the church has not only been preserved, but also has a very dignified appearance, and can even fulfill its main functions.

• Tsar's mound is an ancient burial ground, built, according to scientists, in the IV century BC. This is a local version of the ancient Egyptian pyramid, and although its height is not so impressive, it is still rather big - its length reaches 37 meters.

• Fortress Kerch can be called a relatively new landmark - it was only built in 1877, and, perhaps, not as impressive as medieval castles. But this sample of defensive architecture has survived well over its relatively short history, therefore it allows you to form your own impression of how the state borders were protected a century and a half ago.

• Demeter's crypt can be called a relatively little-known memo, but it will certainly appeal to those who have always wanted to see real rock art. True, here the drawing of the ancient Greek goddess was drawn not by cavemen, but by more modern and civilized Hellenes, but still scientists date the drawing only to the 1st century AD, which means that it is about two thousand years old.

• Yeni-Kale fortress not as well preserved as the one of the same name in relation to the modern city, but by most parameters it is more interesting. First of all, this is a real Turkish fortress - in terms of architecture, it is completely different from what most of our compatriots are used to seeing.

• In the Kerch region, attention also deserves Valley of Volcanoeslocated near the village of Bondarenkovo.There is no lava here - eruptions occur with clay, water and steam. A real volcano, of course, would look brighter, but this one is close and completely safe.

You can lie on the beach in a temperate climate in many places - for this it is enough to get out to the nearest lake or river, then you will not have to travel far. The resort is good because it not only possesses certain properties of nature and climate, but is also able to offer some interesting entertainment, in addition to the beach. Actually, in any seaside city, the embankment is interesting, here it bears the name of Aleksandrovskaya - from there you can at least admire the beautiful seascapes. Locals love to spend time here, and for the guests of the city it will certainly be interesting.

In terms of entertainment, there may be a little less choice here than in Yalta or Sevastopol, but even here you can come up with something interesting. For example, cycling trips to the Arabat fortress are organized from Kerch. Such a trip to unfamiliar places is always interesting, especially since the route cannot be called short - it stretches for 60 kilometers.

Many of our compatriots have the opinion that surfing is an overseas hobby, which in our area is impossible or inconvenient to do. This, of course, is a wrong point of view - in Kerch there is a convenient place for practicing this sport, and at the same time a center that allows beginners to get their first skills under the guidance of an instructor. If interested, go to the Arshintsevskaya Spit.

Provided in Kerch and an extremely romantic option for recreation in the form of a balloon ride. Actually, the very fact of flying on such a thing will already be etched into the memory of a lifetime, and the happy aeronaut will boast of his experience to friends and acquaintances for a long time to come.

There is nothing completely unique for children in Kerch, but there is everything that can be considered a “standard resort set”. Here you will find children's cafes, and various entertainment centers, and attractions, and "bananas" on which they ride on the sea. Excursions to a local ostrich farm, where you can admire not only adult outlandish birds, but also unusual-looking chicks, stand out with some unusualness.

If the purely Kerch sights are not enough for you, and you cannot leave Crimea without looking at other interesting places, in one of the local travel agencies you can order an excursion trip around the main "highlights" of the peninsula. Of course, it is not very convenient that Kerch is located on the very edge of Crimea - it will take quite a long time to get to other major tourist centers. However, if you are a traveler at heart, be sure to visit the following cities (in brackets - the distance one way and the average travel time by car):

• Feodosia (100 kilometers, 1.5 hours);
• Koktebel (116 kilometers, 1.5-2 hours);
• Sudak (149 kilometers, 2-2.5 hours);
• Alushta (227 kilometers, 3-3.5 hours);
• Bakhchisarai (253 kilometers, 4-4.5 hours);
• Yalta (261 kilometers, 3.5-4 hours);
• Evpatoria (272 kilometers, 4-4.5 hours);
• Sevastopol (290 kilometers, 4-4.5 hours).

Comments of tourists from Kerch can be divided into two types: from those authors who are not spoiled or even found themselves at sea for the first time, and from those who have something to compare with.

If you are one of the non-spoiled people with minimal travel experience, you will probably like it here. There is everything here - the sea is warm, and the beaches are sandy, and the viewing platforms are beautiful, and the attractions. If you also get out at least once on an excursion to another significant city of Crimea, it is possible that your impressions after the vacation will remain visible and invisible.

For those who have been to Turkey, or at least to Yalta, Kerch seems, at best, an alternate airfield:

• it is so close to the south, but still not south, because there are no palm trees - and they were just a stone's throw away;
• the surrounding nature is unremarkable - the mountains, like in many Crimean resorts, cannot be found nearby;
• the presence of a port, and even a large one, negates all hopes that the water will be clean - some would not even dare to swim here;
• It is not for nothing that Kerch is considered first a port and an industrial center, and only then a resort - this is how it really is, and even the ruins of Panticapaeum will not help here.

For an overview of Kerch, see the video below.