Livadia in Crimea: history, attractions, travel and accommodation

As you can see on the map, in the southern part of Crimea, not far from Yalta, there is the famous resort village of Livadia. Clean air, beautiful landscape, warm sea and comfortable beaches - all this awaits vacationers. Tourists will certainly not be disappointed with the trip and will bring home a lot of positive emotions and the happiest memories of their vacation.

The history of Livadia goes back to the Bronze Age - it was then that the very first settlements appeared here. Many centuries later, the settlement was chosen by the Greeks, and their descendants during the reign of Catherine II guarded the southern borders of their new homeland. The commander of the Greek battalion, Lambros Katsonis, bought a small piece of land and named it Livadia after his Greek hometown.

In the 30s. In the 19th century, the land was bought by the Polish Count Potocki - by that time Crimea had already become widely known among the Russian aristocracy as a popular vacation spot. Livadia began to be actively populated by Russians - by the 50s. In the 19th century, about 30 households settled there, and the village itself was chosen by the royal family.

Over the years of its existence, Livadia has changed many owners, at the moment it belongs to Russia, but the resort's fame extends far beyond its borders, and not only as one of the best resorts in the world, but also as a historical place where the fate of all post-war Europe was decided.

Even in imperial times, Livadia was developed as a health resort, therefore, in our time, a large number of sanatoriums, hospitals and boarding houses have been built here. The local infrastructure is replete with shopping malls, cafes, markets, first-aid posts, pharmacies and, of course, beaches. There are always bike and scooter rentals, on which everyone can take a fascinating ride through the picturesque surroundings.

The beaches in Livadia differ from those in Yalta, and for the better: due to the small number of tourists, they are not overcrowded and are always well-groomed, and the water remains clean. For vacationers, there are sun loungers and umbrellas, showers and changing areas are equipped. Lifeguards work around the clock on the beach.

The nature in Livadia is picturesque - the resort is located on the sea coast near the forest, and in the village itself, built on the slope of the mountain, it is always warm and sunny. The main "highlight" of the town is that, thanks to the proximity of the sea and the mountains, a unique microclimate has been created - the warm sea warms the land in winter, cools the land with a light breeze on a hot summer day, and the high mountains reliably protect the village from chilly winds.

The weather here is warm - in winter the air temperature varies from +21 to +24 degrees, you can swim from mid-May until the last decade of October, even in the winter months the water temperature is not lower than +5 degrees, so you can relax here all year round, but the main flow of tourists falls on the velvet season.

At one time, Count Pototsky made a lot of efforts to achieve the prosperity of his estate; the amazing beauty of the park, decorated with fountains, made of marble, became the subject of his special pride. The fountain "Nymph" was especially fond of visitors., which was a real ancient sarcophagus, taken out of Italy by cunning.

The Imperial Dacha is of particular interest. When Emperor Alexander II became the owner of Livadia, at his direction the count's estate, through the efforts of the architect Monighetti, turned into a royal residence - by the end of 1866, an architectural ensemble was erected here, including about 70 buildings... The most beautiful of them were considered the Big and Small palaces. The estate of the Russian tsar was an unusual mixture of Russian national and Mediterranean traditions. It was in this place, through the efforts of Alexander II, that one of the world's largest collections of paintings and a rich library was collected.

By the end of the 19th century, the Great Livadia Palace was dilapidated, and it was decided to demolish it and build a new castle on this site. So, at the beginning of the XX century. a unique example of Russian architecture from white Inkerman stone appeared, which has survived to our times unchanged. The architect N. Krasnov was guided by the principle of mixing the classical style with the increasingly popular Art Nouveau - outwardly, the palace looks like a Renaissance palazzo, but inside everything corresponds to the needs of modern times.

You can immerse yourself in the Renaissance by walking into the inner Italian courtyard surrounded by Tuscan columns; you can enjoy the oriental flavor in the Arabian courtyard, which is, in fact, a light well.

The adjoining church creates a special atmosphere - it was in it that family members of several Russian emperors prayed. The church was built in accordance with the Byzantine canons of temple architecture and was supplemented with several features of Georgian religious structures. Today the church bears the name of the Holy Cross Church and delights all visitors with the grace of its forms. Previously, visitors were especially delighted with the white marble iconostasis and the blue vault dotted with golden stars. Unfortunately, after the revolution, most of the values ​​were lost, and the iconostasis was destroyed - today its analogue has been erected from wood, which in its texture imitates stone carving.

The authors of the palace and park ensemble tried to fit all the buildings into the surrounding space as harmoniously as possible. In total, Livadia Park occupies about 50 hectares, and throughout the entire territory, the natural landscape is adjacent to the park's man-made art. The vegetation here is represented by traditional Crimean plants and complemented by shrubs and trees completely unusual for these places - every vacationer can see huge sequoias, rare species of pines, Lebanese cedars and even exotic roses.

Behind one of the palace buildings, the Tsar's path begins, which, after 5.7 km, connects Livadia with the Gasprinsky mansion, famous for the fact that Leo Tolstoy often visited here - it was in his memory that one of the places on the trail was named "Yasnaya Polyana". In the days after the collapse of the USSR, the trail fell into desolation, but in recent years all possible efforts have been made to reconstruct it.

The halls of the palace complex now house a museum, the expositions of which represent the main milestones in the history of the complex. So, one of them is associated with the Yalta conference, and the other presents canvases dedicated to the history of the Romanovs.

If vacationers get to Crimea by plane, you can always get to Livadia from the airport in several ways:

• minibus No27 - this flight starts from the airport itself;
• intercity bus;
• trolleybus moving along the route Simferopol - Yalta.

All of the listed minibuses run regularly, so it won't be difficult to catch them. If a tourist has a large luggage with him, then it is preferable to take a taxi, which will quickly and comfortably deliver to the destination.

It is very convenient to get to Livadia from Yalta - the distance between these settlements is only 3 kmBy the way, the road will pass through the huge vineyards of one of the most famous wineries of Crimea, it is here that the famous brands of Cahors wines, port and muscat are produced. If you wish, you can get to Livadia by water - every three hours a boat comes to the shore, which delivers tourists to the resort town.

The village of Livadia is quite small, but despite this it can accommodate significant tourist flows. There are a lot of establishments here, where they are engaged in the resettlement of vacationers. These are sanatoriums, hotels, hotels, guest houses, recreation centers with their own beach, as well as the private sector, where you can always rent a house for a vacationing family.

One of the most comfortable boarding houses is Livadia. It is built on the slope of Mount Mogabi - here you can not only relax, but also heal. The price of the voucher usually includes accommodation in rooms, three meals a day and therapy for patients with heart disease.

Another popular sanatorium - "Chernomorye" offers everything you need for a comfortable healing rest. Not only comfortable sleeping buildings are equipped for visitors, but also a volleyball court, a gym, tennis courts, as well as an indoor pool, winter garden, conference rooms and a rich library.

The sanatorium has its own pebble beach, which is connected to the hotel by a cable car.

The Livadiyskiy spa hotel will certainly not remain underestimated. A picturesque panorama opens from the huge windows of the sanatorium, and, if you wish, you can pay for both "all-inclusive" and one-time meals. On the territory of the boarding house there are three swimming pools, a natural solarium, a sauna, a billiard room, a gym and a playground. There is a private beach less than 50 meters from the hotel.

According to the reviews of vacationers, the comfort of rest primarily depends on the chosen housing and its proximity to the sea. It is best to give preference to sanatoriums, which are located almost on the coast - this can greatly reduce the time spent on the road to the beach.

Despite the fact that Livadia today is considered one of the most comfortable resorts, nevertheless, remnants of the Soviet period make themselves felt - on the territory of the area there are often hotel complexes that have not been properly repaired for many years, and this factor should certainly be take into account when choosing a hotel.

It should also be borne in mind that a part of the Sevastopol highway passes through Livadia, so if you rent a guest house near it, then you will hardly be able to enjoy the peace and quiet.

An overview of Livadia in Crimea is in the next video.