Yalta City Breaks
Yalta, nestling in a coastal alcove at the base of the picturesque Crimean Mountains, makes a superb year-round holiday destination. Its position protects the town from the elements, giving Yalta a unique microclimate. Autumn visitors can stroll amongst the palm trees in brilliant sunshine.
The town itself is a jumble of winding little streets stretching around the seafront. Restaurants, casinos, shops and bars line the main promenade, which is crowded with street hawkers offering everything from palm reading to portrait photos in 18th-century costumes. The town owes its de-rigueur status as an elegant resort to Tsar Alexander II. Alexander was so captivated by Yalta he created his summer residence at nearby Livadia, thereby initiating a wave of aristocratic palace-building projects along the coast.


