Ukraine Tours
Highlights of Crimea 2012
Highlights: 8 day tour
This new individual itinerary concentrates on Crimea – a highlight of any holiday to Ukraine. This itinerary includes private sightseeing tours thus allowing you to make the most of your Ukraine holiday.
Price from: £1375 pp
The Crimean Peninsula looks nothing like the rest of Ukraine with forested stony mountains, deep canyons and verdant greenery. Here, warm breezes feel unmistakably Mediterranean and small stony bays shine a turquoise colour that could almost be tropical. The legacies of fallen empires that once laid claim to this area await exploration; Byzantine cave cities, Genoese fortresses, Soviet battleships, Russian and Tartar Palaces.
Arriving in Simferopol, capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, you will be transferred by car to Yalta - a charming port town, nestled between the gently curving shore of Yalta Bay and the towering Crimean Mountains. Yalta is the best place to base your stay in Crimea, as from here you can take a series of day trips to most of Crimea’s sights and treasures.
Price Includes:
Return flights in economy class with British Airways direct from London Heathrow. All airport taxes and security charges. Return internal flights with Ukraine International. Accommodation in standard room in Hotel Bristol with breakfast (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner). All transfers and transportation. Sightseeing with English-speaking guide. Entrance fees on sightseeing tours
Price Excludes:
Regional Add-ons from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle from £95 per person return
Notes:
Single room supplement £330
Price per sole supplement £1890
8 Day Itinerary
FLY TO SIMFEROPOL
Fly to Simferopol and transfer to Hotel Bristol in Yalta for 7 nights.
LIVADIA PALACE
Begin your holiday with a visit to Livadia Palace (3 hours), the former summer residence of the Russian Tsars. This museum complex consists of the Great Palace, which was constructed in 1911 in the Renaissance style with Byzantine, Arab and Gothic elements. The palace became world famous for the Yalta Conference held in February 1945, when the leaders - Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met in Livadia to finalise post-war plans. (B)
BALAKLAVA & SEVASTOPOL
This fascinating tour (9 hours) visits the village of Balaklava and Sevastopol. The British fleet was stationed in Balaklava during the Crimean War. In the Soviet Union, it was a closed town that only Soviet military and other authorised personnel could enter. Under a mountain along the well-protected harbour at Balaklava, the Soviets built a secret base for nuclear submarines. Now a small museum, you can walk inside the tunnels that used to house the submarines. After the tour here, drive to Sevastopol, home to the Black Sea Fleet. Here, visit the impressive Panorama Museum – this round monument houses the gigantic 360 degrees canvas, depicting the siege during the Crimean War and life-size model recreating the fated day of the Battle of Sevastopol fought on June 6, 1855. Also included is a boat trip in the harbour so you can see the ships of the Russian and Ukrainian navy. (B,L)
VORONTSOV PALACE
Morning visit to Vorontsov Palace and Ai Petri Peak (6 hours). The palace and park complex (1830-1846) is one of the most beautiful spots in Ukraine and there are about 150 rooms in the palace with antique statues of gods, canvases by Italian, French, English and Russian painters. Today also visit Ai-Petri, one of the peaks in the Crimean Mountains, which looms over the green terraces of the park and the sea. (B,L)
NIKITSKY BOTANICAL GARDEN
Morning visit to Nikitsky Botanical Garden (3 hours), which is located 9 kilometres from Yalta. It was founded in 1812 by the botanist Stevens and there are over 28,000 types and species of plants occupying an area of approximately 1000 hectares. The collection of roses, one of the richest in the Crimea numbers more than 2000 varieties. (B)
MASSANDRA WINERY
Afternoon visit to Chekhov Musuem, before enjoying an excursion to nearby Massandra Winery (3 hours), which was built in 1894. The seven 150 metre tunnels bore deep into the mountainside, where the temperature is a perfect 13-14º C, thus ensuring the wines are stored in perfect condition. A ten-glass tasting can turn out to be a rather jolly event! (B)
YALTA
Free day to explore at leisure. (B)
FLY TO UK
Transfer to the airport for flight back to the UK. (B)
