The southern coast of Crimea is very rich in interesting places of interest, but the resort city of Alushta is especially replete with them. Therefore, if you are going to visit this town, you should sketch out a plan for visiting the sights of Alushta that are interesting to you, choosing them from the mass of interesting places in this city, so that you do not regret the missed opportunities.
Amazing mountains of Alushta
The real decoration of both the Crimea and Alushta itself are the mountains. One of them can be seen immediately during trips to the city beach. One has only to look to the left on the Black Sea coast, as Mount Ayu-Dag will be noticeable there, which in outline is very similar to a bear lying down to rest, for which it was nicknamed the Bear Mountain.
Judging by the photo of the sights of Alushta, no less impressive mountain, located in the eastern part of the Alushta Bay, which rises 1240 meters above sea level, is Mount Demerdzhi, which means Blacksmith Mountain in Turkic. And that's what it's calledbecause on its top in ancient times there lived one cruel blacksmith, who, at his whim, ruined the young and innocent beauty Maria. By the way, if you go to the foot of this mountain, you can admire the famous Valley of Ghosts and the ruins of the Smoky Fortress.
And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the famous Mount Castel, whose height is 439 meters. It is located in the south of Alushta and is famous for the fact that a real blocky chaos is now happening on its eastern slope, which reigned because of the many stone fragments, reaching about five meters in section.
Famous valleys in the vicinity of Alushta
Remembering the various sights of Alushta that are worth visiting, one cannot fail to mention its two famous valleys. One of them is the famous Valley of Ghosts. It is interesting in that it consists of a mass of boulders and rock fragments of various shapes and sizes, in which you can see familiar figures and portraits of great people created by nature itself. It is because of these bizarre rocks that the valley got its name. Most importantly, if you have already decided to visit the valley, then you should climb to the top of the block, where there is an observation deck that offers a fantastic view.
Judging by the photo and description of the sights of Alushta, tourists are even more impressed than the Valley of Ghosts by the Sotera Valley, which is also called the "Stone Mushrooms" Valley. True, it is not located in Alushta itself, but 18 km from the city, but a trip there will definitely not be in vain. After allhere you will see about a hundred huge mushrooms that were created by nature itself due to erosion and weathering. Their legs were formed from loose stone deposits, and their caps were formed from durable conglomerate slabs. The height of such mushrooms ranges from half a meter to 7 meters, so when they see the valley for the first time, many feel a real thrill, and then try to perpetuate what they saw in the photographs.
Dzhur-dzhur Waterfall
When relaxing in Alushta, you should definitely set aside three hours to visit the famous Dzhur-dzhur waterfall, located not far from the city in the vicinity of General's village. This waterfall is one of the main attractions of Alushta, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. And this is not surprising, because this is the most picturesque and powerful waterfall in the Crimea! This full-flowing three-cascade waterfall is especially attractive to people because it consists of several baths with speaking names. There are baths of Youth, He alth, Love, Joy and Happiness. And it is worth swimming in each of them, as you will be forever young, all diseases will disappear, and life will be full of happiness, joy and love. Of course, this is just a beautiful legend, but if you believe in it with all your heart, then everything will come true.
Water park and aquarium of Alushta
In the pearl of Crimea - Alushta - there are so many attractions and entertainment that a whole month is not enough to cover them all. But a visit to the water park and aquarium is definitely not to be missed, especially if you come with children.
Aquarium will conqueryou already by the fact that it looks like a mysterious grotto or cave, consisting of four halls with huge aquariums, behind the glasses of which there are about 250 species of fish of various shapes and sizes, 8 species of the most beautiful slow turtles and 5 species of crabs. Only here you can see unusual fur seals, dogs and horses, feel the awe of giant crocodiles and arapaima, as well as admire sea urchins and stars, beautiful shells and beautiful corals, which were brought here not only from all the underwater corners of the Azov and Black Seas, but and from the Red Sea, as well as the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
And after visiting the aquarium, you can go straight to the next attraction of Alushta - the Almond Grove water park, which is open from June to September and allows both children and adults to have fun from the heart. Here you can visit a bathhouse or a sauna, slide down one or all sixteen slides of varying degrees of dizziness, splash in one of the six pools, enjoy the bubbles in the jacuzzi, have fun on the rides and sunbathe in the solarium. Well, if you get tired and hungry after such a rest, you can go to a snack bar, a studio-bar or a bar for children.
Alushta Dolphinarium
Another attraction of the city of Alushta is the city dolphinarium "Watercolor", which is open every day except Monday, allowing adults and children to get a lot of pleasant emotions and impressions from getting to know the mostsmart, kind and sensitive mammals on Earth - dolphins. Here you can swim with them, watch their merry performance, take pictures and take a course of dolphin therapy, which allows even hopeless patients to recover. Well, as a keepsake, you can buy here the most charming and unusual souvenir - a painting painted by dolphins, which can be purchased at auction.
The famous park "Crimea in miniature"
Reading the descriptions of the sights of Alushta, one cannot but pay attention to the unusual park "Crimea in miniature", which allows you to learn about all the remarkable places of the Crimean peninsula at a time, without leaving the city, which were reduced on a scale of 1:25. Here, right under the open sky, you can see the main sights of Y alta, Evpatoria, Bakhchisaray, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Sudak and, of course, Alushta itself. All the most interesting for tourists temples, churches, monuments and palaces of the Crimean peninsula can now be seen with your own eyes in just an hour and a half. And if you come to this park in the evening, you can get twice as much pleasure, since at night all the exhibits are beautifully illuminated.
Temples and monasteries
Of course, in the resort city of Crimea, Alushta, there are so many sights that you simply cannot count them. And one of the brightest among them are three churches, visiting which leaves the most indelible impressions, allowing you to relax not only with your body, but also with your soul.
- The snow-white temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which rises above the sea and illuminates the way for sailors at night. Tourists here can not only admire the architecture of the building, but also enjoy the stunning view from the observation deck located next to the temple.
- The Church of All Crimean Saints impresses with its architecture, combining elements of Gothic and romantic eclecticism. It is still noticeable from afar with its black spiers on the roof, but up close it looks incredible.
- Cosmo-Damianovsky monastery, although not located in Alushta itself, is definitely worthy of a visit, especially since it is located on the territory of the picturesque Crimean reserve.
Fortresses of Alushta
Also, visiting various sights of Alushta, one cannot ignore the fortresses located on the territory of this city and its environs. The most outstanding among them are the Aluston and Dymnaya fortresses, which is also called the Funa fortress. Aluston can be seen by everyone who enters Alushta, but it is better to get closer to it in order to independently assess the greatness of these ruins of a fortification, on the territory of which there is also a restored Jami Yukhara mosque.
A visit to the Funa fortress, included in the list of monuments of historical and cultural heritage, cannot be missed at all, because it occupies 0.52 hectares and allows you to plunge headlong into the military history of Crimea, full of dangers, bloody battles, defeats and victories.
Alushta museums
An important place among acquaintances withinteresting places, sights of Alushta is visiting city museums. Particularly stand out among them:
- The Museum of Disasters on the Waters is located in the basement of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas and allows you to get acquainted with five hundred exhibits related to a particular disaster that happened to sailors, travelers or fishermen who fell victim to the water element.
- The brownie house museum is the only one of its kind in the world. It provides an opportunity to learn more about brownies, look at 200 exhibits of brownies made of wood, and even buy yourself one figurine of a home defender.
- The local history museum was originally opened in 1923, then closed and opened several times, and now it has been operating on a permanent basis since 1971. Here you can find out the full history of Alushta and Crimea from ancient times to this day.
- The Sergeev-Tsensky Literary Memorial House-Museum is located in the one-story small house where the writer lived and worked in 1906-1958, and allows you to see firsthand how creative people lived in those distant times.
The best palaces and estates
Connoisseurs of beauty among all the sights of Alushta will especially like some palaces and estates, which are interesting both for their architecture and the interior decoration of buildings.
- The Palace of Princess Gagarina is made in the Romanesque style and already from afar attracts the attention of tourists with its unusual architecture and bright orange walls. And even though the building is now part of a sanatorium, visit this placestands to admire the narrow windows, towers crowned with sharp spiers, the coat of arms of the Gagarins and the beautifully twined vine of the eastern wall of the palace.
- Dacha "Golubka" will allow you to learn more about the history of the city and the life of retired General Golubev. Stalin used to stay here on his way to the Y alta Conference in 1945, members of the revolutionary committee of Alushta were kept in the basements here in 1918, and finally, it was here that the heir to the Russian throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich, met Princess Alyssia of Darmstadt, who became his wife.
- The Karasan Palace is simply impossible to ignore - its appearance is so chic, because the architects combined the architectural styles of several countries and eras when creating it. But no less than an exquisite palace, tourists will be attracted by the landscape park that surrounds it, where about 220 plant species from several continents are collected.
Almond Grove Resort
Choosing what other sights and entertainments in Alushta deserve your attention, you should look at the Almond Grove complex, where you can spend the whole day, indulging in fun and outdoor activities. Not only is the same water park located here, which promises a lot of positive for its visitors, but besides it, there is something to do here. Here you can take a good steam bath and get a range of services in a massage room. Here you can play bowling or billiards with friends. Here you canjust find everything your heart desires in the entertainment complex. And, tired, visit the restaurant of the same name, where you can have a very tasty meal. But the main thing: there are two hotels on the territory of the complex, so if you want to get a lot of positive emotions every day, you can simply stay in it upon arrival in the city.
Multipark for kids
Also, looking through the photos of the sights of Alushta, many pay attention to those of them, which depict various characters of cartoons and fairy tales, which return even the most cynical adults to childhood. Here, right before your eyes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Kid and Carlson, Crocodile Gena and Cheburashka, Cat Matroskin and Postman Pechkin come to life and invite you on a journey through the fantasy world. But there you can still see the characters of the “Monsters Corporation”, beloved by modern children, Shrek with his friends and Fiona, Masha with the Bear, the Three Heroes … You simply cannot list all the fairy-tale heroes that adults and children will meet on their way. You need to go there and see everything with your own eyes.
Alushta festivals
But, despite the abundance of attractions, the resort town is famous for its two festivals, so if you want to get even more pleasure from your vacation, you can tailor your trip to visit them.
So, in late June-early July, Alushta hosts the "Pearl of Crimea" festival, where children from several countries compete in vocal, choreography, circus art, fashion shows and instrumentalgenre. And in late May-early June, the Dawns of Alushta festival is held right in the open air, where adults and children show the audience a real festive show, in which both professional and novice artists participate.
