Crimea - the second resort area in the south of Russia, has not yet been sufficiently mastered by vacationers. And the road to the peninsula is connected with difficulties. Therefore, you need to think carefully before going there to rest.
Why?
The first thing that comes to mind when asked: "How to get from Crimea to Sochi?" – counter-question: “Why?” Was it necessary to climb into the hard-to-reach Crimea, and then look for a way to Sochi? It's much more expensive than flying straight to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
The air in the Crimea is both drier and he althier, the water is cleaner (at least to the west and east of Big Y alta). There are many more interesting places in Crimea, it is generally called the treasure peninsula. The romantic Crimean nature is not inferior in richness and diversity to the foothills of the Caucasus, but excites the soul much more.
Two reasons can induce a person who came here on vacation to suddenly look for a way from the Crimea to Sochi. How to get there - will be explained at any bus station of the local resort.
The first reason is nostalgia for European service and "civilization". And the second is Ukrainian provocations withaiming to give the impression of instability on the peninsula and scare away holidaymakers.
Not the most popular options
If, let's say, a person flew to Simferopol with children and saw Russian tankers or protesting local residents on the streets of the Crimean capital, he would inevitably want to urgently leave Crimea for Sochi. How? There are four ways to get there.
- You can take a direct flight from Simferopol to Sochi by plane. Departures are made on Wednesdays until October 26; departure time 16:40; arrival - 17:35. Ticket price from 5,273 rubles. The flight is operated by Ural Airlines.
- How to get by train on the route Simferopol - Sochi, the map can explain. Having described the triangle along the peninsula: Simferopol - Dzhankoy - Kerch, the train approaches the ferry crossing, which passengers overcome with their luggage. This is followed by boarding in another train - to Krasnodar.
From there you can already get to Sochi. In total, three trains go to Krasnodar from Simferopol in September 2016. The earliest departs at 4:30 and the latest departs at 17:10. The whole trip with stops and transfers lasts 18 - 18.5 hours and will cost 2,200 rubles.
By bus to Sochi
Bus is another way to get from Crimea to Sochi. How to get there, it is useful to know in advance in order to prepare for known inconveniences. Firstly, there is no direct bus flight Simferopol - Sochi. Through the Crimean capital there are two passing buses Sevastopol - Sochi (at 17:00 from Simferopol) and"Y alta - Sochi" (at 13:00 and 14:55). The bus does not run on the route Feodosia - Sochi either. Vacationers from the eastern coast of Crimea either take the same passing flights, or travel to Sochi with a change in Krasnodar.
Direct flights from Crimea to Sochi are unpopular, as they are much more expensive (Y alta-Sochi, for example, costs about 3,000 rubles). A trip along the route Simferopol - Krasnodar - Sochi will cost 1,700 rubles. And there are much more flights from Simferopol to Krasnodar. The duration of the trip is about 20 hours. But the main inconvenience of traveling both by train and by bus is the Kerch ferry.
Port Krym - Port Kavkaz
A strip of water 4 kilometers wide separates the Crimean coast from the Caucasian. This barrier is currently overcome by 7 ferries carrying passengers and vehicles. Ferries leave every hour and run around the clock. Passengers from scheduled buses and trains are transported first. If the bus approaches the crossing at night, you have to pick up your luggage half asleep and wait in line for loading in the so-called "sump".
The crossing itself lasts 30-40 minutes, loading takes about the same time: first cars, then people. On the other side, a new bus awaits them, continuing along the route. It becomes especially depressing to wait for the crossing with kilometer-long queues in hot summer or in stormy weather in late autumn and winter. You can get stuck here for a day or more.
Although optimists may like the Kerch ferry. They are waiting in linewalk along the sea coast, refresh in the cafe of the waiting room, take a shower before continuing the journey.
Sea trip Feodosia - Anapa is canceled
A pleasant alternative to the ferry was a trip on the catamaran Feodosia - Anapa. A small ship with a capacity of up to 300 people departed from the port of Feodosia at 8:00 and 16:30, at the same time a ship from Anapa was leaving to meet it. The trip lasted 3 hours and cost 1650 rubles. Last year, the Sochi-1 and Sochi-2 catamarans sailed to Y alta and Feodosia, but did not pay for themselves. This type of communication between the two resort areas was canceled, despite the requests of local residents and, to the great regret of vacationers.
From the Crimea to Anapa you can now come only through the ferry, and then by bus to Sochi. Flights from Anapa: 9:30, 17:20 and 20:30, travel time 10 hours.
Why not?
The car travel option from Crimea to Sochi can take place in two cases.
Adventurers will venture to the Crimea, and then to Sochi in their own transport. They can leave their personal car at the park and ride of the port of Kavkaz, so as not to languish in long lines for the crossing of cars. Parking costs 200 rubles per day, while for crossing the car you will have to pay 1000-2500 rubles, plus 180 rubles for each passenger. Without a car, the journey continues on a single ticket
Having had a rest on the peninsula and without hassle overcoming the Kerch crossing in the opposite direction,you can transfer to your car and go to another resort, winding kilometers on the Sochi serpentines.
Those who do not have their own car on the peninsula can use someone else's. Through the Bla Bla Car companion search service, you can find a convenient option for yourself and leave for Sochi in the cheapest way. Such a trip from Crimea to Sochi costs 850-1000 rubles
What is a "single ticket"
A document confirming the owner's right to use the ferry at the crossing and the bus in the right direction on the territory of Crimea is called a "single ticket". It was conceived as an attachment to a long-distance train ticket so that arriving vacationers would not stand in queues at ticket offices at the crossing and bus stations. All flights of a single ticket are docked: a bus from the railway station delivers vacationers to the Kerch ferry, where they board the ferry out of turn and swim across to the opposite shore. Here they are waiting for buses to all the resort towns of the Crimean peninsula.
Motorists purchase a single ticket with park and ride. It must be booked in advance, indicating your name and make of car, otherwise all parking spaces will be occupied, you will have to lose precious vacation days, ferry the car back and forth.
Two Capitals
Having considered all the possible routes leading from Crimea to Sochi, we can draw the following conclusion: there is not a single convenient, pleasant, inexpensive one that would not overshadow the rest with unnecessary worries and fuss.
- Flight from Crimea to Sochi is the most convenient and fastest option, but also the most expensive.
- Bus and train flights are associated with the unpredictability of the Kerch crossing, the endless dragging of luggage, sleepless nights and transfers.
- The car option is a hassle at the crossing and is not economical.
- Moving from Crimea to Sochi on passing cars is quite risky.
Sochi, Y alta - the capitals of the two resort regions are not connected, unfortunately, by convenient transport routes. This does not allow vacationers to make pleasant excursions back and forth on their own. When choosing a place of rest, one must also decide at home what the soul and body are asking for. If they cannot do without European service, entertainment and all the achievements of civilization, then they should immediately go to Sochi or other resorts on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
If the healing air and beaches of Crimea, its attractive nature and history obscure everyday inconveniences, it's worth taking a chance and choosing Crimea.
