Gurzuf in Crimea: all about the resort

Crimea is beautiful and amazing, despite the apparent monotony. Each resort here deserves careful consideration. In our article we will talk about Gurzuf.

The name of the urban-type settlement Gurzuf is of Crimean Tatar origin. Administratively, he is subordinate to the authorities of the city district of Yalta, which is part of the Republic of Crimea. You can find the village on the map 18 km north-east of Yalta - the mouth of the Avunda river will serve as a guide for your search. The central part of the village is located at an altitude of 63 m above sea level.

Linguists have not identified reliably the original meaning of the toponym "Gurzuf". Some experts believe that this is a distorted Latin word "bear". According to another version, the name is borrowed from Taurian or Goto-Alan languages ​​and initially simply meant “mountain valley”.

What is beyond doubt is the long history of Gurzuf. The earliest settlements of people in this area appeared in the III millennium BC. It is assumed that in ancient times only the Tauris inhabited the Gurzuf Valley. The first written mention of him appeared in the middle of the VI century. Later, Byzantines, Khazars, Genoese, Turks lived here..

The city has become a resort since the beginning of the 1880s, at this time hotels, a restaurant and a promenade are being built. Bridges for pedestrians are thrown across the river. Attention to the development of the spa sector in Gurzuf was given in the following decades. In addition to the beautiful nature, the advantage of these places is comfortable temperature - its average annual indicators are 13.4 degrees.

The population of Gurzuf in the XX century has grown significantly. The largest increase occurred between 1926 and 1939 (from 2446 to 6115 inhabitants). The decline in the number of citizens, which began in the late 1980s, has been reversed in recent years. Gurzuf grows and develops, modern hotels are built and parks are equipped.

Summer leisure in Gurzuf is almost as expensive as in Yalta and Foros. One of the reasons for high prices is the complete lack of industry and the high quality of beaches. The village is actively used not only for adults, but also for children's leisure. Thanks to the mountains, cold winds from the main part of the peninsula practically do not penetrate the territory of Gurzuf, while fresh winds blowing from the sea exclude air stagnation.

The climatic conditions of Gurzuf allow you to relax in it year-round, but the most the best period for vacationers comes in May. Excellent weather, judging by the reviews, develops in the second half of June. In connection with global warming, summer is beginning earlier: references to old sources that the sea warms up well in July are no longer relevant.

It is traditionally believed that in June a surge in tourist activity begins in Gurzuf. The air then warms up to 25 degrees, and the water in the sea - up to 21 degrees. In September, the season ends, the average air temperature during this period is 24 degrees, and water - up to 21.6 degrees.

The distance from Gurzuf to Yalta is 12 km, and to Simferopol Airport - 80 km. There are no railway stations or air terminals near the resort, so you have to go there by bus. By air, Gurzuf can be reached only from Russian airports. Connecting flights with transit through Moscow may be even more profitable for residents of remote regions of Russia than direct flights. The main thing in such cases is to choose routes that do not require changing the airport.

Gurzuf has a unique trolleybus line connecting Simferopol, Alushta and Yalta. Tourists often use buses to Yalta and Sevastopol, or go to the trolleybus of route 55. In both cases, you have to get to the place where the track turns. From there, many travelers walk 20-30 minutes and find themselves in place. Sometimes tourists enjoy shuttle buses routes 31B and 106, flights are sent hourly or more often.

Buses reach the desired place in 2 hours, but the trolley will have to go about 3 hours. When buying tickets at the box office they say: "before turning to Gurzuf." An alternative option involves a transplant near the Simferopol railway station (more precisely, at the Kurortnaya bus station). Advantage - buses leave from here approximately every half hour. But some of them are not riding in Gurzuf, but on a bend.

There is only one way to get direct from Simferopol to Gurzuf - this Taxi. The trip fee will be at least 1600 rubles. You will have to spend 90 minutes on the road. You can find a taxi rank at the exit of the terminal or book a transfer in advance, and the second option is more reliable and safer.

Single ticket sold at the box office or through the Russian Railways website, includes train travel to Anapa or Krasnodar, and then a transfer to the resort itself by bus and ferry. As in the previous case, they usually buy tickets to Yalta, and from there they go by buses 31B and 106.The last option will be more convenient if you want to come as close to the tourist center as possible.

After the opening of traffic on the Crimean bridge, it became quite convenient to drive a personal car. This method gives maximum freedom of movement. Having reached Kerch, they continue on the federal highway E97, which leads to Feodosia. After driving after it for 5 km, you need to make a left turn near the village of Nasypnoe. Near Alushta, they again change the route - now you need to move along E105 to Gurzuf itself.

A great option is Hostel Solnechny, the distance from which to the coast is 500 m. The administration took care of free access to wireless Internet. The fee for a room per day is at least 457 rubles. The hotel is much closer to the sea "Jaguar" - to the sea only 250 m.

At the same distance from the shore there is a guest house "Suite on May 9th." You can rent a place there for 2400 rubles per day. A good choice might be Guest house Holiday Home Kristella. It is located at a distance of 1100 m from the sea, but this disadvantage is compensated by free Wi-Fi, barbecue facilities and rather low prices - from about 2000 rubles per day per room.

Only 640 meters from the sea is guesthouse "On Builders". The rooms in the guesthouse are quite clean, there are French balconies from where you can see both the sea and the mountains. Since the hotel is removed from the center of the village, there is silence around.

Basic room rates include breakfast. For extra money you can get three meals a day. The hotel has a pool.

When choosing various settlement options, one must remember that the fee is determined not only by the conditions provided. Two hotels of the same class or the same guest houses can offer guests different prices only because they differ from each other by the distance to the sea. Some hotels in the price of rooms include meals 1 or 2 times a day. This point needs to be clarified additionally.

As for the sanatoriums, then in most cases they are recently renovated and have all the required infrastructure. Some spa facilities offer personalized health-improving programs. In sanatoria and boarding houses a little meager food. However, the problem with it is easily resolved, because getting to any cafe or restaurant is not difficult.

It is easy to rent housing in private houses in Gurzuf. It should be remembered that they sometimes charge even higher prices than official hotels. Rental housing near the promenade is only suitable for people who have a solid budget. For families with children, this option is hardly suitable. On the waterfront, discos and other noisy events are often held, which cause many inconveniences at night.

When choosing a temporary shelter in Gurzuf, you should definitely be interested in how far it is from entertainment centers. Those who are extremely important to silence are advised to stop on Artekovskaya street.

Sightseeing in Gurzuf and its environs can already begin on the way to the resort. Usually, a trolley bus ride is chosen for this purpose. It is long and tiring, but the result is well worth the wait. Ayu-Dag Mountain is considered to be a kind of visiting card of the village, which literally means “Bear Mountain”.

Experienced guides always try to show visitors:

• fragments of the old fortress;
• Jenevez-Kai rock;
• Arbor of the Winds;
• rocks of Pushkin, Chaliapin and Adalara.

For visiting many sights it is advisable to book tours. They allow you to easily get to memorable and iconic places located in private areas. Even Some of the beautiful parks of Gurzuf belong to specific sanatoriums, boarding houses, and they are not allowed in without payment.

Returning to Ayu-Dag Mountain, it is worth noting that it is most famous among all the mountains of the peninsula. The origin of the peak is unique - it is a kind of failed volcano in which magmatic processes suddenly stopped.

Climbing the mountain in spring allows you to enjoy the view of blooming snowdrops. However, Ayu-Dag is wonderful in any season. In summer, he is most often examined from the sea as part of an organized excursion. Extreme and romance lovers prefer to climb the rock itself and then search miniature inaccessible beaches.

In the sea is another symbol of Gurzuf - a pair of small islets of Aladara. Since ancient times, they are surrounded by unusual legends. The white color of the calcareous rocks on these islands is very attractive.

In Gurzuf itself, the attention of tourists is immediately attracted to the Pushkin embankment. This area is ideal for walking. The entire promenade is lined with pink and white marble tiles. She is even washed with shampoo, achieving shine. It is especially nice to walk along the promenade in the evening, as soon as the lights turn on, listening to music heard from the summer cafes.

No wonder at this time, crowds of tourists leisurely walk along the alleys among the unusual sculptures. And during the day, travelers most often visit beaches. They covered the entire coast in Gurzuf and even spread far beyond its borders.

There are paid and public sections of the coast. In any case, everything that is at least somehow suitable for swimming is covered with pebbles or boulders of various sizes.

If we talk about the construction of Gurzuf, then we must definitely mention Suuk-Su Palace. It was built at the beginning of the last century with the intention of decorating the territory of Gurzuf. The building itself is decorated in the spirit of Renaissance architecture, and around it is a beautiful park.

Connoisseurs of cultural heritage will not pass by Pushkin Museum and the Chekhov House-Museum. No less attractive for visits may be the main park of the village. It was defeated at the beginning of the XIX century. The park occupies 12 hectares; more than 100 ornamental plant species are grown here. The park has beautiful fountains and sculptures.

The most attractive in its beauty fountain in the park is considered "Goddess of the night." Around it is a sculptural composition, precisely copied from a project developed in Germany. Baroque sculptures reproduce one of the plots of ancient Greek myths. No less beautiful and fountain "Rachel". Its creator is not known for certain, but it has been established that the fountain has been operating since 1890.

Moving from man-made beauties to natural beauties, it is worth noting the centuries-old geological monument - the rock of Red Stone. Its height is 430 m. The rock consists of pink-yellow limestone.

The color is added to it by vineyards located around and forested mountain slopes. Medieval warriors used rock to observe the surroundings. Now climbers climb it mainly.

At the top of Mount Shagan-Kaya is the famous Arbor of the Winds. Its height above sea level is 1400 m, which opens up a completely unusual view of the mountains, coast and sea. The gazebo was built in the middle of the last century before the arrival of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev in these places.

Families with children often come to rest in Gurzuf. The advantages of the resort include beautiful mountains, clear sea water and affordable rent for housing. There are a lot of options for renting real estate for a family holiday in the resort. At the same time, their improvement and quality of service are usually no worse than in hotels of the more famous resorts.

Judging by the comments of tourists, a couple of years ago the quality of playgrounds in Gurzuf was not too good. Now rides on the quay are intended for children of various ages.

Young visitors to the resort will definitely like the park located near the sanatorium. The park has many beautiful sculptures and flower arrangements. School children will be interested to get acquainted with the literary museums of Gurzuf.

Those who happened to relax in this resort village, note its compactness and good climate. The nature of Gurzuf and its environs leaves a good impression. The resort is always clean and calm. Vacationers note that the cost of services is a bit overpriced, but overall, Gurzuf's impression of himself leaves an extremely favorable one. For fun, vacationers call it the most European resort on the entire peninsula.

In the next video, watch all about Gurzuf in Crimea.