Feodosia

Ancient Black Sea port in Crimea, known for Genoese walls and Ivan Aivazovsky's marine paintings.

Feodosia is an ancient port city on the southeastern coast of Crimea, founded by Greek colonists around 600 BC and continuously occupied ever since. It was one of the most important trading cities on the Black Sea under the Genoese in the medieval period, and the remains of their fortress still crown the hill above the town. The Genoese tower and walls are the most distinctive monument on the skyline.

The city is best known in Russia and Ukraine for its association with the painter Ivan Aivazovsky, who was born here in 1817 and spent most of his life in Feodosia. His gallery — the oldest state art museum in Ukraine, established by the artist himself — holds over 400 of his marine paintings, including some of the most celebrated works of Russian Romanticism. The gallery is the main reason most visitors come.

Feodosia also has good beaches along its bay, a lively summer promenade culture, and proximity to Koktebel, a small resort town nearby that hosts the annual Koktebel Jazz Festival in September. Getting here from Simferopol takes about three hours by road or bus.

Europe > Ukraine > Crimea > Feodosia

Guide

Beaches

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Naturist beach**

A substantial part of patrons at the naturist beach are coming to Koktebel for years, so many of them know well each other. The Bohemian spirit originating from as far ago as M. Voloshin’s time is still partially preserved. The “Day of Town” is celebrated at Koktebel at mid August each year, with a military brass music, shows, costumed processions, fireworks at night, etc. The naturist beach is also taking part in this performance—to the extent of its abilities and accounting for its particular habits, for instance, with body art performances (annual Neptune and Venus Nativity feasts), etc.

The naturist beach at Koktebel occupies an approximately 700 m-long stripe of coastal line to the East of the town immediately adjoining the official equipped beaches. Then the naturist beach is interrupted by a “textile” beach of a motorist camping site and a holiday resort (about 500 m long), after which a less densely occupied naturist area continues under the cliffs stretching toward the Tikhaya Bukhta (Quiet Bay); some of those coming with tents prefer settling here. There is a few of other places where naturists are dwelling in tents, for instance, the Lisya Bukhta (Fox Bay) at the other side of the Karadag mountain. A walking distance to the naturist beach from the Koktebel center (bus station, market, post office) is about 25 minutes, and that from the center of the coastal promenade (a passenger boat pier), about 15 minutes. Adjoining the beach from its either end are two motorist camping sites, which provides an opportunity for those coming to the sea with their cars or caravans to stay right by the naturist beach. Running water at the campgrounds serves the source of drinking water for those dwelling in tents at the beach.

The coastal stripe at the naturist beach is covered with medium-sized pebble, such that one can walk barefoot over it, but there is sand at the sea bottom when one comes into the water breast-deep. The beach stripe width is about 15 meters. A lot of brightly colored pebble stones occurs at the beach: agate, jasper, etc.,—Koktebel is well renowned for that. There are no rocks of a size exceeding a small cobble both at the shore and underwater. The water is usually clean. The beach is fairly well ventilated on hot days with a breeze blowing from the land.

Outdoor games, unfortunately, do not belong to the beach usual habits: the beach stripe seems to be a bit too narrow, one would not easily move over the pebbles. On the other hand, the locals offer aqua biking and riding on inflatable balloons drawn by speed boats right at the naturist beach all the day round.

Hawkers trading in pies, sweets, smoked fish, beer, etc., are permanently passing along the beach. A walking distance from the naturist beach to food kiosks placed at the official beaches is about 5 minutes, and a distance to nearest cafeterias is 10 minutes.

Contributors March 11, 2006

Guide

Day Trips

Karadag Dolphinarium

Karadag Dolphinarium was established in 1966 as an experimental base for scientific works with sea mammals. At the present time fundamental investigations are being continued in the field of bioacoustics of dolphins and seals, their behavior and psychology are being studied here.

Two halls of Dolphinarium give possibility to the visitors to familiarize themselves with its inhabitants - the Black Sea dolphins aphalines and northern far-seals, these remarkable inhabitants of the "Ocean Planet".

You have an opportunity to appreciate at true value high qualities of these unusual and wonderful creatures, having enjoyed the splendor of their performance in the demonstrative program, full of music and fun, to feel their fascination and friendliness, to get pleasure from communication with them.

Guide

Getting There

You can reach Feodosia by road from Simferopol (115 km) or by a train. There are few trains go to Feodosia from Kiev and Moscow during Summer time, but most it is not a train but several cars added to a train. So, most popular way is a road. You can take a bus from the airport, railway station or the maim bus station of Simferopol. The ticket cost $3-4 and it will take you for about 3 hours to get Feodosia. A taxi-driver could charge $50-75 per car depends on the season. A microbus is also available and cost about $7 per each person. If you go to Feodosia by a car and have some time, would be nice to stop in Stary Krim (Old Crimea) town and take a look at Armenian Monastiery Surb-Hach. If you get hungry during your trip, the best place to have a snack is a small village Radostnoe. You will certainly see several parked cars and a cafe on the left side of the road. It runs by Tatar people and food is good there.

Guide

Things to do

Go to Koktebel

Kocktebel Resort is considered to be the pearl of Crimea. Million years created nature the look of mountain ranges, which surround the village from all sides.

The majestic massif Karadag (black mountain), raising above the sea, is a beautiful corner of Crimea with fabulous rocks, pris-tine nature not disturbed by civilization, with "Golden Gates", the symbol of South-Eastern Crimea and unique bays.

From the other side of Kocktebel bay the Silent Bight ("Tikhaya Bukhta") and fantastic cape Hameleon are situated.

In ancient ground of Kocktebel the fragments of amphoras, bronze arrow-heads and Greek coins are still being found.

Klementyev Mountain (Uzun-Sirt)- is the cradle of native glid-ing, the place of holding annual festivals of aeronautics and cele-brating holidays. Here the famous founders of our aviation and cosmonautics, such as llyushin, Antonov, Korolev and others started their creative activity. That's why the only museum of glid-ing in the country was established here in Kocktebel. Here there is also Voloshin home-museum. Their walls keep in their memory glorious names of M.Tsvetaeva, M.Bulgakov, V. Veresaev and other famous people.

Resort infrastructure is highly developed in Kocktebel. You have possibility to fly in the sky by motor-hang-glider, delta-plane, to take a ride on water skis or comfortable yacht at a reasonable price or to enjoy the splendor of costal flora and fauna and to dive with the help of highly qualified trainers.

Those, who have ever visited Kocktebel, will obligatory come back here again to feel as a part of these incomparable mountains and magnificent sea. Kocktebel is a climatic seaside resort recommended for treat-ment and protection of diseases of nervous system and respira-tory apparatus. Bathing season lasts from the middle of May till the end of September.

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