Sudak's main beach curves around the bay between the town and the Genoese Fortress headland. It is a long, wide pebble beach with clear water and the fortress visible against the sky at its eastern end — one of the most picturesque settings on the Crimean coast. The water is clean and calm in summer, with good swimming conditions from May through October.
The beach is divided informally into paid sections with sun loungers and umbrellas, and a free public section. In high summer the paid sections are crowded with Russian tourists; the free area is somewhat less so. The best time to swim is early morning, before the beach fills up and before the wind picks up in the afternoon.