Sudak Castle  (Судак)

Sudak

Location: Crimean Peninsula  Map

 

Description of Sudak

Sudak is a climatic seaside resort, the only city in Crimea that has beaches made of quartz sand. The main streets are Cypress Alley and Lenin Street.

In ancient times, the city was called differently: the Byzantines - Sidagios and Sugdea, the Italians - Soldaya, in ancient Russian sources - Surozh. In Ottoman times, the city received the name Sudak, which it bears to this day. Once it was quite an important city: it is mentioned by Marco Polo and the Arab traveler Ibn Batuta, who named it in the early 1300s one of the world's four great ports.

Sudak is located in the middle part of the southeastern coast of the Crimean Peninsula, 47 km northeast of Alushta and 42 km southwest of Feodosia. The city is located in the valley of the Sudak River, on the shores of the Sudak Bay, bounded from the west by Mount Fortress, and from the east by Cape Alchak. The city is closed from the north by a mountain range covered with beech and oak forests, as well as numerous pine forest belts of artificial origin. To the east is the arid Kapsel Valley. To the west is a typical Mediterranean area. The climate of Sudak is close to the southern coast - mild, without sharp fluctuations in temperature, arid. There is little precipitation - an average of 318 mm per year (in Yalta - 635 mm).

 

Getting here

By plane
The nearest airports are in Simferopol, Anapa, Krasnodar.

By train
There is no direct rail link to the city. The nearest railway stations are in Simferopol and Feodosia.

By car
On the highway E97 from Simferopol or along the same highway from Feodosia, turn to Sudak in the village of Grushevka.

Or along the P29 highway running along the coast from Alushta to Feodosia.

Distance to the cities of Crimea
Alushta 93 km
Old Crimea 36 km
Feodosia 55 km
Kerch 153 km

By bus
By bus, Sudak is connected with Alushta, Kerch, Simferopol (2 hours, about 150 rubles), Feodosia and the surrounding villages.

Bus station, st. Guards, 34. ☎ +7 (36566) 3-46-15. in winter 05:30 - 18:00, in summer 05:00 - 22:00. A fairly spacious building, inside there is a waiting room, a left-luggage office (operating during the hours of the bus station), Genbank and RNKB ATMs, there is a snack bar with free Wi-Fi nearby. There is also a ticket office AS "Bereg" selling tickets, located in the city center (Molodezhnaya Square, 8), open from 08:00 to 18:00 from May to September. E-tickets can be purchased on the carrier's website gosbus.ru.
Next to the bus station - the final minibuses, following to the New World.

On the ship
It is possible to get to the cities of Crimea: Feodosia, Alushta, Yalta.

 

Transport

City buses run around the city. Lots of annoying taxi drivers.

 

Sights

1 Genoese fortress. Wikidata element 150 rub. A well-preserved Genoese fortress of the 11th-14th centuries: walls and a dozen and a half towers have been preserved. Various cultural events and festivals are held on the territory of the fortress. The issue of entering the fortress into the UNESCO cultural heritage list is being considered.
2  Cypress Alley (Kipariska). The center of the resort life of the city. Local Arbat. It has many souvenir and other shops, cafes, restaurants and canteens. Aug 2016
3 Embankment. The second after the Cypress Alley is a place of accumulation of cafes and restaurants, at the intersection with which there is a fountain and a monument to the amphibious assault 4, who landed at this place in 1942 behind enemy lines.
5 Seaside fortification, Primorskaya street, 25-b (by the sea under the Fortress Hill). Ruins of buildings of the former port area. The defense tower of Frederico Astagver (Portovaya) has been preserved. Next to it is a small domed Armenian church of the Twelve Apostles. It rises on top of a hill above the highway and is clearly visible from the road. An Armenian inscription carved above the entrance says that the temple was "rebuilt from the ground" in 1702 in the name of St. Paraskeva by the labors of masons Gregory and Danakan. Initially, the church was Greek-Byzantine, but restored as Armenian. The walls of the temple were decorated with frescoes depicting the Last Supper, but now the outlines of the figures are already indistinguishable.
6  Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos , st. Lenina, 27. It was built in 1819-29, during the heyday of the classicism style in temple architecture. It is a cross-domed building. Entrances are made from the north, south and west, decorated with four columns and triangular pediments. The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sudak was repeatedly visited by representatives of the imperial family; Nicholas II donated funds for its repair after the earthquake of 1869.
7 Cape Alchak (Alchak-Kaya rock). Cape Alchak limits the Sudak beach from the east and is also an ancient coral reef about 152 m high. A tourist path has been cut along the entire cliff, which runs along the entire perimeter of the cape, either rising 50 meters from the sea, or descending to the sea.
8   Rock "Aeolian harp". A large through hole to Cape Alchak, formed as a result of limestone weathering.
9  Sugar Loaf Rock. A small coral reef on the outskirts of the city, next to the fortress. On the northwestern part of the mountain, three crosses are clearly visible, at which the shooting of the television series The Master and Margarita took place.
10 Anniversary gazebo. Arbor-rotunda overlooking the city, the fortress and the bay. Created for the millennium of the city in 2012, on the observation deck under the fortress. Inside there is a memorial plaque with the history of the city.
✦  Funk Mansion. 19th century building. The former owner of the dacha, Baron Funka, a German by birth, was a well-known scientist and philanthropist, a significant part of whose activities are connected with Sudak. The building now houses the local history museum.
11 German Lutheran church and lapidarium. The church was built in 1887 for the German colonists who arrived at the invitation of Catherine II. Behind the iron fence, next to the church, there is a small lapidarium, where tombstones from the graves of prominent citizens of Sudak of the late 19th - early 20th centuries are collected. Nearby is the Byzantine basilica of Paraskeva of the 12th-12th centuries
12  Park TOK "Sudak". Monument of garden and park art. More than 100 species of flora are represented in the park, of which about 30 species are rare; many mediterranean plants. Among the floristic rarities are Vilomorena fir, maple-leaved plane tree, Spanish fir, short-coniferous cedar, Lawson's cypress. The park is mainly represented by Pitsunda pine communities. The park contains the original sculpture "The Abduction of Europa" and a landscaped pond with a grotto.
13  City garden. Landscaped park in 2014.
14  Bust of twice Hero of Socialist Labor M. D. Knyazeva.
15  Monument "Hill of Glory". It is a mass grave of the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War who died during the liberation of Sudak.
16  Zemstvo hospital building, Gvardeyskaya street, 1, letter "A". Building from the second half of the 19th century. Aug 2016 edit
17 Mansion, Lenin Street, 28. Early 20th century.
18  Monument to the liberators of Sudak.
19  Park of the Sokol sanatorium. Monument of garden and park art. The park is a valuable example of park construction on the southeastern coast of Crimea. The scientific significance of the park lies in the high species richness of its woody plants. This is one of the richest in number and condition of exotic species of trees and shrubs located in the South-Eastern Crimea. About 100 species and decorative forms of trees and shrubs grow here, forming various types of park compositions. 15 species of coniferous species, 31 species of deciduous species, 24 species of shrubs and 3 species of vines are undergoing successful introduced testing in the park. According to the richness of the species composition of plants, the park of the sanatorium "Sokol" is equated to the best parks-monuments of landscape gardening art of the South Coast.
20  Perchem forest park. Monument of garden and park art. The park-monument is located in the northwestern part of Sudak on the slope of Mount Perchem-Kaya. Plantations of Sudak and Crimean pines, cedars, cypresses, ailanthus and other species aged 60-70 years.

 

What to do

Sudak is aimed at young people, so the city has an abundance of entertainment venues: restaurants, nightclubs, disco bars, cinemas, etc. Often Ukrainian and Russian pop stars are invited to Sudak. You can take an excursion to any point of the Crimea. One of the most fascinating spectacles is a trip to the dolphinarium.

Excursion boat trip. You can go to the Novy Svet green, blue, and blue bays, as well as past Cape Kapchik and Cape Koba-Kaya, past the Galitsin Grotto with sunset and swimming in Tsarskaya Bay. Also walks to Cape Meganom, to Yalta and Alushta.

1 Water park "Sudak", st. Gagarin, 79 (on the shore at the foot of Alchak Mountain). ✉ ☎ +7 (978) 096-26-96, +7 (36566) 3-38-81. 10:00-18:00. 10:00 - 18:00 - 1500 rubles (for children at the children's complex - 1000 rubles); 14:00 - 18:00 - 1300 rubles, (for children for a children's complex - 900 rubles); discount for Crimeans; children up to 100 cm - free of charge. One of the largest and best water parks in Crimea.
2 Historical Museum, st. Ushakova, 1. It is located in the building of the former dacha of the scientist-philanthropist, the Russified German baron I. Funk, whose scientific activity was closely connected with Sudak. The beautiful two-story Funk mansion is made in a romantic style with neo-Gothic elements. Currently, there are 13 expositions in 4 halls of the museum, telling about the ancient history of the region, the era of the early Middle Ages, the economic and cultural development of Sudak after the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire, as well as the more modern period.
3  Winemaking enterprise "Sudak" (winery "Massandra") , Feodosiyskoe shosse, 4. ☎ +7 (978) 799-52-93. Guided tours and tastings are held from Monday to Saturday by appointment. There is a tasting room. In addition, the oldest wine cellar in Crimea, part of the former Potemkin economy, has been preserved on the territory. On the territory of the winery (vintsekh No. 2 on the Feodosia highway) there is a small Wine Museum, it contains exhibits on the history of viticulture and winemaking in Sudak.
4 Amusement park (at the end of Cypress Alley). Many children's and not so attractions.
5  Concert Hall TOK Sudak. Throughout the summer season, pop stars of the CIS countries perform.
6 People's Theater "Aparte", Lenin Street, 47 (in the building of the Sudak House of Culture).

beaches
The entire coast of Sudak is a large sandy beach. In summer it can be quite noisy and crowded.

7  Central beach.
8  Healing beach.
9  Collective farm beach.
10 Mojito Beach (At the foot of the Fortress Mountain in the westernmost part of the Sudak Bay). paid entrance. The only paid beach in Sudak. It is positioned as an elite beach complex. Near a good cafe, which in the evening turns into a nightclub. There is also one of the Sudak dive clubs, rental of mattresses, masks and fins. Among the shortcomings: the beach is artificial, with imported sand and a concrete descent to the water. Opposite lies Crab Island 11 A large rock 70 meters from the shore, sometimes used as a place for swimming. You can get there by swimming, on a mattress / catamaran, or wade, because. the depth of the sea does not exceed 1-1.5 meters.
12 Fortified beaches. Behind the Fortress Mountain there are the beaches of the Sokol and Crimean Spring sanatoriums, as well as the wild beach Na Kamakh13
14 Turtle Beach. Large-pebble nudist beach with clear water.

Leisure
15  Bowling club "New City", Cypress alley, 12. ☎ +7 (978) 058-54-36. from 700 rubles
✦  Tennis courts. Five tennis courts in the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense and one - in the boarding house "Star". Rent and training game.
16  Diving club "Nautilus" (in the center of the Embankment, at the rescue station in Sudak, opposite the disco club "Priboy".).
17  Dive center "Captain", st. Embankment, 1 (under the Fortress Hill). ✉ ☎ +7 (978) 7006081, +7 (978) 7392032. Diving training, including the PADI system. Diving training both with a personal trainer and in a group. Diving equipment is provided. Also excursions and dives from Goering's yacht.
12 Parasailing behind a boat (parasailing), renting catamarans, riding a banana boat and a jet ski are commonplace. The most powerful boats are located on the central beach.

18  Horseback riding (Sosnovy Bor center), st. Sosnovy Bor, 10 (2 km from the city).
✦  Rock climbing. Routes of different difficulties for beginners and professionals. Mount Sokol is a favorite place for training and competitions of mountaineers and rock climbers.

Festivals
✦  Genoese helmet, held in the Sudak fortress. ✉ ☎ +7 (3652) 49-30-90. 400 rub. The International Knights Festival "Genoese Helmet" is held annually in late July - early August. The exhibition-fair of folk crafts "City of Masters" is jointly held.

 

Shopping

Brand store of the factory of champagne wines "New World". 17 brands of champagnes and sparkling wines are produced. The following grape varieties are used in production: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Aligote, Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine aging takes place at temperatures of +10…...+15 °C from 3 to 16 years (“New World. Coronation” champagne). The range of products includes brut cuvée, extrabrut, brut, semi-dry, dry and semi-sweet wines.
st. Lenina, 66a (crossroads of Lenina and Gagarin streets).
st. Lenina, 88 (hotel "Forum").
st. Guards, 2 (opposite the central market).
In the city, payment is made in Russian rubles. In addition to the banks listed below, Verkhnevolzhsky and ChBRR also operate.

✦  Bank "RNKB". ☎ 8 800 100-90-85. Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00.
st. Gagarin, 2. There is an ATM.
st. Lenina, 40. In addition, it works on Sat 9-17.
st. October, 4.

Genbank”, st. Lenina, 40 (in the same building as the RNCB bank). ☎ 8 800 333-55-45. Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00. An ATM has been installed.

Bank Rossiya ATM, st. Lenina, 88 (hotel "Forum").

 

Restaurants

Cheap
At the central market 6 you can buy all the products typical for the Crimea, but the prices are typical only for the southern coast of Crimea. Also, two small food markets (Primorsky 7 and Kiparisovy 8) are located near the Youth Square.

Canteen "Geon", st. Spendiarova, 8. 08:00-22:00. Small diner with reasonable prices and quality food.

Average cost
Cafe-dining room "Coolness".
Dining room "Home-style", Cypress alley, 14.
Dining room "Home-style".

Expensive
More than 10 restaurants are located on the cypress alley.
Crimean courtyard.
Khan's courtyard.
Lounge cafe "Brigantine". The restaurant is surrounded by the sea on three sides.
Restaurant "Parus".

 

Night life

The center of the city's nightlife is Cypress Alley. Almost all nightclubs are located on it or in its immediate vicinity, most of them with free admission.

1  Discoclub "Asia". Open air club. There are foam parties.
2  Bar "Cowboy". Bar in cowboy style. There is a dance floor, well-known DJs come.
3  Discoclub "Dostluk". Open air club.
4  Discoclub "Ferrari". Club from the owners of the legendary, but now closed club "Egoist". It is located indoors, which is especially convenient in rainy weather. Temporarily not working.
5  Discoclub "Priboy".
6  Discoclub Gurman  , Cypress Alley, 6. ☎ +7 (978) 813-18-65. The most sophisticated club in the city. Famous DJs often come. It is located indoors, which is especially convenient in rainy weather.

 

Hotels

In Sudak, most of the population specializes in providing housing. The whole Sudak is hung with advertisements for the offer of housing. The largest choice is at the bus station, you can find an option for almost any budget.

Cheap
1  Sudak International Hostel, 19 Tankistov Street.

Average cost
2  CURRENT "Sudak", Lenin street, 89. ☎ +7 (978) 017-45-50. from 1500 rub.
3  Pension "Crimean Spring" (former "Lviv railwayman"), Primorskaya street, 46. ☎ +7(36566) 3-17-00. from 1000 rub.
4  CURRENT “Horizon”, Highway Tourists, 8. from 1900 rub.
5  Zvezdny boarding house, Lenina street, 81. from 1100 rub.
6  Aquamarine hotel. from 1200 rub. Located on the promenade 10 meters from the sea. Suitable for nightlife lovers.
7  Brigantina Hotel. It is notable for being located on the pier, right above the water. It will not suit lovers of a relaxing holiday, because it is constantly noisy on the embankment.
8 Mini-boarding house Kunesh, st. Yuzhnoberezhnaya, 76. The guest house is located 1 km from the beach and 1.5 km from the city center. Free Wi-Fi, tour desk.
9  Sanatorium "Sokol", st. Primorskaya, 23. ☎ +7 (36566) 31852. from 1700 rubles.
10 Military sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
11 Hotel "Forum", st. Lenina, 88. ✉ ☎ +7-978-870-83-63. from 1600 rub.

Expensive
12 Soldaya Grand Hotel & Resort, st. Morskaya, 23. from 4300 rub.
13 Hotel "Bastion", st. Ushakova, 3. from 3000 rub.
14  Parus boarding house. Located on the embankment in the epicenter of the tourist life of the city, just 30 meters from the sea. The pension has an excellent open-air restaurant.

Around the city
15  Autocamping "Kapsel", between capes Meganom and Alchak. ☎ +7 (978) 726-51-07. In summer, 200 rubles per car and 50 rubles per person. A popular guarded town of 3-4 local wooden houses for relaxing by the sea and 350 tent-car places, as well as comfortable junior suites for 2 and 3 people. Water, toilet, wi-fi, electricity. In summer there are a lot of people.
16  Parking in Coastal. Poorly equipped guarded tent city. Nearby are many cafes and the Solnechnaya Dolina winery with a company store. Great view of Karadag.
17  Tourist station "Eski-Yurt". For free. There is a source of water, firewood.
18  Solnechnaya Dolina Camping. Wooden sleeping huts equipped with electricity (light, sockets) are designed to accommodate up to 3 people. Shower and toilet on site. Free WiFi.

 

Connection

The best way to communicate in the city is the MTS network; SIM cards, which can be bought in various stores.

 

Precautionary measures

In general, the city is quite safe. At the same time, do not forget about the usual precautions. There are frequent cases of thefts on the beaches, grabbing the alarms of parked cars.

 

Neighborhood

Novy Svet is a small popular resort near Sudak, famous for its national park and champagne factory. You can even get to the village on foot (3.5 km along a mountain road).

Mount Sokol (Kush-Kaya)   (on the western outskirts of the city). The mountain is the largest coral reef in Europe - in prehistoric times, the top of the mountain was the bottom of the sea. It offers a gorgeous view of Sudak, Novy Svet and the surrounding area. Kush-Kaya in translation from the Crimean Tatar - a bird's rock. About a dozen different species of birds of prey are found in the area of ​​the rock itself and in the surrounding environs - eagles, falcons, kites, ospreys, hawks, owls, etc.
Rock Frog (Baka-Tash) (Near the road leading from the village of Grushevki to Sudak. 0.8 km north-west of Dachnoye.). A rock, on the eastern cliff of which a stone stands out, similar to a frog crawling up. In the Middle Ages, a narrow section of the valley between the mountains Taraktash and Bakatash was protected by a defensive wall. The remains of the wall at the end of the last century were still visible on the slopes of these mountains. The frog is one of the symbols of Sudak and is featured on its brand. The Crimean Tatar name Baka-Tash literally translates as a stone frog.

Mount Ai-Georgy (St. George). It rises 500 meters above the Sudak valley and is clearly visible from anywhere in the city. There is a trail leading up the mountain with great views. There is also a water source.
River ship "Prince Bagration" ("Memory of Comrade Markin"). The last surviving representative of the first large series of river diesel propeller-driven passenger ships built in Russia from 1911 to 1917. There were 11 such ships in total. Since 1994, it has been towed to Sudak and is in an abandoned state.
Cape Meganom, between the city of Sudak and the village of Koktebel. Mountainous peninsula with several capes, valleys. It has a working lighthouse, which is clearly visible from the New World. Meganom has Fishing Beach and a wild beach in Gravel Bay
Winery "Solnechnaya Dolina" Winery of the Sun Valley, merged three settlements, Tokluk - now Bogatovka, Arkhaderesse - Almond and Sun Valley. It produces vintage wines "Black Doctor", "Meganom", "Solnechnaya Dolina", "Black Colonel". Founded by Prince Lev Golitsyn in 1888.
Fortress Kutlak (Asandra). Remains of an ancient fortress.
Church of St. Elijah, Sun Valley.