Gurzuf
Gurzuf is a Crimean climatic resort on the Black Sea coast, located between Yalta and Alushta, near the international children’s center Artek. Gurzuf is home to just under 9,000 people. It has the status of an urban-type settlement and consists of Old and New Gurzuf.
Video: Gurzuf
Contents- Highlights
- Climatic features
- History of Gurzuf village
- Beaches
Gurzuf for active rest - Excursions
- Walking tour of Ayu- Dag
- Museums
- Where to stay
- How to get there
Highlights
Climatic features
Due to the humid subtropical climate of the Mediterranean type, Gurzuf has the status of a climatic resort. People come here all year round, but the most comfortable period for recreation and sanatorium treatment lasts from the first decade of May to the last decade of October. In July and August resort life in the village just boils. During the day it can be quite hot +27…+28 ° C, but the constant coastal breezes and winds blowing from the mountains, allow vacationers to feel comfortable.
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In Gurzuf is very sunny, the duration of sunshine per year is 2200-2400 hours. In the warm season there are no more than 8-12 cloudy days. The sea warms up early and already at the end of May is quite suitable for swimming. At the height of summer the temperature of sea water reaches +26…+27 ° C, and no one wants to leave it. The last bathers leave the beaches only by the end of October, when the pleasant velvet season is over.
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History of the village of Gurzuf
The fact that the coast near Gurzuf was inhabited a long time ago, as evidenced by the findings of archaeologists who found near the sea stands of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, an ancient burial ground and traces of dwellings of the Taureans. From the III century BC to the III century AD in place of Gurzuf was a developed ancient settlement, from which survived a slab with an inscription in Ancient Greek.
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The beautiful Gurzuf embankment stretches for a kilometer. It is lined with white marble and during the summer tourist season looks very lively. There are many cafes, restaurants and snack bars, souvenir stores and stores selling resort goods. On the seafront there are equipment rentals, children’s and adult attractions.
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In many places for the convenience of vacationers to the water laid wooden paths, and on the shore are large shade canopies. Because of the excellent clean beaches at the holidaymakers are in great demand for housing on the southern outskirts of Gurzuf, in the cozy village of Ai-Danil. Even further south there is a wild beach of Cape Martyan and a popular nudist beach. At the foot of Mount Ayu-Dag there is also a series of wild beaches, where lovers of secluded recreation like to spend time.
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In the center of the resort village is a boat station, supplying all the beaches of Gurzuf boats and water entertainment – water skiing and boarding, parachute rides behind the boat, as well as renting hydro scooters. Near the boat station, at the pier you can meet divers and yachtsmen. Here it is easy to arrange sea excursions and sea fishing trips.
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Gurzuf for active rest
On the seafront near the central pier of the resort village there are several dive centers. Their instructors are ready for a few hours to teach beginners and dive with them to the bottom of the Black Sea to a depth of 10 meters. Those who want to get an international certificate, must undergo a longer training in dive centers. There are several interesting dive sites near Gurzuf, where you can do dive safaris and underwater videography. In Gurzuf there are also groups of children’s diving.
.Fans of sea fishing can go to sea on boats and motorboats. All the necessary equipment provides the organizers of such trips. In the Black Sea near Gurzuf catches mackerel and haddock. And near the village of Krasnokamenka, located north of Gurzuf, offer fishing in the local pond, which is inhabited by white amur, carp, carp and crucian carp.
.Those who like horseback riding will not be bored. A small local horse farm keeps humble horses and teach riding to inexperienced riders. Routes of horseback riding trips run both in Gurzuf itself, and in its vicinity.
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Fans of water tourism can try their hand at hiking on the sea on kayaks. Such trips are organized from Gurzuf to Adalar rocks, to Ak-Tash Bay at the foot of Ayu-Dag, to Pushkin’s Grotto, to Azure Bay, as well as to Genoa and Shalyapinskaya rocks.
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Excursions
On boat trips along the Crimean coast from Gurzuf are taken by motorboats, boats and yachts. In addition, every day from the pier to the open sea excursionists are taken away by motorboat “Samantha Smith”. During the trip, a professional guide tells passengers about everything they see on the shore.
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The most beautiful natural attraction of Gurzuf is an ancient park, which is located on the territory of the military sanatorium. It was laid in the early XIX century by order of Duke Armand-Emmanuel de Richelieu, who at that time held the post of Governor-General of Novorossiya and Bessarabia. Today the unique park occupies an area of 12 hectares, and there are 110 species of trees and shrubs. Under the warm Crimean sun olives and palm trees, laurels and bananas feel at ease.
.Gurzufsky Park is famous not only for exotic plants. In it you can see a lot of old sculptures and unusual fountains. Near the southern entrance is an alley of busts of celebrities who have ever been in Gurzuf. There are busts of singer Fyodor Chaliapin, poets Alexander Pushkin, Adam Mickiewicz and Vladimir Mayakovsky, as well as writers Anton Chekhov and Maxim Gorky. During the day, only vacationers of the sanatorium are allowed into the park. But twice a day, at 11.00 and 16.00, excursions for all comers are conducted on the natural attraction.
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From the resort village popular hiking excursions in the picturesque surroundings. From Gurzuf you can go to the rock Red Stone. For about half a century, the picturesque hill has the status of a monument of nature and geology. It is made of marble-like limestone of pink-yellow color. At the foot of the rock there is a beautiful lake and grapes are grown.
.Vacationing in Gurzuf, you can go on bus tours to Nikitsky Botanical Garden, to the royal palace in Livadia, the former capital of the Crimean Khanate – the city of Bakhchisarai, the Valley of Ghosts under Mount Demerdzhi, the Grand Canyon of the Crimea, on Mount Ai-Petri and winery in Massandra.
.Walking tour of Ayu-Dag
Climbing the green mountain, which looks like a bear lying near the sea, is done by many. This trip from Gurzuf is not very difficult and takes half a day. It can be made independently or accompanied by a guide.
.Bear Mountain is composed of igneous rocks – gabro-diabase, which is not typical for Crimean mountains. And its top is overgrown with green rock oaks. It is noteworthy that the age of individual trees is from 500 to 800 years old.
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In addition to natural attractions, the mountain has preserved quite a few archaeological monuments. On its slopes were found flint implements of primitive people and the remains of the settlement of the Taurians. In the VIII century on Ayu-Dag built a Christian monastery, which existed here until the XV century.
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Museums
The museum collections of Gurzuf can be envied by any city. At the end of the summer of 1820 in the village with the family of General Raevsky lived Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The museum of the poet is located in the “air castle” – the first European building on the South Coast of Crimea (Naberezhnaya Street, 1). The exposition is distributed in six halls and tells about the Crimean period in Pushkin’s life. Here you can see authentic lifetime editions, as well as items from the early XIX century. The Pushkin Museum is open from 10.00 to 18.00 and from May to October it welcomes guests without weekends. At other times of the year it is closed on Mondays.
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Private guest houses are scattered throughout the village. They are very different. Someone from the owners rebuilt a modern villa with balconies, and someone continues to rent rooms in the old house of his grandmother. From the novelty, location and set of services depend on the price of housing. Rent a room in a guest house can be for 1500-1600 rubles per day. Cheaper options offer in the private sector of Gurzuf with minimal amenities. These are small rooms with furniture in houses without air conditioning with toilets on the floor.
.How to get there
The nearest airport to Gurzuf is in the capital of Crimea – Simferopol (83 km). Airplanes from many Russian cities fly to this city. From the airport to the resort village can be reached by cab, trolleybus № 55 and all buses heading towards Yalta or Sevastopol. In this case, to the streets of Gurzuf will need to go down from the main highway – the so-called “turn to Gurzuf.”
The second option: come from Simferopol airport on buses, shuttles or trolleybuses to the city center, to the bus station-2 “Kurortnaya” near the railway station. From there to Gurzuf once half an hour there are direct buses that get to the resort village in 1.5-2 hours.
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People also come to Gurzuf using the “Single Ticket” of Russian Railways from the territory of Russia. First tourists get by train to Krasnodar or Anapa, then change to a bus and on it through the Kerch crossing get to the territory of Crimea. “Single tickets” to Gurzuf itself do not sell, but you can buy a ticket to Yalta and from Yalta bus station to get to the resort village on suburban buses № 106 or № 31B. Bus #106 arrives in the upper part of Gurzuf, while bus #31B stops closer to the beaches.
.There is an intercity trolleybus line near Gurzuf, so it is not difficult to get to the resort village by trolleybus from Simferopol or Yalta.
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