Crimea

Yalta and Sevastopol

'They can say all they like in St Petersburg - the attentions of Prince Potemkin have transformed this land.'
Catherine the Great to Melchior Grimm, 1787

The Crimea was annexed to Russia in 1783 by Prince Potemkin, for Catherine the Great. But it was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the Russian Riviera came into being, when Alexander II brought his family here. The frequent presence of the imperial family at Livadia made Yalta a fashionable place to be, and development soon followed. Alexander III's acquisition and development of the vineyards at Massandra and Ai-Danil, and his purchase of the Massandra Palace as a second residence further speeded up the growth of the peninsula. By the beginning of the twentieth century the palaces and parks of the Imperial Family lined the coast. Not all of the residents had blue blood; Anton Chekhov moved here for his health, and built a house which is now a museum.

Our tour takes you a good way around the Riviera, visiting the major sights such as the dramatic clifftop Swallow's Nest castle, and taking the cable car up to Ai-Petri mountain for the magnificent views 4,000 feet above sea level.

Our favourite palatial residence is the Alupka Palace of Count M.S. Vorontsov. It was built in 1828-1846 to the design of Edward Blore, an English architect whose bold, unusual design blends the starkness of Scottish Baronial on its landward side, with Arabian fantasy facing the sea. The immense park around the palace similarly mixes the English Romantic style with eastern exoticism.

The Palace of Alexander III in Massandra was designed in imitation of a castle on the Loire river, with fanciful ornamentation in both a Renaissance and art nouveau style. The Imperial cellars can also be visited, and with a wine tasting.

Our tour of Sevastopol takes you around the city, and also to Bakhchisaray, ancient city of mosques and minarets, and capital of the former Crimean Khanate. We visit the palace of Khan Mengli-Girel, and the Fountain of Tears which inspired Pushkin to write the poem The Fountain of Bakhchiseray.

The 'White Palace' of Livadia was built in 1911 in the early Italian Renaissance style as a summer residence for Nicholas II and his family. The second floor has several rooms containing some of the family's photos and possessions.

Tour Basics

We suggest three nights in Yalta.

Highlights

Private afternoon tea in the Italian yard of Nicholas and Alexandra's Livadia Palace, and a private wine tasting at the Massandra vineyards.

For more details, call 020 8956 2756 or email enquiries@exeterinternational.co.uk.