Prices in Crimea - 2021: how much does a seaside vacation cost?

Tourists still have an ambiguous opinion about Crimea: someone comes back here from year to year, someone on the contrary - went once, was impressed with the prices and decided that it was not worth it.

I have lived in the Crimea, in the city of Sevastopol, all my life.
Now I have moved to Moscow and I visit the peninsula only for the holidays. Therefore, I can tell you about the prices in Crimea in 2021, both from the side of a local person and from a tourist 😉

How much does a vacation in Crimea cost?

Prices for vacations in Crimea depend on the season: in the summer, both sellers in the markets and landlords become impudent and raise the price tag for their goods. The rest of the time, the cost of everything and everything is designed for the Crimeans and is quite adequate. I will introduce you further with more detailed amounts required for housing, meals and flights.

I warn you that some difficulties await tourists in Crimea, since sanctions have been imposed on the peninsula. For example,

• you can't just rent a hotel room or apartment through the usual Booking and Airbnb,
• there are no banks that are present in mainland Russia,
• payment by card is not available everywhere, but the system is gradually changing,
• you can withdraw money only with a commission.

There may also be problems with cellular operators. I use MTS services, they recently canceled roaming in Russia ... but, unfortunately, this did not affect Crimea. Therefore, when I arrive, I have to switch to local operators. It is easier and cheaper, details in the "My Tips" section.

Season in Crimea

The time for rest in Crimea is divided into two periods:

- Directly the season itself, which lasts from May to September.

At this time, good warm weather, and a trip to Crimea will leave only positive emotions. You can swim in the sea in spring, from mid-May *, but comfortable swimming starts in July - the water just warms up to + 24 ° С. Accordingly, it is from this month that the most influx of tourists comes, followed by high, sometimes not entirely adequate, prices. In autumn, starting from mid-September, the locals no longer swim. But the weather is good for walks and sightseeing trips until November.

* the sea in Crimea - Black and Azov: the prices will not say that they differ, but the water temperature differs. At the beginning of the season, it is warmer in Azov.

- And off-season from November to April.

The climate on the peninsula is mild. But the weather in Crimea in winter is a strange subject. Despite the fact that the temperature does not drop below zero, SUCH winds blow here ... Ice! But on calm days, you can see all the sights - without tourists and sweltering heat. Holiday prices at this time are moderate.

How to get to Crimea?

There are four ways. But the combination of "comfort and inexpensive" is not for each of them. Let's figure it out and count:

Food prices in Crimea: cafes and restaurants

I will say this: food prices in Crimea in 2021 are not lower than Moscow prices. This is the "truth of life" with incomparable salaries. If you stay in the private sector, it is more profitable to cook yourself. Only if you want to? :).

How much does it cost to eat in public catering? It is logical that everything is cheaper in non-resort towns. In tourist places - the same Yalta, for example - is more expensive. But not enough to focus on this.

Always and everywhere the most budgetary option is a dining room. The average bill for a snack here is 200-300 rubles. The portions are large and filling, but not always tasty. In a cafe it is already more expensive, the average check is 500-700 rubles. Also in Crimea, street food is quite developed: shawarma or pasties will cost about 100 rubles, hamburgers - from 200 rubles.

Prices in a cafe (normal, not on the beach):

• Salad - 150-250 rubles
• Main dish (meat, poultry) - 300-600 rubles
• Rolls portion - 200-400 rubles
• Pizza - 300-500 rubles
• Cheburek - 100-150 rubles
• Dessert - 200-350 rubles
• Cappuccino, 0.3 - 150-200 rubles
• Draft beer - 150-200 rubles
• A glass of local wine - 150-250 rubles

Food prices in Crimea in 2021

Prices for food in Crimea are also in Moscow. But their quality, unfortunately, is not at the same level. There are no supermarkets here yet, like Pyaterochka, Magnit, Auchan or Perekrestok. Instead, look for PUD, Novus, METRO, Apple, Assorted. You can also buy food at ordinary bazaars and markets, of which there are a lot in Crimea. There prices are lower, but not critical.

MAIN PRODUCTS AND THEIR COST:

• a loaf of white bread - 28 rubles
• milk - 45 rubles
• eggs (10 pieces) - 50 rubles
• Russian cheese (1 kg) - 400 rubles
• meat (chicken, 1 kg) - 150 rubles
• fresh fish (silver carp, 1 kg) - 200 rubles
• sausages (1 kg) - 450 rubles
• yogurt (1 l) - 90 rubles
• Crimean tea - 100 rubles
• sweets (Turkish delight) - 150 rubles
• bottle of water (1 l) - 40 rubles

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, PER KG:

• grapes - 110 rubles
• bananas - 70 rubles
• figs - 120 rubles
• potatoes - 35 rubles
• tomatoes - 50 rubles
• onions - 30 rubles

ALCOHOL PRICES:

• Crimean wine - 280-300 rubles
• Koktebel cognac (0.5 l) - 550 rubles
• Crimean beer (0.5 l) - 50 rubles

What to try in Crimea?

In Crimea, be sure to taste Tatar cuisine. This is lagman, azu, khanum, and samsa. Crimean tea made from herbs collected in the mountains is also good, as well as the famous Crimean wine. And do not forget about the cheburek, about the cheburek!

Housing prices in Crimea

Prices for rental housing in Crimea depend on the season. In the off-season, you can easily rent an apartment for 10,000 rubles a month, during the influx of tourists in the summer - you will have to pay 2,000 rubles or more per day. That is why in the summer, housing costs occupy a large part of the budget.

There are several options for how you can save:

• Do not neglect hostels, guest houses and rooms. There, the prices are definitely not baking.
• Either take a tent with you from home (or rent it right on the peninsula). Seriously, camping services in Crimea are pretty well developed.

How much does it cost to stay in Crimea?
(for 1 day for two)

Accommodation booking in Crimea has long been done NOT in the old-fashioned way, but went online:

• Hotels and hostels - on Booking (be sure to tick “Traveling for work”, otherwise it will not work) and Hotellook.
• Apartments and rooms - on Sutochno.ru. Service, pardon the pun, is advertised on TV around the clock - it's like a Crimean avito or airbnb (the latter is not here, by the way).

I have compiled a separate list of good hotels in Crimea, I will consider Yalta, Sevastopol and Simferopol.

Famous sanatoriums in Crimea:

- Ai-Petri - from 5500 rubles / night

- Sanatorium named after Kirov - from 2800 rubles / night

- Ay-Todor South - from 3000 rubles / night

- Dulber - from 6500 rubles / night

The cost of renting an apartment in the private sector

Independent vacation in Crimea is popular: prices for the private sector - houses, apartments and rooms - are more attractive than hotels.

Traditionally, prices in Crimea are influenced by the distance from the beaches, the availability of amenities and utilities, as well as the degree of greed of those who rent :) The average price for accommodation in the summer is from 1,500 to 4,000 rubles. For chic and modern apartments, you will have to pay more - from 5000 rubles.

They are looking for housing in Crimea on the following sites:

• Booking.com (you must choose that you are traveling for work)
• Sutochno.ru

Prices for transport in Crimea

There is a well-developed bus network throughout the peninsula, so it will be inexpensive to get to any point of it.

Bus tickets:

• Sevastopol - Simferopol: 260 rubles
• Simferopol - Yalta: 220 rubles or you can take a trolleybus for 145 rubles
• Simferopol - Kerch: from 350 rubles

Traveling around the city is also cheap:

- Sevastopol: trolleybus 19 rubles, bus 20 rubles, boat 24 rubles, ferry 30 rubles.

- Simferopol: trolleybus 15 rubles, bus 13 rubles.

- Alushta, Dzhankoy, Yalta, Feodosia, Evpatoria: bus and trolleybus 13 rubles.

YandexTaxi does NOT work for us. I usually use the UpTaxi app.

Rent a Car

The most convenient way to travel around Crimea is, of course, by personal car. Previously, some difficulties could arise with this, but now there are many rental offices, they can be found in all major cities of the peninsula.

Car rental prices:

• From 1000 rubles per day for a car
• From 2000 rubles for an SUV
• From 3000 rubles for a minivan

Everywhere there are requirements for drivers, but basically these are: age from 22 years (somewhere from 25), experience from 2-3 years, a deposit of 10 thousand rubles (somewhere it is possible without it). Some offices take extra money for delivery to the desired city, at this point you should definitely pay attention. Also, before renting, it is worth checking the daily mileage limit, because if you drive more, then you will also have to pay extra for this.

It is best to book a car in advance, because in the season for vacations, demand increases, and you can be left with nothing.

WHERE TO FIND A CAR?

The popular RentalCars service does not provide its services on the territory of Crimea, so use other proven ones:

• Myrentacar

PETROL PRICES

Fuel is delivered from mainland Russia, so the prices are higher. Also, there are no gas stations familiar to Russians, instead of them - TES, WOG, ATAN, OKKO. The Crimeans themselves consider the ATAN network to be the best.

• AI-92 - 47 rubles
• AI-95 - 50 rubles
• DT - 52 rubles

Prices for entertainment and attractions in Crimea

This is, of course, difficult. How to cover the entire huge peninsula in one section? :) Therefore, first I will summarize how much the entrances and tickets to various places cost, and then I will specify exactly what and where to see in Crimea.

A cultural, entertainment and sightseeing vacation in Crimea implies the following prices:

• Entrance to a museum or park - 150-300 rubles per person
• Funicular to Ai-Petri - 400 rubles one way
• Taigan Lions Park - 1000 rubles, for children 500 rubles
• Entrance to the palaces - 400 rubles
• Group excursion to a place nearby - 1000 rubles per person
• Capes, grottoes, caves, waterfalls - free

What to do in ...:

Best excursions

The network of excursions is not yet developed on the peninsula. Tourists mostly come on their own and travel around the area on their own.

How to "survive" machineless holidaymakers? Organized sightseeing tours are conducted, and not a little. I was surprised that over the past few years, even in our slowly developing corner, guides are switching to online booking excursions! They offer their services on 2 sites:

• Tripster
• Sputnik8

I will give prices for excursions in Crimea in the table below. You can order both individual (that is, as part of your group and by car) and group (on large buses) tours around the peninsula.

Popular excursions in Crimea:

How to save money in Crimea? My tips for tourists

• About mobile communications: upon arrival, I switch to Wave Mobile and the Cosmos tariff (for 450 rubles a month I get unlimited Internet and 450 minutes for calls to numbers of Russian operators).
• Where is it beautiful? Look, the South Coast of Crimea (South Coast of Crimea) is a concentration of attractions (natural and architectural), fun and tourists. ZBK (Western Coast of Crimea) is sandy wide and calm beaches. Of the latter, I recommend the villages of Olenevka or Chernomorskoe.
• The best beaches are located outside cities, for example, these are Fiolent, Balaklava, Novy Svet, Koktebel. It is also good in Evpatoria. Basically, all of them are free, you will have to pay extra for various services - kayaking, umbrellas and sun loungers. All this is quite cheap, but the prices for food on the beaches are more expensive than in the city, so it is better to take snacks and drinks with you.

Here is a review by my Moscow friend who was in Crimea last summer:

“In August we went to the South Coast, near Alushta to the village of Solnechnogorskoye. We rented a room in a guest house, well, so modestly, but only 300 rubles per person. Products like in Moscow are not cheap. We ourselves drove to the palaces, Yalta, were on Ai-Petri. For 2 weeks spent on the spot 22,000 rubles for two. "

So, the cost of a vacation in Crimea can be quite acceptable. Add to this the costs of "getting" (20,000 rubles by plane for two + 1000 rubles for a bus to the resort) - and we get a budget of ≈ 50,000 rubles for two weeks for everything. Not bad!