In 2016, to the delight of the whole family, we went to the Crimea by car (finally), rested there for two full weeks. What we remember about it and what is useful to know before going there. So, point by point

Why did we decide to go to the Crimea by car?

Before I get down to business, I will explain the obvious thing for many - a car allows you to enjoy the entire peninsula, and not just the hotel territory. Last time (in 2014) we flew by plane, it's fast and comfortable, but it binds you tightly to the place of rest. Buses at the level of the Stone Age, although inexpensive, and taxis in the Crimea were and remain very expensive. Therefore (and not only) this year we without hesitation went to the Crimea by car.

By the way, we have covered almost 4,000 km in Crimea, driving both on highways and off-road from Tarkhankut to Kerch, so we have a more or less objective idea of ​​Crimea in terms of roads.

So, thesis about today's Crimea for motorists.

How we went to the Crimea from Kazan

Route there: Kazan - Saratov - Volgograd - Salsk - Kotelnikovo - Krasnodar - Slavyansk in the Kuban - Port Kavkaz - Kerch - Feodosia - Simferopol - Saki - Evpatoria.

Return route: Evpatoria - Yalta - Alushta - Feodosia - Kerch - Port Kavkaz - Krasnodar - Rostov-on-Don (Aksai) - Kamensk-Shakhtinsky - Boguchar - Uryupinsk - Balashov - Volsk - Syzran - Ulyanovsk - Kazan

The total length of the route is 2,300 km, travel time is approximately 36 hours. We left at night, after about 32 hours we were at the port of Kavkaz near the checkpoint for a ferry crossing. Stopped three times for a snack and a couple of times to rest (both times for 2 hours). The children were walking, the driver was sleeping. At about 3.20 am we arrived at the ferry.

By the way, we arrived at the ferry a day earlier than we should have - tickets were bought for "tomorrow". But, to our pleasant surprise, the ferries towards the Crimea were free and they let us through at the checkpoint, despite the date on the ticket.

ferry crossing

The ferry service operates around the clock. Several three-story sea ferries are constantly in operation, the travel time by sea is approximately 25 minutes.

We strongly recommend that you purchase electronic tickets in advance (on the GOSPAROM.RU website), three days, and preferably five days in advance - then there is a chance to choose the time slot that suits you. The queues for the ferry are separate for those who have an electronic ticket and those without it.

To pass the checkpoint, you must have the originals of all documents (passports, birth certificates for children), as well as, preferably, printed tickets from the GOSPAROM.RU website (but you can also show them on the mobile phone screen)

The crossing time in the evening time slot, in August, with an electronic ticket, we had about 3 hours (waiting time + crossing). The live line of “free riders” stood for all 6 ..

Roads and drivers

In Crimea, motorists need to be very careful.

Roads in Crimea leave much to be desired, if not tougher. As soon as you get from the Krasnodar Territory to the Kerch Peninsula, you will immediately feel the difference. Near Kerch and in the city itself there are many places where you can be left without a wheel, but the situation is improving - in some places, there is already an excellent canvas. Shitty roads in Simferopol, and indeed along the Kerch-Evpatoria highway (that is, crossing almost the entire Crimea) you need to be careful, sometimes more careful than on the Russian mainland.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that there are practically no cameras and traffic police on the roads (they were seen only in the vicinity of large cities). Therefore, as soon as you get to a good section of the road, there is a temptation to “sink”, which is always dangerous to do, and even more so on an undeveloped peninsula.

The absence of traffic police is both a plus and a minus of today's Crimea. Local drivers refuse to drive according to the rules, constantly not noticing any signs or markings. The impression was that for the Crimeans there are no turn signals, they do not know the difference between intermittent and solid, they often confuse the colors of the traffic light. Machines with regions 82, 92, and 777 are a danger. And although Crimeans like to blame visitors for road accidents, they themselves have seen several accidents where only Crimean cars were involved.

Banks and ATMs in Crimea

This year, two banks were spotted in Crimea - Genbank and RNKB. Both are presented in the form of branches and ATMs, whose number has grown significantly compared to the turning point in 2014. Since we arrived at Crimea by car with a Tinkoff Bank card, no problems were found with interest-free cash withdrawals. We have no idea what the commission is for other banks.

Cashless payment

This year in Crimea, in some shops and cafes, it is already possible to pay with a card, but so far there are very few such places. Among the more or less large players in the food market are the PUD and Vezunchik department stores. It is also worth noting the Vintage liquor store (Sevastopol and Feodosia). There was a working terminal in the Inkerman company store in Sevastopol, but for some reason it didn’t work that day

Prices for fruits and products

Food prices are about the same as everywhere else, but some are more expensive. We bought meat (pork tenderloin) at 350 per kilo, chicken fillet at 230, Yalta sausages at 250.

Fruits, despite the fact that this is the south and they grow there, are noticeably more expensive than on Taman in the Krasnodar Territory. Local grapes, despite the huge number of vineyards, cost in season (August), on average, 200 rubles per kilo (once they took 70 local Muscat from a private trader - very lucky). Watermelons in the first decade of August were from 26 rubles per kilo (more expensive in the markets), peaches from 120 in the market and 70 each on the Sevastopol-Evpatoria highway (they took very juicy and large ones). In general, for the southern tourist region, prices are high.

Petrol

The cost of gasoline in the Crimea, grade AI-95, is approximately 41 rubles. This is about a ruble more expensive than on the mainland of Russia. Modern gas stations operating throughout the peninsula - TES and ATAN. Refueled on both, excellent service, they accept payment cards (which is important).

cellular

We highly recommend driving to the Crimea with an MTS SIM card. The Russian operator WIN operating in Crimea provides MTS subscribers with, in fact, 3G-free space (albeit with the letter R on the screen). All MTS tariffs there operate at home. The only caveat is that you need to allow data transfer in roaming in your smartphone, otherwise you will be left without the Internet.

I can't comment on other providers. According to rumors in Crimea, the worst situation is with Tele 2

Alcohol

Over the past two years, alcohol has risen in price, but not much. Cognac, of course, you can’t buy for 150 rubles, but even for 500 with a little “Old Gurzuf”, for example, is very good.

Inkerman's wines in company stores have a price tag of 190 rubles (young) and 290 (classic, three-year-old).

Inkerman

Massandra - about the same. In ordinary grocery stores, prices vary upwards within the fancy stores. A very good Crimean alcohol store - Vintage. There are only two stores - in Sevastopol and Feodosia, prices there are about 10% higher than in branded ones, which is very good, given that all enterprises and private traders are represented. By the way, members of the Vkontakte group of the ferry in the Vintage store have a discount at the checkout.

Vineyards of Inkerman. Kachinsky

According to the sellers of the same Vintage store, despite the fact that Crimea has its own vineyards, cognac spirits at some enterprises have lost their quality. For example, Koktebel cognac, which we tried back in 2014 (still with the excise tax of Ukraine) was very different for the worse in taste from the same cognac in 2016. I do not recommend it.

Crimean beer is not bad, however, as it seemed to me, all varieties are to one taste :) And Zhigulevskoe, and Nakhimovskoe, and Yalta .. The cost of a draft mug is, on average, 75 rubles.

Clear Black Sea

If you decide to go to the Crimea by your car, then the difficulties of moving around the Crimea are not for you. Everywhere you can drive even on a passenger car. And, yes, you will see the clear Black Sea :)

Tarkhankut

New World

New World

For example, in Tarkhankut, Olenevka or in the New World. It is a must to visit if you want to discover the new Black Sea. Tarkhankut is just north of Evpatoria, and Novyi Svet is near Sudak (follow the Galitsyn trail, it is touristic with beautiful views). Fortunately, it is convenient to drive in the Crimea and you can travel around everything :-)

sandy beaches

You can find sand with a clear sea only in Evpatoria and Feodosia. Evpatoria is a definite thrill for children. We recommend that you (and yourself, too) will not drag your children away from there.

Canteens

Meals in canteens are acceptable, the average price tag per person is 150-200 rubles. In restaurants and cafes, 500 rubles. Red mullet is quite expensive, but everyone should eat it once :-)

You can (and even need to) taste the Crimean chebureks. They are prepared right in front of you and are very different from those sold in our Tatar regions.

Very tender, juicy, cooked with beef, cheese and other things. The average price tag that came across to us was 60 rubles.

Excursions

Excursions in the Crimea are very expensive (another plus for traveling by car), most of the places with your own transport, you can travel around on your own. The average price tag for an adult ticket for a tour is 1,400 rubles, for a child - 1,300. Of course, it is more profitable to drive your own car in the Crimea.

Often, if you are at least a little prepared for a trip to the Crimea and are going to visit some sights, the guide will only harm you. You will go much further along the paths in the mountains and see more than with a guide, and they often carry complete nonsense, just to fill the temporary and air space. Eski-kermen, Grand Canyon, Ai-petri, Dzhur-dzhur Waterfall, Dimerdzhi .. these are places where, being in your car, you can easily do without extra costs.