How to get to the swallow's nest from Livadia. Our Crimea and its most beautiful places

"swallow's Nest"- the same toy castle on sheer cliff, which adorns almost all the covers of tourist publications about the South Coast of Crimea. It's no joke, even on the cover of National Geographic, this castle managed to visit. And this despite the fact that this building cannot be called a real castle.

The "Swallow's Nest" is purely decorative, and even crumbles, it is being restored all the time ... This Crimean landmark has always aroused controversial feelings for me. Some kind of mixture of wonder and disappointment.

But being near Yalta and not visiting the well-known "pearl" is also not the case. You just need to do it right ...

Story

So where did the Swallow's Nest castle come from? Unfortunately, I won't tell any romantic stories. A place on a cliff with a beautiful view of the sea was first chosen by some general and built a dacha for himself. This happened in 1880, the building was made of wood. Then the plot with the house passed from one owner to another, along the way it got its beautiful name - Swallow's Nest. And in 1901, Baron Steingel bought the site and decided to build a romantic castle, just like in his native Germany. This is how the castle appeared in the form we know it now.

But the change of owners did not stop there. "Swallow's Nest" passed from hand to hand, and at one time it was completely abandoned - survived the largest earthquake in Crimea. And so, after the establishment of Soviet power on the peninsula, the castle became accessible to everyone. By the way, already in 1968 it was necessary to strengthen the foundation of the castle so that it ... would not fall into the sea.

Castle "Swallow's Nest" in Crimea: today

And a little uninteresting modern history... "Swallow's Nest" is constantly used for different purposes. For a long time there was an Italian restaurant with dubious cuisine and exorbitant high prices... Then there were exhibitions of artists, and now they show us interior of the castle... At one time, the entrance to the territory was paid, but it was illegal.

Now there is another reconstruction and we must be prepared for the fact that it is forbidden to go to the "balcony" over the sea. We'll have to be content with views of the back of the castle. But! It is still breathtaking when you look at this 40-meter rock, crowned with a stone palace with turrets. Anyway, this fairytale castle has the status of an object cultural heritage federal significance. So you have to go and look, but it is better to go or swim to this fragile beauty.

"Swallow's Nest": where it is and how best to get there

Castle address: Russia, Crimea, Bolshaya, Gaspra village, Alupkinskoe highway 9a. Exact coordinates for online maps: 44.430662 N, 34.128532 E. For GPS navigators: 44 ° 25.839 ", 34 ° 7.119.

And now in an understandable tourist language. "Swallow's Nest" is located 20 km from Yalta and the main flow of tourists comes from Yalta. Near the "Swallow's Nest" itself there are villages that are part of Big Yalta: Gaspra and Kurpaty. There are three ways to get to the castle. And be sure that the perception of the attraction itself depends on your choice. So, you can get there:

If you got to the castle from the Livadia Palace or by minibus / car, then you will find yourself at the "Swallow's Nest" stop. Here you can start taking the first shots from the observation platforms, but you still have to walk 800 meters along the stairs past the sanatoriums to the palace.

And here it is - a fairy-tale castle - rises on a cliff and just begs for the sight of the camera. You can enjoy its aesthetic benefits and take good photos.

"Swallow's Nest": the best locations for photos

I will share my favorite and most advantageous sites for photographing the "Swallow's Nest" and myself against its background:

What to do at the "Swallow's Nest"

By the way, a little important practical information: from November to May, the palace-castle is open from 10:00 to 16:00 (Monday - closed), and from June to October - from 10:00 to 19:00 (seven days a week). The entrance is free. There is a free toilet at the entrance itself. Everything is clear with photographs - this is one of the main entertainments here. There are a few more options for your pastime, for an amateur.

Where to eat near the "Swallow's Nest"

No matter how hard I tried, I could not fit all the Yalta days into one post. It turns out three. But I will try to pay more attention to details.

03/01/13
We arrived in Yalta yesterday. From Alushta, at lunchtime by minibus. At the bus station, aunts immediately stuck around us with an offer of housing. All for 200 hryvnia.
Evening, shower, Wi-fi. What else does? Oh, yes "Zhivchik" ....

This morning did not require an early rise, and we slept until 9 local time. The night before, we already got acquainted with the Yalta coast, and today we have planned a visit to the palaces.
I don’t remember who and how advised us that we had to go from the bus station, but we knew for sure that this was the way it should be. Until now, it seems that it was possible to leave, directly from our temporary residence.
At the bus station, I again saw my favorite trolleybuses. More precisely, it was not at the bus station, but at trolleybus station, it is very close - across the road.
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04. Here we even found a schedule behind a misted piece of glass.

The locals explained that we didn’t need intercity buses, and Yalta.
05. We are standing at the bus stop. The building in the background with bars is the bus station.

The controller, from the open door, notified those who were waiting that their minibus was moving to Livadia. This is exactly the place where we planned to get to in the first place.
Loaded into the transport and went to travel along the winding, thin streets of the mountain-coastal Yalta. I had seen such narrow roads before only in films - on the right a wall of a house, on the left, across a row, a steep slope.
- Ultimate, the palace is ahead! - Announced the controller.
The minibus was empty at once. People in groups moved in the direction indicated from the bus. By the way, the peculiarity of either Crimea or Ukraine in general is that people communicate here and they like it. For example, if in Moscow you ask: "How to get to the old Arbat?" - will wave his hand, running away.
Right there: - Oh, well, look, you need this now ... - and in the course of the story they will have time to ask where we are from and advise where we still need to get. Damn, this is nice.

06. Not far from the stop, we saw a book lying on the railing, perhaps intentionally abandoned, and perhaps simply forgotten.

07. Teddy bear?

After New Year's Eve Moscow with its -26 Celsius and cloudiness, Yalta with its +10 and the sun seemed like a summer that suddenly came in the middle of winter. Naturally I wanted as much sun and warmth as possible to remain in the photographs.

08. Livadia Palace.

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Near this palace, we wandered through the park and decided, without stopping for a long time, to go further.

11. It seems to me like a library.

Then I got the idea to walk to Gaspra. It seemed to me that it was close there. How I was wrong.))

12. Sunny path. Almost seven kilometers walking route.

This route starts from Livadia. So here you can understand that we have already covered two kilometers. And Gaspru is not even visible. After checking the map, we came to the conclusion that we had to take the bus, but we walked about a kilometer to the stop. We took a walk, of course, well, but wasted precious time. Remember - twilight at 17, night at 18.
The minibus took us to the desired point in 10 minutes.

Cape Ai-Todor. Mansion "Swallow's Nest".

13. This is how we saw him. The sky and the sea are fantastic. I don't even know what to compare with, I have not seen anything like this before. Yes, and is it necessary to compare here ?!

In general, the sea of ​​this day did not seem real, it was as if tinted with blue and brilliant green, in different places. It was only on this trip that I understood why Aivazovsky was drawn here so often and where such colors came from in his paintings. But there will be more about the colors of the sea in one of the next posts, but for now, in the photographs, we pay special attention to the color.

14. Rock "sail". Lonely at sea, it really resembles the sail of a small ship.

15. And here is one of the most famous sights of Crimea - "Swallow's Nest".

This mansion has a very long history. At the beginning of its existence, it did not look at all like that, it looked more like summer house or a dacha, which, in fact, was. Later, according to a new project, it was rebuilt and became more like the current castle. For a long time it was a restaurant, until the earthquake of 1927, then part of the rock, which was the foundation, collapsed, and the building itself was badly damaged, part of it collapsed into the sea. For 30 years, the destroyed "nest" was empty and crumbled. In the late 60s, reconstruction began and, from the early 70s, the building again became a restaurant.
Now there is a museum inside. But it is boring, small and there is nothing to do there. From words to pictures.

16. View from the terrace to the rock "sail" and the pier.

17. And this is a view to the other side. Blue-green sea to the horizon.

18. The most recognizable symbol of Crimea. Even now, when I look at these pictures, it is breathtaking. And now, imagine when it is right next to you, when you see with your own eyes and can even touch it ?!

19. And now a little more sea. The farthest mountain on the horizon is Ayu-dag or Bear Mountain. Pretty much too famous place but we weren't there.

20. Self-shot for memory. With the sea.

And a couple of Zen frames.

21. White dots in the picture are seagulls. There are darkness of them. They behaved very strangely, but why, I understood later, when we were having dinner in a cafe on a rock, not far from the castle. This shot, by the way, relaxes me. I turn on the whole screen and sit and examine.

Okay, back to the dolphins. How to what ?! Oh, yes ... When we sat down in a cafe, naturally, we began to look at the sea. And then we realized why the seagulls behave so strangely, they constantly dived into the sea, attacking the dolphins. The most real. There were dozens of them. They came out of the water here and there. Even in the previous photo, they are, but so far away that, not knowing about them, and not considering. Again I regretted not taking the telephoto lens with me.

22. And this is a riddle. Who did it and why is not known, but it looks interesting.

On this day, we refused to go to the Vorontsov Palace, and went to Ai-Petri. More on this next time.
See you…

The southern coast of Crimea is simply packed with different sights, parks and architectural monuments... If you draw up a travel route in advance, taking into account all the locations (for example, using the Currant planner), you can have a great time.

The only moment that leaves a slight residue is that you have to pay for everything twice (or even three times). That is, having bought entrance ticket For example, on the territory of Nikitsky Park you will be offered to pay extra for a walk through the labyrinth of laurel bushes or for an exhibition of bonsai trees. These orders are perplexing and smack of divorce. Maybe it makes sense to make a single cost for everything?

At the entrance to Yalta, I launched a quadrocopter:

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Kievskaya is the central street of the city, which leads to the beach:

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Yalta embankment. Usually in May everything is already full, but now there are not many people. This is due not only to the latest events in Crimea, but also to the terrible cold. The temperature is about plus ten plus fifteen and it is raining and cloudy almost every day. We have seen only two sunny days in 10 days so far. Strong wind blows all the time:

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Behind the embankment there is a beach area, where everyone swims:

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McDonald's doesn't work:

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Someone's yachts are moored:

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I flew up to the fishermen on a quadrocopter:

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The men perked up:

There are pleasure boats on the shore. One hour costs 1200 rubles, at least 2 hours must be ordered. The price tag includes a seafood lunch (fish and vegetables). It makes sense to take big company, comes out cheaper and more interesting than a sun lounger on the beach and a restaurant:

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On boats you can not only ride but also fish:

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Well, of course, resort entertainment:

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Let's go for a walk around Yalta. Picture at the entrance to the temple on one of the streets:

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Taxi drivers sit on benches waiting for customers. It's hot in the cars:

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Livadia Palace is an estate that once served as the southern residence of the Russian emperors. Currently, there is a sanatorium of the same name and Livadia Park:

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On the way to the palace, there are many souvenir stalls:

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It has already started to rain, although it is only a couple of kilometers from Yalta. All in jackets. Cold and disgusting:

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Several aerial shots of the palace:

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Ten minutes drive from Livadia - and we are in the Swallow's Nest. I've talked about him several times already. Here, as elsewhere, the flags have already changed:

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Russian tricolor at every turn (including in souvenir tents):

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Previously, it was possible to drive up to the castle by car, but now the passage is closed (as is the restaurant on the territory). I had to walk: it took us fifteen minutes there (down) and half an hour back (up):

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A view of the sea opens up from the castle:

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Brisk trade is nearby - everyone strives to sell something:

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There was a strong wind and poor handling interfered with the shooting. I was afraid that the copter would be carried out to sea, but despite this I was able to make a circle over the Swallow's Nest:

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The next item on our program is the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. Before him is a small exposition of bored churchkhela sellers (walnut sweets on thick grape juice):

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The area behind the Vorontsov Palace:

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To get to the park from the sea, you have to pay either 210 rubles for a full tour of the palace, or for 12 rubles to go around the palace on the left. We were already rather tired and went directly to the territory of the southern terrace:

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And this is a view from the sea. Very beautiful:

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South Coast view:

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Our next location is the Foros village. It is nothing special, except for the Forosky park, which is about 180 years old:

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The famous Church of the Ascension stands above Foros. Associated with her appearance beautiful legend: the young daughter of a local merchant Kuznetsov was riding in the mountains, when suddenly the horses, as if frightened by something, carried the carriage straight into the abyss. It seemed that death was inevitable, but at the very edge of the cliff, the horses stopped, as if in front of an invisible obstacle. In honor of the miraculous salvation, a church was built. At the same time, another version is described in archival documents: in 1888, at the Borki station on Kharkovskaya railroad there was a crash royal train... The royal family, returning from Yalta to St. Petersburg, remained unharmed. In memory of the miraculous salvation of the Emperor, a temple was erected:

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In the next post - Sevastopol! Stay Tuned!

= EXPEDITION "CRIMEAN SHARE" =

4. Crimea. Koktebel and the Mecca of balloonists -

5. Rehearsal of the air parade in Sevastopol -

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (1782-1856) went through a difficult life path. At various periods of his life, he participated in the Caucasian War, the Great Northern War, Patriotic War 1812, was the Novorossiysk and Bessarabian governor-general, governor of the emperor in the Caucasus.

As the commander of the occupation corps in Paris, he sold his own estate in order to pay off the revelry of Russian officers and hussars with French creditors.

But we have a more reliable source to judge the character and tastes of this person. The music that sounded in his soul was forever imprinted in the stone. On the southern coast of Crimea, not far from Yalta.

The residence of Count Vorontsov in Alupka was under construction for 18 years (1830 - 1848). The palace was designed by the court architect of George IV, Eduard Bloor.

It is not surprising that the features of the English neoclassicism are noticeable in the appearance of the palace. The features of this style can be seen in the example Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, which were also designed by Bloor.

At the same time, the palace bears the features of the late Romanesque style in the spirit of the austere Spanish castles of Isabella's time. Amazing similarities Vorontsov Castle with Spanish patterns is emphasized by elements of oriental motives.

If the external appearance of the Alupka Palace evokes thoughts of the Alcazar Castle, then its internal space, portal, decorative elements and arabesques have much in common with the Alhambra Palace.

The interior of the palace is made in the Gothic style, but some rooms are decorated in the Baroque and Empire styles.

The composition of the palace is organized in the form of a stylized castle. In the spaces between the towers and buildings are hidden courtyards and streets. The palace looks like a tiny medieval town... He seems to be the embodiment of the mysterious and transcendental "Castle", born of the imagination of Franz Kafka. Narrow passages, bridges and walls made of massive diabase boulders seem to slow down the passage of time in their labyrinths and instill calm and harmony.

The wisdom of the creators of this little miracle was manifested in the fact that they made it an organic part of a true masterpiece - South Shore Crimea.

The palace is inscribed in the composition mountain peaks and slopes descending into the boundless sea space. The natural continuation of the palace complex is unique park, which has spread its terraces from the southern portal to the coast.

Work on the creation of Vorontsov Park lasted 27 years (from 1824 to 1851) under the leadership of Karl Kebach.

The genius of his idea is to combine incompatible things - the regular (geometric) layout of Renaissance parks with a landscape park built on the principle of landscape composition. Thanks to this, alleys, flower beds and open lawns coexist with paintings wildlife, pristine forests and stone chaos.

The beauty of the park is so perfect that it seems to a person a long-familiar place, which from now on will forever remain with him.

Since 1834 Livadia (from the Greek. livadion- meadow, lawn) belonged to the Polish aristocrat Lev Potocki. In 1860 the estate became the property of the wife of Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna. The Big imperial palace and the Small Palace for the heir, as well as the palace church.

In 1909, Emperor Nicholas II paid a visit to King Victor-Emmanuel III. In Italy, the emperor visited the residence of Raconigi, near Turin, made in the "gentle" style of the Italian Renaissance. Upon his return to Livadia, the emperor expressed a desire to have a palace built in this style on his southern coastal estate.

In 1911, a new one, the Great White Palace, was erected on the site of the old palace. Construction work was carried out by the architect N.P. Krasnov in record time - 506 calendar days. The cost of construction was 4.2 million rubles in silver.

The main motives for the composition were the monuments of Florence. At the same time, the austere beauty of the palace architecture is combined with the comfort and soft tranquility of a country house. Inkerman limestone of light fawn color gives lightness and grace to the building. The asymmetrical shapes of the eastern façade are in harmony with the stepped outlines of the mountain slopes and complement the cascading solution of the northern façade.

The composition of the palace is full of architectural elements typical of the palazzo of Venice and Florence. In accordance with the canons of the Renaissance, the facade is dissected by a horizontal line of the balcony, and the gallery colonnade and graceful arcades emphasize the order-based character of the division.

The palace has 116 separate rooms, one large inner and three small (illuminated) courtyards. The large courtyard called "Italian" is the most important structural element of the palace. It is these courtyards - patios that are characteristic of Italian palaces of the 15th-16th centuries and are the centers of the entire plastic composition of buildings. Interior illuminated courtyards (atriums) are used for solar illumination of living rooms. Italian courtyard, surrounded by arcades of semicircular arches with Doric columns. A clear rhythm of arches and columns, Florentine lanterns, and a carved balustrade create a sense of harmony and peace. In the center of the courtyard there is a fountain, to which eight radial paths converge. The austere composition is enlivened by flower lawns and evergreens: palm trees, laurel, tropical conifers.

The interior decoration of the palace and decor elements are distinguished by Italian sophistication. All elements of the main entrance to the palace: semicircular arches, paired Corinthian columns, a portal of entrance doors and benches, are made of white Carrara marble by the Italian craftsmen of the Uberti company. Carved ornamentation on marble depicts griffins, dolphins, garlands of flowers and fruits, medallions framed by acanthus. Cartouches with monograms of the names of members of the royal family are located between the semicircles of the arches, and the top of the marble platband is decorated with the coat of arms of the Romanovs.

On the west side there is a small Byzantine-style house church. It was built as a Catholic chapel of the Potocki family, and then successfully integrated into the ensemble of the palace. The entrance to the temple is connected by an open gallery with the arch of the gate of the Italian courtyard. The gallery is made in the form of a Byzantine arcade, resting on marble columns and ending with openwork hand-forged gates made by Italian masters of the late 18th century. The portal of the entrance to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is decorated with a mosaic icon "Angel of the Lord".

The interiors of the palace are richly decorated. They are decorated with stucco decorations, carved panels of chestnut, walnut and mahogany, beautiful marble fireplaces. Most notable are the ceremonial dining room with intricate stucco molding, the billiard room, the "Roman vestibule" and the reception room, modeled on the Hall of the Council of Five Hundred Venetian Palace doge.

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swallow's Nest

The "Swallow's Nest" was erected on the 40-meter-high Aurora cliff of Cape Ai-Todor in the village of Gaspra. The structure resembles a miniature knight's castle.

The first wooden structure on this site was erected after the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 for a retired Russian general. This wooden building has already become the theme of the work of famous marine painters: Aivazovsky, Lagorio, Bogolyubov.

An amazing dacha has changed several owners. But the Swallow's Nest got its present appearance thanks to the oil industrialist Baron Steingel, who decided to build a Gothic castle on Cape Ai-Todor. The project was carried out by engineer Leonid Sherwood.

The stepped composition, conceived by the architect, proceeded from the small dimensions of the site. The building, 12 meters high, was located on a foundation 10 meters wide and 20 meters long. Small volumes were answered internal organization: an entrance hall, a living room, steps and two bedrooms were sequentially located in a two-story tower that rose above the rock. A garden was laid out next to the building, which collapsed into the sea as a result of the 1927 earthquake.

At the beginning of the First World War, the merchant Shelaputin opened a restaurant in the castle. After his death, the restaurant closed.

In 1927, the "Swallow's Nest" was damaged during a strong earthquake. A deep oblique crack went from its upper platform to the middle, so that the castle could collapse at any moment. Part of the support rock collapsed into the sea, and observation deck looming threateningly over the abyss. The building itself was almost not damaged, except for the torn off spiers and a torn off part of the rock under the lower balcony.

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Only in 1967-1968, forty years after the earthquake, the workers of Yaltaspetsstroy carried out repairs without dismantling the walls. The operation was supervised by the architect I.G. Tatiev. The restoration work, which began in 1968, was aimed at strengthening the foundation, partial modification of the facade and internal premises. The author of the restoration project, the Yalta designer V.N. Timofeev, planted the outermost block of the building on a cantilever reinforced concrete slab brought under the central volume. Thus, the extreme part of the house was securely fixed, which remained hanging over the collapsed rock. In addition to the monolithic slab, the entire structure was surrounded by anti-seismic belts. The increased height of the tower has acquired great decorativeness thanks to the four spiers.

It takes only 15 minutes to get to the Livadia Palace by car. You can get there by minibus from the Yalta bus station.

GPS coordinates: N 44 ° 28.076, E 34 ° 08.613

What to see?

Livadia Palace is a structure created in Russian Empire for the royal family of the Romanovs. It is surrounded by a beautiful park and natural terraces that run down the slope of Mogabi Hill. Nicholas II, when he first visited his new palace, described it as follows: “We do not find words to express our joy and pleasure in having such a house, built exactly the way we wanted. Architect Krasnov is an amazing fellow. " By the way, for this NP Krasnov was awarded the title of architect of the highest court.

Each of the facades of the palace, which is made in the style of the Italian Renaissance, has its own individual appearance. By right, the highlight of the Livadia Palace can be called the picturesque Italian courtyard. It is planted with roses and evergreens. The beauty of the courtyard inspired domestic and foreign directors to shoot many scenes for their films, such as "Dog in the Manger", "Soul", "Heart of a Dog", "Return of the Resident".

Now within the walls of the palace there is a museum with valuable exhibits and an interior that reveals the era of the Romanov reign.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit the Solnechnaya (Tsarskaya) trail, it connects Livadia Park with the village.

Comfortable for pedestrians, as it does not have steep ascents and descents. Its length is 6711 meters. However, the guides advise you to go only along the most interesting places trails. From the beginning of the trail, go to the semi-rotunda gazebo. Then you go up to the Cross Mountain. After taking pictures of the beautiful views of the surroundings, go down back to the gazebo and walk along the path to the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin. By the way, there you will see a "" bench, on which the characters of "Ladies with a Dog" sat and, observing the sky, sea, rocks, thinking about the eternal ... After passing this path of 1.5 km, you return to.