Crimean peninsula and the Nothern cost of the Black Sea is benign land known as Taurida from the ancient time. The territory of Crimea was conquered and controlled many times throughout its history. The Cimmerians, Greeks, Italians, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Khazars controlled it at various times. They were followed by the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire in the 15th to 18th centuries. In more recent period the area was conquered by the Russian empire in the reign of Catherine the Great and got the name Novorossia (meaning the New Russia). In the followed centuries many Russians, Ukrainians and other peoples have settled here changing the cultural background of the area. Bitter and bloody Crimean war between Russian Empire and allied British, French, Turkish and Italian armies was fought there. In the late Imperial and Soviet time Crimea and Novorossia have become the favorite resort area a sort of Russian Riviera. By the order of Khruschev Crimea was given as a gift from Russia to Ukraine in 1954 and has become a part of independent Ukrainian state in 1991.

The climate in Crimea and Malorossia is generally similar to that in the Northern Mediterranean, warm in the summer and rather mild in the winter. Flora and fauna is abundant and the area is famous for its wine, fruit and vegetable production. There are many remnants of earlier civilizations preserved in Crimea from ancient Greek cities and Medieval Italian fortresses to Oriental palaces of Crimean Khans and exquisite villas of the Russian Emperors.  

 

Odessa: The city of Odessa was founded by a decree of the Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. From 1819 to 1858 Odessa was a free port. In the 19th century it became the fourth largest city of Imperial Russia and one of the most prosperous. Its early growth owed much to the work of the Duc de Richelieu, who served as the city's governor between 1803-1814. Having fled the French Revolution, he had served in Catherine's army against the Turks. Its historical architecture has a style more Mediterranean than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles, including Art Nouveau, Renaissance and Classicist.
Odessa became home to an extremely diverse population of Albanians, Armenians, Bulgarians, Frenchmen, Germans, Greeks, Italians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Ukrainians, and traders representing many other nationalities. Its cosmopolitan nature was documented by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived in internal exile in Odessa between 1823-1824.
In 1905 Odessa was the site of a workers' uprising supported by the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin. Sergei Eisenstein's famous motion picture The Battleship Potemkin commemorated the uprising and included a scene where hundreds of Odessan citizens were murdered on the great stone staircase (now popularly known as the "Potemkin Steps"), in one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history. Between the 1970s and 1990s many of Odessa Jews emigrated to US mostly settling in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, sometimes known as "Little Odessa". Still many remained and Odessa's vibrant culture famous far beyond the city has quite distinct Jewish flavour. Some of the best Soviet comedians where born in Odessa, earning her the title 'the capital of the Russian humour'.

Yalta: The existence of Yalta was first recorded in the 12th century by an Arab geographer, who described it as a Byzantine port and fishing settlement. Crimea was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1475, which made it a semi-independent subject territory under the rule of the Crimean Khanate. Yalta was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783, along with the rest of Crimea. In the 19th century, the town became a fashionable resort for the Russian aristocracy and gentry. Leo Tolstoy spent summers there and Anton Chekhov in 1898 bought a house (the White Dacha) here, where he lived till 1902; Yalta is the setting for Chekhov's short story, The Lady with the Dog, and such prominent plays as The Three Sisters were written in Yalta. The town was also closely associated with royalty. In 1889 Tsar Alexander III finished construction of Massandra Palace a short distance to the north of Yalta and Nicholas II built the Livadia Palace south-west of the town in 1911.
During the 20th century Yalta was the principal holiday resort of the Soviet Union. The town came to worldwide attention in 1945 when the Yalta Conference between the "Big Three" powers - the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom - was held at the Livadia Palace.

Bakhchisaray: is a town in Central Crimea, best known as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate. Its main landmark is Hansaray, the only extant palace of the Crimean Khans, currently opened to tourists as a museum. Bakhchisaray, first mentioned 1502, was established as the new khan's residence by the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray in 1532. Since then, it was the capital of the Crimean Khanate and the center of political and cultural life of the Crimean Tatar people. Nearby ancient underground settlement Esky-Kermen is also very popular site. It was founded as a Byzantine fortress at the end of 6^th century reached a peak of 3000 inhabitants in the Middle Ages and was populated till 14 century. There are about 350 caves sewn in the cliffs, making the fortress almost invincible.
Sevastopol: is most famous for its siege, during so called Crimean War in 1854-1855. It was founded in 1783 by Rear Admiral Makenzie, in Russian service, as a base for a naval squadron, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula. Sevastopol was (and still is, being leased from Ukraine) the main base of the Russian navy on the Black Sea. The Siege lasted for 11 months and was carried out by the British, French, Sardinian, and Turkish troops. Despite its efforts, the Russian army had to leave its stronghold and evacuate over a pontoon bridge to the north shore of the inlet. The Russians had to sink their entire fleet to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy and at the same time to block the entrance of the Western ships into the inlet. Another bloody siege of Sevastopol happened during World War II, when Sevastopol withstood bombardment by the Germans in 1941-1942. The siege lasted for 250 days before the city fell in July 1942.
After the liberation the city was rebuilt and once again became the base of the Soviet navy, becoming closed city. Since the independence the tourists got full access of the historical city.
In the west of Sevstopol there are well-preserved ruins of an ancient Greek port city Chersonesos founded in the 5th c. BC.

 
The program of the tour:

 

Day.1		Arrival in Odessa. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 2		Breakfast. Tour of the Great Livadia Palace. Built for the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II in 1911, this Italian-styled summer residence is also known as the seat of the Yalta conference called by the Allies in February 1945. A walking tour of the nearby settlement of Koreis, one of many that dot the Southern Coast of the Crimea. Return by bus to the hotel. Lunch. A guided walk along the seashore by a specially made promenade path. Time at leisure. Dinner.
Day 3		Breakfast. Trip to Chatir-Dag Plateau for visiting the marble caves created by underground waters. Picnic on the site. Return to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4		Breakfast. A whole day trip to Esky-Kermen and Bakhchisarai. including a spectacular drive by the mountain road leading to the Mount Ai-Petri and the settlement of Kosh-Kosh. A walking tour of the cave town of Eski-Kermen. Built virtually inside the mountain, the miraculous town dates back to the 6th century. Proceed to Bakhchisarai, the former capital of the Crimean Khanate. Visiting the Khan's Palace and the Assumption Cave Monastery in the Valley of St.Maria. Lunch in a local restaurant. Return to Yalta. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 5		Breakfast. Trip to the Mount Demerdzhi via the pass of Angara. The view of the Valley of Ghosts from the slopes of the mountain is breathtaking! Lunch (or a picnic) in the town of Alushta. Founded by the Byzantines as the fortress under the name of Aluston (6th century), it was a safe refuge for the Génoèse merchants, who turned the fortress into a flourishing market town (13-15 centuries). Return to the hotel. Dinner.
Day 6		Breakfast. Whole day trip to the glorious city of Sevastopol, which is also the main naval base of the Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Founded in 1783, the city is renowned for heroism of its defenders during two wars: the Crimean War of 1854-55 (between Russia and coalition forces lead by Great Britain and France) and World War II. In connection with its 1942-1943 defense Sevastopol was decorated with the Golden Star medal and given a status of the hero city. Sightseeing tour of the city's highlights (upon arrival), including war memorials on the Mamaev Barrow and the Mount Sapun. Lunch. Visiting the ruined structures (towers, temples, a theatre, workshops, etc) of the ancient city of Chersonèse. Founded in the 5th century BC, it is known as the Russian Troya. Return to the hotel. Dinner.
Day 7		Breakfast. Trip to the Fairy Tales Land A walk through a scenic pine forest to Stavri-Kaja rock, and (across the Devil's Bridge) to the Uchan-Su waterfall. Lunch at the Mountain Spring restaurant. Return to the hotel. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 8		Breakfast. Transfer to the airport. Departure.
Day.9		Arrival in Odessa. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in. Dinner at the hotel.

 
Recommended period for travel: from mid-July to mid-October

The price of the tour is quoted by request