Kerch
Kerch (Russian: Керчь) , is a city (population 147,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea. City - Hero of World War II.
Understand
Get in
By train
There are long-distance sleeper trains from Kyiv (19—23 hours to go) and Moscow (24—28 hours).
Also Kerch has regional train connections with Simferopol, Dzhankoy and Mykolayiv (Nikolaev). Though these regional trains are cheap they are also slow.
By plane
The nearest international airport is located at Simferopol (220 km westward from Kerch). If you prefer air travel you can get to Kerch via Simferopol, follow these steps:
- Arrive at Simferopol International Airport. Now you should get to Simferopol Central Intercity Bus Station (Avtovokzal), there are two options:
- Taxi. There are plenty of private cabs in front of the airport, but prices are usually not reasonable and many of the drivers are dishonest. You should always negotiate a price before you board a cab and make sure that this price is for the entire route (not for each kilometer)
- Public transport. Take marshrutka bus #49 (bus stop is in the middle of the square in front of the airport). Price is written on paper sheets inside the bus (typically 2—3 hryvnias (UAH)). There are no tickets; just pass money to your driver. Usually it takes 25—35 minutes to get to Avtovokzal. Note: Avtovokzal is just an intermediate stop for marshrutka #49; don't miss this stop! Ask the driver or passengers if you are not sure where to exit (most of the locals do not speak English, but they should understand what Avtovokzal means). If you have a GPS device you can locate Avtovokzal by coordinates (44°56'55"N, 34° 7'34"E)
- Inside Avtovokzal's terminal buy a ticket to the nearest bus to Kerch. During the day, intercity buses to Kerch depart every 30—45 minutes. A ticket cost around 60 hryvnias as of 2011, plus a small additional fee if you have lots of luggage and need to use the bus's luggage compartment. Departure time, platform number, bus number and seat are printed on the ticket.
- Find your bus (it comes to the platform 15 minutes before departure)
- It takes about 4 hours to get to Kerch from Simferopol, usually with an intermediate 5-minute stop at Feodosia.
If you have both Russian and Ukrainian visas you can get to Kerch via the international airport in Krasnodar. There are international bus routes that connect Krasnodar and Crimea. It takes 4 hours to get from Krasnodar to Port Kavkaz, then up to a few hours (depends on queue size) to traverse Kerch Strait using Kerch ferry line and pass the Russian—Ukrainian border, then 30 minutes to get to Kerch Central Bus Station.
By bus
Kerch has frequent intercity bus connections with other destinations in Crimea and southern Ukraine.
There are also a few international bus routes that connect cities of Crimea, southern Ukraine with Krasnodar Krai in Russia.
Kerch ferry line
Kerch ferry line transports cars, passengers and cargo trains across Kerch Strait. The ferry line crosses Ukrainian—Russian border, so you'll have to pass border control procedures on both sides of Kerch Strait.
The Ukrainian harbor is Port Krym, located at eastern outskirts of Kerch. Port Krym is connected with Kerch Central Bus Station (Avtovokzal) by marshrutka bus line #1, #18 .
The ferry harbor on Russian side is Port Kavkaz that has an intercity bus connection with Krasnodar. It takes about 4 hours to get to Port Kavkaz from Krasnodar.
If you are travelling on your own car keep in mind that the ferry line is usually overloaded at summer due to a high season, you may spend up to 8 hours in a queue though the ferry transfer itself takes about 25 minutes. Ferry line may also not work during the sea storm.
Get around
All places near the city center are accessible by foot walk. If you need to get to a distant district or a sea beach on the outskirts then marshutka buses are your best friends. The price is usually written on a paper sheet inside the bus. Typical price is 2—3 hryvnias (UAH).
The are trolleybus lines in Kerch that connect Kerch Central Bus Station (Avtovokzal) with Kerch Train Terminal and Voykov Metal Works factory.
Taxis in Kerch typically cost 20 hryvnias minimum plus 3 hryvnias per kilometer (as of 2011). There are always a few cabs available at Kerch Central Bus Station.
- Taxi Kerch ; Tel : 050-532-04-90 ; 096-487-88-44; 066-450-25-50
Tel : +38 06561 6-26-26 ;
- Mega Taxi : Frunze st ,60 ; Tel : 050-360-22-11 ; 067-633-22-11
Tel : +38 06561 2-22-11 ; 6-00-00
See
- Church of St. John the Baptist — built in 717, it's the oldest church in Ukraine.
- Mount Mithridates — a hill with a picturesque view on the city. The Great Mithridates Staircase with 428 footsteps leads to the top of the hill. 'The Monument of Glory' (1944, built after World War II) is on the top.
- Pantikapaeum — ruins of an ancient city (5th century BC–3rd century AD), a former capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus and Tsarskiy Kurghan (4th century BC) - burial mound for one of Bosporian kings; Pantikapaeum is not in the best condition, as anything of interest was removed to museums in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, London, Paris and Berlin but it's still worth a look.
- Fortress of Yeni Kale (18th century) built by Ottoman Turks on the shore of Kerch Strait. Located at the eastern outskirts of Kerch not far from ferry line. The fortress is mostly ruined nowadays, however if you have enough time to spend in Kerch you may want to see it.
- Fortress Kerch built by the Russian military architect Totleben in the middle of 19th century after Crimean war to defend borders of Empire. It's a very interesting especially place located on the Ak-Burun cape.
- Sites of ancient settlements Mirmecium, Tiritaka and Nimphei
- Ancient history museum of Kerch - established at 1826.
- Golden pantry. - treasures of ancient Kerch.( as part of museum collection )
- Lapidarium. - one of the largest collections in Europe.
- Memorial of heroic guerilla warfare in Adzhimushkay mines.
- А torchlight procession on Mount Mithridates at 8th may.
Do
At summer season you can take a rest on a sea sandy beaches , however most of them are located at the outskirts. Also, there are a few mud-cure sources near the city.
- Climb to the top of Mount Mithridates.
Buy
Eat
There is a wide selection of restaurants , cafe on the high street & around , although not all of them are open until late.
You can choose from a wide range of fresh fish. Smoked gobies (bychki vyalenye) is one of the most popular beings, particularly good with beer. At autumn & winter salted anchovy is available on the market.
For more info about cafe & restaurants in Kerch look here : http://resto-kerch.ru/
Drink
Crimea region is famous for its wines. Local wine stores offer a wide range of original Crimean wines.
Most famous local wine brands : Massandra , Inkerman , Magarach , Novy Svet , Koktebel e t.c.
Sleep
There are several hotels in the city. A number of summer resorts are located at the suburbs. At summer season many of the locals offer a house , flat or a room for rent.
- Hotel Kerch, Kirova str., 11, ☏ +38 066 949-16-11, info@sezon.in:sezon-krim.
- Hotel Meridian, Marata str., 9, ☏ +38 06561 6-15-07, fax: +38 06561 6-47-55, meridianhotel@ukr.net.
- Hotel Morje, Sverdlova str. 5a, ☏ +38 066 063-57-20, morekerch@mail.ru.
Go next
- Ostrich farm " Exotic " near Kerch - excursions & cafe of exotic food.
- Chokrak lake - Salt Lake at coast of Azov sea near Kerch.
- Generalskiye plyazhi - virgin nature , bays & beaches of Azov sea.