Yalta Transportation

Take marshrutka (mini bus) no. 27 from Yalta main bus station to the bottom station of the Ai Petri cable car. The fare up the mountain on Europe's longest hanging stretch without poles was 15 UAH one way in 2004. There is a middle station where you change cable cars.

There are many taxis willing to take you to Yalta from Simeferopol. But dont pay more than $20 American to get there. Simply shop around for the cheapest taxi you can find. There are plenty that will try to take advantage of you but eventually you will find one willing to get you there for a decent price.

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If you are in Kiev and want to visit Yalta (in Crimea), really a cool place and a unique combination of Sea, Mountain & Snow, catch a train from Kiev Railway station called Vokzal. Prefer to have a evening train so that u can reach Yalta in the morning. Total train Journey lasts for around 16hrs and will cost u around $16-$18.

One thing to remember is that there is no direct train to Yalta.....u have to break ur journey in Simperofol from where u can take a minibus/trolley bus to reach to Yalta. Duration for bus journey will be around 1.5 to 2 hours and will cost u around USD4.

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If you want to go to Swallow nest via motor boat, it is available from Yalta Beach. Although, lot of private boat are also available but it is better to prefer Government services.

As I had visited the place in April, these ferries start from 1120Hrs till 1515hrs but the frequency of the same will increase in summer as told to me. One side journey which lasts for 30 minutes (approx) will cost around 20UAH & the same ticket will cost you 30UAH if u prefer deck.

You can see lot of dolphins in Black sea.

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There are two options to vist Ai-Patri i.e by taxi or by trolley. In order to enjoy the fullest, we had travelled from Swallow Nest to Ai-Patri by Taxi and came back by Trolley. The way to Ai-patri, by road, is 'The beautiful' and u will have various other amusements in between like Waterfall, Sight seeing from midway and finally to Ai-Patri.

By taxi, total travelling duration is about 3hours and will cost somewhere around 150UAH (1USD=5UAH) but it is worth paying. If u are not alone, it will also be cheap.

By trolley, total travellling duration is approximately 30 minutes and will cost u around 25UAH per person.

If u don't have much time to spend in travelling then u can use trolley both ways.

From Yalta you can take a boat to the Swallow's Nest. You can buy the ticket beforehand at the cashier opposite the jetty. In May 2004 the return price was 15 UAH. On the return trip I saw 3 dolphins.

Arriving by plane in Crimea leaves the options of bus, taxi or trolley journey from Simferopol to the Yalta coast. For the Guinness record seekers it is the "the longest trolley line in the world" that would be the first choice. I was inclined to fall into the celebrity trap too but at the time there were frequent power cuts, I had a hotel to find and camping in the back seat of a trolleybus did not sound as romantic as it does now. The bus option was very attractive money wise but I had to wait a bit compared to the aggressive offers coming from the upstart businessmen with their "taxi" services. The original amount was not a deal at all but after the dust settled down and the hardliners gave up hope in me, I was approached by a fellow willing to compromise. He offered me a rate that equal a city ride in St. Petersburg (where I came from) meaning a very negligible expense considering the 100 or so kilometers from the airport to Yalta. The reasoning behind was that he was going one way to Yalta for an errand anyway so why not give me this discount!? Well, who cares if the price is right? By the way, the car was an older roomy Mercedes Benz and included cultural introduction and qualified guide insights to the places we drove by.

From Yalta you can get anywhere in the Crimea using a bus, but it's much better to take a boat, it will take you a bit longer, but you'll be able to rest and enjoy beautiful views and pleasant breeze.