Simferopol

Introduction

Simferopol is a the capital city of Crimea.

Sights and Activities

• Lenin Square - the only square in Simferopol which boasts about nothing much. Skateboarders skating in the evenings, live concerts on and off, a place where locals usher in the New Year, a politician party campaigning site.
• Central Market (Centralny Rynok) - everything from fresh food to clothes to hardware is easily available here. Generally the best place for shopping, and for getting skidkas (Ukrainian for "discount").
• Train Station - a lovely building, especially to leave the city from.
• Scythian Neapolis (Неаполь скифский). Scythian Neapolis was a settlement that existed from the end of the 3rd century BC until the second half of the 3rd century AD. The archeological ruins sit on the outskirts of the present-day Simferopol. This city was the center of the Crimean Scythian tribes, led by Skilurus and Palacus (who were probably buried at the local mausoleum). The town ruled over a small kingdom, covering the lands between the lower Dnieper river and Crimea. In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, it was a city "with a mixed Scythian-Greek population, strong defensive walls and large public buildings constructed using the orders of Greek architecture". Neapolis was destroyed halfway through the 3rd century AD by the Goths.
• Kid's Park (Detskij Park - Детский парк), 57 Kirova ave (Kuybyshevski market). A wonderful place where you can relax with the whole family. There is small amusement park with Ferris wheel. Here you can buy cotton candy, popcorn and soda. edit There is a famous 3 giant oak "Hercules Tauris". 600 - 750 years old. Circumference of his tree trunk about 6 meters, diameter of the crown 30 meters. There are some smaller 300-500-year-old oaks nearby.
• Museum of Arts, 35 Dolgorukovskaya st., ☎ +380 652 662630, e-mail: [email protected]. Tu-Su 10:00 - 17:00. It consists of two exhibitions: first is an exhibition of local art (paintings, drawings, sculptures, some photos from the museum of Aachen), second one is on the different subjects which changes every month.

Weather

Simferopol has a pleasant and warm temperate climate - a bit hot in the summer and mild in the winter without ice and snow.

Getting There

By Plane

Simferopol International Airport, ☎ +38 0652 59-55-45. (SIP IATA) operates only flights to Russia with Russian airlines at the moment, e.g. Moscow and Saint Petersburg The ICAO & Eurocontrol recommend avoiding this airspace, mainly because both Ukrainian and Russian air traffic controllers claim to be responsible for the area, and this conflict could lead to mistakes.

Marshrutka buses leave from across the car park outside the arrival area, look for the large Krimtrolleybus sign. Buses leave for city centre and the railway station every few minutes. Bus №49 connects with Central Intercity Bus Station, №115 or №98 with the railway station and the Kurortnaya bus station which have connections to sea-side cities such as Sevastopol, Yalta, Sudak and Yevpatoria. Also, there are lots of annoying private taxi drivers at the airport, if you take a taxi always agree on a rate before you board a cab and make sure that the price is for the entire route (not for each kilometre).

By Train

Simferopol used to have very good train connections with all major domestic destinations and several international routes too. These ceased when Crimea was annexed in 2014. Russian trains are operated by RZD.

By Bus

There are about a dozen a day bus and marshrutka rides from Sevastopol each day. They get busy, particularly at weekends, and it is best to book some time in advance. If you are unable to take public transport, taxis will take you there.

Getting Around

A convenient way to get around is by public transport, and Simferopol has a wide range of it. The most popular is called marshutka or a minivan, minibus, or taxi. Taxi of course is most expensive but is a fastest alternative. A ride on the minivan or the bus however, might cost you only the equivalent of RUB10. The public transportation will bring you almost all around the city.

Taxi - always agree on a rate before you board a cab. If driver offers you a cheap price make sure that this price is for the entire route not for each kilometer. Be warned that it's difficult to communicate with drivers, as they speak virtually no English or any other foreign language.
Taxi cost of one journey to any place of the city can be up to USD 20. To order taxi by phone is a way to save money. Some numbers: +380 63 250-3350, +380 652 547200, +380 652 710071 from mobile phone or 1504, 1567, 1568 and some others from local phone.

Eat

The number one must eat food in Simferopol is plov. This Turkic rice-based dish with sauteed meats and vegetables is very oily, so those on dietary restrictions may want to check twice before eating. One plate of plov cost approximately USD 3 at the Central Market.

Number two must eat food is meat on skewer, cooked over charcoal. It's called shashlik by the locals. Goes very well with raw onion with vinegar and with lepeoshka (round bread)

Number three on the list is lagman, a local version of noodle soup.

In fourth place is the locals' favourite borsh. It's a vegetable soup, generally eaten with bread. Solenka is also a local soup that is worth trying.

At the Modnoje Cafe in Lermontova ulitsa (street) one gets delicious gretzka, soups and shaslyks. Cheap and with a friendly staff.

Drink

Crimean wine, best to buy in supermarkets or in a company outlet shops. Also drink Ukrainian vodka called "horilka" in Ukrainian. "Khortytsia" brand of horilka is recommended.

Sleep

As with the rest of Crimea it's possible to find private accommodation, just look for people (mainly women) with signs "Housing" (Russian: Жильё) near the railway station. It's considerably cheaper than hotels, but it's of the very different quality. Ask for photos if available. The main gathering point for them is 100 metres away from the outdoor screen (displaying train timetables) in the direction to city center.

• Hotel of the International children center Artek (База-гостиница международного детского центра Артек), 5 Gagarina st. (across the road from the railway station), ☎ +7 3652 22 62 04. RUB 850 double room, RUB 120 dorm bed.
• Salgir Hotel (temporarily closed in 2014), 9 Lenina boulevard (close to the train station.), ☎ +380 652 521920. Accommodating staff. Perfect furniture, hot water 24 hours. Rooms are spacious. Breakfast - Ukrainian cuisine, fine. double RUB 1000.
• Hotel Marseille, 5a Automobilistov st., ☎ +7 978 70-555-48, e-mail: [email protected]. checkin 14:00. Good budget hotel, built in 2012. Rooms with kitchenette. Beautiful grounds, ambient atmosphere. From RUB 1000.
• Hotel Sportivnaya, 50 Zhelyabova st., ☎ +7 (3652) 272-311, e-mail: [email protected]. Quite OK hotel. Friendly staff, breakfast is included in the room rate. Sauna with a pool. Cons: small rooms, poor Wi-Fi signal. Single RUB 1100, double from RUB 1400.
• Zvezdnaya Hotel, 17-B Mate Zalki st., ☎ +7 (3652) 60-84-82, e-mail: [email protected]. Pros: good location close to Central bus station, cafe available on the 8th floor. However, not so much friendly staff, rooms are not tide and looks old. Soviet style building. single RUB 1050, double RUB 1600.
• Apartments. More than 30 apartments in the Central area from budget to luxury. WiFi. Free pickup at the airport. For short and long term. US$29/night. edit
• Guest house on the Suvorovsky descent (Гостевой дом на Суворовском спуске), 9 Suvorov descent. Good location: close to the center, as well as many restaurants, shops, banks. Clean and comfortable. Good free WiFi. Bad soundproofing. single RUB 1300; double from RUB 1500.
• Hotel Moskva, 2 Kievskaya st., ☎ +380 652 620 615. Decent hotel, Soviet-style, renovated in 2010. Friendly staff, clean. Great selection of food for breakfast. Poor soundproofing. Some rooms have old furniture and bad WiFi. single RUB 1,500; double from RUB 2,300.
• Hotel Tavria, 21 Bespalova st. (from the railway station by trolleybus 6, or by bus to the bus stop "Hotel Tavriya"), ☎ +380 63 817 9121. Spacious rooms. Double from RUB 1900. Breakfast included.
• Hotel Victoria, 17A Dekabristov st. (in the one of the most quiet Central parts of the city, surrounded by green trees and two parks), ☎ +380 652 60-00-64. Small, cosy hotel. Good rooms and tasty breakfast. Double from RUB 2500.
• Private mini-hotel Rio, 11a Lermontova st. (800 m from the Kuibyshev square), ☎ +380 652 788234, e-mail: [email protected]. From RUB 2000.
• Hotel Valencia (temporarily closed in 2014 for renovation), 8 Odesskaya st. (city center), ☎ +38-0652-51-06-06, +38-050-360-44-88, e-mail: [email protected]. Very decent hotel. Good value for the money. RUB 900-1800.
• Hotel Imperial, 22 Kyivskaya st., ☎ +38-0652-547-488, +38-0652-547-489, e-mail: [email protected]. Bad combination of price and quality. Old furniture, cigarette smell. From RUB 2660.
• Hotel Ukraine, 7 Alexandra Nevskogo st. (centrally located in Stalin's well renovated building. Bus stop "Hotel Ukraine"), ☎ +7 3652 532-253, +7 978 835-52-25. Probably the best 4-star hotel in the city. Interior decoration reminds a palace. The hotel is not without flaws, sometimes unfriendly staff. Lovely Breakfast. Restaurant with good although expensive food, huge menu. Single RUB 1,800; double from RUB 3,000.
• TES-hotel, 40 Krzhizhanovskogo st. (on the airport - Simferopol highway (3 km from the airport). Trolleybus 2/9; marshrutkas 40, 98, 100, 115), ☎ +380 652 605 555. Near the airport, good reviews. RUB 2800-5000.
• Hotel European, 16 Octyabr'skaya st (in the city center). Clean, comfortable. Good breakfast included. Pleasant staff. Price - quality ratio is quite good. Single RUB 1900 rubles, double from RUB 2700.
• Guesthouse Terrazzo, 35a Bespalova st. (bus stop "Tavrida national University". Marshrutkas #64, #65 and trolleybus #6 from train station; marshrutka #49 from airport), ☎ +380 68 468 4092. Cosy budget private mini hotel. Although rooms have everything you need, but they are very small for the long term stay. Delicious food at the restaurant on ground floor. RUB 3,250.
• Family-run Hotel Regence (Семейный Отель Режанс), 65 Krasnoarmeyskaya st., ☎ +380 66 653 9000. Friendly and welcoming hosts. High-speed Internet, sauna and pool. Large and comfortable rooms, each room includes refrigerator and a stove. RUB 2,800.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet develops quickly in Ukraine, and therefore, today it is no problem to get access to the world wide web - both wired and wireless. There are more access points in big cities, nevertheless there are also some in small settlements. The majority of Ukrainian hostels and hotels of different level have Wi-Fi points, which allow visitors to use high-speed Internet. Most Ukrainian restaurants and many cafes are equipped with internet access points, there are also Wi-Fi zones in terminals of the international airports. You may also access Internet from your cell phone, if your device supports GPRS or one of the 3G standards. All cellular carriers in Ukraine offer access to the mobile internet. Moreover, it's usually no problem to find Internet-cafe in Ukrainian cities. "Ukrtelecom" company offers Internet access as well. Its offices are easy to find in any town of Ukraine. The cost of one hour of Internet access usually doesn't exceed €1-2.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international phone code for Ukraine is 380. The general emergency phone number is 112 and there are special ones for fire -(101), police (102), ambulance (103) and even gas leaks (104).

Although cell phones are becoming more and more popular, a lot of people still use phonecards and this might be a good and cheaper option for travellers as well. If you are here for any length of time it is worth investing in a local sim-card for your mobile. No major international mobile operators exist in Ukraine (yet) so if you have Vodaphone or T-mobile (etc) your phone may not work here. Kyivstar and MTS are the biggest Ukrainian operators.

Post

Ukraine Poshta is the national postal service of Ukraine (website is rather slow and not always working). Unfortunately, the postal service in Ukraine is unreliable or at least inefficient and slow. Most packages get stolen or searched for things that can be sold. Post offices exist in all cities and towns and postcards can be sent quite safely, but the service may be slow. Like many other businesses, post offices are open from around 9:00am to 6:00pm with a lunchbreak between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, though opening times may vary. Smaller ones in rural towns keep shorter hours, while the largest ones in Kiev are usually open very late, during weekends or even 24 hours! If you want to send a letter or postcard and buy stamps, just queue up at the line where you see envelops and cards. Be prepared to wait a while, also regarding the time it takes to send a postcard to Europe (a week) or the USA (two weeks), let alone places further afield. Always send letters by airmail (avia in Ukrainian). For faster (but more expensive) sendings of parcels, try companies like TNT, DHL, UPS or FedEx.

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