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Pictures of Sudak, Crimea

Sudak is a very popular Crimean resort on the southeast Black Sea coast. It is most easily reached from Feodosiya, which has train access from Kiev in the summer. From Feodosiya there are numerous buses and taxis that whisk you to Sudak in under an hour. There is also a longer road along the coast from Alushta if you have your own car.

Sudak has a long waterfront boardwalk with all kinds of entertainment that beats even Yalta. The resort is not as pricey as Yalta and is a favorite of students. There are a number of beaches with clean sea water in close proximity to Sudak, and many possible tour routes in the vicinity.

Sudak's principal attraction is the huge Genoan fortress on the mountain above the town (see pictures below). Most tourists also visit nearby Novvy Svet, which has an old estate with a winery, pine-covered mountains with trails, and the famous Golitsyn path hewn into the rock above the sea. Here, among other things, you can see a grotto above the sea where aristocrats and intellectuals put on plays in imperial times.

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Sudak

Sudak's fortress is Crimea's best preserved fortress, having been carefully restored over the past few decades.	In the 13th century A.D. Genoan colonists (from Italy) built a series of fortresses along Crimea's southern shore before losing their lands in the Turk invasion of 1475.	Archers practice their skills inside the fortress walls.	Cannons defended the fortress from invaders. There used to be a large settlement here inside the fortress walls.
Cannons defended the fortress from invaders. There used to be a large settlement here inside the fortress walls.	Window in one of the towers	View of Sudak's bay from the tower	Two fortress towers high above Sudak
To the west are the cliffs of Novyy Svet.	Towers rise out of the grassy slope.

Sudak area

Tourists languish in a bus as a tour guide tells them about the scenery and the local wines.	Spectacular mountain above Solnechnaya Dolina ("Sunny Valley").	More rock formations	As you descend towards the sea the land again becomes dry, and vineyards blanket the valleys, producing famous high-quality wines.
A favorite activity for tourists are wine tasting tours. This board shows a tour schedule.	House construction in coastal areas is often painfully slow, and many homes are never completed.	Some houses, like this one, use fantastic combinations of building materials — whatever seems to be at hand.	The driest place in Crimea is Meganom cape southeast of Crimea. There are no settlements here, just a beach or two, and a windmill 'farm' on the mountain above (for producing electricity.
View of the beach from the other direction. Some folks camp out in tents along the bank.	West of Sudak is the "Novyy Svet" nature reserve, famous for its grottos, ancient juniper stands, and remote beaches.	Rocky coastline of Novyy Svet	The "Czar's Beach," destination of most visitors to Novyy Svet .
Close-up. Most beaches in southern Crimea are made of small stones, making it a bit difficult to walk into the water barefoot.	The relic "Sudak pine" has not changed for many millions of years.	Sudak pines and ancient junipers dot the dry slopes of the nature reserve.

All photos are the original work of Rick DeLong. To learn about purchasing originals, go here. Please contact me at before using my pictures for any purpose.