Alupka (Ukrainian: Алупка) is a city in Crimea. It is famous as a beach resort, and a favourite holiday destination for many citizens of the former Soviet countries.

Dawn in the Ai-Petri Yaila nature reserve

Get in

By car

17 km from Yalta.

By bus

Alupka can be reached by taking a mini bus number 26 or 27 from Yalta.

See

Southern side of Vorontsov Palace

• Vorontsov Estate. Entry to the extensive grounds is free. There is a fee for entry to the palace. Constructed between 1828 and 1848 as the home of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov Field Marshall of the Russian army, and hero of the Napoleonic wars and Governor-General of the Novorossiisk region. Vorontsov spent a vast fortune on this palace, employing the skills of English architect Edward Bloor, who is best known for his work on Buckingham Palace in England. The palace is a mixture of Scottish Manor house with Moorish traditions taken from the 14th-century Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. The palace has outstanding views across the Black Sea and is overlooked by the mountains and Ai-Petri (St Peter) in particular. 

Do

Cable car and Aj-Petri

• Ai-Petri. Ai-Petri at 1234 m is reached by one of the longest cable car rides in Europe, 3 km and spilt in two parts, the journey offers spectacular views of the Crimean coast. At the top you will be greeted by the local Tartar inhabitants who live here. Cafes, souvenir stalls and the chance to ride a Tartar horse are on offer. To reach the highest peak you will need some stout shoes as there are no real paths over the rough rocks and through the trees, but the effort is worth it.