This calm resort town on Crimea's Black Sea coast has a 19th-century Gothic palace designed by English architect Edward Blore and gardens with Mediterranean plants.
Alupka stretches along the Black Sea coast beneath Ai-Petri Mountain's 1,234-meter peak. Walk through the Vorontsov Palace's Scottish baronial towers and Moorish entrance portal, or explore its 40-hectare park where marble fountains dot the paths between centuries-old cypresses and olive trees.
Getting to Alupka
Bus routes #26 and #27 connect Alupka with Yalta, 17 kilometers away. The coastal highway runs through the city, linking it to other Black Sea destinations. Walking between main sites takes 15-20 minutes.
Exploring Vorontsov Palace
The palace contains 150 rooms with original wood block floors and a 19th-century English layout. The men's wing contains a library, dining rooms, and a billiard room, while a large drawing room dominates the women's section. English architect Edward Blore created the exterior with Gothic towers and a Moorish entrance portal, completing construction in 1846.
Palace Gardens and Park
German landscaper Carolus Keebach laid out the 40-hectare park in an amphitheater formation around the palace. The coastal highway divides the park into two sections. Mountain springs feed the 1829 Fountain of Trilby in the upper area. The lower section follows Italian Renaissance patterns with geometric flowerbeds. More than 200 species of trees and shrubs grow here, including Mediterranean palms, cypresses, and olive trees.
Ai-Petri Mountain Experience
A three-kilometer gondola lift connects near Koreiz to Ai-Petri peak. The journey splits into two stages and ranks among Europe's longest cable car rides. From the viewing platform at 1,234 meters, see the entire Black Sea coastline and the Crimean mountain chain.
Museums and Culture
The palace museum displays 19th-century furniture collections, European porcelain, and bronze decorative arts. The art gallery exhibits paintings by Western European masters alongside works by Ukrainian artists Kostiantyn Trutovsky and Serhii Vasylkivsky. The memorial museum of Amet-khan Sultan tells the story of the accomplished Crimean Tatar pilot who flew in World War II.
