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Simferopol
From Wikitravel
Simferopol is the capital city of the Crimea, in Ukraine.
[edit] Get in
All roads coming to Crimea lead to Simferopol. By plane by train or by car you'll get there. Trains from Kiev to Sevastopol stop at Simferopol as well. Therefore, there is no need to look for trains specified for Simferopol. At least 2 trains to and from Kiev daily.
There are bus and marshrutka routes from Sevastopol to Simferopol, about a dozen a 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; from Sevastopol station to Simferopol airport, do not accept a fare of more than 300 UAH.
There are a number of flights to Simferopol; Ukraine International Airlines [1] has a morning and an evening flight each day from Kiev. Turkish Airlines has a daily flight to and from Istanbul, with international connections to just about anywhere in the world, These arrive at Simferopol airport, which has particularly insistent taxi drivers who will say there is no public transport of any kind. Ignore them; from the arrival area go across the car park in a rightwards direction to a large 'KRIMTROLLEYBUS' sign, from which marshrutki leave to the city centre and the railway station every few hours.
By Air
You can get to Simferopol from Kiev by low-cost company Wizz Air [2].
Aerosvit [3] usually has 3 flights per day from Kiev.
List of other airline companies can be found on Simferopol Airport website [4]. Site is not up-to-date, but timetable [5] works correctly. Also Dniproavia [6], UTair [7], S7 [8] fly to Simferopol. AirBaltic [9] flies from Riga in May-October.
By Train
Simferopol has very good train connection with Ukraine and Russia.
Official Railway site is available only in Ukrainian [10].
[edit] Get 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 expensive but is a faster alternative. A ride on the minivan or the bus however, will cost you only 2.0 griven (UAH). (US$1=8 UAH, €1=11.6 UAH). The public transportation will bring you almost all around the city.
Taxi drivers, Always agree on a rate before you board a cab. Be warned that it's difficult to communicate with drivers, as they speak virtually no English or any other foreign language.
Taxi cost of 1 journey to any place of the city can be between 30 to 50 griven. To order taxi by phone is better way to save your money. Some numbers, +38063-250-3350, +380652-547200, +380652-710071 from mobile phone or 004, 067, 068 and some others from local phone.
[edit][add listing] See
- Lenin Square - the only square in Simferopol which boast 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 skidka (Ukrainian for "discount").
[edit][add listing] Do
There is always a time where you can run out of things to do in this place. Nevertheless if one looks hard enough, one will find something to occupy his or her time with
In the harsh hot weather during the summer with temperate ranging over 40-45 degree celcius, one may take a stroll in the Park. There are Horse riding activities, boating , feeding ducks. Besides that, the best thing to do is rehydrate yourself as often as possible, and protect yourself with some SPF (read SPF 30 and above)
Then comes the other extreme - the cold chilly winter. Temperature may dip down to as low as - 25 Degree Celcius in the late January and February. Skiing in Ai Petri is a great getaway from the town. In the centre itself, there is a skating ring where one may ski fer a relative cheaper price compared to Western europe. Besides that, one may opt to drink some vodka to keep oneself warm.
[edit][add listing] Buy
The most popular place for shopping is in 'Silpo'. Its quite a big supermarket with all essential items and food stuff. There are also several boutiques' in it. Other than that, there's also supermarkets like 'Furshet' and 'Rainford' located around the city. Best would be to ask a taxi driver to take you to these places, or get familiarised with the names of the roads, and you can easily take a minivan there. Currently, there is a newly built shopping place called "Foxmart". Minivan No. 62, 10 and 74 can lead you there. Debit and credit cards are accepted in most shops in the city, but not accepted in rural area and markets. There are a lot of ATM.
[edit][add listing] Eat
The number one must eat food in Simferopol is the Plov. It's a local version of the Indian Briyani or the Spanish Paella. This rice dish is oily, so those with a heart problem may want to abstain from it. One plate of plov cost 7 UAH, approx €1 at the Central Market.
Number two on the 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 ate with Lepeoshka ( round bread)
Number three on the list is Lagman. A local version of Noodle soup.
In fourth place is the local's favourite The Borsh. It's a vegetable soup, generally ate with bread. Solenka, is also a local soup that is worth trying.
[edit][add listing] Drink
Crimean wine, best to buy in supermarkets or in a company outlet shops. Also drink ukrainian vodka - "horilka". "Hortitsa" brand of horilka is recommended.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
- Artek Hostel, Gagarina str., bldg.5, ☎ +38 0652 226204.. Situated across the street from railway station edit
- Moskva. A Soviet-style hotel edit
[edit] Get out
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