Where to go in summer: 8 places for cultural and beach holidays
What do we want from the rest? all at once: and lying on the beach, and a new place to see, and still not give a whole fortune for this pleasure. The problem can be solved by going abroad, but in a not too distant and not too expensive country. The level of service and comfort there is different from that of Western Europe, but prices also. And if you prepare well and in advance, then such a trip could well cost almost the same amount as the rest, say, in Anapa.
If the money is not very much, but at least not very little, you should think about holidays in Tallinn. There are cities in the world and cheaper than the Estonian capital, but it’s still far from Venice in terms of prices. A beach holiday on the Baltic Sea is an amateur thing, as they say, but the local resorts always find their fans. The swimming season here is short - from June to August, but tickets are cheap, hotels are cheaper than Western European ones, the beaches are clean, the white sand dunes are still good, and there are many sights.
Tallinn was founded in the XII century, and its old part is entirely included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The atmosphere here is what you need: narrow streets, old uneven buildings (there are some very old ones, built in the 12th and 15th centuries), ancient squares - the city seems to have come out of a fairy tale. The sensation is reinforced by the medieval walls still preserved, the smell of coffee hanging in the air and the abundance of small shops. There are several natural parks around the city, and lovers of books about Sherlock Holmes can see the places where the Soviet film was made about the adventures of a detective - it was Tallinn that was used as scenery.
A beach holiday in the north is not an option for everyone. Therefore, we will look further south, and more precisely - on Turkey. And although it’s not necessary to recommend it to the Russian for a long time, we want to offer a specific area - the Turkish part of the Black Sea coast. It is not very popular among Russian tourists, but for the sake of a seaside vacation, the Turks themselves often travel not to the overloaded and expensive Mediterranean, but to this place. And let the sea be cooler here, it is still warm enough to swim. Tourists are not in the example of less, prices are lower, and hotels in the middle price category are better at all.
Good region and plenty of attractions. It is worth visiting the rocky monastery of Sumela, the Ottoman city of Safranbolu, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for preserved Ottoman architecture, or in Sinop with its old fort and winding streets. It is also interesting to ride between the centuries-old Armenian and Georgian churches, which are much closer to the borders. And you can just take a walk in the mountain forests and nature reserves, enjoying the nature that is not crowded with people.
Can I swim in the Caspian Sea? It is possible: it is cooler than the Mediterranean, the season starts later, in June, but in the summer it is very nice, there are not a lot of people, and prices are lower than the Turkish prices. There are just enough beaches in the vicinity of Baku, and around Sumgayit and Novkhan there are many large beach complexes.
Going to the capital of Azerbaijan, you will get the opportunity to see the beautiful ancient city, the historical center of which - Icher-Sheher quarter - is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can wander here for a very long time, but you should definitely go to the big Shirvanshah palace (XV century building) or to one of the ancient mosques, which Icheri-Sheher does not count. A bonus to the unique color of Baku is attached low prices and a host of excellent inexpensive restaurants.
Another budget option is Batumi, both in terms of accommodation and in terms of transport. The charming multinational city on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea favorably differs from the same Anapa in cleanliness, a significantly smaller number of tourists and a much more peculiar urban environment. There are many beaches in Batumi, including in the city, and there are also hotels from cheap to expensive. Cooked here in Georgian, that is amazing.
In Batumi there are beautiful churches and nice walking areas, but there are no particularly large attractions in the city itself - however, the individuality of the place and the lush nature more than compensate for this. Narrow streets, southern coffee shops, cheerful port noise - the city is really very pleasant. The humid subtropical climate means that the palm trees in the local forest grow by themselves, so walking along the surrounding hills is a pleasure; In the Botanical Garden of Batumi, too, must go. If you are interested in history, then you should see the old Georgian monasteries scattered around the district, and you can get to neighboring Northern Turkey - to the border of only twenty kilometers.
If you refuse because of the limited budget of the Mediterranean sea, it is a pity, then it makes sense to go to Montenegro. The service here lags behind the Western European standards, reminding of the Soviet service sector at times, but the sea is clean, there are many beaches, including those marked with a blue flag for quality, prices for the Mediterranean are low, and nature is good without any limits.
You can stop, for example, in Kotor - it is said that in the local bay the water on the Montenegrin coast is the warmest. The first mentions of Kotor date back to the second century BC, and its Old Town is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List in its entirety. "Budva Riviera" with the center in the city of Budva is slightly more expensive, but more comfortable - there are more good hotels, well-groomed beaches and entertainment, and the Old Town is well preserved. Along the coast, in principle, scattered many ancient cities and monasteries, so that you can run down enough. For those who want to have a huge water park, and for the most active vacationers - diving schools and excursion trips - both are substantially cheaper than the Spanish or Italian options.
Another so far budgetary Mediterranean option is Slovenia. This country got a very small piece of the coast, so it is promoted much less than neighboring Croatia, but it is just as beautiful. The coast here is mostly stony and pebble, and there are few tourists.
On the Slovenian coast are four resort centers: Koper, Izola, Piran and Portorož, of which the most tourist, probably the last. These are small pretty towns with seaside cafes, cozy squares and an indispensable old city in the center. There are many architectural sights in the seaside zone: once there was the rule of the Republic of Venice, which built a lot and, as they say, with fiction. If suddenly there is not enough beauty, you can take a warm sweater and go to the caves in Postojna-Yam or in Shkotsyansk-Yam. A large system of underground karstic caves is located in Shkotsyansk-Yam, and in Postojns-Yam there is a large underground hall open to the public; both places are very quaint and unlike any other.
For lovers of new experiences is well suited Tunisia. The country appreciates tourism, but so far it is not as active here as, for example, in Egypt. Accordingly, the prices are lower, there are less people, and there is more regional color.
The most respectable resort is Hammamet. The second active city - Sousse - is more democratic and more suitable for party lovers. There are no highly developed tourist structures here yet, but the beaches are quite comfortable, and how many attractions are difficult to describe. Suffice it to say that the remains of ancient Carthage remained near the city of Tunisia, while the medins of Tunisia and Sousse look as if the 16th century had not yet ended. Both medins, by the way, are also entirely included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The region is famous for spa resorts, if desired, the course can be completed at a reasonable price.
Finally - the option is more expensive, namely the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Tourists from Russia come here to rest much less frequently than in Israeli Eilat, located on the shores of the Red Sea, but in vain. The beaches along this coast are neat and comfortable, the water is clean and warm, and the beach season lasts from May to October. There are many seaside resorts, and they are all different - from the noisy and active Tel Aviv and business Haifa to the respectable Herzliya and cheerful Netanya. Israel is more expensive than Montenegro, Slovenia or Tunisia, but it is better developed in terms of infrastructure.
You probably shouldn’t tell you how many attractions there are in Israel: there are religious shrines, biblical cities, stunning depth of history, Jerusalem, beautiful parks, and the Dead Sea with its healing abilities. Reaching all these joys is not a big deal: the country is very compact, and the infrastructure and transport are good, especially tourist. If you can not go, you can always find something closer to the hotel - you are waiting for water activities with diving at the head, fishing and excursions to the surroundings, which in this country are full of attractions at almost any point.
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