Simferopol is the capital of Autonomous Republic of the Crimea in Ukraine. This town is the geographical, political, scientific and cultural centre of the peninsula. . The statue of Lenin is still standing on the central square of the town. All the tourists visiting Crimea pass the railway station or international airport of Simferopol. Many of them don't stay here for a long time, just continuing their way to the beach, but the town is nice to live here for sometime: actually this town of students is very animated all year long. The parks are numerous as well as the museums and theatres.All the roads in Crimea lead to Simferopol. When getting from one town to another, the administrative capital is inevitable. We offer you apartments in the centre of the town with rather reasonable price.
Your trip to Simferopol will be faster by plane (IATA airport code: SIP). The flight time Kiev Simferopol: approximately 1h30. In the airport you will find the public transport only to get to downtown (mind minimum 30 minutes). If you do not want to take public transport, the taxis are waiting. The tariffs are very high especially in summer. The cheapest is to have a transfer, booked in advance. Here are some international airlines offering destination Simferopol:
Simferopol International Airport has a website only in Russian and English: Simferopol airport site is not very often updated but here you can find schedules of all other companies serving Simferopol. Companies: Uzbekistan Airways Aeroflot, Rossiya, Ukraine International Airlines, S7, Turkish Airlines, Armavia, Donbass, El Al and Windrose have offices at the airport. The major cities connected by direct flights with Simferopol are: Kyiv (Kiev), Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Tashkent, Yerevan, Khabarovsk, Lvov, Samarkand, Kaliningrad, Riga, Warsaw and Samara.
Trains from many cities of Ukraine and Russia arrive daily at the station of Simferopol. Make sure to bring food and drinks because the trip by train lasts very long. The official website of the Ukrainian railways is available only in Ukrainian. No online booking of tickets is available. We offer train tickets
Kiev Simferopol or train tickets
Odessa Simferopol.
You can also come to Simferopol by car... but that trip is very long. Don't forget to bring a good
map of Ukraine.
Arriving & Getting around
Public transport is cheap but without speaking Russian it will be difficult for you to use the most popular means of transport : marshutka. The ride within the town costs only 2.75 hryvnia (UAH) that is about 25 cents. The only alternative to a foreigner is a taxi. Taxis waiting in the street do not use counters, on the countary to the taxis that they call by phone. Negotiate the price before boarding the taxi. It is difficult to communicate with drivers who do not speak English or any other foreign language. To move in Sebastopol will cost you between 30 to 50 hryvnias or may be a little more for the foreigners ...
What to see in Simferopol?
Simferopol is certainly not the most interesting city in the Crimea but it is still the most animated from September to June. In fact, it is a university town and any occasion is good to have a party. You will certainly meet with the most beautiful girls in Crimea and Ukraine. The three essential places in downtown where you will have your appointment: Lenin Square (where there is also the government palace) where all open-air concerts take place, the Central Market (Centralny Rynok), where you can buy anything at lower prices, and "Silpo" - the shopping center not far from the center of two pedestrian streets.
At the architectural level, nothing special except perhaps the railway station. You can also visit Scythian Neapolis, whose archaeological ruins date from the late 3rd century BC.
Activities in and around Simferopol
In winter the climate is dry and cold, but much less than in the other regions of Ukraine. The most popular activities: bowling and skating outdoors. You can go skiing for the day to Ai Petri (near Yalta). Clubbing is the most interesting activity in winter: the parties are numerous and the clubs are animated. It's here that you'll meet the finest student-girls in Ukraine. We recommend the Globus club near Lenin Square. In the same area the most famous nightclub is "Camelot".
In July and August the inhabitants leave the town and find themselves on the seashore. Spring is without a doubt the best season: the downtown terraces bloom with flowers, Simferopol becomes the "southern town". Use this time to discover the Crimea and Simferopol!
Shopping in Simferopol
The most popular place for shopping is "Silpo". Its quite a large supermarket with all the essential elements and food products. There are also several shops in it. The two main supermarkets are "Fourchette" and "Rainford" located around the city. Credit cards are accepted in most shops in the city. You'll find a lot of exchange offices and ATMs, but in the market or outside the center you can pay in cash only.
Dining: restaurants in Simferopol
Try plov (rice dish with meat), the lagman (noodle soup) a Borsh (vegetable soup with the beets). Good solienka is worth tasting. In spring let yourself be tempted by the shashlik (a type of barbecue) with a good Crimean wine (Inkerman). And for your evening parties a good local vodka with a fruit platter is the best choice.
There are many restaurants in the town: the coolest is No. 1 (nomer adin). In summer it is even advisable to book if you want to eat outside. Service is better than what you find in other restaurants. Menu is also in English and the staff speaks English.
If you want to eat in a Ukrainian typical scenery and background music, the best restaurant in Simferopol is the "Kniazha vtikha". It is more expensive, but still rather reasonable for foreigners. This is where to go if you want to impress your local girlfriend.
Sleeping: to accomodate in Simferopol's hotel or apartment?
Right near the railway station many aged women offer you to rent a room for one or more nights. It is not certain that you will save money and you may lose your time. Half the time the accommodations are substandard and far from the centre of the town. There are some hotels, but they are not enough for the capital of Crimea: the
hotels "Ukraina" (or hotel ukraine) and "Moscow" are the best known. The "Imperial" Hotel is eccentric. The hotel "Salgir" is not in the best area (the bus station). Hotel "Valencia" is good-located but it is often complete (just a few rooms). The "Victoria Hotel" is located in one of the most quiet areas in the center of the city. The best compromise is to rent an
apartment in Simferopol from 35 euros per night from the owner. A rental of a luxury apartment will cost you two times cheaper than the hotel but with the same comfort of accomodation.
Nightlife: night clubs in Simferopol
In Crimea the nightlife is festive every day of the week. First of all, a holiday is synonymous with drinking a lot of of alcohol: beer and vodka first, the local brandy (cognac) is not far behind from "champanskoe". Many young people do not hesitate to settle on the benches of the pedestrian area to drink beer and vodka. But there are many clubs and bars in Simferopol that work all the year long. From cheap and simple ''zabegalovki", if you want to experience a return to the Soviet era with a few tables and plastic chairs, the waitress smiling once a year and vodka is incredibly cheap. But you will certainly feel more comfortable sitting in one of the the ultra-modern clubs where young women are competing every year. Everything is very civilized and you'll have no problem. It is necessary to think about your security. To accompany your drink order some "zakuski" and offer a bottle of local champagne (it won't kill you) to the most beautiful girl of the evening. The hardest quest is to choose one. The clubs are open until 5 o'clock in the morning. From techno to the Russian pop music through electro, the sound is very variable.
Discotheques of Simferopol
GLOBUS
Simferopol nightclub, Kirova prospect, 32 / 1 The club is situated in the center of Simferopol, on Lenin Square. One of the best clubs in town for a customer from 25 years. RnB, House, Electro, Technouse. The resident DJ Nikolaistorm is among the best. Blue decor, lots of mirrors, chrome surfaces. Flat screens pass loop FashionTV but the best show is in the room. During a week the male clientele is a minority. The security service is invisible but present in difficult situations. The service is generally good. The club is for rich people. For the weekend you'll need to reserve your table beforehand. The site is here
M club
Simferopol nightclub Kievskaya str., 86. It's a complex with restaurants, sports bar, casino. It is unfortunately a bit far from center.
Other discotheques and clubs of Simferopol
- AMSTERDAM, Karla Marksa str 29
- MALIBU, Obyezdnaya str 4
- ATMOSFERA CLUB, Karla Marksa str 51
- MARMELAD, Pushkina str 8/5
- BROOKLYN, Mate Zalki str 17-V
- RAI, Rileeva, 2
- TEMA, Sevastopolskaya str., 112
- RISE, Kirova prospect, 30/2
- INFINITY, nightclub Simferopol, Pushkina str., 6
- KING club-restaurant
- DJ-cafe "Troy"
- Restaurant, party-bar "FIRST"
- Cafe "BARBARIS"
- Party-cafe "Bounty"
Français
English
