Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
There are two trains a day from Kyiv direct to Sevastopol (200uah, 17 hours), as well as
elektrychka
to/from Simferopol (12uah, two hours, seven daily in each direction). The
latter service stops en route in Bakhchysaray (1½ hours).
Getting Around
To reach Balaklava and Cape Fiolent, the chaotic 5km terminal comes into the equation.
To reach it, hop on any
marshrutka
marked 5 in the town centre. Once there, look for a
large square where trolleybus routes terminate. Walk to its far edge - you'll have apart-
ment blocks on your right and market stalls across the street on your left. You'll find Fi-
olent
marshrutka
3 on the same side of the street as the trolleybuses.
Marshrutka
9 for
Balaklava stops across the street and around the corner.
TO/FROM THE TRAIN STATION
The train station is south of the town centre and main seafront. To get into town, cross
the metal pedestrian bridge over the tracks and hop on any bus or
marshrutka
- all of
them trudge uphill to the centre. Main central streets (vul Lenina, pr Nakhimova and vul
Bolshaya Morskaya) form a circle with one-way anti-clockwise traffic movement.
TAXI
To reach Balaklava and Fiolent it is more sensible to catch a taxi, but you will need
someone to call for you in Russian. The reliable
Taxi Metro
(
050 424 1558, 050 424
1556)
charges around 50uah in both directions.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Balaklava
0692
From the bloodthirsty pirates featuring in Homer's
Odyssey
to the Soviet nuclear sub-
marine fleet, everyone used this beautiful curving fjord, invisible from the sea, as a secret
hideout.
The British army wintered here during the Crimean War when a storm destroyed many
supply ships moored outside the bay. Reading about it in the
Times,
concerned women
back home began knitting full-cover woolly caps for the freezing sailors. These garments
became known as balaclava helmets, or simply balaclavas.
