Yalta (Ялта) shows signs of settlements as far back as the Neolithic age. Bronze age tools have been found in the vicinity, and in the first millennium B.C.E., it was populated by indigenous Taurian tribes. According to ancient legend, its name comes from "yalos" (coast), the cry of Greek sailors in a storm at sea who sighted the shoreline through the mist. In the first century B.C.E. the Greeks established a colony there named Yalita. Over the centuries Yalta passed through many hands, coming under Russian control in 1783 with the annexation of Crimea. In 1823 Prince Mikhail Vorontsov decided to build up Yalta as the major settlement of the Crimean south shore. The prince's choice was ideal. Yalta is situated on a gently curving bay that shields it from the north winds. Its swimming season lasts from June to October; summers are hardly ever uncomfortable; and roses bloom through December. The fragrance of magnolia and roses wafts among the palm trees and the slopes leading up to the mountains are ideal for vineyards and orchards.
The area's opulent summer estates and gardens were built by various noblemen from the mid-19th through the early 20th century. It was a favorite vacation spot of Tsar Nicholas II as well as a popular resort for high government officials and bureaucrats during the Soviet era. Artists and writers, attracted by the peaceful beauty, found their inspiration in Yalta. Here Anton Chekhov wrote The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters; Mark Twain called it "a beautiful spot" that reminded him of the Sierras; Maxim Gorky, Leo Tolstoy, and Sergei Rachmaninov visited; and noted Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrayinka sought a cure for her tuberculosis.
Yalta's current population is 72,000. It has research institutes for the study of grape growing and wine production and for the therapeutic properties of the climate. Wine-making, fruit-canning, and tobacco-processing are the chief industries.
As the nucleus of the coastal resorts, Yalta is well-linked to neighboring towns by bus, trolleybus, numerous taxis, and ferry. The main street of the tourist section, the Central Embankment of Lenin (Центральна Набережна Леніна, Tsentralna Naberezhna Lenina), is a seaside pedestrian promenade with shops, restaurants, hotels, and the post office. Shops are typically small and sell a little bit of everything. Street vendors sell ice cream, post cards, flowers, and a variety of local
arts and crafts such as oil and watercolor landscapes and seascapes and wooden jewelry fashioned from native trees. The major vehicular thoroughfare through town is Kirov Street. The side streets are winding and increasingly steep as they lead up to the mountains.
City Attractions. A cable car skylift behind the Solchi Cafe near the center provides a 10-minute ride over the rooftops to a mountain lookout on Hill Darsan. Litkens Street, near the motor boat harbor begins with a state wine-tasting establishment; nearby is the Chekhov Theater and the Yalta Philharmonic. The Chekhov Museum, at 112 Kirova (Кірова) Street, is the two-story white house which Chekhov built and in which he spent his Final years before he died in 1904. Chekhov's devoted sister kept the house just as it was when he was alive and turned it into a museum. On display are the house, garden, editions of his works, and personal possessions.
In 1835, when Yalta was just a small fishing village near Polikurovsky Hill on St. John's Cape, a church named after St. John the Baptist was constructed. The church's bell tower still stands today and serves as an architectural landmark of the city and a navigational guide for ships. The major functioning church is Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Built in 1902 by architects N. Krasnov and L. Shapovalov, the church has never been closed. The Armenian Church on Zahorodna (Загородна) Street, built from 1909 to 1917, is noted for its medieval-style architecture.
Hotels: Of Yalta's two good hotels, the most luxurious is the Oreanda, built in 1985 at 35 Central Embankment, a half-mile from the city center and just half a block from the beach. In the heart of the resort area, its lobby can be very noisy. Prices range from $140 for a single room to $280 for a suite, including breakfast. Phone (654) 32-82-86. The Hotel Yalta is a good lower-priced alternative. It's huge, with 2,000 guest rooms, several restaurants, and a casino. The Yalta is situated on its own beach and about a 20-minute walk to the center of town. Rooms are very clean with a pleasant sea view and range in price from $40 for a single or double to $125 for a suite, with breakfast. A travel service, Crimean Intourist, is located in Hotel Yalta. Both the Oreanda and Yalta hotels have their own water heating system, so that hot water is always available. The Hotel Palas, on the Central Embankment just 75 yards from the beach, is in a renovated turn-of-the-century building. Palas is more modest and affordable but still relies on the city's central heating facilities and receives hot water only in the evening.
Tours of greater Yalta center about three grand palaces each different in style and beautiful in its own way. The palaces - Livadiya, Alupka, and Masandra - have stated open hours, but when cruise ships are in the harbor, they'll open to accommodate the busloads of additional tourists. Visitors need to walk some distance from the parking area to the palaces. The longest walk is to Alupka Palace; it takes about 20 minutes on a peaceful shady road lined with souvenir vendors. A small admission fee is charged to enter the palaces and photos are not permitted inside.