Steppe, sea, and sun on Azov coast: where to go on vacation in North Azov region
Mid-July is considered the traditional vacation season on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Warm water, cozy resorts, the well-established infrastructure of resort towns are considered an ideal place for a family-type holiday, but there are also spots for fun companies. The most popular resorts of the Northern Azov region are Berdiansk, Primorsk, and Kyrylivka.
You can reach the resorts of the Azov region by train, bus, or car. Given the realities of the modern world (coronavirus hasn't been canceled yet), travel by car is more convenient and safe. But if you don't have your own car, no problem! You can rent it: 7Cars service provides such services. The trip to the resorts of the Azov region became even more comfortable thanks to the repaired H-30 highway. Now, for example, the resort of Berdiansk can be reached with comfort, motorists will be pleasantly surprised with the road.
7Cars is a car rental service that works in large cities of our country (Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro), but can deliver cars to other cities and regions at the customer's request. Traveling around Ukraine is one of the most popular purposes why cars are rented here. The car can be rented without a driver or with a driver, for a short period or for several weeks. The company's fleet includes more than 100 cars of various classes, brands, and models, which are always in excellent condition.
So sit down more comfortably, we're going on a journey through the scorching steppe to the sea. Get ready to feel the true romance of the nomadic steppe, shrouded in the blue sea!
🌊 Ukrainian Hogwarts and other Berdiansk monuments: historical curiosities
We remember Berdiansk not only for the scorching sun, warm sea, and lots of entertainment for all ages and tastes but also for its fascinating history. Founded as a port and trading city, Berdiansk quickly became a national resort with healing mud and lots of entertainment. So in Berdiansk, there is something to pamper your eyes and body!
Everything in the city is compact: you'll immediately learn about the history of the city because at every step you'll see monuments. There are quite unusual ones among them: frogs, a bull that saved the city during the Holodomor, summer residents and plumbers, and at the bus stop, you can find a whole exhibition of Cuman stone women.
The city is colorful because of its history. According to traditional historiography, the city was founded by the Count of the Russian Empire Mikhail Vorontsov, a monument was erected in his honor near the City Council. However, if we go deeper into history, the place for pier construction on the shores of Berdiansk Bay was chosen by the Greek, Captain Nicholas of Crete in 1824. It was the Greek merchants who made a great contribution to the development of the port and the railway. The activity of the Greek community of Berdiansk once became the reason for opening the Consulate of the Kingdom of Greece in Berdiansk (now the building contains a memorial plaque attesting to history, near the "Prego" cafe). The city has preserved many houses of merchants who lived here and traded flour with all of Europe. Unfortunately, their descendants don't currently live in Berdiansk. So, immersed in the history of the Northern Azov region's nomads and the number of ethnicities who lived in the marina, it becomes clear: the city is multicultural. The city boasts that it was inhabited by the descendants of the famous Italian revolutionary, military leader, People's Hero of Italy Giuseppe Garibaldi. They were even called "Garibaldians."
The Germans, who'd lived in the city since its founding, established the Lutheran Church, which is now the cultural heritage of the city and the country.
Photo: Rubryka
Locals boast that the great-grandfather of the popular British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who enchantingly played Sherlock Holmes in the series, was born in Berdiansk. Great-grandfather Robert William Cumberbatch was the consul of the British Empire in Berdiansk. The actor often mentions Ukraine on the show and now you know why.
The main building of Berdiansk State Pedagogical University also deserves special attention. It's a historic building, an architectural landmark, built for the men's gymnasium, the locals call it "Ukrainian Hogwarts." The world-famous bacteriologist Volodymyr Khavkin studied there, who invented the first vaccine against plague and cholera in history.
The many monuments that you can meet while walking through the city center confirm the exciting history of the resort town.
Berdiansk Spit: resorts to your liking, kitesurfing, and wakeboarding
The spit is the major tourist attraction of the city, where the main resorts are located. Here you can relax in hotels for different price categories, as well as rent accommodation from locals. Everyone will find affordable accommodation. The spit itself is unique, separating the bay from the sea. It is considered one of the largest spits, its length reaches 23 km. In general, locals divide the spit into three parts: Near, Middle, and Far. Each has its own characteristics, for example, on the Near Spit, there's the largest market with commodities and services, and on the Far Spit, lovers of cozy recreation settle because you can find a place for tents and camping in this area. On the beaches of the spit, you can ride a banana boat, go down to the sea with a parachute. There is also a lot of fun for children. The protected reserve area is already starting from the Far Spit, so there are fewer and fewer people.
Kitesurfing fans traditionally gather on the spit. Specially equipped areas are on the liman, which is opposite the spit. There are two kitesurfing and wakeboarding schools in the city. The stop for this type of recreation is called "Blyzhnia Kosa." Name of the school: Azovsurfing
Address: "Brigantina" Recreation center Middle Spit, Makarova Street, 8
"Cape of Good Hope" Water Park
The size of this water park is really impressive. It is one of the largest in Ukraine, built in the style of an ancient castle. In this place, you'll find quality recreation for yourself and your children, because there are many water attractions (including downhill skiing, water soccer, and even air hockey), about 30 slides on an area of over 3000 square meters. Plus three seawater pools, one with three built-in Jacuzzis. Separate children's area, more than 3,500 sun loungers, and parasols.
Address: Makarova Street, 2B
The islands of Dzenzyks and Lower Lighthouse
There are two islands in Berdiansk: Malyi Dzendzyk and Velykyi Dzendzyk. They are a real natural heritage. Islands were developed during the spit's formation, and Malyi Dzendzyk was formed during the re-formation of the spit. The islands amaze with clear water and sandy beaches, here you can relax from the roar of big cities. The islands are closed for open visits, you can get there by kayak, or take a tour.
Since the islands are located on the Far Spit, you shouldn't miss another sea attraction, the Lower Lighthouse. It often becomes the hero of travel articles, because it has been cared for by Yakov Fedirko for almost half a century. The lighthouse is considered the oldest on the coast and keeps many secrets, built in 1838. Visiting this place is a kind of attempt to touch the history.
Getting to the lighthouse is very simple: you log the location in a navigator and get there by car or just go down Makarova Street, which leads to the spit because it doesn't turn anywhere. By the way, it's the longest street in the city, 12.5 km. If you go by bus, it's the final stop of any route with 15 in the route number (it means the route is going to Berdiansk Spit). You get off at the bus stop and ask the locals where to go next, or just see it in the distance. On the way to the lighthouse, you'll see many offers from the indigenous inhabitants: chebureks, house wine, shrimps. The infrastructure on the Far Spit is now very developed, so you won't get lost and find everything you need.
Wellness complexes: healing mud and what Ostap Vyshnya has to do with it
In Berdiansk, you can not only bask in the sun and lie on a clean sandy beach, but also spend time benefiting health. At the beginning of the Berdiansk spit, there are limans, endowed by nature with healing mud. Traditionally, vacationers go to treat their joints. However, there's a "Berdiansk" resort, which specializes in mud treatment, where doctors and other specialists will provide quality medical advice. Ukrainian writer Ostap Vyshnya loved the resort and mud. It is no coincidence that the resort has a monument to broken crutches, which, according to Ostap Vyshnya, people left as a gift after a month and a half of treatment.
Location: "Berdiansk" resort
Photo: shukach.com
Anti-cafe for hipsters: mafia, movie screenings, interesting workshops, and "find street art" quest
In Berdiansk, there's a modern spot where you can have a good time: the "There's time" anti cafe arranges heartfelt gatherings, organizes discussions of important topics, plays the mafia, arranges various workshops, psychological training, organizes film screenings. This is the first venue in the city of this kind. It is better to call in advance or follow the events on social media.
For example, activists have recently organized an exhibition of Ukrainian artist Hamlet Zinkivskyi. The artist not only showed his works in the Joseph Brodsky museum but also painted various buildings in the city, creating a cultural precedent: the locals arrange a kind of quests and look for murals around the city. This is the first event like this. So, if you go to Berdiansk and love urban planning and modern urban cultural design, you can bring a collection of photos with the Ukrainian artist's murals.
You can leave children in the anti cafe for a few hours, and they'll have some things to do. At certain times, for example, on Sunday from 11:00 to 13:00, you can leave children starting from 8 years of age, where they can play board games, chat with peers, drink tea with cookies and just have a good time. The anti cafe also organizes various unusual excursions: for example, to the Place of Power or the so-called Labyrinth (a very popular place for lovers of esoterics), picturesque Donkey Ears with a visit to the village of Novospasivka and theatrical performance, tours of Berdiansk lighthouses and art objects.
Green tourism of Astrokhata: look at the sky through a telescope and feel the flair of nomads
The Azov coast didn't go unnoticed for green tourism: a unique complex called Astrokhata was recently opened in the village of Olenivka. It's about 50 minutes from Berdiansk, where you can relax from the city and immerse yourself in the rural atmosphere, drink Ukrainian wine and look at the stars through a telescope. The complex reproduces the elements of the life of nomads.
Astrokhata is two renovated village houses, a six-meter Indian type, a Mongolian (Alans) nomadic tent, and more than one and a half hectares of land. It can accommodate 20 people, there is a children's camp for 6 people. Here you can feel the true color of the steppe, watch the stars, and watch a movie in the open air.
Address: AstroKhata, Shevchenkovo, Berdiansk district, 067-453-70-29
🌊 Kyrylivka: Fedotova spit's beauty
There are two types of vacationers: those who go to Berdiansk, and those who choose Kyrylivka. You can also get to Kyrylivka by car from Zaporizhzhia, on the highway to Melitopol (these are the roads of Odesa-Rostov and Kharkiv-Simferopol). You can spend an hour and a half on the road. The resort is located at the beginning of Fedotova Spit, which ends with Biriuchyi Island.
The central street of Kyrylivka is loud and partying: the major events take place there. You should settle on this street if you come for a bright and loud holiday. If you like a cozy and family vacation, you should choose to house away from the main street.
Since Kyrylivka is a kind of village resort. The food is sold here directly from the cars, so you won't stay hungry, but there are also restaurants.
"Treasure Island" Water Park offers many attractions, slides, and entertainment. There's also an amusement park where you can spend a fantastic time.
There are nightclubs Aguadance, Rio and Galaxy. Traditionally for a beach resort, there are foam parties with loud music and rivers of alcoholic cocktails.
Windsurfing and kitesurfing club is also available, you don't need to be a master in this type of sports entertainment, you can order a paid lesson.
Since our trip is by car, we advise you to go further from Kyrylika on the Fedotova spit and visit the reserve on Biriuchyi Island. The beaches are deserted and quiet. However, tourists are allowed there very strictly, so it's better to ask the locals about the schedule.
Nearby there's also the Molochnyi Liman, where, as a rule, a bunch of Azov birds stays.
🌊 Primorsk: warm sea, quiet beaches, night entertainment
Primorsk is also a popular resort on the Sea of Azov. It's a smaller city than Berdiansk, but with a more developed infrastructure than Kyrylivka. The city is located 30 minutes by car from Berdiansk. Recreation in the city is similar to that offered in Berdiansk and Kyrylivka. It's better to get to the city by personal transport: the M14 highway (Reni-Odesa-Novoazovsk) passes through Primorsk.
In Primorsk, there are about 50 sanatoriums located on the Obitochna spit, which separates the liman from the sea. The beaches are sandy, well-groomed, canopies from the sun and entertainment facilities are located, as a rule, in the beach areas of recreation centers.
Photo: rest geo
As in Berdiansk, in Primorsk, you can find Cuman stone women. They are in the Primorsk Museum of Local Lore.
The dungeons left by the nomadic tribes of Nogai are considered to be of interest in Primorsk. In addition, there's a place in Primorsk popular with all paleontologists. There, before the Second World War, a famous paleontologist from St. Petersburg Georgiy Manokhin found the skeleton of a southern mammoth that lived in this area more than two million years ago. Now, this skeleton is one of the largest known to paleontologists, its height is more than 4.35 meters. Unfortunately, it's in St. Petersburg.
