Crimea is considered as the ancestral land of the Tatars. But well before, in the VIth century BC, the Scythians who had pushed away the Cimmerians, were drived out by the Greek colonists from Heraclea. They based the first colonies such as Tyra or Olbias on the banks of the estuary of the Dnieper, the seaport of Chersonesos (Chersones) outside Sevastopol, Panticapaeum (Kertch) or Feodosiya based by Miletus on the south coast of Crimea. After the withdrawal of the Romans in the IIIth century AD, Crimea was invaded or occupied successively by the Goths (AD. 250), the Huns (376), the Bulgars (6th century), the Khazars (8th century), the state of Kievan Rus' (10th-11th centuries), the Byzantine Greeks (1016), the Kipchaks (the Kumans) (1050), and the Mongols (1237). During this century, the Republic of Genoa seized the settlements of Cembalo (Balaklava), Soldaia (Soudak) and Caffa (Feodossia) which the Venetians had built along the Crimean coast. In 1443, the Tatars found the Crimean Khanate, an independent State recognizing the Ottoman suzerainty, which will stay shielded from the greed of the princes and the Russian czars for three centuries.

In 1783, ten years after the Russian-Ottoman war (see Odessa), Catherine II annexes Crimea and in 1884, Potemkine begins the construction of the harbour city of Sevastopol. In 1944 the Red Army frees Crimea off the German occupant and in the aftermath, Stalin orders the deportation of the Crimean Tatars accused of collaboration with the enemy.They will be rehabilitated in 1967, but their return towards their ancestral land will be made only in 1980. In 1954, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev will donate Crimea to the socialist republic of Ukraine to mark the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav that unified Russia and Ukraine.

Since, weapons falled silent. The region refocused on its traditional activity, the tourism (the first tourist infrastructures date back to the end of the XIXth century). The mediterranean climate, the beautiful landscapes, the tatarian villages, mosques, monasteries set in the rock, the fortified castles of the middle-age, the Greek vestiges constitute a precious heritage which will leave you unforgettable memories.You can opt for a stay on the south coast, where the" Russian riviera " stretches over a narrow coastal strip sheltered by a mountainous chain. This part of Crimea is the most luxurious, marked out by rich sea resorts such as Alupka, Yalta (coupled with Nice), Gurzuf or Alushta. You can admire magnificent villas as well as palaces which were built in the middle of the XIXth century by the noble persons and the czars fallen under the charm of this region, and laze around on magnificent beaches. Our special favourite is the amazing site of Bakhtchissaraï, 90 km apart fromYalta.The west coast with towns such as Eupatoria or Saki is more centred on the tourism of health and their mud baths are world-famous. The town of Balaklava, for a long time closed strategic site and repair shop for the submarines of the Soviet fleet is also worth seeing. The oriental coast and its magnificent bays (Novy Svit) is also an obliged spot to complete an unforgettable stay.The geography of this unique region in the Eastern Europe allows a big variety of sports activities. Then, rest, culture and discovery, sport and health, you have only the embarrassment of choice.