Blacksea-crimea.com is the US travel agent to specialise in this region - try us, whether you're looking for independent travel, an adventure holiday or just straightforward tourism from a hotel or apartment, for a student budget or backpacking holiday, or for general information on what to see in Crimea and how to get there.

The Crimean coast lies on the far side of the Black Sea from Turkey. Stunning mountain scenery, warm sea and a long season of summer sunshine have made the Crimean coastline the riviera for Ukrainians and Russians since the time of the tsars.

The russian and ukrainian name for Crimea is Krym - pronounced like `cream' with a rolled letter `r'. And it really is the cream as a holiday destination.

Steeped in history, Crimea is a fascinating region to explore, as well as a great place to relax. Across the centuries it has attracted settlers such as the Greeks, the Venetians and the Genoese - all of whom founded cities along the coast and inter-married with the local people. The western terminus of the Great Silk Road was on the Crimean coast. After a long period as part of the Byzantine empire, it was overrun by Chingiz Khan's Golden Horde and remained a Tatar Khanate until annexed by Imperial Russia in the eighteenth century. This rich history is still alive today in its fabulous palaces and historic sites, and in the culture and way of life of today's Crimean people.