The peninsula Crimea, surrounded by the Black Sea is a much debated area, even fought over for many centuries by Russians, Ukrainians and others.
What is beyond any debate, is the stunning beauty of this land and that is why you would want to ride the coastline and mountains and inlands.

You will start this 2 day roundtrip in Feodosiya, at the ATAL Gasstation and Convenience store for an easy meet up with friends and to fill up on gas and supplies. Starting here, you will be heading west on R23 and then take a left to go south on R29.
The total distance of the roundtrip is doable in 1 day, if you don't care for any of the sights and skip the trip to the Dzhankoi Airfield in Part2, but I suggest you take your time and book a night in Sevastopol and do it in 2 days. Of course, it's all up to you.
Make sure you bring some food and drinks, as the restaurants along the way may be very seasonal and opening hours may vary. There is plenty of opportunity to stop for gas underway.

At RP3 you pass underneath an arch, indicating the area that you enter; Koktebel. This arch was built in Soviet times, and was inviting the many writers in that time to the area. Back in the day Koktebel was the center of literature of the peninsula. Now it is a well known and liked tourist area and it welcomes the wealthy tourists from Russia and Ukraine, and you!
A little further down the road you pass the Koktebel winery (RP4) and along the route you will see some beautiful vineyards flanking the hills. The climate allows for growing various grapes, producing quality wines in red, white and rose.

You will be riding mostly along the coastline of the peninsula, on the main road (R29) for the majority but sometimes you are invited to take a small detour to see the sights. At RP5 you will ride almost on the banks of the Black Sea. Perfect photo opportunity with your bike perhaps?
A little further up the road the road takes you to the hills, with bends and curves galore. Road surface may not be pristine, so take care! After the first hills you will reach Alushta, a vibrant city on the coast. You may already have taken something to eat underway, but in this town you may find all sorts. Just follow the signs in town back to the E105 heading West and pickup the route again at RP7 or 8 when you are done.

For those that want to explore some backroads, with less than perfect road conditions, take a right at RP8 for some twisties. If you prefer, just follow the main road and skip RP9. MRA Navigation will do that automatically, and so will most navigation devices. At RP 10 the route takes a left and follows the winding road down to Princess Gagarina's Castle. Now in use as a sanatorium, it is a perfect example of Russian architecture and behind it is a great view over the Black Sea. Again, if you prefer to skip this visit, just follow the main road at RP10 and ride on directly to RP14.
This RP14 is were you pass a very large and colorful monument called Stella Artek, that begs for you to take a selfie of yourself and your bike.

Following further down the route, you leave the main road for a stop at the beautiful gardens and exhibitions at RP15.
You get to see some village live as you make our way back to the main road again and underway at RP17 is another photo opportunity at a grand memorial statue in Russian style.
Meandering on the mainroad you arrive at Mt Kosh-Kaya Observatory Deck. A must see view! The name in the original Crimean language means "Double Rock" and in Russian it is translated as "Cat". You will see that it indeed resembles a cat lying down, with one part being it's head and the other it's body. You find the view at RP18 and it is shown in the picture below.
Not much further, at RP19 you ride over Laspinsky Pass, again with stunning views and a certain photostop. This pass is the highest point of the highway between Yalta and Sevastopol. From up high you have an eagles view on the Black Sea and you might even see actual eagles and other wildlife, as this area is known for its beautiful and lush flora and fauna.

You will pass some remarkable Iron Sculptures at RP20 before you arrive in Sevastopol at another well equipped gasstation and convenience store. Here it is up to you if you to either find a hotel nearby and have some dinner, or ride on with Part 2. Unfortunately I can't recommend a hotel, but according to Google there are many to choose from.

See you at Part 2 of our Crimea round trip!


This route I have awarded 4**** stars, because of the panoramic views and surprising and changing landscape as well as the sights underway. The road quality is not so great, especially when you are off the main roads. You ride mainly on the main road so will not see many twisties, hairpins etc,