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Alushta is a fairly large city on the Black Sea coast in Crimea. People mostly come here for a budget holiday, although in recent years high-class hotels have appeared here. The main attraction of Alushta is its huge embankment and beaches. The most interesting natural attractions are located outside of Alushta.  

Alushta became a popular beach resort back in Soviet times. The Embankment of Alushta was built at the beginning of the 20th century, but during the war the city was severely destroyed. After the WWII in 1952, the authorities restored the damaged embankment and built a rotunda, which became a symbol of the city. 

The most interesting part of the Embankment of Alushta is located on the Eastern Embankment, where Lenin Street runs. It starts near the Demerdzhi River. A small mountain and the buildings of the Blue Wave hotel rise above the opposite bank of the river. In this place, next to the embankment, there is a summer cottage of merchant Stakhevich and a Seaside park. Huge pine trees rise above the pedestrian zone of the embankment. This part of the embankment ends near the square with the sculpture of a Seahorse. 

In different parts of the embankment there are several historical museums and houses that can be visited with an excursion: Stakheev dacha of the 19th century, the Museum of Local Lore, the Shmelev Museum.  

On the high bank above the embankment rise the ruins of the towers of the ancient fortress of Aluston. This fortress was built in the 6th century by the Byzantines, and in the 14th century it was fortified by the Genoese. However, the fortress of Aluston does not look as large as the Genoese fortress in Sudak or the Genoese fortress in Feodosia. Only the Ashaga-Kule tower has survived from it. In 2020, the Aluston Fortress Museum was opened next to it, where you can get acquainted with the history of Alushta. 

Attractions outside of Alushta 

The most interesting sights of Alushta are located outside. Demerdzhi Mountain with its famous Valley of Ghosts is 10 kilometers away. In Chatyr-Dag mountain you can visit the most beautiful caves of the Crimea: Marble Cave and Mammoth Cave. Many interesting places are located on the coast to the north and south of Alushta.  

There are several interesting places on Demerdzhi Mountain. Most excursions are limited to visiting the Valley of Ghosts, which is located at the foot of the mountain near the village of Luchistoe. However, for the visit of Demerdzhi, it is better to plan the whole day and prepare for long hiking trips. In this case, you can see the most interesting places on the top of the mountain. Not far from the Valley of Ghosts is the mountain Southern Demerdzhi, as well as the weathering figures near Mount Alenga. 4 kilometers from Southern Demerdzhi is the top of the Northern Demerdzhi Mount.  

On the seashore, north of Alushta, there is one of the most famous churches of the Crimea: the lighthouse-church of St. Nicholas the Myra. It is built on the high shore of the Black Sea, and its own height reaches 65 meters. There is a lighthouse under the dome, and at the foot of the Church of St. Nicholas, you can visit the Museum of Shipwrecks. 

In 40 kilometers from Alushta, in the direction of Simferopol in Chatyr-dag mountain, there are Marble cave and Mammoth cave. These are two of the most beautiful and famous caves in Crimea. The distance between them is 1.2 km, so they need to be visited during one excursion. In the Marble Cave you can see very beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, and in the Mammoth Cave you can still see the skeletons of prehistoric animals, including the skeleton of a mammoth. 

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View of Alushta from the flat rocks of Mount Alenga on the Southern Demerdzhi
View of the Valley of Ghosts on the slope of the Southern Demerdzhi mountain
The bust of Catherine on the Alenga rock is a symbol of the Southern Demerdzhi mountain range
Sculpture of a seahorse on the Embankment of Alushta
A huge stalagmite in a Marble cave, which is called The Host
The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in the village of Malorechenskoe is 25 km from Alushta
View of the village of Malorechenskoye from the observation deck in front of the Church of St. Nicholas
Mammoth skeleton in the Northern Gallery of the cave, which was named Mammoth due to the findings of bones of prehistoric animals
Lake hall with crystal clear water in Mammoth cave in Crimea
The height of the sheer cliff of the Visor Rock in the Northern Demerdzhi is 200 meters
A snail-like rock on the top of Mount Alenga in Southern Demerdzhi
Famous rocks of various shapes, subject to weathering, in the Valley of the Ghosts of Mount Demerdzhi
View of the northern part of the Black Sea coast from Mount Alenga on the Southern Demerdzhi
There are many cafes and restaurants on the Embankment of Alushta
Park areas on the Embankment of Alushta
Giant of Demerdzhi Rock on the top of Mount Alenga
The head of a Tatar warrior in the Valley of Ghosts on Mount Demerdzhi
View from the top of South Demerdzhi mountain to the Valley of Ghosts
At the beginning of summer, the Demerdzhi mountain slope is covered with blooming grass and flowers
The height of the stalagmite The Host in the Kechkemet hall of the Mammoth Cave is 5 meters, the age is 10 million years
The throne room in the Mammoth Cave, where there is a stalagmite that someone thought looked like a Monomakh Hat
The Treasury Hall in the Mammoth Cave in the Crimea
Collapse hall in the Marble Cave of Crimea
Hall the Gallery of Fairy Tales in the Marble Cave of Crimea
Chandelier hall in the Marble Cave
The narrow stalagmites in the Marble Cave are called cacti
The height of the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Malorechenskoye reaches 65 meters
The altar of the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Malorechenskoe