There are three ways to get to one of the most famous mountain peaks of Crimea: by minibus, cable car and on foot.

By minibus

Minibuses run from the Yalta bus station. These are not regular routes, but finding the right minibus will not be difficult. Drivers will find you themselves, and if they don’t find you, then you will definitely hear them. The fare is 350 rubles, travel time is about 40 minutes. The road to Ai-Petri runs along a picturesque mountain serpentine. By the way, it was on this track that one of the rally races of the European championship took place, before the introduction of sanctions.

The minibus will take you to the eastern market, next to which there is a cable station and the famous Ai-Petri battlements. But you will have to fight off the local Tatars for a long time, who will invite you to eat. You can also return back to Yalta by minibus, but the fare will be 300 rubles.

I like this option least of all, because the road along the mountain serpentine gets very motion sick, and then it takes me a long time to get away from the trip, but if you don’t know the terrain well, then this option is the simplest and most reliable.

Cable car

You can also get to the top of Ai-Petri using , which is located in lower Miskhor, it is about 30 minutes drive from Yalta. The fare is 350 rubles, the ascent time is about 12 minutes. The cable car will give you a lot of unforgettable experiences, but only if the weather is clear. If Ai-Petri is covered by clouds, then from the cable car cabin you will not see anything except fog.

Therefore, take the weather into account when planning your trip. In order to enjoy panoramic views and see the coast, the weather must be clear and cloudless. Only in this case will you fully experience all the beauty of nature and the acute sensation of height that Ai-Petri gives to tourists.

On foot

Well, the best way to climb Ai-Petri is, of course, on foot. Only after reaching Ai-Petri on foot can you proudly say that you have conquered this peak.

Hiking will give you a lot of positive emotions, and as you climb to the top, your gaze will open to such landscapes that you will not want to take your eyes off, you will come to places that you will want to return to again. Depending on the route you choose, you will be able to swim in the icy waters of mountain rivers and drink the purest spring water.

In addition to all this, such hikes will strengthen your health and physical fitness, and you will also be able to breathe mountain-forest air, which, together with physical activity, has a healing effect on the body.

For me, the best and most interesting option is hiking, but for this you need to know the routes of the trails and their names. The mountains do not tolerate being taken lightly, and accidents are not uncommon here, so hiking must be taken very seriously and responsibly. Options for hiking routes for climbing Ai-Petri can be

Or you can go on one of the hikes along the picturesque trails with us. We organize such trips. You can familiarize yourself with route options and prices .

GPS g. 44.448960,34.056196 (format used in online maps)
GPS g.m. 44°26.937", 34°3.717" (format used in navigators and geocaching)
GPS g.m.s. 44°26"56.26", 34°3"22.31"

Life here begins at 9 am, when the first tourists arrive.

Do you want a minimum of queues, a quick run through the main attractions, while maintaining your mental health? Come to Ai-Petri with the first car of the cable car. At this time, there are still almost no loud barkers, from whom you so want to run away from this beautiful place.

Kinds

Behind the pine forest you can see vineyards and the sea. And then along the steep cliff the trailer jumps onto the very rock. At the very top the feeling is indescribable. Firstly, there is always a cold wind blowing. Secondly, it's scary there. You can stand at the fence and be afraid. Because Alupka below is so small, small, and the sea merges with the horizon... It happens that the clouds lie below the top, and you can admire the white sea of ​​water vapor, above which the sun rises.

And even if it’s very scary, it’s still beautiful there, you can stick closer to the ground and look down there.

Even higher than the cable car station! More beautiful! Even scarier!

At the top station there is some kind of platform for a panoramic view, but don’t be too lazy to go up to the battlements of Ai-Petri, the views there are even better. You can climb to the battlements using a paid path (through the market, 100 rubles per adult, free for children) or a free path, bypassing the market to the north through the stables and then directly to the battlements, if you don’t mind looking at the thousand-year-old yew and Stephen’s maple. Payment is not for the fact of climbing the battlements, but specifically for passing along a short path, i.e. No one is asking for tickets upstairs.

Free and paid routes to the teeth of Ai-Petri:

Ai-Petri on an interactive panorama

The image in the panorama can be moved with the mouse cursor, as well as zoomed in and out (with the wheel).

Ai-Petri is the leader in the number of permitted paid places in Crimea. It's very beautiful here.

Views from the battlements. This is a real observation deck!

It’s especially great to be here in clear weather.

With clouds, expectations may not be met.

Rope bridges

The rope bridges were recently installed, reinforced, insured, and priced at 500 rubles. And this is in September 2015, almost no longer the season; in the summer, they say, walking over the abyss costs much more.

“You can go there for free! At 8 am or in the evening after 6 pm, well, yes, without insurance, just step over the fence...” incites the local Tatar.

There are also three caves on Ai-Petri - Geofizicheskaya, Yalta, Trekhglazka (not to be confused with Trekhglazka on Chatyr-Dag), entrance to each is 150 rubles. In our opinion, these caves are significantly inferior in terms of entertainment to Mramornaya and Emine-Bair-Khosar.

Tatar market

At the top there is a completely different climate and a different world, while you stand in line for two or three hours to descend (during the peak season - August), you can eat sweet baklava, drink aromatic herbal tea, wrap yourself in a fluffy scarf to your taste and choose one of the most beautiful plates from one and a half hundred.

“The fly in the ointment” is the disgustingly annoying Tatars.

Tatars tempt you to take a photo with an eagle or a monkey, ride horses, ride ATVs and, of course, eat... Despite all the promises, the quality of the cuisine is far from ideal. In addition, there are no sources of drinking water here; all the water is imported and therefore questionable. However, at the market you can choose souvenirs to suit your taste. Bargain.

An Asian teahouse, an oriental bazaar with southern sweets and baklava, plates with Tatar patterns and many, many sheepskin coats, scarves and felt boots - not surprisingly, downstairs people sunbathe in swimsuits, but here you want to wrap yourself in a blanket. Take something here in advance to protect yourself from the wind so as not to waste money.

Everything at the bazaar is bright and colorful, you can’t help but stop and stare!

There are also delicacies: honey with nuts, pine cone jam...

Cable car

Cable car with an intermediate station. A pendulum-type cable car means that the cars do not move in a circle, but towards each other. Starts working at 9 am. There are 4 carriages and an intermediate station where you need to change trains. Keep your tickets until the end of your trip.

Large trailers will lift 40 people each to a height of 1000 meters, first along a wooded slope - the “Fairytale Forest”, in which many Soviet fairy tales were filmed, then higher and higher, to a mountain between steep cliffs. The Yalta cable car does not compare in sensations with the cable car on Ai-Petri.

The queue for it in August is scary, but it's worth it. And while you’re standing there, you can look at all the souvenirs in the numerous stalls. A significant drawback is that organized tourist groups go without a queue, which is somewhat strange.

• Ai-Petri lower station: N44°25.527" E34°04.229" (44.425450, 34.070483)
• Upper station Ai-Petri: N44°27.100" E34°03.623" (44.451667, 34.060383)

And in August 2013, an accident occurred on the Ai-Petri cable car, one of the cabins stalled and passengers were taken off from a height of about 50 meters. I think people have had too much extreme sports for the rest of their lives and I wouldn’t want to be in their situation.

The line down is even longer than up, and everyone is tempting you to go down by bus. Do not give in to the provocations of barkers! The cable car is taxiing. Guides line up in advance while their tour groups walk around. Then 20 people arrive and the whole line looks at the group angrily. You should keep this tactic in mind and alternate walks towards the end.

One of the Crimean places where every tourist strives to get is Mount Ai-Petri, attracting attention with its majesty and uniqueness. 1234 meters above sea level is not just a height that you want to conquer, but a whole story. This peak has become a kind of calling card of Crimea and a favorite place for vacationers, and its special attraction is the Miskhor - Ai-Petri cable car.

This is interesting:
The Ai-Petri cable car is in the Guinness Book of Records as containing the longest unsupported section of all European cable cars.

History of the cable car

The first stone for the construction of a unique cable car was laid in 1967. Construction work took place over two decades. Most of the time was spent adjusting the ropes. One of the reasons for the long-term construction was the need to change the details of the project at the stage of its implementation. This happened when suspended ropes unexpectedly lay on picturesque rocks. During lengthy disputes, parts of the project were changed. The pioneers, who became members of the state acceptance committee, were accepted only on December 31, 1987. The first passengers were satisfied with the work done, and three months later, in March 1988, the cable car received its first tourists. The technical execution of the project was impeccable, so the cable car broke all records and became a favorite attraction of many vacationers.

The general decline in the economy did not pass the object by. In the mid-90s of the last century, the road was often forced to stand idle. Repairs and replacement of equipment progressed slowly. In June 2000, the Ai-Petri cable car was leased to Startinvest LLC. One of the main lease conditions in this investment project, in addition to general modernization, is the replacement of the support rope. The new director set the task of quickly reviving the road. In a year and a half, 80% of the cable car was reconstructed:

• new technical services have been established;
• premises and machine rooms were renovated;
• carriages have been restored.

Interesting fact:
2013 went down in the history of the company as a time of great changes. It was during this period that the main elements of the cable car were replaced. A new support rope was purchased from Austria and a unique technology for its installation was created.

Description of the funicular

The cable car is capable of providing ascent and descent of vacationers year-round. Only in early spring it closes for a couple of weeks to carry out maintenance work. To ensure smooth functioning of the kanaka during the summer season, work begins early in the morning. A detailed check of each section is carried out, weather conditions are analyzed, and after that a new day in the history of the cable car is started. Her condition is monitored by workers throughout the day. Main characteristics of the Ai-Petri cable car:

• The highest point of the cable car is the Ai-Petri platform (1153 m above sea level).
• The total distance of the cable car is 2980 m.
• The elevation angle is 45 degrees.
• The lower starting point "Miskhor" is located at an altitude of 86 m.
• The length of the lower section is 1310 m.
• The average transmission station is located at an altitude of 391 m.
• The length of the upper unsupported track is a record - 1670 m.
• The carriage can accommodate 35 passengers.
• The weight of the cabin is one and a half tons.
• The funicular is served by a staff of 130 people (their number increases during the holiday season).
• Two machines operate at each site.
• The cable car is equipped with an autonomous power station.

Video review:

The path to the observation decks

In 15 minutes, the funicular takes tourists to the point where from a bird's eye view they can enjoy magnificent panoramas of the Crimean beauties or stroll through protected areas. From the platform of the upper level of the cable car there is a view of Mount Ayu-Dag, the city of Yalta, Cape Ai-Todor, Swallow's Nest and the endless expanses of the Black Sea. During the ascent, the Crimean forest remains below with hornbeams, oaks, lindens and maples growing in it, as well as symmetrical rows of vineyards.

How to get to the cable car

The journey on the Ai-Petri cable car (funicular) begins at the ticket office. During the holiday season, if you do not purchase a ticket in advance, you can already find a long line at the box office at 11 o’clock in the morning. At air route stations, tourists are invited to visit shopping areas where they can have a snack or buy souvenirs. For comfortable waiting, specially designated areas have modern displays that broadcast entertainment channels. Cable car opening hours:

• from 9:00 to 17:00 (wake up)
• from 9:00 to 18:00 (descent)

Fare "Miskhor - Ai-Petri": for adults - 300 rubles. children - 200 rub. Ticket prices may vary; current prices can be found at the box office.

From the Yalta bus station, buses No. 102 and No. 32 go to the “Lower Ropeway Station” stop.

A ride in a cabin on the Ai-Petri cable car is suitable for connoisseurs of unforgettable experiences gained from stunning panoramas of Crimean landscapes and an exciting walk in the clouds.

Cable car on the map of Crimea

GPS Coordinates: N 44 26.831 E 34 03.107 Latitude/Longitude