Russia
Sevastopol travel guide
Sevastopol is a city in Russia, home to about 485,000 people.
- Best months
- May to September
- Currency
- RUBRussian ruble
- Time zone
- Europe/Moscow
- Language
- Abaza, Adyghe, Aghul
About
About Sevastopol
Sevastopol ( SEV-ə-STOH-pəl, sə-VAS-tə-pohl), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base throughout its history.
In Graeco-Roman times it was known as Chersonesus Taurica. It is a very important city in Russian history as Vladimir the Great, the first Russian leader to adopt Christianity, was baptized into the Eastern Orthodox Church here in A.D. 988. This settlement was sacked by the Mongol Horde several times in the 13th and 14th centuries, and then totally abandoned, only to be refounded in 1783 as the base of the Black Sea Navy of Russia. It was famously besieged by the British in the Crimean War.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Sevastopol
See
Sevastopol is a good jumping-off place to see some of the sites from the Crimean War. There are also many Soviet war memorials - Sevastopol is one of the thirteen Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War. There is a large statue of Lenin, with soldiers, peasants and workers, on ulitsa Sovietska, which is the spine of the main section of the city. There is a statue of Admiral Nakhimov, who defeated the Turkish fleet and masterminded the defence of Sevastopol at the time of the Crimean War, in a square at the head of the main part of the city.
- Nakhimov Square
- Count's Landing Stage
- Monument to Catherine II
- The Black Sea Fleet Museum
- St. Vladimir Cathedral
- Monument to Lenin
- The Sevastopol Art Museum
- Sevastopol Lunacharsky Theatre
- Dolphinarium
- Aquarium-Museum
- Monument to the Scuttled Ships
- Panorama
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Sevastopol
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sevastopol are May to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; December is the wettest, with about 60 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sevastopol
Getting around
Getting around Sevastopol, on a day to day basis, can be done by foot, by mini-bus (marshrutka), and by city bus. Given the hilly terrain and circuitous routes created as Sevastopol grew around its bays and shoreline, walking is less likely to be efficient, especially after one leaves the city center. English maps and schedules for buses are hardly available, and that one may need to depend on the word of citizens, operators, and fellow passengers to find the right route and stop.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sevastopol
Drink
This is a major naval port, there are lots of places selling beer and other drinks scattered around the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sevastopol: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sevastopol?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sevastopol are May to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; December is the wettest, with about 60 mm of rain.
What currency is used in Sevastopol?
Russian ruble (RUB).
Nearby
Destinations near Sevastopol
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.