From Wikitravel

Bahkchisaraj is in the Crimea, in Ukraine.

Contents 1 Get in 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out

Get in

Catch a minibus heading to Sevastopol from Simferopol and get off when you get to Bahkchisaraj.

Catch a train from Simferopol to Bahkchisaraj

Both train and bus will leave you in a not so attractive square in the middle of a quite shabby looking small city of perhaps 30,000 people.

Get around

Bus from the main square or a lot of walking.

Expect to do a lot of walking to get to any of the major attractions. That's why you came to a mountainous village in the Crimea, right?

If you want to get somewhere a bit farther and don't feel like hiking and no bus seems to service the route try approaching a local with a car down at the main square where the bus and trains run from, for a price (usually around 6 - 10 USD) they'll take you for up to a 30 minute car ride.

See

• Chufut Kale
• The Khan's Palace - Heading due east along the road that leads off of the square you can either walk to the Khan's palace (about 2 km away) or wait around and catch a bus (although you'll need to ask a local where the bus stops.)
• The Armenian Cave Monastery
• Mangup

Do

• Hiking! - At any number of the street vendors you should be able to buy yourself a great topographical map, don't expect to find any such map outside of the Crimea, you'll have to buy it there.

Buy

Any number of cheap trinkets are on sale at little booths manned by locals in front of all of the tourist attractions in the town. There's nothing quite like bringing home a fake Tatar hat.

In front of the Khan's palace you can get some wonderful baked goods.

Eat

Halfway between the Khan's palace and the Armenian monastery is a superb Tatar restaurant. It is quite expensive (10 USD for two people) and no alcohol is served but the food is excellent. As an additional bonus one of the waiters speaks excellent English, so not only can you ask about the food and know what you're getting ahead of time, he'll tell you a bit of history of the region while you are there.

Drink

Sleep

There a number of poor Tatar women offering accommodation for 2.5 USD per person. They are extremely friendly and will bend over backwards for you while you are there. There usually is no indoor running water but the accommodation was generally clean. For a few extra dollars they'll wash your clothes for you (by hand).

Get out

With map in hand you can do a spectacular 2 - 3 day hike along the following route.

1. Bahkchisaraj Main Train/Bus square: In the morning find a taxi or local person who will drive you to the lake above the village of Bashtanovka. Spend some time refreshing yourself in the lake (if it is morning that means you probably stayed in Bahkchisaraj for the night which means you haven't had the opportunity to shower.
2. After an hour or so of swimming in the lake start out with your map along trail route number 82 to the village of Visoko. The first 5 km will be nice and smooth through pleasant fields. When you get to the orchards below the two reservoirs be sure and verge right across the stream and over into the orchards. If you don't veer right it looks like there is a clear trail on the map leading up to one of the lakes but there isn't. From here you are going to start a lot of uphill hiking. Once you cross through the orchards (about 400 meters of walking) you'll need to hang a left (after having done a lot of uphill walking). Another 300 meters and you should reach a large reservoir. Have a break and a swim here, and eat some of that food you brought with you.
3. Visoko, the village isn't named high for nothing. This village is extremely difficult to navigate through. it starts at the base of a mountain and kind of wanders its way up the side. You are going to need to ask the locals at every turn what direction you should go. Also, supposedly it is possible to buy food in this village but the store is a private home and very difficult to find. You will probably have asked for directions, or at least a confirmation that you are going in the right direction at least 15 times before you get out of the village. When you ask for directions ask for the village of Solnechnoselj. People will direct you to keep going up the road through the village. As you approach the end of the village you'll come to a large field that extends up the mountain. Follow the path through the field and then when you reach the tree line, follow the tree line to the left. You'll then come to a nice path heading into the forest and you've completed your uphill hiking for the day. You are now over the mountain and on your way down to Solnechnoselj. Note: The view once you get to the other side of the mountain is wonderful and you are probably pretty tired this area is a great place to camp. After coming across the wonderful view, if you follow the trail another 300 meters you'll lose the view as you head back up the hill but you'll come out into a somewhat secluded field. You can camp off in the tree line and have your complete privacy. You are close to a horse ranch though so don't be surprised if a Crimean cowboy comes through the field with his herd.
4. Solnechnoselj, this village is almost entirely populated by extremely old people tending their cows. There is a small shop where you can buy some food. The women working in it has a Czech grandmother, so if you're Czech she'll be very happy to see you. From here just continue down the road until you reach Aromat
5. Aromat has a hospital of some sort smack in the middle of town. They have fairly decent toilets you can use. From here you can keep hiking or pickup a car to the Balshoi Canyon or catch a minibus back to Bahkchisaraj

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!