Jewish Heritage Tour of Ukraine

Jewish Travel
Division of EMCO Travel, LLC

Since 1993

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10 Days Jewish Cultural and Heritage Tour to Kiev & Crimea

DAY 1
Late afternoon arrival in Kyiv, transfer to the hotel, check in, dinner at the hotel.

Morning city tour “Kyiv through the Jewish eyes” visiting the places where Sholom Aleichem, Golda Meir and other world known personalities of Jewish culture and politics lived. Visit of St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Michael Cathedral and monastery. Visit of the Brodsky Synagogue and of Babyn Yar. Dinner at a local restaurant .

DAY 3
Morning visit of the Lavra Cave Monastery including the Museum of Miniatures and the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine with its fascinating collection of the Judaic ritual silver objects.

Afternoon visit of Chernobyl Museum and of the Central Synagogue in Podil, a boat ride along the Dnieper.

Dinner at the hotel.

After early breakfast check out and drive to Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky (90 km) – the birth place of Sholom Aleichem (1859-1916) to visit his museum located on the territory of the Museum of Ukrainian wooden folk architecture.

Afternoon flight to Simferopol. Upon arrival in Simferopol transfer to Sevastopol (70 km) and check in hotel “YARD”***, dinner at the hotel.

DAY 5

The whole day tour to Bakhchisarai to visit the Khan’s Palace (XV-XVI cc). Next is Chufut Kale to see the cave. Assumption monastery and the cave town with the best preserved Karaites buildings. Climbing up to the top of the cliff one can really feel the wild beauty of the Crimean mountains. The air full of flower and grass fragrance will help you to cover this ascent.

Some free time in Sevastopol for personal discoveries and dinner at the “Kavkaz” restaurant.

The day starts with the visits of famous Panorama painting “The defence of Sevastopol, 1854-55” during the Crimean War ( the next 2 years are the anniversary ones) and Chersonesus - one of Crimea’s most exciting spots, called the Russian Troy dating back from an era when the Greeks started settling here in the 6^th c. B. C.

Afternoon tour to the Sapun-Mound - the spot of the decisive fights for Sevastopol in WWII. The tourists will see the Memorial and the exhibition of the Soviet and German military technology of the WWII; visit of the diorama-museum “The Assault of the Sapun-Mount on the 7^th of May”. The city tour also includes some places connected with the history of the Jews in this area. A wonderful early evening scenic drive through the Southern Crimea to Yalta (76 km). Along the spectacular way one can see the highlights: Balaklava valley, known for the Charge of Light Brigade in the Crimean War 1854-56, an impressive Baidar Church. One can also see from the top of a hill Foros (the place of President M. Gorbachev’s seclusion in August, 1991).

Morning guided tour of the magnificent Vorontsov Palace (in Alupka) that immerses in the lush verdure of a splendid park with the crags of Mount Ai-Petri towering over the Palace. One of Russia’s biggest 19^th century landowners, Vorontsov spent 9 million silver rubles on the Palace (now the Arts museum). The Palace presents original modification of Tudor style with elements of oriental architecture. The guests are then transferred to the former count Vorontsov’s wine cellars to taste ten samples of prestigious Massandra fortified and dessert wines.

Next visit - Imperial Livadia Palace, constructed in 1910-11 for Nicholas II and his family and located in the very heart of the majestic park of the former main Romanovs’ estate in the Crimea. This beautiful white Renaissance palace was the swan’s song for Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. In 1945 it was the residence of American President F. D. Roosevelt and the venue of all 8 plenary meetings of the Yalta Conference. The “Big Three” gathered on the peninsula to divide the post-war world into spheres of influence. Nowadays, museum features exhibitions dedicated both to the Romanov family and the Yalta Conference of 1945.

DAY 8
After early breakfast check out and drive to Feodosia (180 km). En route visit of the Genoese fortress in Sudak. Upon arrival – check in the hotel “LIDIA”*** and tour round one of the oldest towns in Ukraine with visits of the local Lore museum and places connected with the history of Jews and Karaites in Feodosia. Visit of Aivazovsky Art Gallery acquaints the guests with the works of the world famous marine-painter.

After early breakfast drive to Kerch (211 km) to get acquainted with the remnants of Pantikapeum – center of the Bosporus kingdom, “Tsars’ kurgans”, Turkish fortress Eni Kale and Church of John the Baptist (VIII-XIX cc).

Kerch Lore Museum presents some of the most ancient stone monuments of Jewish culture. The tour also includes the meeting with a local Jewish community. Dinner in Kerch at the local restaurants and late return to Feodosia for overnight.

PS: On the request - one full leisure day for personal discoveries in Yalta can be added.

This is a suggested itinerary and will be modified upon specifc client's requirement
Prices are on request, please email number of people, dates, what kind of hotels (deluxe or tourist class) and we will provide you a quote.

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