Sochi, Trabzond, Sevastopol.

Any tips on seeing these ports on one's own rather than taking the shore excursions? I like to walk.

Lycia - We've just returned from a Black Sea cruise on Regent Seven Seas Navigator, which had stops at all three of the ports you note.

At Sevastopol, as at the other two primary Ukrainian ports (Odessa & Yalta), we arranged private tours with the excellent Intourist office in Yalta. I've described our experience and the contact info on another thread on this forum - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=810102

We also used a very good guide service (the same one the ships use for their bus tours) which also does private tours, in Sochi - described in this thread -

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=810961

Trabzon is a more difficult matter, as it is not really a tourist city and has very little tourist infrastructure. The only thing really worth seeing in Trabzon is the marvelous Sumela Monastery, which is about an hour's drive out of Trabzon. It is perched on a mountainside and like something from "Lost Horizons". I don't know whether one can even get a taxi to take one there. Therefore, we took the ship's tour, despite our general dislike for bus tours. It would be a great mistake to stop in Trabzon and not see the Sumela Monastery, even if it requres a bus tour to get there. I have spent a lot of time in Turkey and consider that monastery to be one of the most memorable places which I've visited in Turkey.

Good luck and have fun. Cheers, Fred

Trabzon - Sümela Monastery

I am wondering, if it is such a good idea to line this tour up for our group. Most are in late 70's and most are not in the bast physical shape.

How difficult / strenuous was it to just get to a clearing (spot) in the forest, just to see the Sümela Monastery?

Any tips on seeing these ports on one's own rather than taking the shore excursions? I like to walk.

Sochi - you won't be allowed to do a DiY here unless you have a visa. Like other Russian ports, you can only leave the ship with the ship's excursions or if you have a visa or have a tour booked with a recognised tour company (who will have obtained visas for you). We weren't even allowed by the Russian authorities to tender off two weeks ago - and had to head off early to Yalta, so I can't tell you anything about the place.

Sevastopol is great. It's easy to walk out of the port and into town. Here are currency exchange kiosks to buy some local currency which you will need if you want to go to the Panorama. This is a 'must see' - we were overwhelmed by the skill, scale, spectacle and sheer impact of it. The powerful scene depicted was very moving and left me with a feeling of 'what a monumental waste of human life'! It easy to adopt a DiY approach here. It's probably a good half-hour walk from the port but the roads are good. It's a very clean city and with loads of monuments (all very much related to the military past) and an impressive cathedral. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Sevastopol.

Trabzon is not an attractive town - not geared up to tourists at all and not very easy to walk around - at least from the port to the centre - poor or non-existent pavements. We walked in and returned to the ship quite quickly (although we generally are very content to explore new places and soak up the culture but this port didn't have much to offer us) and booked on a Sumela Monastery trip. We were really pleased we did as it was a lovely ride into the mountains which allowed us to see something of the countryside. The monastery was also well worth a visit - although you have to be reasonably fit to make the final ascent once the minibuses drop you off. It's quite steep with a lot of steps and some rugged areas too. Had we not done this excursion, I think we would have been disappointed in this destination. Some fellow passengers took a taxi to the Monastery and paid more than we did for the ship's trip and they had no commentary either.

Enjoy your trip - it's a very interesting area to visit.

Hi,

Perhaps some of you can provide clarification. I am taking a cruise on Azamara from Istanbul to Athens which stops at these places (it's a Black sea cruise). I was thinking to book excursions through private companies rather than through the ship. Will I need to obtain a VISA on my own for each of these places? if I get the ship's tour, are VISAs needed and does the ship's tour get VISAs? In Nessebur, if one chooses just to walk around the city, then does one need to get a VISA?

Thanking all in advance

Waterway