If you are traveling to Crimea in June-July, plan to visit the blooming lavender fields. The best places for shooting are near Bakhchisarai and at the foot of the Northern Demerdzhi Mountain near Alushta.
Lavender, short a plant with purple flowers, dizzy no worse than the Crimean nutmeg.
Wherever you are- on the deserted Tarkhankut, in austere Sevastopol or in the eternally cheerful Koktebel, in the Crimea, there seems to be no place where her smell, which is so well remembered, does not reach.
Lavender in Crimea blooms from mid-June to late August. And if at this time you find yourself in Crimea, plan a trip or hike to the fragrant lavender fields - the impressions will last a lifetime.
True, the best time for visiting and photographing plantations - from early June to early July. Then it becomes too dry, fades, fades, although it does not lose its aroma, it becomes even more spicy and inviting.
The history of the Crimean lavender
They grow in Crimea narrow-leaved lavender, or real (Lavandula angustifolia). It is unpretentious, drought-resistant, grows even on stony soils.
This plant, homeland which the French and Spanish coast of the Mediterranean Sea, was first sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden about 200 years ago.
In 1928 it was started grown on an industrial scale for the production of essential oils used in perfumery and medicine. Its flowers contain 1.5-2% fragrant oil.
Thirty years ago lavender fields in Crimea occupied about 2.5 thousand hectares, and oil from Crimea was even supplied to French perfumers. Now the plantations have been reduced, many fields are abandoned.
Wild lavender there is not much in the Crimea, it can be found in the foothills of Krasnolesye, on Chatyrdag and not far from Gurzuf.
What is made from lavender
In any market or an impromptu bazaar in the season there is a grandmother with lavender. A bunch of aromatic herbs costs from 40 to 100 rubles, depending on its thickness and place of sale.
Sometimes they sell sachets filled with threshed lavender flowers. The sachet can be put in the closet - this will give the bed linen an exquisite aroma. It is believed that dried lavender repels moths, but in practice this did not help the author of these lines.
Lavender is added in herbal teas for flavoring or sold separately (50 g from 60 rubles). This tea is drunk for colds, it calms and relaxes.
Another useful the product worth buying is aromatic oil in small bubbles (120-180 rubles per 10 ml). It is believed to relieve headaches, suppress the flu, help with insomnia, and soothe neurasthenia. They use such oil in aroma lamps or add a few drops to the bath (preferably together with salt under running water). A traditional Crimean souvenir is a postcard to which a test tube of lavender oil is attached.
Highly regarded and lavender honey. But although supposedly monofloral lavender honey is offered in the markets and shops in Crimea, it is, at best, just herbs. Real lavender is quickly sold out to familiar and regular customers.
Where are lavender fields in Crimea
Lavender fields exists in many regions of Crimea. If you are staying in Sevastopol, Gurzuf or in some pleasant place near Alushta, for example, in the Irey relax center, its website is relax-irey.ru, you can get to the lavender fields by car, public transport or on foot.
However, finding fields is not easy- blooming lavender on the peninsula has not yet become the same brand as in the famous French Provence. Special excursions, signs, guides to lavender places are rare. We have prepared a list of the most beautiful lavender places, but some of them are abandoned and their appearance deteriorates from year to year.
The best places for photography - near Bakhchisarai... In the area of the village of Turgenevka, there is the largest and rather well-groomed lavender field in Crimea. In June, residents of Turgenevka even hold a lavender festival, which attracts several hundred people. "Lavender, mountain lavender", the once popular song is heard from the speakers, people sing along and dance. But so far this festival has not gone beyond the scope of a local event.
Also near Bakhchisarai there are fields near the villages of Kudrino and Shelkovichnoe (behind the reservoir), in the mountains near the villages of Rastuschee and Zavetnoye.
Quite large and beautiful lavender fields can be seen near the village of Lavender (road Simferopol-Alushta). In Simferopol, you need to take a trolleybus, get off in the village of Lavanda and then walk for about an hour through Luchistoe towards Northern Demerdzhi.
Many lavender fields located on both sides Simferopol-Sudak highway... The fields begin 40 km from Simferopol near the village of Krymskaya Roza.
We are often asked where the lavender fields are located in Crimea. Many people want to visit them during the flowering period. It became difficult to answer to everyone, and I decided to write this article so that everyone who wants to can plan their route, taking into account visiting at least one lavender field :)
Let's start by defining the timing of flowering. Lavender does not bloom all year round, but only a couple of months a year, from mid-June to mid-August, but you better come to the field before mid-July to have time to see all the lavender splendor BEFORE harvesting the lavender.
There are also wild abandoned fields in Crimea, which no one removes industrially, they can be visited in August. However, now there are so many who, without planting lavender on their own, use it commercially that even wild fields you may not find blooming. Lavender is cut on an industrial scale: it has become very profitable due to the growth of demand and the open borders of Crimea.
So, You can find lavender in Crimea in several places: near Sevastopol, in Simferopol, Belogorsk, Sudak and Bakhchisarai regions and near Alushta.
Bakhchisarai region. One of the most beautiful and largest fields is located in the area of the village of Turgenevka, it is located 7 km from Bakhchisarai. You can get there by car and on your own.
If you are traveling by car, then it is most convenient to get along the Sevastopol-Simferopol highway to the village of Zheleznodorozhnoe, and after crossing the railway crossing, continue towards the lilac fields. In this case, Bakhchisarai will remain on the left side. When you reach Turgenevka, turn left before the stop and drive around the village along the edge.
If there is no car, then you can get to Turgenevka by a regular bus that leaves almost every hour from the Bakhchisarai bus station along the route "Bakhchisarai - Belokamennoye". You will have to walk a little to the village.
also in Bakhchisaray region there are lavender fields near the villages Growing, Treasured, Kudrino and Shelkovichnoe (behind the reservoir).
Simferopol region. Here lavender can be found in the villages of Opushka and Mazanka, abandoned fields and overgrown with weeds. More well-groomed fields are located in the villages of Medicinal and Urozhainoe. And the most beautiful are the fragrant fields of the state farm "Lavender" on the road from Radiant to Northern Demerdzhi... You can get to them from Simferopol or Alushta by trolleybus. You need to get off at the bus stop near the village of Lavender. And from here to the fields about an hour on foot along the road leading towards Mount Demerdzhi.
Many lavender fields are located on both sides of the track Simferopol-Sudak... The fields begin 40 km from Simferopol near the village of Krymskaya Roza.
Sevastopol district... Here, small lavender fields have survived not far from the boarding house. Mokrousov (Uchkuevka) and in Uchkuevka itself near the post office and the beach, as well as on Mekenzian mountains and in Andreevka, although in the latter, after the fire, they say, there is a very small area with lavender.
V Belogorsk district lavender can be foundnear the villages Aromatnoe and Tsvetochnoye.
But what about mountain lavender? You ask.
We answer: you can admire the lavender fields by traveling along the mountain road leading from Yalta to the Uchan-Su waterfall.
Here's a guidebook we got.
If you feel like collecting lavender and taking it home with you. Remember that you will not bring her fresh. One option is to dry. In order for your lavender to last long and delight you when you return home, it must be properly dried. To do this, collect the lavender in a small bunch, grab the stems with your thumb and forefinger - this is a sufficient volume of the bunch, no longer needed. Tie the bundle with string and hang it down with flowers in a shady and well-ventilated area. Flowers must dry completely before shipping.
As for buying dry and fresh bunches at markets, train stations and so on. Many locals work part-time selling lavender in bunches. But no one will give you a guarantee that they know how to collect and dry flowers. It may happen that the purchased bundles crumble along the way. Well, even if they crumble, make yourself a sachet;)
In the Crimean markets, you can also find lavender essential oil. Trust only factory production, artisanal oil production can be of low quality.
I will not talk about teas with lavender especially. They are sold en masse. There is a homemade product from local residents, there are packaged ones, as if in production. But you will not be able to check their quality, the sellers most likely will not have documents. To trust the quality of these products or not is a purely personal matter. Look, smell, taste.
Lavender honey is even more difficult. It will be offered often. But to find out for certain whether it is lavender or not, it will not work: inside the jar there may be ordinary flower honey. The only way to somehow secure yourself against falsification is to ask the seller where the honey is collected, where are his apiaries? Above you can see a list of places where lavender grows in Crimea. And if beekeepers sell honey from other places, then most likely you are being deceived. To collect exactly lavender honey, very large plantations of lavender flowers are needed.
In general, wherever you go - enjoy your stay! And take care of yourself.
Hope you find this material useful;)
Project creator LAVANDA shop
Anastasia Danilova
Sources:,,,
The article uses photographs by Sergei Anashkevich
Copying site materials
possible only with the placement of an active link to the source
Field. Looking at such a miracle of nature, it seems that you are looking at an unearthly landscape. The field, as if rolling over low hills, goes into infinity and merges with the sky. A place of pilgrimage for tourists who are eager to see this miracle is the Provence district. Lavender field in France can be found in other regions, but it is in Provence that it is the longest, and the shade is the brightest.
How to get there
The word "Provence" has long been synonymous with all shades of purple. If you want to find at least one lavender field in France, then go to the southern province of the same name. A large number of such fields are concentrated in the Drome-Provencal region. This is the most popular tourist route. However, experts point out that the most lush and brightly flowering bushes are concentrated in the upper part of Provence, namely in the Alps. And the city of Saul, which is located in the Haute Vaucluse department, is officially recognized as the capital of blooming lavender. If you want to explore every lavender field in the region on your own, you will need a rented car. People usually travel to Vaucluse on the A7 or A9. If you intend to visit the Alps, then the A51 road is suitable. The Drome department can be reached by the same A7 motorway or by the A49 road.
Why lavender?
So, you are already in northern Provence. As a rule, the first thing tourists get to the city of Avignon. The settlement itself is a standard French province, but once you go beyond it, you will find yourself in the abyss and the scent of lavender. The fact is that in Provence the lavender field is a typical landscape. There are areas that are planted with cultivars, but most of the area is wild shrubs that bloom annually at the behest of nature. That is why lavender has become the official symbol of this province, and every inhabitant considers it a duty to plant at least one purple bush in his yard.
Detailed route description
We have already said that the Alps, located in the upper Provence, is the area with the most vividly flowering plants. The main valley of the region is Valensole, which is in the possession of the town of the same name. In the middle of summer, this area is simply immersed in the lilac color and the scent of lavender. From there, there is a short route to the village of Digne-les-Bains. There are no well-trodden tourist routes here. It's just that when you come here, you can wander in those wild thickets of lavender bushes, which bloom most brightly and smell stronger than the rest.
Cultural entertainment
When you get tired of walking around the expanses of Provence and exploring every field, you can look into the Lavender Museum. It is located in the town of Kustel. Here is all the equipment with which lavender flowers are used to make this soap, shampoos, creams, as well as a lot of home accessories, scented sticks, bags and so on. On certain days, some of them can be bought as a souvenir.
Miracles are at our side
If you don't have the opportunity to go to France, then you can find exactly the same attraction on the shores of your native Black Sea. Did you know that, like in Provence, lavender fields bloom in Crimea in summer? If you didn’t know, we hope that this was a little discovery for you. In order to see this lilac miracle, you just need to go to that region of the peninsula where this plant is popularized naturally or thanks to human efforts.
Regions of Crimea where lavender blooms
- Simferopol region. Here, natural lavender thickets can be found in the villages of Opushka and Mazanka. More well-groomed plantations are located in the Medicinal and Urozhainoe villages.
- In the Bakhchisarai region behind the reservoir there are wild, but very picturesque lavender fields. More cultivated plantings can be found near Turgenevka, as well as in the village of Rastaschee.
- Suburbs of Sevastopol. Here lavender fields have been preserved near the Uchkuevka beach. Also, the plant can be found on the Earlier, a lilac carpet was pleasing to the eyes of the residents of Andreevka, but because of the fire there is now only a small lavender island.
When to go inspect the lilac carpet?
Now we just have to choose the time to see the lavender fields in all their glory. When do wonderful plants bloom? In the middle of summer, more precisely, from July to August. In Crimea, most of the fields are unkempt, therefore flowering begins early - in early July. The lilac color of the fields disappears only at the beginning of September, since no one collects flowers. If we are talking about Provence, then it is best to go here in the second week of July. During this period, the most exuberant flowering of lavender begins, which lasts until the flower is harvested for processing. This usually occurs in mid-August.
Conclusion
Everyone, based on their tastes and capabilities, can choose for themselves where to go to explore the lavender field. Provence (France) is an expensive option, but quite affordable. Here you will be offered a real excursion program, a visit to the museum, the opportunity to see the most diverse varieties of this plant. You can get to Crimea much faster and cheaper. Inspection of the lavender fields on the peninsula is often compared to a vacation at the sea. Without wasting time and money, you can go to Bakhchisarai or in the vicinity of Sevastopol and see the blooming purple miracle with your own eyes.
For many, summer Crimea is primarily associated with warm gentle sea and various beaches, but we want to show a slightly different Crimea, somewhat similar to French Provence. Crimea of blooming lavender fields.
You can visit the Crimean "Provence" from about mid-June to mid-July. And, although lavender blooms in Crimea all summer, the main harvest is made in the month of July. The birthplace of lavender is the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. This essential oil plant first appeared in 1813 on the territory of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. And in 1928, the first plantations began to be established for the production of lavender oil, used in perfumery and medicine.
If you go along the Sevastopol - Simferopol highway, then, passing the village of Zheleznodorozhnoe, on the right side (if you move from Sevastopol) on the slope of the Inner ridge of the Crimean Mountains, you can see several lilac rectangles. These are lavender fields near the village of Turgenevka, one of the largest in Crimea today.
We visited there on the last day of June. It is difficult to convey the sensations of what you see with words and photographs. It was as if you were in a different world. In the distance there are even rows of spherical lilac-purple bushes almost half a meter high, the air is filled with an intoxicating aroma and literally trembles from a large number of bees and butterflies, because lavender is a wonderful honey plant. And even the sky seems to have turned into lilac tones that are unnatural for him. Lavender flowers have a very unusual color that changes throughout the day. Perhaps that is why everyone sees lavender differently. Lavender can appear blue at dawn, lilac in the middle of the day, and pink hues are added at sunset.
Lavender fields attract dozens of tourists and photographers who want to see the Crimean Provence. This is one of the favorite places for wedding photo shoots and love stories. A truly magical place.
Crimean "Provence"
It's easy to get to the lavender fields near the village of Turgenevka. You can take a regular bus that leaves almost every hour from the Bakhchisarai bus station along the route "Bakhchisarai - Belokamennoye" to Turgenevka and walk a little. If you are traveling by car, then it is most convenient to get along the Sevastopol - Simferopol highway to the village of Zheleznodorozhnoe, and after crossing the railway crossing, continue to move in the direction of the lilac fields, Bakhchisarai, while remaining on the left side. Having reached Turgenevka, before stopping you need to turn left and go around the village along the edge.
Of course, these are not the only lavender fields in Crimea. So, if you see an amazing lilac sea on your way, do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting “Provence”.
Until next time on the blog pages www.site
The first lavender fields of Crimea for production were laid down in the 30s of the twentieth century. The modern history of Crimean lavender begins in the 19th century. Initially, the plants of the varieties "Lavandula angustifolia" were sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Small bushes with incredibly beautiful purple flowers turned out to be quite unpretentious for the Crimean climate. As a result, this made it possible to plant them on stony soils in the high-mountainous regions of the peninsula.
Crimean provence
Lavender blooms from mid-June to late July. The most interesting thing is that it does not lose its extraordinary aroma even later. On the contrary, it becomes even richer. Essential oil is produced from lavender inflorescences. It is widely used in perfumery and medicine. Also, lavender found its use in cooking and everyday life. In the days of the USSR, the lavender fields of Crimea occupied over 2.5 thousand hectares. And the essential oil obtained from the Crimean mountain lavender was exported to France. There is an opinion that our lavender surpasses the lavender from Europe in its qualities. And it's not for nothing that they are now called the Crimean Provence.
After the collapse of the union, many lavender fields were abandoned. Which, in turn, did not in any way affect their beauty. On the contrary, time has made its own adjustments, adding natural flavor. I would like to note special attention. Lavender bushes mixed with young pine saplings. This, in turn, created an indescribable landscape landscape and an extraordinary scent against the backdrop of the mountains and the sea.
Lavender pink fields
In parallel with the cultivation of lavender, in the Crimea, they were engaged in the cultivation of roses, both decorative and technical varieties. According to legend, the ancient Greeks brought the rose to the peninsula. And they began to engage in scientific breeding in the same botanical garden. The first collection of roses was created there in 1812.
This is how the Crimean rose appeared. She's a Tea Room or they also speak French. Bred in 1926 by the staff of the Nikitsky Garden, it was distinguished by its increased winter hardiness and productivity. It is a perennial shrub with fragrant flowers, pink and red, exuding a delicate pleasant aroma. The Crimean rose is a valuable technical crop. Essential oil is extracted from its petals. Perfumers in many countries call it a truly precious one for its long-lasting aroma with a wealth of nuances. Also, the Crimean rose is widely used in medicine. Its delicate petals have miraculous healing powers.
Guided tours with tastingLavender fields of Crimea
We are happy to offer you exclusive off-road excursions Lavender fields... In Alushta there is an essential oil plant with huge plantations of lavender and roses. Despite their age, they produce excellent yields and are pleasing to the eye. Admiring such beauty is possible only at certain times of the year. Rose blooms in late May and lavender in mid-summer. Excursions can be group and individual.