Good afternoon!

A couple of years ago, my husband and 17-year-old son decided to arrange a trip along the Russian Black Sea coast. We bought a ticket from Barnaul to Sochi (via Moscow). After living in Sochi (more precisely, in Adler) for several days, we moved north. We stopped in Tuapse, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk. The last four days of the trip were spent in Anapa. We flew home from Vityazevo.

So, it was the days spent in Anapa that were the most unfortunate. By the way, we were in Anapa in early July. This is not yet the highest season, but only, so to speak, buildup.

The city itself, the atmosphere

The city itself is quite small. We lived in the center, in the South Wind guest house. That’s just the same guest house turned out to be quite decent, and the owners are pleasant. And the atmosphere in the guest house reigned friendly-family. A detailed review, if interested, about this guest house can be read here.

And I really liked the flower beds in the center of the town. Everything else, alas, is not. By «the rest» I mean the service sector, the quality of the beaches, the cleanliness of the city.

And yet — a huge number of people, just unrealistic. And all with children of all ages. Children constantly cry and act up. I understand that people with children also need somewhere to relax. But since I am writing about the impression that the vacation in Anapa made on ME, I will say that the constant crying of children and gunning for me on vacation is a significant minus.

Sea beach

The beach is sandy. The sand is fine and pleasant. “The apple has nowhere to fall”, literally from 6 in the morning. The beaches are cleaned early in the morning, but by 10 o’clock they are littered. And constantly next to you are kids who want to swim, then go home, then eat, then poop.

I knew that in Anapa, by the end of July, algae fills the sea off the coast. But on our arrival, it became unrealistic to have a lot of algae already in early July. Swimming in such a sea is no fun. Yes, if you walk about 300 meters along a very flat bottom away from the coast, you can swim with less algae. But the prospect of making my way through these green cabbage soup to free (relatively) water did not inspire me.

In the mornings, tractors with special devices for collecting algae walked through the shallow water, but this did not help for long.

Cold evening in Anapa. Therefore, it is not crowded. Cold evening in Anapa. Therefore, it is not crowded.

On days when the wind blew from the shore, there was no algae, but the water was a little cooler. And the number of people bathing in this water is such that it is difficult to even imagine the concentration of washed sweat and urine in the water.

To be honest, during the 4 days of our stay in Anapa, my husband and I swam only twice: late in the evening on the day of arrival and early in the morning on the day of departure.

Late in the evening it was cloudy and cool, slightly stormy. But there were no algae, no people. And the water was quite pleasant.

And in the early morning the wind blew from the coast, there were no algae. And vacationers were just beginning to reach for the beach.

Attractions

Of the attractions, I note a pleasant embankment and a lighthouse.

Lighthouse on the embankment of Anapa. Photo from personal archive. Lighthouse on the embankment of Anapa. Photo from personal archive.

We also went to the local history museum. This is the disappointment of disappointments!

First, the price. At the time of the visit, it was 250 rubles, including for a student. For this money, we were shown two small halls: one with dusty, moth-eaten stuffed animals and birds of the local fauna.

The second hall was dedicated to the period of the Great Patriotic War. There were really valuable exhibits here, which I cannot look at without trembling, although it would seem that I have seen this many times already …

Genuine letters and photographs of soldiers from the front, «funerals», shot through tunics and pierced helmets …

I would consider the museum worthy already because of the presence of these exhibits and this hall in general … But everything was ruined (I won’t even apologize for the expression!) The rudeness of the museum staff. When asked if there would be a tour, we were told: “What are the eyes missing? Walk, watch, read. Everything is written!»

What can you say? Eyes, thank God, there are. And we can read.

When they walked around both halls, they asked how to get to the next one. To this they received an answer: “But there is no next one, they are being repaired! And that’s enough for you!»

And we really had enough. I asked for a book of reviews — to share my impressions — they did not give …

Evening leisure

In cafes along the embankment, as everywhere else: beer by the river, hookahs, music for every taste. Lots of drunk people…

Food

Prices for food and meals in cafes and canteens at the time of our stay were average, comparable to Novosibirsk. And the quality of the food is lower.

We wanted to visit a fish restaurant to try dishes from fresh, not thawed fish, but we couldn’t find it anywhere nearby. In canteens — only pollock and hake cooked on «3».

The price of fruits and vegetables at the height of the season is the same as in Novosibirsk or Barnaul. Although they grow right there.

Sketches from nature

Mulberry grows near the bus stop on one of the streets in the center of Anapa. The fruits fall off, people walk on them. And when we went to the beach early in the morning, we saw a man of 50-60 years old picking berries with a stepladder. Two or three hours passed, we go from the beach and see: this uncle is sitting 10 steps from the bus stop selling mulberries for 50 rubles for a faceted 150-gram cup.

And here sits an elderly aunt under the shade of a tree. Near it are old children’s «sitting» strollers with fabric seats, all stained and greasy. Closer to dinner, these strollers are sold for rent for 100 rubles just like that! With a weary rest, parents are reluctant to carry even more tired children to the hotel …

In a word, I did not like Anapa as a place to relax. Once visited, looked — and will be. I can also understand parents with children who constantly, year after year, go to Anapa. Still, a shallow and warm sea (albeit dirty), a sandy beach, inexpensive housing options … But I can’t understand the adults who come here all the time! What can attract an adult here ?!

They say that there are good beaches in the vicinity of Anapa, for example, in the same Vityazevo. Wasn’t there, maybe ever…

PS By the way, when I decided to add Anapa photos from that trip, there were very few of them. Either they were tired by the end of the long journey and were too lazy to take pictures, or the city disappointed … But it turned out that the photos could be counted on one hand …

Have you been to Anapa? What did you think of it?