Where there are lavender fields in the Crimea. Lavender fields in Crimea: where to find and when to go

I have been making this purple post for the fourth year in a row and every year I receive a lot of requests to tell me more about this place, how to get there and when exactly is the best time to do it next year to see everything with my own eyes...
Yes, yes, I’m talking about the Crimean Provence again, which is becoming more and more popular every year, so much so that during the lavender flowering period, whole strings of cars are drawn here with those who want to see the purple madness with their own eyes, feel this unforgettable powerful aroma and take such coveted photos.
This year, the local village council even took unprecedented measures to limit the access of cars directly to the fields. All the roads around the fields have been dug up, in addition, guard "patrols" have been posted at the entrances, preventing the possible passage of all-wheel drive vehicles and those wishing to fill up the ditches and drive to the fields. True, no one forbids walking.
Oh, and to preempt questions about the location of the field, at the end of the post I put a map with points of the most interesting locations to shoot, which I have never done before. Take, use)

2. Lavender fields, which are looked after and which have not turned into wastelands overgrown with weeds, are not so many left in Crimea. Two of them are quite large and the most beautiful, these are the ones I have been shooting for four years in a row, and this is where a lot of people are trying to get

3. Of course, they are not as well-groomed and beautiful as in Provence or Istria.
The main difference is the smaller row spacing, resulting in Crimean fields are an almost solid purple carpet, in contrast to the clearly divided rows in Provence.
The disadvantage of not having gaps is that it is difficult to control weeds. Therefore, our Crimean fields look a little untidy due to interspersed with foreign plants.

4. But this does not detract from the beauty and aroma of lavender ..

6. There will be lavender honey...

7. Workaholic

9. Rows of lavender stretching into the distance

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Well, now the most important thing. Where to find these fields and when is the best time to go to catch the peak of lavender bloom?
Lavender in Crimea blooms from the first decade of June to the first decade of July, depending on how warm the spring and early summer were. So, for example, this year, due to the cold spring, flowering was delayed - I caught its peak on July 2. Last year, the peak fell on June 10-13, the year before last on the 20th, and in 2011, as well as this year, it was in the first days of July.
And this is a map of the location of lavender fields, access points and the most interesting points for shooting. Location - the village of Turgenevka, Bakhchisaray district.
The red lines on the map are the borders of the fields. The blue lines are the access routes. On the Sevastopol-Simferopol highway I will descend from the side of Sevastopol, from above - from the side of Simferopol to Zheleznodorozhny, from there turn to Turgenevka, through the railway line and to the T-shaped intersection. Then we go either straight along the dirt road to the lower corner of the field, from where we have to walk, or through the village above, and then behind the farm we turn onto the dirt road and along the field road until it stops until we hit a trench. It's about in the middle of the field. Why exactly here? The fact is that in the lower part of the field, near the village, the rows of lavender are rather nondescript and there are a lot of weeds. But above everything is much richer and more beautiful. Points of interest are marked with yellow crosses. There are several more such points on the second field, which is separated from the first by a beam. I do not recommend trying to overcome it by shooting on the first field. It is better to return to its lower part and drive along the road to the lower part of the second one and from there go on foot to the points I have marked.
enjoy)

My previous photo essays and photo stories:

Lavender, a short plant with purple flowers, turns your head no worse than the Crimean Muscat. Wherever you find yourself - on the deserted Tarkhankut, in strict Sevastopol or in the eternally cheerful Koktebel, in the Crimea, it seems that there is no such place where her smell, which is so well remembered, does not reach.

According to the correspondent of the portal "", lavender in Crimea blooms from mid-June to the end of August. And if at this time you find yourself in the Crimea, plan a trip or hike to the fragrant lavender fields - the impressions will remain for a lifetime.

Is it true, best time for visiting and photographing plantations - from early June to early July. Then it becomes too dry, fades, burns out, although it does not lose its aroma, it becomes even more spicy and inviting.

History of Crimean lavender

In the Crimea, narrow-leaved lavender, or real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), is grown. It is unpretentious, drought-resistant, grows even on stony soils.

This is a plant whose birthplace is French and Spanish coast mediterranean sea, was first sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden about 200 years ago.

In 1928, it began to be grown commercially for the production of an essential oil used in perfumery and medicine. Its flowers contain 1.5-2% fragrant oil.

Thirty years ago, lavender fields in the Crimea occupied about 2.5 thousand hectares, and oil from the Crimea was even supplied to perfumers in France. Now the plantations have shrunk, many fields are abandoned. There is not much wild lavender 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 impromptu bazaar, there is a grandmother with lavender during the season. A bunch of fragrant 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 to herbal teas to add flavor or sold separately (50 g from 60 rubles). This tea is drunk for colds, it soothes and relaxes.

Another useful product worth buying is aromatic oil in small vials (120-180 rubles per 10 ml). It is believed that it relieves headaches, suppresses influenza, helps with insomnia and soothes neurasthenia. Use this oil in aroma lamps or add a few drops to the bath (preferably with salt under running water). A traditional Crimean souvenir is a postcard with a vial of lavender oil attached to it.

Lavender honey is also highly valued. But although the markets and shops in the Crimea offer supposedly monofloral lavender honey, this is at best just herbs. This lavender quickly disperses among familiar and regular customers.

Where are lavender fields located in Crimea

There are lavender fields in many regions of Crimea. If you are staying in Sevastopol, Gurzuf or Alushta, you can get to the lavender fields by car, public transport or on foot.

True, 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, pointers, guides to lavender places - a rarity. We have prepared a list of the most beautiful lavender places, but some of them are abandoned and their appearance worsens from year to year.

The best places for photography are near Bakhchisaray. Near the village of Turgenevka there is the largest in Crimea and quite well-groomed lavender field.

Also near Bakhchisarai there are fields near the villages of Kudrino and Shelkovichnoe (behind the reservoir), in the mountains near the villages of Growing and Zavetnoe.

Quite large and beautiful lavender fields can be seen near the village of Lavender (Simferopol-Alushta road). In Simferopol, you need to take a trolley bus, get off at the village of Lavender and then walk for about an hour through Luchistoye towards Severnaya Demerdzhi.

Many lavender fields are located on both sides of the Simferopol-Sudak highway. The fields begin 40 km from Simferopol near the village of Crimean Rose.

If you go from Simferopol to Nikolaevka, the fields can be seen near the villages of Vodnoe and Medicinal.

Around the villages of Mazanka and Opushki near Simferopol there are large unkempt fields of lavender.

In the Belogorsky district - near the villages of Aromatnoe and Tsvetochnoe.

In Sevastopol - there are small fields not far from the boarding house. Mokrousov (Uchkuevka) and in Uchkuevka itself near the post office, as well as on the Mekenziev mountains and in Andreevka.

On Cape Tarkhankut, near the village of Olenevka, there is a small but rather picturesque lavender field.

Lavender in Crimea blooms from mid-June to late August. And if at this time you find yourself in the Crimea, plan a trip or hike to the fragrant lavender fields.

History of Crimean lavender

In the Crimea, narrow-leaved lavender, or real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), is grown. It is unpretentious, drought-resistant, grows even on stony soils.

This plant, whose birthplace is the French and Spanish coast of the Mediterranean Sea, was first sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden about 200 years ago.

In 1928, it began to be grown commercially for the production of an essential oil used in perfumery and medicine. Its flowers contain 1.5-2% fragrant oil.

Thirty years ago, lavender fields in the Crimea occupied about 2.5 thousand hectares, and oil from the Crimea was even supplied to perfumers in France. Now the plantations have shrunk, many fields are abandoned. There is not much wild lavender in Crimea, it can be found in the foothills of Krasnolesye, on Chatyrdag and not far from Gurzuf, writes Now in Crimea.

What is made from lavender

Lavender is added to herbal teas to add flavor or sold separately (50 g from 60 rubles). This tea is drunk for colds, it soothes and relaxes.

Another useful product is aromatic oil in small vials (120-180 rubles per 10 ml). It is believed that it relieves headaches, suppresses influenza, helps with insomnia and soothes neurasthenia. Use this oil in aroma lamps or add a few drops to the bath (preferably with salt under running water).

Lavender honey is also highly valued. But although the markets and shops in the Crimea offer supposedly monofloral lavender honey, this is at best just herbs.

Where to find lavender fields in Crimea