Varna/Sevastopol Money Issues

[sk8teacher]

We recently returned from the HAL Grand Med and Black Sea voyage. While absolutely incredible, we did have some problems with money. I posted this on the HAL board and it was suggested that I also post here.

 

For these ports, you must have local currency. We didn't find any place that would accept anything else. Either find an ATM or an official currency exchange booth. If you decide to eat while in port and want to use a credit card, ask first if they are accepted. It could be very embarrassing to find out after eating that they didn't accept them and only accepted local currency.

 

We had taken private tours in both places and assumed that because we booked with US dollars that we would be able to use US currency or at least credit cards. While a bad assumption on our part, we felt that we should have been informed up front. We wound up cutting our tour short and returning to the ship without lunch in Sevastopol because of this.

 

Cheers,

[koalakid]

ooh, thanks for the tip. We will be in Yalta & Varna on Princess in Sept. Have a tour booked in USD & had assumed we would be ok. But will now make sure we have some local currency.

how did you like Sevastopol & Varna & the black Sea in general?

[Fafos]

I go every year at Krym (my wife's birth town is Sevastopol) and never have a problem for change money.. There are many change money offices (special at Yalta) and banks too. Their English are not so good but you can make your job easy..

 

Yalta is very beutifull place.. don't miss:

 

Livadia... is the former Romanov vacation home used for the World War II conference of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt. In there has a huge park with many kinds of trees and plants..

 

Swallow’s Nest.. a fantastical castle perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea..

Nikitsky Botanical Gardens.. another huge park with trees and plants from all world..

[koalakid]

hi fafos - thanks for the information & recomendations.:)

Looking forward to this cruise bacuse we will visit lots of new ports

[eh2zed]

We had the same situation in Varna and Sevastopol. There are money exchange offices around. Do not exchange money from a street vendor. you may end of with useless currency that has been taken out of circulation. Happened to one of our table mates in Varna.

[sk8teacher]

ooh, thanks for the tip. We will be in Yalta & Varna on Princess in Sept. Have a tour booked in USD & had assumed we would be ok. But will now make sure we have some local currency.

how did you like Sevastopol & Varna & the black Sea in general?

 

Varna:

We had a private tour booked and met our guide and driver outside the port terminal. The first place we went was outside the city to an area of ruins. These ruins are of unknown origin and are somewhat unique. The area consists of beach type sand complete with seashells, and numerous rock formations that appear to be collapsed columns suggesting a city/town environment. We were told that several geologists have visited the site and studied it but still have not confirmed it’s origin.

 

From there we went to the Aladja Monastery which provides a fascinating look at a traditional religious retreat. The monastery is a collection of cave dwellings that were carved from the limestone cliff face. Originally approximately 100 monks lived there until hunted down by the Turks and killed. It was very interesting walking through the dwellings and trying to imagine what life was like for the monks that lived there.

 

From there it was off to the remains of the Roman Thermae or Baths. Built in the 2nd century it was quite intriguing trying to imagine what the original structure looked like. It is a very large area and was one of the largest baths built.

 

After visiting a few other areas of the city, it was time for lunch. Once again, it was taken at one of the local restaurants where tourists rarely find. Located on the oldest street in the city, it was very nice and the food was superb. The picture today is from inside the restaurant.

 

As a general note, the prices of things in Varna appear to be very reasonable. We tasted some local wine at the restaurant and enjoyed it very much. I asked where we could purchase a bottle, and they took me around the corner to a very small grocery type store where I bought two bottles of it for about $3.75 per bottle.

 

Sevastopol

For those who may not know, Sevastopol was established by Catherine II after Russia gained control of the region in 1783. The harbor was fortified and the Russian Black Sea Naval Fleet came to the port in 1804. Today it still remains primarily a military city, and the Russian Fleet still has ships docked here.

 

After meeting our guide, we were off to the East and the city of Bakhchisarai to see the Khan’s Palace, which was begun in the 16th century, and now houses the Museum of History. While there we were able to see the palace and suites, the state council and courtroom, the harem, the palace mosque, and mausoleum. Also located there is Fountain of Tears which was built in 1764.

 

After spending some time at the palace, it was back toward Sevastopol, where we stopped at the Jewish Welfare Center which provides support for about 4000 jews living in the city. At that point, the tour went downhill. Because of possible miscommunication between the tour operator and us when it was booked, we assumed that because they asked for US dollars for the tour that we would be able to use them or Euros for lunch. As it turned out that was not the case. We were told by our guide that she didn’t know of a restaurant in the city that would take anything but local currency.

 

At that point we decided that we would cut the tour short after visiting one more area, the Panorama Museum, which recalls the 349 day defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. I can recommend this museum for anyone who decides to visit the city.

 

Beware however that most of these tourist places do require a entry fee and it must be paid with local currency, and there is a small fee as well for using the toilets in these places. We are quite upset at our tour operator who did not inform us of these extra fees or that fact that they only accepted local currency. There are some small kiosks around the city that will accept US dollars or Euros, but any “government” run institution will not.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Cheers.

[koalakid]

Hi Sk8teacher

thanks for the heads-up. We can check the detqails with our tour guide.

Also Hoping to see the site of the 'charge of the light brigade' when we are in Sevastopol. It happened during the Crimean War & is a very Famous event in the UK

[cruza]

Hi Sk8teacher

thanks for the heads-up. We can check the detqails with our tour guide.

Also Hoping to see the site of the 'charge of the light brigade' when we are in Sevastopol. It happened during the Crimean War & is a very Famous event in the UK

 

We went to Kiev, capital of Ukraine couple years ago. There are at least one currency exchange place on the block and we never had any problem to exchange USD. They all from private banks and goverment has nothing to do with it. The same in St Petersburg, Russia. Guides will point you to reliable exchange places where you will safely exchange dollars.

[Misty1937]

Hello Fafos

Thank you for all your well informed info which I read so often. Most questions as far as I can see regarding currency are from Americans and they are referring to US$. Being an Aussie I will be carrying Euros and I wonder will they be accepted in most ports. We visit Kotor (Montenegro) Yalta & Odessa (Ukraine) and Dubrovnik (Croatia), I do believe I will need Kuna in Dubrovnik. I have also been unable to find much info on Odessa and would appreciate any input on that port of call.

Cheers, Misty

[Fafos]

Hello Fafos

Thank you for all your well informed info which I read so often. Most questions as far as I can see regarding currency are from Americans and they are referring to US$. Being an Aussie I will be carrying Euros and I wonder will they be accepted in most ports. We visit Kotor (Montenegro) Yalta & Odessa (Ukraine) and Dubrovnik (Croatia), I do believe I will need Kuna in Dubrovnik. I have also been unable to find much info on Odessa and would appreciate any input on that port of call.

Cheers, Misty

 

Last 3-4 years Ukraine love more euros than USD:D

 

read this: http://www.crimeaconsulting.com/useful/crimean-travel-tips.html (special #6).. in the same website you will find many usefull information about Yalta and Odessa..

 

About Montenegro and Croatia I can't help you.. I have go there many years before come euro at Greece and we change our currency (drahmas) at Greek Banks before go there..

[Misty1937]

Thanks Fafos for the advise, I really appreciated it.

Cheers, Misty

[nparmelee]

Official currency of Montenegro is the Euro, official currency of Croatia is the Kuna. If you are going to be in Croatia for more than a day, then the ATM is a good idea for getting some Kuna. If you are just going to Dubrovnik and staying in the old town, you can use euros in many places, just ask first if they take euros. We did not need to get any Kuna for our day in Dubrovnik.