Duration: approx. 7 hours, lunch not included

Located on the Crimea peninsula in Ukraine, the resort town of Yalta is home to Livadia Palace – the White Palace. Not only was it the last vacation residence of the tsar, it also played host to Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the momentous 1945 Yalta Conference that went on to decide the future fate of Europe. The building itself is about 100 years old and also includes the royal family’s beautiful former private chapel. Next up is a photo stop at the turreted castle known as the Swallow’s Nest, so named due to its precarious position on the very edge of a dramatic 40-metre precipice overlooking the Black Sea. Built between 1911 and 1912, this Neo-Gothic castle is a true châteaux fantastique in every sense of the term. An enjoyable return journey then takes you back to the port.

A little inland from the port of Yalta on the Black Sea lies the town of Massandra, which was founded on the spot once occupied by an ancient Greek settlement. An interesting guided tour of the palace of Alexander III, the tsar of Russia in the late 19^th century, then follows. The elegant Baroque palace was historically used to welcome the Russian Romanoff family. During the visit you can admire sumptuous décor, furniture, documents and photographs. The beautiful palace grounds are also open to visitors and certainly worth a look. A stop to take photographs will then be made at the castle called the Swallow’s Nest. The eyrie-like position of this turreted Neo-Gothic castle, which is approx. 100 years old, on the edge of a high cliff gave rise to the name and affords wonderful views of the Black Sea below.