California has a city of Sebastopol, named after this one.
The population is still largely ethnically Russian and the population's sympathies still lie largely with Moscow rather than Kiev. City residents have strongly protested the visit of American naval ships and Ukrainian interest in joining the NATO alliance. Russian politicians, including the Mayor of Moscow, have even suggested Crimea and specifically, Sevastopol, joining the Russian Federation. While peaceful and stable, the political orientation towards Moscow, continues to define Crimea and Sevastopol.
The major features of the city are on two streets, ul. Lenina and ul. Bolshoya Morskaya; there is a hill between them, on which is ul. Sovietska; there are numerous steps to get up and across the hill. Marshrutki tend to go up one of these streets and down the other; at the south end of ul. Lenina you can turn left to get to the train station and the bus-station.
Getting around Sevastopol, on a day to day basis, is much like getting around many Ukrainian cities -- by foot, by mini-bus (marshrutka), and by city bus. Given the hilly terrain and circuitous routes created as Sevastopol grew around its bays and shoreline, walking is less likely to be efficient, especially after one leaves the city center.
Note that English maps and schedules for buses do not appear available (based on internet searching) and that one may need to depend on the word of citizens, operators, and fellow passengers to find the right route and stop. Buses and marshrutkas are economical, though often crowded, with marshrutkas being faster and slightly more expensive. Some travel sites (e.g., virtualtourist.com) contain comments recommending boats/skiffs that will take tourists to beaches and islands. Note that its much harder to get off boats if you realize you are on the wrong one and it is also difficult to leave a dicey location if the only transport is by boat.
Good road maps of the town (with street names in both Latin and Cyrillic characters) cost 7.5UAH from press kiosks.
Sevastopol is a good jumping-off place to see some of the sites from the Crimean War. There is an amazing museum called a Panorama, which depicts the siege of Sebastopol (from the Russian point of view) with a display a little like a diaorama, but much more impressive - there is a huge circular canvas of about 2000 square metres as a backdrop, and then lots of props such as cannons and models of redoubts in the foreground. It's narrated in Russian but you can hire an audioguide in English or French. Admission is about 20UAH plus 5UAH for a camera.
There is a park with war memorials on Sapun Gor nearby, though it focuses on the battles of the World War Two siege of Sevastopol. You can visit the "Valley of Death", where the famous Charge of the Light Brigade occurred, and you can also visit nearby Balaklava, site of another famous battle, and an interesting little town, formerly a Russian submarine port.
The Greek city of Chersonessus is located about three kilometres from Sebastopol, within the city centre; admission is 10UAH plus 5UAH for a camera, there is a good guidebook available from the ticket office for 15UAH. This is where Volodymyr, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised; there is a large cathedral at the spot, rebuilt in 1999 after being closed down by the Soviets in the 1920s and blown up by the Nazis in 1944. Also on the site are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns, and the 'foggy bell', made of melted-down Turkish cannons in the late 1700s, which was taken to Paris after the Crimean War and returned in 1914.
There are many Soviet war memorials - Sevastopol is one of the thirteen Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War. There is a large statue of Lenin, with soldiers, peasants and workers, on ul. Sovietska which is the spine of the main section of the city. There is a statue of Nakhimov, who defeated the Turkish fleet and masterminded the defence of Sevastopol at the time of the Crimean War, in a square at the head of the main part of the city.
In the Park Panorama sits the famous Diorama museum dedicated to the Crimean War. It features a massive diorama depicting the siege of Sevastopol by the British and French Allies. The museum was heavily bombed during WWII and meticulously restored in the 1950's. Admission is 25UAH for adults. Occasionally they offer English tours, but there is signage in English.
Ride the ferry boats crossing the bay. Common routes include those to a number of locations on the north side of town, where the best white sand beach and small airfield are. Locals use these north/south ferries to commute to and from work. Price of the ferries is only 2.5UAH (~$.70) and they travel all over the city and it is a good way to get photos of the various landmarks.
In the summer, there are numerous tented beer bars on the waterfront. It's great for watching the ships entering the bay and the beautiful and skinny scantily clad Ukrainian and Russian girls prance the boulevard in their high heels.
Please note, that Sevastopol was a closed city during the Soviet period. Residents, as in other ethnic Russian areas, are not impressed with foreigners who have no appreciation or understanding of their language and culture. Probably fewer than 30 percent of the locals have a working knowledge of English and only about ten percent of those 30 percent CARE to speak English with foreigners who display the attitude that English is the universal language. If, on the other hand, you have bothered to master a basic understanding of Russian and show a little humility, Sevastopol locals, like Russians elsewhere, will often go out of their way to communicate with you, most often by adapting their speech as if they were speaking to a five year old or whatever your level is.
Sevastopol, like most any ethnic Russian town, is a challenge, but certainly worth the attempt for all interested in its unique charm and war history.
There are lots of boutiques on Bolshoi Morskoe if you want fashionable clothes. Debit and credit cards are accepted in most shops in the city, but not accepted in markets. There are a lot of ATM machines.
The restaurant 'Rybatsky Stan' on the West side of Artillery Bay has excellent fish dishes; it's a bit expensive, perhaps 200UAH per head for a meal without wine.
Ukrainiski Shinok is an excellent authentic Ukrainian Restaurant on the basement level of the Hotel Sevastopol in the Center.
Ostroi Sushi (Eastern Sushi) is quite the landmark in the center where the ferries dock at Artillery Bay. They are also one of the few wifi spots in the city. Meals are over $20.
The McDonalds in the center is probably the most popular restaurant in the city and a hangout for many teenagers.
You should try original and real "Baklava", which is different than the Greek or Turkish versions. European soldiers fighting in the Crimean War coined the term "Baklava" while fighting in Sevastopol and neighboring Balaklav from the local fried bread coated in honey popular in the region. Hence, the name, Baklava, was imported to the West. It's a thin unleavened fried flour bread covered in honey and sold in small stores and on beaches by vendors.
The popular Pizza Celentano located in the city centre serves cheap and delicious pizzas, fruit salad, pancakes and drinks. There is a vast range of toppings to be chosen for the pizzas and pancakes. If you're lucky the staff will speak some English.
This is a major naval port, there are lots of places selling beer. If you prefer your beer in the company of ladies other than fully-clad, then the bar 'Shock' at 32 ul. Bolshoi Morskoe will probably satisfy you; there is a similar such bar in the square where Morskoe and Lenina meet, but it is much more expensive.
Hotel Sevastopol is in the very center with a great view of the bay. Rooms run from $50-200/night.
Hotel Ukraine is in the center across from the Panarama Park. Rooms range from $35-100/night. The rooms are quite standard.
Hotel Olymp is only about 100m from the Hotel Ukraine on a quite street. Rooms range from $75-120/night. It is a nicer and newer hotel, but lacks an elevator, which is useful if lugging heavy bags up four floors.
For comfortable apartments in the center of sevastopol please see www.travel2sevastopol.com
There are also numerous advertisements for apartments on the streets and vendors at the bus and train stations. In the summer they can run up to $100/night in the center.
Ostroi Sushi in the center of Artillery Bay has wireless. The Greenwich Coffee House at #15 Admiral Oktyobraskaya (~300 m West of Bolshaya Morskaya) also has wifi in a starbuck's like atmosphere.
The Main Post Office in the center on Bolshoya Morskaya has a large internet cafe. The Hotel Crimea (Gastonitza Krim) has an internet cafe that is open 24 hours a day.
None of these locations have english speaking staff.
One of the nicer beaches is located approximately 30 minutes from the city in the village of Loobeemovka. It is a sandy beach with hundreds of tourists in the summer.
The city of Balaklava is approximately 45 minutes away and popular for it's underground submarine port that is now a tourist site.