Car Hire Simferopol Airport

Simferopol Mini Guide

Who Flies to Simferopol Airport?
It used to be communist party officials from the Soviet Union who’d come for a holiday on the Black Sea coast and then business travellers making mega-roubles in the post-Soviet economic prosperity. Things have settled down now and you’ll find many tourists seeking alternative destinations. The lack of flights from Western Europe means that most of the tourists you’ll encounter will be Russian or Eastern European but they can be a friendly bunch.

How Easy is it to get to Simferopol Airport?
You’re going to struggle a little bit if you’re not Eastern European. With no direct flights from any Western European airports, not even Heathrow, your only alternatives are to fly to Riga in Latvia and continue your journey from there. Bizarrely, Riga is considered to be the hub for Simferopol Airport. Alternatively, you could fly to Moscow and connect there but Riga flights are usually cheaper.

What is the Airport Like?
The airport building was renewed in 2018 with a new terminal 1km away from the old terminal. The new terminal has 8 gates,  16 escalators,  28 lifts and an impressive 55 check in counters. A handful of shops sell a variety of local products and there’s a duty free selling the excellent Crimean wine along with other alcohol, notably vodka. The café before and after security gets quite busy and is production line food to cope with the demand. It fills a hole but couldn’t be called gourmet. There’s a currency exchange facility and a cash machine so you won’t be stuck for money.