There is a prejudice among some tourists that Kaspiysk, located in Dagestan, is not the best place to travel. Someone speaks about the complete lack of tourist infrastructure, and someone about the incorrect behavior of local residents. Therefore, before making a decision and going on a trip, it is recommended to study the reviews of those who happened to be there 1-2 years ago, find out what the pros and cons are, and what to expect from a holiday in Kaspiysk.
Kaspiysk is a small town located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, in the Republic of Dagestan. Nearby is a large Dagestan city - Makhachkala. Kaspiysk is not a resort town, but it attracts a large number of tourists from the south of Russia and other regions.
Below are detailed reviews of tourists who have visited Kaspiysk, which contain information about the pros and cons of rest in this city, talk about the sea, about the beaches, about the quality of service, living conditions, food and the level of safety of visitors.
Alexey, 26 years old, vacationing in June 2017
- Pros: hospitable, sincere people who will shelter, feed, give to drink; beautiful nature, clear sea, affordable prices for budget tourists.
- Cons: I have not identified.
In early June, four of our friends went hitchhiking from Novosibirsk to Georgia and Azerbaijan, and decided to stop by Dagestan, so during the trip we met cool guys from Makhachkala, who invited us to visit for a couple of days. We, of course, took advantage of the generous offer, since the money was almost 0 by the end of the trip.
On the second day of our stay in Makhachkala, we went to Kaspiysk. You can get to it by bus, which costs only 10 rubles!
The sea is clean, the crowded beach is average. The city beach is sandy, there are small pebbles and shells. Just like in Crimea or on the beaches of the Krasnodar Territory, there is a beach infrastructure: you can rent a sun lounger, buy boiled corn, crayfish, cold beer, etc. The difference is only in prices, here they are much lower.
In local cafes and restaurants, the food is tasty and satisfying, and the prices are ridiculous. For four for one meal, we spent on average 1100-1300 rubles, and at the same time literally overeat, as we took soups, and kebabs, and barbecue.
There were no conflicts with the local population. On the contrary, some of the locals showed the road and advice on where to go and what to see. Nobody robbed us, on the contrary, a couple of times they even gave us a ride for free and once treated us to fruit when they found out that we were from Siberia.
Irina, 31 years old, rested in May 2017
- Pros: good beach, clear sea, beautiful nature, low prices, you can comfortably relax with children.
- Cons: tourism is poorly developed.
Every year the whole family (me, my husband and daughter 2, 8 g) go on vacation to the mountains by the sea. This year we have chosen between Georgia, Dagestan, Abkhazia and Crimea. We read reviews of vacationers, photos, watched video reviews of bloggers, and decided to go to Dagestan, to the city of Kaspiysk. When friends and acquaintances were informed about this, everyone had the same reaction: "Are you crazy? It's dangerous there too! Even with a Rebecque." But we were determined.
I want to note that there is no point in contacting local travel agencies: tourism is very poorly developed there, and there are no worthwhile proposals. Therefore, we ourselves searched and booked accommodation through Booking, looked for guides through social networks, and arranged excursions.
Since we have a small child, we traveled by plane. Since we bought tickets back in December, one ticket cost about 3 thousand rubles, so for three the round trip was 21 thousand rubles. Taxi from the airport to the city - 250-300 rubles.
We also booked a hotel in Kaspiysk in advance, so we managed to check into a good room at a cost of 1300 rubles per day for three. The room is cozy, with two beds, air conditioning, a bathroom, a balcony with a beautiful view, and a large flat-screen TV. The hotel has its own restaurant and bar. Also, guests could use a washing machine, iron and ironing facilities, which is very convenient when you have a small child. And a nice bonus is free Wi-Fi. For comparison, similar numbers in Anapa and Gelendzhik cost 2500-3000 rubles for three, in Crimea - 3000-3500 rubles.
As for food, everything is fine in Kaspiysk. Of course, you can't find delicacies and complex overseas dishes there, but we just got along with cereals, soups, kebabs and other national food. Food prices are low, so we ate in cafes and restaurants, had a snack during the day with fruit, and in general, our food turned out to be tasty, high-calorie, varied and not very expensive.
The beach in the city is clean and sandy. The entrance to the water is convenient. My daughter really liked it, she splashed, swam on a circle and collected a bunch of shells on the beach. There are children's paddling pools, where the water is knee-deep, a lot of children swim there and free swimming lessons are held for children from 5 to 12 years old.
On weekdays, there are few people on the beach, so there is always an opportunity to comfortably settle down. You can rent a sunbed, which costs 100 rubles per day.
As for the local population, we did not have any problems or conflicts. Nobody pestered on the streets and shouted after. On the embankment and on the beach, there were many old people who played checkers and backgammon. In general, everything is quiet, calm and cultural.
Adilya, rested in July 2018
- Pros: quiet, comfortable, beautiful, clean sea, sandy beach.
- Cons: I saw a couple of times that men walk around with weapons, and this is scary.
I live in Makhachkala, but I prefer to spend my holidays exclusively in Kaspiysk. The city itself is quiet and calm. Beautiful blue sea, small waves, on which it is pleasant to swing. The beach is clean, sandy, with small pebbles and shells, it is very pleasant to lie on it, sunbathe.
The food here is delicious and the prices are ridiculous. My husband and I have a favorite cafe there, where we dined for 2 years in a row, so once we were even fed for free as regular customers. And they always served us kindly! The food is always fresh, the portions are large.
Local residents and men are quite adequate, and are no different from other men. They were just brought up differently. Of course, smoking and drinking half-naked girls, behaving provocatively, will not delight them. The same applies to visiting men: behave culturally, and you will not have any problems with the locals.
Olesya, 24 years old, had a rest in August 2018
- Pros: beautiful nature, inexpensive food and accommodation, clean Caspian sea, hospitable people.
- Cons: tourism is poorly developed, food is mostly national.
My husband and I decided to go to Dagestan for a week, climb the mountains. The mountains there, of course, are amazing, but on the 3rd day we decided to take a short break and relax on the sea. Our choice fell on the small town of Kaspiysk.
The city itself is as popular with tourists as other Russian cities - Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, etc. But, as they say, the fewer people.
We had not booked accommodation in advance, so when we arrived, we began to ask the locals about accommodation options. We, of course, were advised a bunch of different hotels, a camping site, a recreation center, but we were determined to rent an apartment in the private sector for 2 nights. As a result, in about an hour we found a suitable option, an excellent small house for 2500 rubles for 2 nights.
The sea pleased us: warm, blue, with clean, transparent water. The beach itself is covered with soft, pleasant sand with small smooth stones. In the summer, even during the high season, there are not many people there.
There are a bunch of different cafes and food stalls near the beach. The prices are delicious: shawarma - 80-100 rubles, salads - 60-100 rubles, first courses 50-100 rubles, side dishes - 30-40 rubles, second courses - 50-120 rubles. The portions are getting bigger. The only drawback is that the menu is simple and monotonous everywhere. And for a week of rest, I already want some kind of variety.
There is also plenty of entertainment besides the beach. There is a cinema, bars, clubs, and a water park. There are no special sights (or we didn’t find). There are only a few monuments on the waterfront.
In general, I liked the rest in Dagestan, although I would like it, tourism in this region was more developed, since it is very difficult to get to some beautiful and interesting places.
