The Chekhov Museum, Yalta (must see)

The Chekhov Museum, also known as the White Dacha, is one of Crimea’s most cherished literary landmarks. This charming house was built in 1899, when the great Russian playwright and short-story master Anton Pavlovich Chekhov moved to Yalta seeking relief from tuberculosis. The peaceful surroundings, sea air, and mild climate offered the ideal retreat for his final years. Here, amid cypress trees and views of the Black Sea, Chekhov wrote some of his most famous works, including The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, and The Lady with the Dog.

The house itself reflects Chekhov’s personality—modest, practical, and filled with quiet elegance. Designed according to his own sketches, it features whitewashed walls, light-filled rooms, and a wraparound veranda where he often received visitors such as Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, and Ivan Bunin. Inside, the museum preserves Chekhov’s original belongings: his writing desk, letters, medical instruments, and even his walking stick, offering a rare glimpse into his daily life and working habits.

Visitors can walk through the study where The Cherry Orchard took shape, view family photographs, and sense the atmosphere of early 20th-century Crimea. The museum’s intimate scale makes it easy to imagine Chekhov pausing by the window to observe the garden or the distant shimmer of the sea.

Surrounding the dacha is a garden planted under Chekhov’s supervision, still blooming with roses and lilacs. Together, the house and garden form a quiet refuge that preserves not only the memory of the writer but also the spirit of introspection and simplicity that defined his art.