Trip around Black Sea
 

Hi there,
We are looking at the possibility of doing a trip around the Black Sea (clockwise). I understand that no visa is required for Ukraine, can you get a transit visa for Russia and Georgia?
It'll be a quick trip, so if anyone has any highlights we should definitely see, the info would be really appreciated.

Regards
Andrew

You should change your plan because you can't go from Russia to Georgia overland because the region is war zone and closed to foreigners. Your only option is to ship your bike from Ukraine to Georgia or Turkey by ferry.

Much depends on your own Passport.

For those travelling on an EU member state passport, a Business or Tourist Visa is needed for Russia.

But, as Rebaseonu says, there is no way anyone can cross a Russia/Georgia ground border. Until recently there were no flights between the two, but I don't know the latest situation - they may have been, or may be, restored.

And there would be no way of going the long way around Georgia as Azberadjan borders are only open to CIS (former Soviet Union states) passport holders.

There are numberous ferries from the Russian Black sea ports (Sochi is the farthest one clockwise) to many places - except Georgia!

Instead, I would stay in that part of Russia and enjoy the north Caucuses mountains. Truely breathtaking scenery. All main roads in good sealed condition and a full range of other surfaces on minor roads/tracks depending on what you like, and interesting towns and villages. Biggest traffic problems (apart from roads police) are animals roaming on the tracks. Horses, cattle, fowl etc - not bears, although there are some deep in the hills.

Probably better to keep away from Dagestan and Chechnia.

Hi, i am also planning a clockwise loop of the Black Sea this summer. i plan to take the ferry from Sochi (Russia) to Trazbon (Turkey) then into Georgia. This seems the easiest way around the 'Georgia' problem. Andy

That's the best way, border is closed.

Black sea jamboree
 

We did this trip in 2006 anticlockwise, we too had to take the ferry from Trabzon to Sochi and missed out Georgia altogether which was a shame but unavoidable for us at the time.

Hard to give a list of highlights as the whole trip was just fantastic but a few must sees for us were:-

The Nuclear Submarine maintenance works in Balaclava (Ukraine)
Transfagarian Highway in Romania
Crossing the Bosphorous
Amazra small fishing bay in Northern Turkey


Have a great time

Thanks for the replies, we will be going by car, and will begin to look into the alternatives. We are on UK passports, so shouldn't have too much hassle on that side of things.
The other tips on things to see was very useful as well..

Cheers