UNique - 5/10

Just outside of Sevastopol, Crimea, the ruins of the nearly 2500-year-old town of Chersonesos remind us of the wide-reaching influence of the ancient Greek civilization. Founded in the 5th century BCE, it has traded hands from the Greeks to the Romans to the Byzantine Empire. The influences of each civilization can be found in the architecture that is remaining to be visible for the present-day visitors. The site's highlight is the so-called 1935 Basilica (named after the year it was discovered), which, with its collapsed columns and doorways provide a picturesque landscape.

ESsential - 3/10

The city played an important part in the struggle between medieval Slavic kingdom of Kievan Rus and Byzantine Empire. Being the strongest northern outpost of Byzantium, it was subjected to numerous seiges by the Slavs. In 988, the town was captured by Kievan Prince Vladimir, who negotiated a peace treaty with the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, which included marrying Basil's daughter. Such an arrangement with a pagan caused an outrage in Constantinople, and Vladimir was forced to convert to Christianity. According to the legend, Vladimir was baptized in Chersonesos, an event which paved for the Christianization of the entire Kievan Rus.

COst-effective - 7/10

The site can be easily visited by a Sevastopol bus or marshrutka. The entrance to the site is free, however the entry to the exhibitions and guided tours cost 100 and 400 rubles respectively.