In generally the situation is next.
The southern part of peninsula is mostly dense inhabited and crowded, the eastern part is lesser crowded. About western part of Crimea i can't say - never been there. Nothern part of peninsula is mostly sun-scorched plain.
In july-august there are many tourists. Lesser In june and a few in may (exception is first half of may - because of holidays) and september/october.
The shoreline and vicinity is the most crowded but the woods which are farther from shoreline lies almost undisturbed (exeption is commercially developed tourist attractions).
There are national forest reserves which is closed to visitors, some of them are opened to excursions, some are completely closed.
Most of southern part of Crimean peninsula is very dense inhabitated, many spots are "tourist developed" and "civilized". Where to camp there i can't say - i hadn't been there for a long time. In eastern generally wild camping is possible (except forest reserves).


I try to tell what i know (sorry for my english and keep in mind that sometimes i speak about matter "in general" so there can be little differences in details). Hope you'll find useful next advices.

Be sure that on beach all prices are higher.

Because i almost all time live in a wild i wear a little dirty (dirt doesn't hurt ) old used clothing of grey or green color, that clearly indicates that i do not have much money - that often keeps me from a lot of problems.

Be very carefull when you are riding the road where cars drive. The stupid drivers (there are plenty of them - you even can't imagine how much) very often kills somebody(other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists) in a accidents, often kills themselfes . This is definetely NOT A EUROPE. Remember that. If it's possible - ride by sidewalk (path where pedestrians go, sorry for my english) - nobody will punish you for that (the traffic police never (i had not seen even a single case) pay any attention to bicyclysts). I personally ride the pedestrians path anywhere where it's possible and sometimes ride by the road in a "wrong side" (don't know how to say this in english) to see cars that is driving by the side of the road which i'm riding (i'm ashamed for my english but please try to understand what i mean).

About cuisine, caffes and restaurants.
Eating at caffes and restaurants is "russian roulette" (you can get really sick) because sanitary conditions is sometimes terrible there (not always of course, but be warned).
I personally live in a forest and cook by myself on wild fire so i had not such problems. I think that it's better to buy some bread, pack of juice or something like that (always look at "best before" data, the shops sometime sell food with this term passed), some fresh vegetables at the market (do not forget to wash them . I don't recommend to buy meat, sausages and so, exception is fish in metal cans, but keep in mind that it can be bad too, the best before term can be passed and so).
In shops always look at "best before" data on food products, sometimes they sell products with this term passed. Try to avoid perishable food. The refrigerators are bad and weak almost everywhere. Maybe things are not so bad like i'd described but it will definetly keep you from food-poisonings.

Remember DO NOT BUY AND DO NOT EAT smoked (or dried? do not know how to say it in english) fish that is sold everywhere there - that is dangerous, you can get really, really sick, even die. I can say that about any food sold at beach but fish is MOSTLY DANGEROUS. That's not a joke, do not listen to anybody who say different. Do not eat mushrooms which local's gather (this is dangerous too - the locals say that this is safe and they eat this mushrooms anytime and that they know which mushroom is eatable and which is not, but do not listen to them, sometimes people dies from the mushroom poisoning (even eatable mushrooms can become deadly poison under certain circumstances).

I do not recommend to buy homemade wines, so called "domashnie" - usually it's not good (even if it tastes good it is not so for many reasons, it can be even dangerous to your health - just believe me), do not listen to people which sell it - i personally tasted a good homemade wine only once and it was made by the friend of mine for himself, not for sell. Of course you can get poisoned by drink and robbed. There are many vineyards in the region, so look for wine shops which sell wines directly from the wineyard where wines are produced.
For example i know most wine producing wineyards at east Crimea well (don't ask why ) One is in Koktebel not in town but near it - you can see a white (or pastel cream color - i don't remember) columns by the road (if you go by the main road to Koktebel (from Feodosia direction) that'll be on your left side, if you'll go from Koktebel (to Feodosia) it'll be to the right) just before town Koktebel begins - so take a turn from the main road and go by the road which begins from the columns to the sea. About half way to the sea there will be an entrance to wineyard and a shop there. Wines are fine and cheap. As i remember dry red are "Pino-Fran", "Merlo", "Kaberne" (i like "Pino-Fran"), white dry i remember only "Risling" and "Pino-Blan". Don't be shy - buy a bottle and drink it without a glass just from the bottle neck - no one will even look at you. Some wines can be poured out from the barrel to any bottle (PET usually) that you'll bring with you in any quantity, there is not large selection of this wines - usually it's port weins like "White Admiral" or "Admiral's White" or "Admiral's Red" or another one (depends on season). Another shop (wines are from the same wineyard) with same wines is in the center of Schebetovka village (there is usually larger pour-out wines selection).
In the center of Solnechnaya Dolina village is another wine shop with different wines from different wineyard. Wines are fine and cheap. Guaranteed original. Pour-out wines exist there too.
There is a wineyard in Sudak citi and a wineshop also, but personally i'd tried it only once and i didn't liked a red dry which i bought there.

I like very much lemonade in glass bottles. The recipe and technology of production is the same as in Soviet-times was. The glass bottle looks like projectile (wonder why). There is two brands - "Krym" (bottled at Simferopol) and simply "Lemonade" (bottled at Sevastopol). Ask it cold an try at least one time - it's hard to find such anywhere else.
Good local mineral water is from mineral water resort town Saki - it's bottled in 1 or 2 L PET bottles with simply white labels with name "Krymskaya". The "Myrgorodskaya" mineral water is fine too but it is not of crimean origin.
Try blue onion - it's sold there almost everywhere, it's unique and don't grow anywhere else (at least in our country), i like it much and i think you'll like it too.
Also i recommend you to try round flat breads which crimean tatar's bake. This breads can be found sold with other bread in shops (without plastic wrap usually), or tatar grannies sold this breads at the markets, or on the beach sometimes can be founded a traditional tatar oven's where this breads are sold too. The breads are of two types - bigger ones and smaller ones - bigger ones are made from puff paste, so personally i like smaller ones more than puff-pastry bigger ones.


Beware of forest fires (it's very easy to start one) and keep in mind that there are many foresters wandering the forests (they fears forest fires and tourists which in most cases cause forest fires so they will be unhappy with your presence). In the southern Crimea there is plenty of them, but in eastern Crimea not so many (still sometimes i feel myself like some sort of guerrilla fighter ) When you wandering in the woods it is usefull to keep separetely small amount of money to give to foresters if they'll ask (this happens rarely and probably 5-10 USD in local currency is enough (it's about 20-50 hryvnyas), but keep away from closed national forest resortes there nothing won't help)

Traveller must be warned that in may, june and in july (at least first half of july) mites (ticks? sorry i do not know correct name of this insects in english) are very active in Crimean forests and proper repellent must be used (and proper closed clothing must be weared). Be sure to examine carefully your body each evening after forest travelling. Clothing must be examined too.
Those insects can even infect you (i don't know what is it's english name but this disease is terrible - paralysis and death as result). But don't be scared - that happens very rare (they bite me a couple of times - i'm still alive) but need to be careful anyway.
You must use repellent and wear hat and closed clothing when you go to forests, it's not funny at all to remove this insects - when they bite you they remains on your skin (insect get it's head through your skin to suck your blood) and must be removed very carefully by counterclockwise turning (2 or 3 turns usually) and very slight pulling (if you do this in wrong way the head of insect will be left under your skin) - the small tweezers (or small pincers? don't know which word is correct) is a right tool for that turning and pulling - must have. Anyway don't be scared, if you know how to it's easy to remove them. And do not forget examine your body to find them.
Mosquitos can be found in some places too.

There lives poisonous vipers, so look under your feet and be careful in wild grass areas. Poison spiders exists too (some examples can be seen in the museum of nature at Biostation at the foot of Karadag mountain).
I do not know english name of that plant but latin name is Dictamnus (i'm sure you will easily find an information on it). Do not smell it (it blossoms in may-june and has large flowes of purple-rose color) it can damage your skin and if you'll smell it's flowers you will burn your lungs for sure.

The sea is not clear near towns but exist places where water is like crystal. I'd been there (i'd lived a couple of weeks ont a wild shore in a hut that i'd build from the washed away wooden wrecks - it looks like a hut of a shipwrecked pirate so i'd made a pirate banner (jolly roger) from cotten towel blackened by charcoal - it's harder from year to year to find such places but they still exist.
I'd seen myself how dolphines hunt and jump high out of the water near shore rocks so close to me like at "dolphine show"


I'm a little tired typing.