Sochi is the main Russian resort of the last decade. The Olympics and the World Cup turned the “all-Russian health resort” into a modern resort town, albeit with some colorful features. Despite the significant increase in prices, there is still something to do and have fun in Sochi even with completely empty pockets.
Go to the beach
Modernization is modernization, but a huge number of people still go to Sochi solely for the Black Sea and beach holidays. In recent years, the central beaches have noticeably transformed: they have been improved, cleaned and various activities have been added (on the Riviera beach there is a gym complex and a volleyball court – all freely accessible). A little advice: although the central Sochi beaches are now really decent, don’t be too lazy to get to the wild beaches on the border with Abkhazia with crystal clear water and a much more modest number of vacationers.
Interesting excursions from local residents in Sochi
Combine business with pleasure on the path to health
The Sochi health path is a walking route laid out back in the 30s of the last century. In Soviet times, sanatoriums actively recommended walking in the forest to improve the health of the body, after which the health path was abandoned and restored only before the Olympics.
The route starts from the Matsesta sculpture and stretches for five kilometers through the forest and along the sea. Terraincourt is great for both light promenade and jogging.
Where is: Kurortny Avenue, 110
Take a walk in the Olympic Park
One of the main places of the 2014 Olympic Games, now it is a huge urban park with a dozen sports arenas and free admission. What to do in the Olympic Park? Walk, photograph Olympic venues and watch the daily show of singing fountains (right under the Olympic torch stele). If you have a longboard, a bicycle or any other wheeled vehicle, then everything becomes simply wonderful, because the Olympic Park is the best place for riding in the city. By the way, an ultra-modern skate park was recently opened there.
Where is: Adler district, Imeretinskaya lowland, Olympic Avenue, 21
Listen to street musicians on Navaginskaya
Photo: @assielle/Instagram.com
Navaginskaya is the main pedestrian street of the city with a bunch of trendy coffee shops, street food, palm trees, small monuments and even a modest bicycle path. The cozy atmosphere and developed infrastructure have made Navaginskaya incredibly popular, so at any time you can meet a huge number of people walking there. And where there are people, there are street musicians. Every evening the street turns into a live version of iTunes: modern classics, rock concerts, a Game of Thrones screensaver from a miniature symphony orchestra, piano and some kind of ethno.
Take photos of all Youfeelmyskill graffiti
Photo: @katie.manko/Instagram.com
Youfeelmyskill are two guys from Belarus, whose graffiti has become one of the symbols of modern Sochi. The guys created a huge number of different social projects: Leonid Bykov the size of a five-story building, Jacques Cousteau on the coast, Tony Hawk on the ramp of a skate park, the design of the Metreveli stadium. The works are made in the same style and are scattered throughout the city, so finding them all is just another route quest.
Visit the largest temple in the city
Photo: Norma Kirinovich
The city has a larger number of churches of different religions and denominations, but the largest of them is the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael. This is the first Orthodox church on the territory of Sochi, built back in 1890. In fact, this is not just a temple, but a real church quarter with a temple complex, a Sunday school, a baptismal center and a very cozy shady park.
Where is: Moskvina street, 12
Swim in a mountain river
Photo: @romshell/Instagram.com
A fact that has already become a kind of tale: locals do not swim in the sea, but go to the river. The water there is much cleaner and cooler, there are much fewer tourists – there are plenty of advantages to a “river” holiday. On the territory of greater Sochi (especially in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana and in the Lazarevsky district) there are a huge number of mountain rivers, but the most accessible option would be to go towards the villages of Plastunka and Orekhovka, to the middle reaches of the Sochi River. The easiest way to get to Plastunka itself is by bus No. 114, which you can take directly from the train station.
See Sochi from the top of the mountain
Photo: @papapunda/Instagram.com
To do this, you don’t even have to spend money on ski lifts in Krasnaya Polyana. There is a much more accessible and simpler option in the form of a mountain with the laconic name Battery. The height of the battery is only 146 meters above sea level, but this was enough to become the highest point of the historical center of Sochi. The mountain has an interesting history: in the mid-19th century, local tribes used it to shell the Navaginsky fort, and during the Caucasian War there was an artillery battery here (hence the name). In 1977, a view tower “Rose of the Winds” was built on the top of the mountain, which was restored quite recently (however, the entrance to it is paid, but quite symbolically – 50 rubles), and next to the tower there is an old house, around which many myths have developed (allegedly Fyodor Chaliapin won it at cards and immediately lost). Photos from Battery really come out very good.
Where are: address of the viewing platform – Alpiyskaya street, 18a
Hide in the shadows of one of the parks
Photo: @snvsk/Instagram.com
Sochi has a large number of parks, but not all of them have free access. Of the completely free parks, it is worth highlighting:
- Riviera Park. The most famous park in the city, founded back in the 19th century. Despite the countless attractions of the early 2000s, the Riviera is an excellent option for hiking and studying botany (there are about 240 plant species).
- Sanatorium “Ordzhonikidze”. The building is closed for restoration, but you can enter its park area. And it’s definitely worth doing. “Ordzhonikidze” is an example of the Stalinist Empire style of real imperial scope. It was here that the famous Soviet film “Old Man Hottabych” was filmed.
- Garden “Phytophantasia”. A small botanical garden located behind the Winter Theater building. Here, in a relatively small area, more than 300 species of plants were collected. Nearby, by the way, there is a pump room for drinking mineral waters, which is also absolutely free.
Where are: Riviera Park (Egorova St., 1), sanatorium “Ordzhonikidze” (Kurortny Prospekt, 96/5), garden “Fitophantasia” (Teatralnaya, 4a).
Text: Roman Dementiev
