The resort recreation area called Big Sochi begins behind Tuapse and ends at the border with Abkhazia. Its length is 105 km. In addition to the city of Sochi itself, it includes towns and villages that are very popular with tourists.
Greater Sochi can be described in a few words - warm sea, comfortable beaches, subtropical climate, lush greenery and proximity to the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort. It becomes clear that this is practically a paradise, and it is intended not only for beach lovers, because the question "Where to go in Sochi?" here no one asks, because there are just a lot of options for spending time.
Top 10 sights of Sochi
Sochi beaches
The main thing for which thousands of tourists come to Sochi every year are its beaches. They have a pebble cover, which in some places is interspersed with gray sand. In fact, this sand is small pebbles.
In Greater Sochi, there are beaches for every taste: noisy, "wild" (look for them closer to Tuapse), nudist, built-up cafes and souvenir kiosks, rental offices of sun loungers, umbrellas, catamarans, etc. The best beaches in Sochi include "Albatross", which is located away from the main attractions. For a long time, tourists did not pay attention to it because of the inconvenient road, so here, mainly, the rest of the locals. The beach is covered with gray sand and is considered optimal for family tourists with small children. Infrastructure in the form of toilets and changing cabins is available.
There will always be people on the Mayak beach, located right in the center of the city. It is worth resting here if you plan to go out during the day - to shops, cafes, etc. Noisy parties are held here on weekends during the high season.
One more Sochi beach is also worthy of the closest attention. It is called "Riviera" and is located near the park of the same name. Active tourists choose this corner by the sea. In the mornings, people here do yoga, play beach volleyball during the day, and in the evenings they dance until they drop to fiery music.
More about beaches in Sochi
Vacation with children
Family tourists who are interested in the question of where to go in Sochi with a child will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of places suitable for kids. The route of good parents will probably include:
- Riviera Park is a place for decent walks with comfortable paths, a pump room and thickets of magnolias, and at the same time an entertainment center in Sochi. There are four sectors with attractions, a dolphinarium, a go-kart track, sports grounds and a cinema;
- water parks. In Greater Sochi, there are water parks in every district. In the Central District, on the territory of which Sochi itself is located, on Primorskaya Street there is a water park "Mayak";
- a skypark that is more suitable for teenagers than for toddlers. Look for this extreme park, where you can walk along a tall suspension bridge, jump on a bungee, master a rope route, feel like a climber, exploring the path of Via Ferrata, which follows between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana;
- the circus. It is located near the Arboretum, on Deputatskaya Street. Not a single child will refuse to visit funny circus shows;
- Sochi Discovery World Aquarium is an underwater kingdom consisting of 29 rooms with aquariums, a glass tunnel, quiet ponds with carp. Here you can see how sharks are fed and swim with marine life in the same tank. The Oceanarium is located in Adler.
Where to go for a walk with children in Sochi
Natural attractions
While on holiday in Sochi, you can go on excursions even every day - and still there will be places that you will not have time to see. It is worth planning trips to several natural tourist sites.
The most picturesque area of Greater Sochi is Lazarevsky, which is located between Tuapse and Sochi. It is there that the amazing beauty of the Mamedovo Gorge is located - a crevice created by the Kuapse River. Its main treasure is a multi-level waterfall, the water of which is considered magical. It is collected in three bowls, which have self-explanatory names - "Beauty", "Health and Youth" and "Love". To get all these benefits of life, you just need to bathe in a tank with a suitable name.
Another place where landscapes are worthy of the pages of glossy magazines is the Svir Gorge.
In the vicinity of the village of Volkonka, you can find the perfectly preserved Volkonsky dolmen and the Dva Brata rock. Behind Volkonka there will be the village of Golovinka, where a real curiosity grows - a tulip tree. He was planted in the century before last. Now it has reached gigantic proportions, but it still pleases tourists with rich flowering.
We recommend driving from Golovinka to the Dzhegosh gorge, where the Shakhe river forms 33 waterfalls. Water flows down through 33 stone bowls, which, according to legend, were left by a giant who was fleeing from bees.
In Sochi itself, you cannot miss the Arboretum, which is a park divided into two parts - Upper and Lower. Both parts are connected by a funicular. Kurortny prospect, the main promenade of Sochi, is laid through the park. In the arboretum, you can find both quiet and cozy corners such as the Japanese garden or the Chinese courtyard, as well as more crowded sights such as the Rotunda, terraces with interesting statues at the Nadezhda dacha, and a rose garden.
