If you’re going to Sochi, Russia check out my Sochi Travel Guide to find tips on the best things to do, how to get around the city, and where to stay.
Sochi…why does that sound so familiar?
If that sounds familiar it is because this Russia city hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.
But even if you’re not a fan of the Olympics, Sochi should be on your list of cities to visit in Russia.
It is a BIG tourist destination for many Russians, especially during Soviet times when many citizens were not allowed to leave the country.
Sochi is a city that is filled with natural beauty, beaches, mountains, and much more.
And it is beautiful in the summer with an almost tropical like climate. And during the winter, it is a big ski destination in Eastern Europe.
So if you’re thinking about visiting Sochi, here is my travel guide to help you out.
Where is Sochi?
As I mentioned before, Sochi is a big resort town (or maybe “village” is the more appropriate word).
Before the Olympics, it was more of a small village that a lot of the Soviets would visit back in the day.
Visas to travel outside the USSR were difficult to obtain, so Sochi offered one of the best beach destinations its citizens could travel to.
It is located on the Black Sea and is referred as part of the “Russian Rivera”.
There are many direct flights to Sochi from Saint Petersburg and of course, Moscow. It would take less than 2.5 hours to fly there from those cities. I flew to Sochi directly from another popular Russian Black Sea resort town (Yalta).
You can check out my guide to Yalta here.
The main airport in Sochi is Adler International Airport, which is about 30 – 40 minutes away from Sochi.
To get from the airport to the city center, I would recommend taking either the bus or taxi.
Personally, I found the buses in Sochi to be slow and uncomfortable. As a result, I would highly recommend taking a taxi to get to the city center.
It should cost less than 1,000 rubles.
How to get around Sochi?
There are two ways to get around sochi- Yandex (Uber) taxis or the bus.
The bus system is a lot better than Yalta, but I still don’t like it.
It takes forever and riding the bus gives me a headaches sometimes because the drivers drive so aggressively.
I prefer to take Yandex taxi because it is way more convenient and faster. And Sochi is a pretty small city, so you won’t spend more than 300 – 400 rubles to get anywhere in the city even during peak hours.
Best things to do in Sochi (in the summer)
The great thing about Sochi is there is a lot of different activities to do. I went in the summer, so this guide will focus solely on summer activities.
You can go to the beach, hike, visit some historic sites, and even go boating. To the range of activities is very diverse.
Here are the 10 best things to do in Sochi Russia
1. Visit some waterfalls
Sochi is home to more than 30 waterfalls. So one of the things to do in the city for adventurers is to explore one of the waterfalls!
I decided to explore Agura Falls, since it was pretty close to the city center. It costs 100 rubles (about $1.5 bucks) to enter the park.
The entrance is about 40 minutes by bus from the city center.
The hike should take about 3 – 4 hours round trip. Be warned though, in the summer it can get very dry and the falls may not be very visible. Luckily when I went after it rained the night before, so I got to see some pretty amazing views!
Also be sure you pack walking shoes. The path can get muddy and slippery and I saw some locals struggling to get around with their flip flops! Don’t be that person!
There are 3 cool things to see on this trail. The first is the bridge and grotto before the falls. It’s a really nice area, something that is Instagram worthy for sure!
The second part of the falls is super beautiful. There’s a small pond that forms from the waterfall that you can swim around in. I didn’t bring any trunks so I just took my shoes off and walked in the shallow areas.
It’s a beautiful little pond and I stayed here for about 30 minutes to relax.
The third part of the falls is reached by climbing from up from the small pond I just mentioned. The road is a little slippery and muddy, so be warned!
2. Mount Akuhn – hike or drive
Mount Akuhn is the tallest point in Sochi, but it’s actually not very tall – only 700 meters or so (2100 feet). Anyways, you can hike to the top of the mountain, but it’s a pretty long hike.
The nearest bus station is at the base of the mountain, which is about 6 – 7 km away and it’s a BIG uphill hike, so it’ll likely take around 2 – 3 hours.
I would advise getting a cab instead to save time. Just know that you WILL NOT have any cell reception at the top of the mountain.
So make sure you tell your cab driver to WAIT for you. Otherwise you’ll have to do a grueling hike down the mountain.
Anyways, the top of the mountain is really beautiful. When I went there it was super foggy. The main attraction at the top is the tower, which looked like a haunted monastery because of the fog.
Anyways, the tower looks very old, but it was constructed within the last 100 years or so. You’ll get great views of the city and the black sea from the top.
Unfortunately, when I went there it was closed. But I wouldn’t have seen much due to the fog anyways.
On the top they also have several different restaurants and cafes. Also there is a ferris wheel on the top. So ever wanted to ride on an amusement park on the top of the mountain, you can!
And there was also a husky farm on the top. Pretty cool and I saw a lot of kids playing with the dogs.
3. Rivera Park
Rivera Park is a nice amusement park in the capital of the Russian Rivera. They have a ton of fun carnival games, rides, and street food.
And at night it is absolutely beautiful because of all the lights around the park.
I went here several times and had a blast. It’s also a great place to take the kids in case you are travelling with them. I saw many families here.
The great thing about the park is that it is open VERY late. I don’t think it closes until after midnight.
So plan a stroll in this amazing amusement park with your date or your family – you won’t regret it!
4. Sochi Boardwalk
To be honest, I liked the Yalta boardwalk more. However, the Sochi boardwalk is still a nice place to walk around, especially at night.
Here you’ll find many restaurants, bars, and tiny mom and pop shops. Of course, most of these shops will be selling food and goods at inflated prices compared to other parts of the city.
There are also several large hotels along the boardwalk and you can rent a cabana there for the day to have some fun in the sun. A beach chair will typically cost 300 – 500 rubles for an entire day.
The entire length of the boardwalk is fairly long, its around 2 – 3 km, so you can get a good workout walking there in the mornings.
5. Olympic Park
I really had no idea what to expect when I visited the Olympic park. Would it be just a ghost town of the Olympics?
Well, it’s actually a cool place to see! And it is HUGE so be prepared to walk around A LOT. You can walk through all of the cool stadiums and sights to see. Some of the stadiums are still used to this day, including the hockey one (of course)!
One of the really cool things you can do is rent an electric scooter at the park. It makes traveling a lot faster and more fun! It costs 500 – 700 rubles for 30 minutes depending on which one you rent.
You can also rent bicycles to bike around the stadium.
One of the places you definitely should check out is the shrine they had of the 2014 olympics with all of the winners’ names on the wall!
Truth be told, I enjoyed the Olympic Park a lot more than I thought I would.
6. Sochi Marina
One of the really under-rated things to do in Sochi is go to the Sochi Marina. There are hundreds of boats parked here.
No doubt many of them are owned by oligarchs! But you don’t have to go on a boat tour to enjoy the scenery.
The Marina is pretty small, but it’s a beautiful place to hang out at sunset. And if you like to window shop (or burn a hole in your wallet), there are many premium brand stores in the area, including Gucci, Omega, and more.
The marina is also the site of a really cool historic building. I couldn’t figure out what it was used for, but someone told me it was used in the USSR for something important.
It almost looks like a museum. Anyways, there are two really good restaurants on the top and both offer great menus and even better views of the water of the black sea.
After the marina, you can go walk on the main boardwalk of the city. It lasts for about 2 km (maybe 3 km). On the main boardwalk in Sochi, you’ll get to see incredible views of the Black Sea.
Personally, I liked the boardwalk in Yalta (another popular Russian destination) much more than Sochi, but the boardwalk is still nice.
On the boardwalk you’ll find really good restaurants, lots of fun carnival games, and tons of bars.
Many of the hotels also have beach chairs on the beach for you to relax in the sun. Just be warned that the beaches in Sochi are pebbles, not sand like what you’ll expect in the Caribbean.
7. Hiking in the mountains
Hands down my favorite thing to do in Sochi was visit Krasanya Polyana. It’s about 2.5 hours away from the city, so it will be an all day trip!
You’ll want to take bus 125 S to get here. Also, know that Russians use “C” instead of “S”, so take bus 125C if that makes any sense.
Anyways, the place is super beautiful. It’s a city in the mountains! The place was very developed just for the 2014 winter Olympics.
In the summer there are so many things to do. They have about 4 – 5 really big resorts here. I went to two of them on two separate days.
The resorts I went to were Gorsky Gordo and Rosa Khutor.
Gorsky Gordo
My favorite was Gorsky Gordo because of the hike I did at the top to get the Black Pyramid.
The gondolas are super beautiful and offer amazing views of the scenery.
At Gorsky Gordo, you can hike to the alpine meadows or do what I did and hike to the top of Black Pyramid – costs 500 rubles. Just be warned that they will not let you up unless you understand the instructions in Russian.
Luckily, a couple spoke English and let me go with their group!
Rosa Khutor
Rosa Khutor is also an amazing resort. I would say it’s a bit more “commercialized” than Gorsky Gordo.
On the top you can do things like paragliding (super cool), walk on the suspension bridge, and swing over the top of the cliff!
There are also a ton of animals up here like horses, goats, and huskies.
If you have time, I would do both of these resorts. In fact, if I had to do sochi all over again, I would have spent several nights in Krasanya Polyana.
8. Vorontsovka Caves
While I didn’t have time to do this, I heard about the Vorontsovka Caves from some people in the city.
Apparently, it is one of the longest cave complexes in Russia. In addition, it also has evidence of human life dating back to over 20,000 years ago!
The problem is that the caves are a bit far from the city center. In fact, no buses really go anywhere close to the cave. So unless you have a car or hire a taxi, its going to be hard to get there as a solo traveler.
9. Dagomys Tea House
If you like tea, you must try Russian tea!
You’d probably never guess that Sochi is home to a famous tea house, but it is true! It’s claim to fame is being the most northernmost tea plantation in the world.
The soil here (as a result of the region’s unique microclimate) creates very fertile tea leaves.
You can come visit the farm at the plantation and then go inside the house for some traditional Russian tea. Ideally, you would come here on a rainy day to escape the rain!
10. Stalin’s Dacha
Alright, this is something that I wanted to do, but didn’t have enough time unfortunately. However, I did see Yusupov Palace in Yalta, which also served as another of Stalin’s Dachas.
Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, maintained a summer house (Dacha) in Sochi like many of the elites back in that era.
The Dacha is actually pretty close to the city center – a 40 minute bus ride will get you there.
The home was built in 1937 for the famous soviet leader. If you’re a big fan of Soviet Russia, you should definitely check this place out.
Best nightlife in Sochi
Nightlife in Sochi is okay. I wouldn’t say it’s something like Vegas, but it’s a nice place if you want to have some fun, drink vodka, and smoke some hookah.
Its been billed as the “Miami” of Russia by some, but I don’t think the nightlife is quite like Miami to be honest.
My favorite place to visit was Bestuzhev Bar. It’s a bar/nightclub really close to the beach so that’s nice.
And it’s not really a touristy spot. In fact, I didn’t even see any tourists at this place at all. It’s more of a locals spot, which I LOVE. And if you look in Google for reviews, you’ll barely see anything (there’s less than 15 reviews).
You’ll see a lot of scantily clad bartenders and gogo dancers here. In fact, when my friends first brought me here, I thought it was a strip club!
Anyways, the drinks are cheap, even if you decide to get a table and some food.
Getting a table with a bottle of vodka will set you back around $30 – $40 bucks. I got a table with a group of friends one night and we had about 3 – 4 bottles of vodka, a pizza, lots of coke and redbull, and our bill came out to around 12,000 rubles.
Of course, one of my friends knew the people at the club, so we got a 20% discount.
Also, if you’re in Sochi during the summer, Hotel Pullman runs a nice pool party once a month. Let’s just say you’ll want to be there to enjoy the fun.
Where to stay in Sochi
If you’re going to stay in the Sochi area, I would recommend three places.
First of all, the best place to stay is simply within the Sochi city center limits.
This ensures that you are very close to many of the main attractions. In addition, you’ll be very close to the beach as well.
Unfortunately, this is also the most expensive place to stay in the area.
If you want to save some money, stay in Adler. Airbnb prices will be about 20% cheaper.
And Adler is a very modern city. But it’s also pretty far from Sochi – a bus ride will take you 45 mins to an hour at a minimum. So you’ll be wasting a ton of time via transport.
Finally, if you plan on going to Krasanya Polyana at all, stay at one of the resorts there.
As I mentioned before, these resorts are HUGE and offer many great amenities and prices for everyone.
When I was there, I saw prices from $20 bucks a night to $200 bucks a night. So you can find something that matches your budget for sure.
Sochi Travel Guide: Final Thoughts
Overall, if you’re interested in seeing a Russian resort town on the famous Black Sea, Sochi is a great place to visit.
Best of all, this town has received A TON of investment over the past 5 years because of the Olympics. It used to be a relatively small village, but now it has been developed at a rate that normally takes decades for most cities.
At Sochi you can find a wide range of activities from beach activities, hiking, mountain biking, and even visit the old Olympic structures!
And best of all? There are not a ton of western tourists here!
Anyways, I hope you found my Sochi Travel Guide to be helpful and save you some time, headaches, and most importantly, your money!
Think I missed something from this list? Let me know in the comments below!