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Ksenia Isaeva
The best time to come to Sochi for a beach holiday is from May until September. If you’re a ski lover, then December 15 (when the mountain lifts open) is the day to arrive. The season lasts till the end of March.
Ksenia Isaeva
What about those who like sun and sightseeing without too many tourists? Try the first two weeks of December. The best time to come to Sochi and the cheapest, by the way. The planes from Moscow are half empty both ways, taxi drivers give discounts, and hotels with awesome mountain views and splendid service are available even if you just turn up.
Ksenia Isaeva
However, December is not the right time for swimming. So what to do? First, go to the mountains. Suburban trains run every hour or two from Sochi center to the mountain resorts Krasnaya Poliyana and Rosa Khutor. There are European-style chalets for skiers and snowboarders, ski-lifts up to the snowy peaks, a fast and noisy mountain river, and tall smiling Sochi mascots out in the street.
Ksenia Isaeva
Only half of the Olympic facilities are situated in the mountains. Adler Arena Skating Center, Bolshoy Ice Dome, Fisht Olympic Stadium, Ice Cube Curling Center, Sochi Autodrom and others are located near the sea, so you need to take a train back, stop in Adler (Sochi) and take a taxi or bus to the Olympic park.
Ksenia Isaeva
Here you can rent a bike or a golf buggy, but it’s better to take a walk and explore this vast valley with chaotically scattered stadiums.
Ksenia Isaeva
The next day you can dedicate to local
spa centers,
exploring mystical Sochi or
Soviet exoticism. However, there is an option that you probably don’t know about: a one-day trip to nearby Abkhazia (a partially recognized state); the border is 10 kilometers from Sochi.
Ksenia Isaeva
In the company of a guide you will see the Black Sea and local farms with mandarins, grapes, persimmon and bee-gardens.
Ksenia Isaeva
Locals will tell you all there is to know about life in their region with no factories or oil and gas. The clean mountain air and warm climate make their products organic, which you easily check for yourself.
Ksenia Isaeva
Traveling across Abkhazia without visiting the capital, Sukhumi, you see only one or two-storey houses from the window.
Ksenia Isaeva
Among the main sights are: Stalin’s dacha, vast mountains, clean sea, the New-Athos caves, the New Athos Monastery (pictured), bee-gardens and mandarin farms.
Ksenia Isaeva
Most locals are farmers. They work in the tourist industry or go to the big cities, often to Russia, to earn money. The majority of buildings left from the Soviet Union are closed or eroded. / A small hydroelectric power station and artificial lake on the river Psyrtskha.
Ksenia Isaeva
What to take back with you? Wine, spices, honey and mandarins, of course. First, take a look at how farmers pick fruit from the trees. Don’t be afraid to buy at least 5 kilograms. Half of it will be eaten on your way back to Sochi.
Ksenia Isaeva
What to take from Sochi and Adler? The calmness of a break in a resort city.
