The flight from St. Petersburg to Sochi took over 3 hours. The view of the Black sea and the Sochi coastline from the plane, as it descends into the airport, is magnificent. As soon as the taxi moved out of the airport, we were stuck in a traffic jam. And guess the reason?……a VVIP visitor who was none other than the Russian President. It was quite a coincidence that the Russian President landed just before I did in Sochi and left Sochi an hour before I left Sochi! My flight to Moscow was delayed because of the priority given to the Presidential plane.
Scenic drive from airport to city
The drive from Sochi airport to Sochi town is very scenic and goes mostly along the black sea. It is a mountainous region and that’s what makes Sochi’s location unique – Black sea on one side, Caucasus mountain on the other. Sochi was the venue for 2014 Winter Olympics and recently, few of the FIFA World Cup matches were held here. I also learnt that most of Russian Oligarchs have a holiday home in Sochi, which enjoys a tropical climate and hence a perfect retreat from the bitter winter in Moscow.
There are theories as to how the black sea derived its name but the sea looks anything but black! Even the sand on its shore is not black!
Main attractions in Sochi
Sochi is divided into 4 districts and is considered one of the longest cities in Europe, over 145 kms along the Black sea. I chose to book a hotel in Central Sochi. No doubt the city is impressive though it has the look and feel of a larger town than a resort. Main attractions include the Olympic park(next to a beach), Rosa Khutor- the ski resort, Sochi National Park, Riviera park, view point on Mount Akhun and so on. There are plenty of choices for those adventurous at heart.
![](https://mytravelinnings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Southern-Sochi.jpg)
It is also fun to walk around…The Promenade(Primorskaya street) along the beach is full of souvenir shops and restaurants, from Railway station to the Port, Kurotny Prospekt Avenue, and so on. Local travel is best done on foot or a taxi though renting a car is also an option.
I was told Sochi gets lot more domestic tourists as compared to international tourists and therefore, the choices for vegetarian food is limited. I particularly enjoyed dining at a Mexican restaurant next to the beach.
I had difficulty in exchanging Euros to Roubles. The banks only exchanged crisp new notes and rejected used ones or those with minor blemishes. But anyway, credit cards are widely accepted and hence this did not pose any difficulty.
![](https://mytravelinnings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-Promenade.jpg)