| Sochi Сочи | |
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.png/120px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Sochi_(Krasnodar_krai).png) | |
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| Information | |
| Country | Russia |
| Region | Krasnodar Krai |
| Surface | 3508 km² |
| Population | 411 524 |
| Area code | 7 (86 22) |
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Sochi (in Russian Сочи, in Georgian სოჭი) - a city in the south Russia, in Krasnodar Krai, near the border with Abkhazia. It has over 400 thousand. residents.
The city was the organizer of the XXII Winter Olympics in 2014.
Characteristic
Situated 1,600 km south of Moscow, Sochi is often referred to as the "Summer Capital of Russia" or the "Pearl of the Black Sea". It is the largest and most popular resort in Russia (4 million tourists annually); located on the shore Black Seaand on the north-west side surrounded by the Caucasus massifs. The main attractions of Sochi are: warm and sunny climate, wonderful sea and beaches and all kinds of entertainment from "night life".
The city stretches along the road running from Jubga down Sukhumi at a length of 147 km, making it the second longest city in the world.
The Sochi agglomeration is divided into the following districts:
- Central (Центральный район) - the most important, the most developed and the richest district of the city, where the most important offices, hotels, restaurants, premises, etc. are located. Very crowded in the season.
- Lazarewska (Лазаревский район) - the largest (1744 km²) and the longest (65 km along the coast) district of Sochi. It consists of 34 housing estates, most of which are located on the seashore.
- Chostinska (Хостинский район) - located southeast of the center, there are many tourist attractions on its territory (Mount Achun)
- Adlerska (Адлерский район) - important district, on its territory there is an airport, y railway station and the only border crossing to Abkhazia. The importance and infrastructure of Adler is growing significantly due to investments related to the facilities of the Winter Olympic Games
Drive
Sochi is one of the few Russian ports where foreign tourists can stay for up to 72 hours without a visa (this applies to just ferry and cruise passengers). Please read the applicable regulations and restrictions carefully.
In case of your arrival to Sochi by other means, standard visa requirements apply.
By plane
Air transport to and from Sochi is operated by Sochi International Airport (IATA: AER, ICAO: URSS). Regular flights to: Vienna (Austrian Airlines), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) and Tel Aviv (DONAVIA).
Some FSU countries have connections to Sochi: Armenia (Yerevan, Armavia airline), Uzbekistan (Tashkent, DONAVIA airline), Belarus (Minsk, Belavia airline), Moldova (Chisinau, Air Moldova) and Tajikistan (Tajik airline Dushanbe Air).
By car
You can reach Sochi from the M4 / E115 road connections Moscow (1,660 km) via Voronezh (1150 km), Rostov-on-Don (570 km) i Krasnodar (300 km).
The quality of this route varies greatly from a narrow, winding serpentine to a comfortable highway, but the overall quality tends to improve over the years. Travel from Moscow usually takes 1-2 days and 5-9 hours from Krasnodar, depending on traffic.
Coming to Sochi from European countries, you can transit through Ukraine or Turkey (you can use the car ferry to Sochi from Trabzon. Access from the side Georgia and Abkhazia is currently impossible(as of: 2014).
By train
2 train stations: Sochi Central and Adler.
By bus
By ferry
Communication
On foot
In the center of Sochi, due to the short distances, you can walk, but you also have to take into account the effort of undulating the terrain. Moving outside the city center due to the vastness and undulating terrain and the lack of sidewalks requires some means of transport.
It might seem that a city along the seashore should have long seaside promenades. However, most of the area by the sea is occupied by the railway line that runs there. And the only real promenades are those between the Riviera Park and the Dendrarium in the center of Sochi, as well as in the Olympic Park in Adler.
As in the case of a seaside resort, the distance to the sea is often given, but it can be completely misleading, because the hotel or apartment can actually be right by the sea, but what if there is no way to get there and how to use it? It's worth checking before we order accommodation.
By bus / marshrutka
By train
Stretching the Sochi agglomeration over a distance of over 100 km makes railroads the fastest and most convenient method of moving between the districts.
Taxi
There are quite a few taxis but most are 'unofficial' which has its downsides (no comfort, dirt, questionable safety, no guarantees, etc.) and one advantage (lower cost).
The driver should not be able to speak English. So either we can get along ourselves, but we need someone else's help. Even licensed taxis rarely use taximeters and the price is negotiated (taking into account time and distance).
By bike
Sochi authorities have recently introduced a bicycle rental service. The bike can be picked up and returned at one of the 30 automated terminals (piloted in the Sochi Center and the Khostinska District). The service itself is free, but you have to give 3,000. pledge rubles.
Work is underway to designate bicycle paths. After all, cycling around Sochi is not comfortable, due to heavy traffic and numerous construction and renovation works.
A wheelchair
In general, in Russia, disabled people in wheelchairs have a problem, but Sochi is an exception here, as adaptation and facilities for disabled people are a requirement for holding the 2014 Paralympics.