Sochi is a city in the south of Russia, the "pearl of the Black Sea." The XXII Winter Olympic Games, held in Sochi from February 7 to 23, 2014, played a major role in shaping the city's modern appearance. In 2018 the city hosted matches of the FIFA World Cup. Sochi and its surroundings are famous for health resorts, protected areas, and natural beauty. We have compiled a list of cultural and tourist attractions of Russia's resort capital.
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
Museum of the History of Sochi
Museum of the history of the resort city of Sochi. Photo: worldestate.homes.ru
The main historical museum of the city, which allows visitors to immerse themselves in Sochi's past — from the earliest times to the present. Here you can learn about the region's formation, its ethnographic diversity, and its development as a resort and Olympic capital.
Sochi Art Museum
Sochi Art Museum. Photo: puzzlegarage.com
The building of the Sochi museum, in the 'Stalinist Empire' style, was erected in 1936 according to a design by the prominent Soviet architect Ivan Vladislavovich Zholtovsky. The museum is an architectural monument: from Kurortny Prospekt it is adorned with the sculpture "The Stonemason" by N.K. Venttsel, and from Ordzhonikidze Street — "The Carpenter" by L.I. Yefimova. Initially the building housed the city committee of the CPSU. In 1972 the building was handed over to an exhibition hall, and in 1988 the exhibition hall received museum status. The core of the collection consisted of paintings donated from Sochi sanatoria. Today the museum's collection includes over 6,000 items covering periods from antiquity to contemporary foreign art. The collection is divided thematically and represented by painting, sculpture, graphics, and decorative-applied arts.
Stalin's Dacha in Sochi
Stalin's Dacha. Photo: mf.b37mrtl.ru
Stalin's Dacha. Photo: dachastalina.ru
Stalin's Dacha. Photo: dachastalina.ru
Stalin's Dacha. Photo: dachastalina.ru
The Sochi Stalin Dacha is one of the city's most important attractions. In the large shady and quiet park past and present intersect. Museum visitors learn details revealing the leader's character and way of life, can admire preserved interiors and furniture, and enjoy the atmosphere of that era and the unique air. The appearance of Stalin's Dacha has not changed to this day, neither outside nor inside.
Sochi Museum of Sporting Glory (on the territory of the Olympic Park)
Sochi Museum of Sporting Glory. Photo: ngsochi.com
The museum's exhibition is dedicated to the sporting achievements of famous Sochi athletes, including volleyball players and skiers, yachtsmen and tennis players, bobsledders and swimmers. The museum displays personal items, photographs, sports equipment, and detailed biographies of those who brought Sochi fame with their achievements worldwide.
N.A. Ostrovsky Literary and Memorial Museum
N.A. Ostrovsky Literary and Memorial Museum. Photo: muzei-ostrovskogo.ru
This state memorial museum is dedicated to the life and work of the well-known Soviet writer. Of particular interest is N.A. Ostrovsky's library, which contains more than two thousand volumes. In Nikolai Alekseevich's study — gifts from friends with dedicatory inscriptions; reference literature necessary for work on the novel "Born by the Storm." Fiction is located in the dining room of the family's half of the house: Russian and world classics, contemporary (for that period) Soviet literature, unique books from the "Akademia" and "Molodaya Gvardiya" publishers, and rare encyclopedic dictionaries. The rooms in the family's part of the house are modestly furnished, characteristic of the 1930s.
Nature Museum of Sochi National Park
Nature Museum of Sochi National Park. Photo: npsochi.ru
The museum is located on the territory of the Sochi Dendrarium and is part of it. The museum presents an educational scientific exposition about the nature of the Western Caucasus, where visitors can see animal dioramas, herbariums, and mineralogical collections.
Ethnographic Museum in the Lazarevskoye District (a branch of the Museum of the History of Sochi)
Ethnographic Museum in the Lazarevskoye District. Photo: lic95.sochi-schools.ru
The museum is located in the settlement of Lazarevskoye and is an official branch of the Museum of the History of Sochi. The museum was founded in 1936 and is housed in a former Christian church building. The exhibition is dedicated to the ethnic history of the Adyghe-Shapsugs and the peoples who settled the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries.
Museum of the History of the Adler District (a branch of the Museum of the History of Sochi)
Museum of the History of the Adler District. Photo: dzeninfra.ru
The Museum of the History of the Adler District studies and promotes the history and geography of the Adler district of Sochi. The museum presents exhibitions "Adler District from the early 19th century to 1917", "Adler District during the years of the revolution and civil war. Socio-economic development of the district in the 1920s–40s", and "Hospital city, soldier city".
Mega Museum of the USSR
Mega Museum of the USSR. Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum.
Mega Museum of the USSR. Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum.
Mega Museum of the USSR. Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum.
The Sochi USSR Museum features a huge variety of exhibits systematically arranged over a large exhibition area. Visitors are immersed in the era of the Soviet Union and can interact with the exhibits.
Khosta History Museum
Khosta History Museum. Photo: Yandex.
Khosta History Museum. Photo: Yandex.
The Khosta History Museum was founded in 1995 based on collections gathered by veterans of war and labor from the Khosta district in the 1960s–1990s. The museum building was constructed before 1914. Previously it housed the Khosta People's House and later the "Luch" cinema. After a new cinema with the same name was built in the center of Khosta, the old building housed the "Stroitel" club. The museum has two exhibition halls totaling 300 square meters, which tell the story of the development of the resort industry in the Khosta district of Sochi.
Museum 'V.V. Barsova's Dacha'
Museum 'V.V. Barsova's Dacha'. Photo: timeout.ru
The dacha was built in 1947 by the famous Russian singer, People's Artist of the USSR and State Prize laureate Valeria Vladimirovna Barsova. Today the house is a museum dedicated to the biography and artistic work of the singer. Visitors can listen to gramophone recordings of V.V. Barsova's opera performances. The building also houses an auditorium with 50 seats and a stage where chamber and philharmonic music concerts are held.
A.H. Tammsaare House-Museum
A.H. Tammsaare House-Museum. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The museum is dedicated to the classic of 20th-century Estonian literature — Anton Hansen Tammsaare, author of the epic novel "Truth and Justice," which brought him recognition in Europe. The museum features a room recreated from the recollections of long-time residents where the writer lived, as well as a historical exhibition including unique collections of family documents, photographs, household items, and craftsmen's tools from the early 20th century. All this gives an impression of the tastes, preferences, and way of life of Estonian settlers in Krasnaya Polyana, as well as their relations with Greeks and Armenians in the 19th–20th centuries.
Wax Museum 'DejaVu'
Wax Museum 'DejaVu'. Photo: polyanaski.ru
"DejaVu" is the first wax museum in Russia created under the Madame Tussauds franchise. The museum has nine main zones: politics, cinema, music, sports, cartoons, artists, businessmen, unusual people, and space. Among the exhibits are figures of world-famous celebrities. Each figure is presented in an individual interior corresponding to the lifestyle of its prototype.
Creative Exhibition Space Magic Park
Creative Exhibition Space Magic Park. Photo: magicpark-sochi.ru
Magic Park is a large-scale interactive entertainment park where all the magic of digital technology is gathered in one place: 15 interactive spaces, world-class exhibitions, and cutting-edge technologies. Interactive projections respond to movement and create a fantastic environment in which imagination becomes your main assistant when interacting with illusions and digital reality.
Art Gallery FORT
Art Gallery FORT. Photo: official VKontakte group of the gallery.
Art Gallery FORT is a creative space created to serve art in any form. It is a complex with painting galleries, exhibitions, auctions, and a loft exhibition consisting of a group of rooms — creative workshops and exhibition halls where renowned artists and designers immerse visitors in the creative process; it also has a shared space for workshops, seminars, lectures, shows, concerts, and creative meetings, as well as a courtyard area for outdoor festivals and fairs.
PARKS AND NATURAL COMPLEXES
Sochi Dendrarium
Sochi Dendrarium. Photo: sunsochi.com
The Sochi Dendrarium has the largest collection of subtropical flora and fauna in Russia. It is located on a picturesque site with architectural elements, fountains, and viewing platforms. Visitors can get acquainted with 1,800 species and forms of plants collected from different parts of the world, ride the cable car, and enjoy the panoramas.
Olympic Park
Olympic Park. Photo: russpass.ru
Olympic Park is one of the attractions of southern Russia, the main complex of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and one of the venues for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. It is located in the urban-type settlement of Sirius, in the Imeretinskaya Lowland, on the shore of the Black Sea. On the territory of the Olympic Park are the main sports facilities where competitions in ice hockey, speed skating, short track, figure skating, and curling were held, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the XXII Winter Olympic Games. The park's facilities were built as part of preparations for the Winter Olympics. The mountain cluster is located near Krasnaya Polyana, upstream along the Mzymta River valley, built for the 2014 Winter Olympics and includes sports facilities, extensive walking areas, recreation spots and the famous "Singing Fountains." It is a place where you can feel the scale of the Olympic legacy.
Riviera Park
Riviera Park. Photo: Olesya Chornyavskaya.
Riviera Park is a resort park and amusement park in Sochi's Central District. Located in the central part of Sochi, it is one of the city's main attractions. Riviera Beach is located nearby. Over its more than century-long history, the park has amassed a unique dendrological collection. It includes 240 species of plants, 50 of which are of particular value.
Park 'Southern Cultures'
Park 'Southern Cultures'. Photo: broni.travel
The dendrological park 'Southern Cultures' is an outstanding monument of early 20th-century landscape art. It was created as an experimental park for acclimatizing subtropical plants. The main feature of this area is that it hosts plants untypical for Krasnodar Krai from Japan, the Americas, the Himalayas, China, and the Mediterranean. The park contains rare species of trees and shrubs, beautiful ponds with swans and turtles, bridges and alleys, making it an ideal place for leisurely walks and photo sessions.
Sochi Park
Sochi Park. Photo: official park website
The first theme park in Russia, built based on Russian folk tales and epics. The park features dozens of attractions (slides, carousels, swings), water zones, a dolphinarium, mazes, and themed pavilions.
Matsesta Waterfalls
Matsesta Waterfalls. Photo: bessochi.ru
Matsesta Waterfalls. Photo: bessochi.ru
Matsesta Waterfalls are a natural complex in Sochi's Khosta district, located in the gorge of the Matsesta River, in the valley of the Semyonovskaya cleft. The complex consists of a series of cascades and drops of various heights. The tallest is 8 meters, while smaller ones range from 2 to 5 meters. Water flowing over moss-covered rocks forms natural basins and small lakes. The flows are especially full in spring, producing powerful noise and spray. In summer the waterfalls become calmer but retain clarity and coolness. The uniqueness of the site is the combination of rapid streams with relict flora and hydrogen sulfide springs that give the water a slight mineral tint.
HISTORICAL SIGHTS
Sochi Lighthouse
Sochi Lighthouse. Photo: rgo.ru
One of the oldest functioning lighthouses on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, built in 1890. It is not only an important navigational facility but also an architectural symbol of the city and a witness to many historical events. It is a wonderful spot for walks and photography with sea views.
Cathedral of Archangel Michael
Cathedral of Archangel Michael. Photo: moya-planeta.ru
The oldest Orthodox church on the territory of modern Sochi, whose construction began in 1874 to commemorate the end of the Caucasian War. The cathedral is an important spiritual and historical center, an architectural monument, and a symbol of the emergence of Russian influence in the region.
Winter Theatre
Winter Theatre. Photo: Georgy Dolgopsky.
The Winter Theatre was built in 1937. Its monumental Stalinist architecture, a colonnade of 88 Corinthian columns, and magnificent facade make the building a unique Sochi landmark. The theatre is an important cultural and historical venue in the city.
Sochi Railway Station
Sochi Railway Station. Photo: shutterstock.com
Another masterpiece of Stalinist architecture, built in 1952. The station building, with its tall spires, arches, turrets, and inner courtyard, is one of the most beautiful in Russia and is recognized as a cultural heritage site. The station symbolizes the era of grand resort construction.
Tower on Mount Akhun
Tower on Mount Akhun. Photo: npsochi.ru
The observation tower was built in 1936 at Stalin's initiative. The tower is not only an architectural monument but also a historical symbol of Sochi's development as a resort. From it there is a breathtaking view of the city, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains.
Ruins of a Byzantine Temple in Loo
Ruins of the Byzantine temple in Loo. Photo: nashaplaneta.net
The ruins of a Byzantine temple from the 9th–11th centuries — an archaeological monument located in the Lazarevskoye district. The site has been granted the status of a federal cultural heritage monument of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
Sochi Discovery World Aquarium
Sochi Discovery World Aquarium. Photo: sochiaquarium.ru
The largest aquarium in Russia, located in Adler. Here children and adults can immerse themselves in the world of underwater inhabitants, see sharks, rays, sea turtles, exotic fish, and walk through a glass tunnel where fish swim right overhead.
Aqua Park 'AquaLoo'
Aqua Park 'AquaLoo'. Photo: akvaloo.ru
In hot weather aquaparks are the perfect place for water fun. At AquaLoo there are many slides, pools, and water attractions for children of all ages.
Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi
Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi. Photo: riderhelp.ru
Park guests are offered an exhilarating walk across the world's longest suspension pedestrian bridge over the Akhshtyr Gorge, and to try other attractions that provide plenty of adrenaline and stunning views.
Rosa Khutor Resort (mountain cluster)
Rosa Khutor Resort. Photo: shutterstock.com
'Rosa Khutor' is a year-round alpine ski resort in Sochi's Adler district, located on the banks of the Mzymta River and on the mountain slopes to its south, at the foot of the Main Caucasus Range. Guests can enjoy fresh mountain air, panoramic views, walk along equipped trails, and visit elevated children's playgrounds (for example, the 'Park of Wonders' on Rosa Plateau). In summer rope parks and other activities operate here.
Central District Embankment of Sochi
Central District Embankment of Sochi. Photo: rbk.ru
A great place for a leisurely walk along the sea with a fresh breeze, the sound of waves and a view of the sunset. There are many cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops on the embankment.
Yacht/boat cruise from Sochi Marine Port
Sochi Marine Port. Photo: morport-sochi.ru
City visitors can admire Sochi and the Black Sea coast on group coastal cruises. The marine port offers sightseeing tours along the central part of Sochi, cruises on the Black Sea, and trips with swimming.
Гости города могут полюбоваться Сочи и Черноморским побережьем на групповых прогулках вдоль побережья. Морской порт предлагает обзорные экскурсии вдоль центральной части Сочи, прогулки по Черному морю и прогулки с купанием.
