What to see in Sochi in 1 day - 12 most interesting places

If you had to stay in Sochi for a few days, you can devote one of them to sightseeing in the city. There are many of them located in the legendary health resort of the former USSR. The Soviet state at one time invested huge funds and attracted large labor resources to turn a seedy village into a flourishing land.

The Winter Olympic Games, organized and hosted by the Russian Federation in Sochi in 2014, transformed the city's infrastructure. The city has acquired the status of a resort and sports center of worldwide importance. This article offers an optimal list of what to see in Sochi in 1 day on your own. It is unlikely that it will be possible to cover everything in such a short time. Therefore, where to go first of all, you will have to choose yourself.

Railway station building

This is the gateway to the city of the sun. The airy architecture of the snow-white building adjusts guests from the first steps along the platform to a festive mood. The railway terminal in its current form was erected in 1952 by the project of the famous Soviet architect - Alexei Nikolaevich Dushkin.

The station is 150 meters long. The façade, facing the city, is an arcade supported by majestic columns. Thanks to the use of sandstone and polished granite, the building retains its seaside flavor.

The walls are finished with colored plaster with marble chips. The columns visually raise the structure above the ground, conjuring up the image of a palace from “Tales of 1000 and One Nights”.

The observation tower deserves special attention, the height of which with a star on the spire is 55 meters. Three original clock dials on the tower adorn the 12 signs of the zodiac below their corresponding numbers. The high-rise building represents the gateway to the city of the sun.

Navaginskaya street

The main pedestrian artery of the city originates from the railway station and continues up to the Seaport, practically cutting the resort into two halves. Before the 2014 Winter Olympics, the street was a car pass.

Nowadays it is one of the most beautiful pedestrian zones in the resort. People arriving at the station, who want to quickly go to the sea, walk along this street. On the way, guests will meet a beautiful musical fountain with a waterfall near the Melodiya shopping center.

Here you can find various sculptural groups representing animals - symbols of past Olympiads, heroes of popular fairy tales, animated series and other figures. Throughout the boulevard, there are shady areas where people can relax on picturesque benches.

Buildings lined with numerous boutiques, cafes, restaurants and various service centers continuously stretch along the avenue. Selfie machines are popular, where within a few moments the image of those wishing to be photographed from the screen goes to photo paper.

A palm alley, picturesque flower beds, lush shrubs - all this accompanies passers-by up to Kurortny prospect, through the underground passage of which you can go directly to the building of the Sea Terminal.

Dolphinarium

It is worth spending some of your time visiting the Great Sochi Dolphinarium. This will be especially a joyful event for children. The circus of marine animals was opened in the Riviera park relatively recently - in 2012. Today it is the largest dolphinarium in Eastern Europe.

The indoor amphitheater has 1,300 seats with separate comfort zones for wheelchair users who can access the hall via a special ramp or lift. The show features bottlenose dolphins, seals and other marine animals.

In the pool with an area of ​​300 m2 and a depth of 7 meters, trained artists feel at ease and are eager to demonstrate their talents. In addition, there are two additional artificial reservoirs for dolphins and three pools for other animals.

Zones for photo sessions have been specially designated. You can use the services of a professional photographer. The contact pool for swimming with children with disabilities together with dolphins is very popular. A visit to the dolphinarium will keep the pleasant impressions of the water show in your memory for a long time.

Maritime Station

The structure of the shipping company, which in fact is practically the same age as the modern Sochi railway station, was commissioned in 1955. The port administration building is an architectural monument of federal significance. The facade is a portico, over which a three-tiered tower rises with a peak topped with a five-pointed star.

At the corners of the base of the tower there are 4 sculptures representing the seasons and the cardinal points. From the sea side, in the central part of the building, there is a gallery, to which two-storey wings adjoin on both sides. From the side of the city in the park there is a fountain, the bowl of which reaches 7 meters in diameter. In its center stands the female figure of the goddess of navigation.

The station has a well-developed infrastructure. Passengers waiting for their passenger ship can admire the steamers from different countries docked, visit several cafes and a restaurant. The guides will not fail to mention that episodes of Gaidai's legendary comedy "The Diamond Arm" were filmed here.

These are scenes of seeing off and arriving from the cruise of the main character of the film, Gorbunkov. Most recently, sculptures of the heroes of this film were installed at the sea station.

Embankment

The central embankment stretches for 2 kilometers along the Black Sea coast. Residents call this walking route the Promenade. This is a wonderful place for recreation of guests of the resort and local residents.

During long walks along the embankment, vacationers enjoy the seascape and well-groomed area with lush crowns of southern trees, exotic shrubs and beautiful flower beds.

The developed infrastructure of the coastal boulevard is in no way inferior to world resorts. There is a large number of boutiques, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants. Many attractions delight both adults and children. Here you can meet the "Gorbunkov family" and take pictures with them.

In the evening, when the sweltering heat leaves the city and cool twilight sets in, it becomes especially lively here. Music, laughter and cheerful voices are heard everywhere. A large number of benches create a pleasant atmosphere for a comfortable stay.

The Festivalny Concert Hall is located on the embankment. Its peculiarity is the absence of a wall on the side of the sea next to the stage, which creates a picturesque picture during evening performances.

Cathedral of the Archangel Michael

The oldest cathedral in the North Caucasus - the Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was built in 1864. It is located at the end of the Central Embankment. The religious building was erected in honor of the end of the victorious war in the Caucasus.

The cathedral went through difficult times, when in 1931 the Bolsheviks expelled believers from it and set up a warehouse there, which resulted in the destruction of the interiors and the destruction of church property. In 1943, the Soviet government, by order of Stalin, returned the temple structure to the fold of the Orthodox Church, though without compensation for the losses it had incurred.

Currently, the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael the Archangel has regained its grandeur and demonstrates the magnificence of Russian religious architecture.The temple is surrounded by a church ensemble consisting of a chapel, a refectory, a parish school and a house with a two-story wing. Around the cathedral there is a magnificent park where parishioners and guests of the city like to stroll.

Garden of Russian-Japanese Friendship

The Garden of Russian-Japanese Friendship is located very close to Kurortny Prospekt, just above the Sochi Hotel. The landscape park was opened to the public in 1986. A beautiful Japanese-style park complex was created on 6 hectares.

On its territory there are pagodas, stylized lampposts along cobblestone paths. The central attraction of the garden is a sculpture of a mythological creature - a Japanese dragon.

Professional gardeners constantly look after carefully selected plants from the Land of the Rising Sun. It is especially pleasant to walk here in the spring, when all the vegetation awakens after hibernation and begins to smell of incredible aromas.

If you had to stay in Sochi for just a day, then while sightseeing in the center, you can devote an hour to visiting this amazing place.

Winter theater

Walking around the center all day, tourists are unlikely to pass by the Winter Theater. It is located at st. Teatralnaya, 2 not far from Kurortny prospect. The building was built in the style of the best examples of socialist realism in 1938.

The opening of the theater was marked by the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tsar's Bride staged by the Moscow Stanislavsky Opera and Ballet Theater. The perimeter of the theater is surrounded by 88 columns of the Corinthian order. The main portico is crowned with a pediment with three sculptures depicting the muses: Terpsichore (architecture), Melpomene (painting) and Tallia (sculpture).

The auditorium, which can accommodate 950 seats, is designed so that the stage can be clearly seen from any spectator seat. Above the hall hangs a huge crystal chandelier, which can accommodate about 300 lamps. Tour guides always draw the attention of a group of tourists to Stalin's personal box to the right of the stage. It is designed in such a way that you cannot see the people sitting in it.

The theater employs about ten creative teams. The film festival "Kinotavr" is constantly held here, as well as tours of pop groups, metropolitan theaters and symphony orchestras.

Phyto-fantasy

Next to the Winter Theater there is an amazing landscape park called "Fitofantasia". Every square meter of the small area is carefully cared for by local dendrological designers. The wonderful garden is filled with plants of amazing beauty, among which you can sit on a bench, inhaling the aromas of blooming flora.

Fitofantazia corner is divided into three zones, each of them has its own separate entrance. The first section resembles an ordinary park with shady alleys and narrow paths. It is pleasant to walk here and take a break from the sweltering city heat.

The second zone is filled with many flowers and ornamental shrubs among old and young trees. Specially processed logs act as benches. The walls of the park in one place are decorated in the form of interlacing of tree roots, in another part of them are shelves filled with household attributes and various objects.

Interesting figures of funny gnomes, looking out from under the roots of trees. The pride of the third section of Phytofantasia is an artificial pond surrounded by a colonnade, along which vines climb up.

In the middle of the reservoir there is an island in the form of a small rocky cliff, to which a bridge is drawn. All these wonders of the magical forest will distract guests from the bustle of the city and allow you to enjoy the cool atmosphere of a romantic man-made corner of nature.

Arboretum Park

Inspection of the botanical reserve will take at least 2 - 3 hours from tourists + travel time. The world famous park complex Arboretum is located on 46 hectares of the foothills of Greater Sochi. It is rightfully called the green lungs of the resort.

For several decades, trees and shrubs have been brought here from almost all corners of the earth. The fund of the botanical nursery is represented by 1800 species of flora, including only one palm - 54 varieties, oaks - 66, pines - 74.

The history of its origin has been in the park since 1899, when the publisher of the Petersburg newspaper, Mr. SN Khudekov, having bought 50 acres of land on Lysaya Gora, built a villa "Nadezhda" and laid a plum and peach orchard.

Subsequently, trees and shrubs from the Crimea, Germany and the Caucasus were brought into the park - a total of about 400 plant species. Since then, the atmospheric reserve has been constantly replenished with new representatives of the flora.

The park is divided into two halves by Kurortny prospect. The exit to the Arboretum to its upper part is through an underground passage under the road. Below the avenue is the aquarium, which is home to almost all species of fish and marine animals of the Black Sea.

If you climb the mountain, the walk will be quite tiring and take a long time. Therefore, the best option would be to use the cable car. Climbing in the cockpit to the observation deck, tourists descend, calmly inspecting the upper part of the national park.

Here you can see peacocks, parrots and ostriches. There is a shop at the exit from the underpass where you can buy a variety of souvenirs and seeds of rare plants.

Olympic Park

The park complex is a legacy of the past 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Every year the sports center, located in the Adler region of Greater Sochi, attracts a huge number of visitors. The park is open daily from 8 am to midnight.

The following Olympic venues are located on its 200 hectare territory:

• the stadium for football matches "Fisht" accommodates 47 thousand fans
• ice palace "Bolshoi" presents a sports and concert complex with 12,000 seats for spectators
• hockey arena for training
• ice skating arena
• Formula 1 track "Sochi Autodrom"
• entertainment center - "Sochi-Park"
• Adler-Arena - exhibition hall
• ice arenas: Puck and Ice Cube

The main attraction of the park is the Singing Fountains. The evening show lasts only 1 hour from 18:30 to 19:30 (in the summer from 20:30 to 21:30). In the center of the water complex there is an inclined tower in the form of a cliff. There are nozzles under it that release water jets.

During the entire performance, the fountains demonstrate 17 compositions, each with its own colorful water picture. The water exhibitions are accompanied by a variety of popular music pieces.

Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi

The park in the sky is located near Adler in the Akhshtyr gorge above the Mzymta river valley. The entertainment complex is formed around the longest and highest suspended pedestrian bridge in Europe - Skybridge. Skypark is the product of a joint venture between the New Zealand firm AJ Hacket and Russian businessmen.

The company offers 6 types of entertainment:

1. BUNGY 207 - a person makes a jump down from a platform from the middle of the Skybridge 207 meters high with a halyard attached to his torso. In the instructor's arsenal there are several options for jumping, which are selected based on the individual characteristics of the guest. Experienced jumpers, while flying over the abyss, have time to enjoy the panorama of the gorge and the mountain river.
2. BUNGY 69 is a ride for less confident pilots. The difference is the platform height - 69 meters. It is installed at the beginning of the bridge. However, it should be noted that these jumps also quite noticeably excite the nervous system.
3. SOCHISWING is a dizzying flight on the highest swing in the world with the feeling of free fall. The maximum amplitude of the pendulum swing is 170 meters.The speed of movement of a person on a swing can reach 120 km / h. The Sochiswing Platform is located at the start of the Skybridge Suspension Bridge.
4. MEGATROLL - the attraction is a flight over a gorge at a height of 200 meters in a special cart sliding along a steel cable. 2 or 3 people are sent on the flight at once. Participants in the entertainment can feel like soaring birds in the sky above the Akhshtyr gorge.
5. MOWGLI - Mowgli attraction is a rope park. Here, adults and children alike learn to walk on a tightrope at an absolutely safe height. Extreme walking involves overcoming minor obstacles. The entire rope system has been repeatedly tested from a safety point of view, especially since all participants of the route are fastened with a halyard.
6. VIA FERRATA is rope climbing. The route runs from the left bank of the Mzymta River up to the cave. An almost horizontal path awaits the guests, turning into a vertical ascent along the steps carved into the rock. The entire trip is accompanied by an instructor who will lead you to the Liana Cave on a steep cliff.

Of course, it is impossible to see all of the above sights and take part in all the exciting attractions in Sochi in 1 day. Therefore, guests of the resort city will have to choose the route that is optimal in time.

Sochi route for 1 day on the map