Sochi in 5 days: mountains, sea, canyons and everything in between

The first day is for orientation and the sea. Don't overload.

Morning

Check into a hotel in Adler or Sochi — depends on the program. For active travel, Adler is closer to the mountains and airport. For walks and restaurants — central Sochi.

Head straight to the beach: Riviera Beach in central Sochi (pebble, free) or Imeretinskaya Lowland Beach in Adler (broader, less crowded). Sea in July-August — 26-28°C.

Breakfast: cafe by the embankment or at the hotel. Try chebureki — Sochi makes them Black Sea-style, with cheese or greens.

Afternoon

Dendrarium Park (Kurortny Prospect, 74) — subtropical park with bamboo, sequoias, a Japanese garden and cable car ($4.50). Park entry $6. A good intro to Black Sea coast flora.

Central Sochi embankment — walk from the Maritime Station to Riviera Park. The Maritime Station itself is beautiful — a Soviet architectural landmark from 1955.

Lunch: restaurant Cho? Kharcho! on the main city embankment — author Caucasian cuisine, Georgian dishes and wines, live music in summer. One of Sochi's best spots with history.

Evening

Dinner at Mamino (embankment) — wide selection of Caucasian dishes, beef and lamb shashlik, khachapuri, sea view. Or just shashlik at any embankment cafe — they know meat on coals here.

The main mountain day. You ascend to 2,320 meters and walk Alpine meadows.

Morning

Lastochka from Sochi to Rosa Khutor station — $2, 40 minutes. Lifts start at 9:00. Get a full-day ski pass ($12-18) and ride up to Rosa 2320 peak. Up top — mountain meadows, snowfields in June-July, Alpine flowers and views of the Caucasus range. The temperature up here is 10-15°C lower — bring a jacket.

Breakfast: cafe at the lift base or bring a thermos with coffee and snacks.

Afternoon

At Rosa Plateau (1170 m) — hiking trails along mountain slopes. The 'Rock and Sky' route (5 km, 2 hours) passes viewing platforms and rock outcrops. Alternative for thrill-seekers — via ferrata (secured climbing route on rocks, from $30 with instructor).

Lunch: restaurant Grusha at Rosa Plateau — cult spot among instructors and locals, good food, atmosphere and mountain views. The perfect 1170-meter stop.

Evening

Descend and swim in the Mzymta River at the foot of the mountains — water is icy (10-14°C) but invigorating after a mountain day. Dinner in Esto-Sadok village at cafe Berloga (Olympiyskaya St., 37/1) — shashlik, mountain trout, pilaf on a grill, chalet-style wooden interiors.

A day of extreme and nature — the busiest in the program.

Morning

Rafting on the Mzymta River — activity for the bold. Routes of varying difficulty: Class 2 (for beginners, families with kids 8+), Class 3 (rapids, splashes, adrenaline). Price: $18-35/person for 1-2 hours. Operators: 'Extreme Sochi', 'Safari-Raft' — river transfer usually included. Book online ahead.

Breakfast: bring a snack — rafting leaves no time for food.

Afternoon

After rafting — Akhshtyrsky Canyon (village Akhshtyr, 20 km from Adler). Akhshtyrskaya Cave with prehistoric rock art (tour $3.50-4.70) and a walk along the canyon floor by the Mzymta. The trail is 3 km, easy, but bring sneakers — slippery.

Lunch: picnic in the canyon (bring food) or cafe in Akhshtyr village.

Evening

Return to Sochi or Adler. Hot shower, rest. Dinner at Kavkazsky Aul (Agurskoye Ushchelye St., 1) — restaurant with 50-year history in the National Park by a mountain stream: shashlik, lavash from tandoor, Caucasian cheeses and Abrau-Dyurso wine, evening Georgian music performances.

One-day trip to Abkhazia — Pitsunda pines, azure sea and caves.

Morning

Border crossing Psou — Russia-Abkhazia border 8 km from Adler. Walk across the border (passport required), take a marshrutka or taxi on the Abkhazian side. The border opens at 8:00, tourist flow builds by 10:00 — leave early.

First stop: Gagra — the most resort-town of Abkhazia. Fine-pebble beach, fortress ruins and a Soviet-era colonnade. Breakfast at a seaside cafe: Abkhazian khachapuri (with extra cheese) and Abkhazian 'Apsny' tea.

Afternoon

The must in Abkhazia — New Athos Cave (city of New Athos). One of the world's largest, 3 km long, +14°C year-round. A small train carries you into the mountain. Ticket $6, book ahead — queues can be hourly.

Nearby — New Athos Monastery, a 19th-century monastery on a hill above the sea — one of the most beautiful in the Caucasus.

Lunch: restaurant Nart in New Athos — Abkhazian cuisine. Akud (bean soup), fried trout, mamalyga with cheese, adjika.

Evening

Return across the border — evening is less busy. At the Abkhazian duty-free buy Lykhny or Apsny wine — cheap and decent. Dinner back in Sochi, rest.

Last day — a romantic gorge and a final swim.

Morning

Agura Gorge (Chernomorskaya St., 2, entrance from the Riviera side) — narrow canyon of the Agura River with waterfalls inside Sochi city limits. Trail 4 km one way, passes three waterfall cascades. Free entry, good shoes required. Arrive at 8-9 in the morning before the tourists — the gorge is gorgeous in morning light.

Breakfast: thermos of coffee and sandwiches — first waterfall is 20 minutes in.

Afternoon

After the gorge — Eagle Rocks (at the trail end) and the viewpoint over Sochi. Sea view from 300 m — a fine end to the mountain part.

Return to Sochi or Adler and spend the rest of the day on the beach. Recommend Chayka Beach or Fisht Stadium Beach in Adler — wide, less crowded.

Lunch: cafe Yoshkin Kot (Adler, Prosveshcheniya St.) or seaside cafe with fresh Black Sea fish — flounder, mullet.

Evening

Farewell dinner at Baran-Rapan (Lavanda Embankment, 3, Rosa Khutor) — experiment on the line of Black Sea and author cuisine, farm products and fresh seafood. Or at Gosti — chain with Georgian and author cuisine in Sochi, cozy family atmosphere. Buy Krasnodar tea and honey from Sochi mountain apiaries at the airport — the best edible souvenirs.

Rain in Sochi is no reason to sit at the hotel. Here's what to do:

• Olympic Park (Adler) — all the 2014 Olympics arenas and a fountain complex. Indoor tours of Fisht Stadium, Ice Cube and Iceberg. Without sun, the Soviet Olympic grandeur lands harder.
• New Athos Cave (Abkhazia) — one of the best rainy-day options: giant halls inside the mountain, a small train, +14°C year-round. Rain outside doesn't matter. Drive from Adler across the Psou border.
• Dendrarium (Kurortny Pr., 74) — subtropical trees and bamboo groves are beautiful in rain too. The cable car closes in strong wind, but walking trails always work.
• Kavkazsky Aul restaurant (Agurskoye Ushchelye St., 1) — historic restaurant in the National Park by a mountain stream. In bad weather you can sit here for hours over shashlik and Georgian wine.
• Rosa Khutor spa complexes — at the ski resort in bad weather indoor pools and spas are open. An hour in a thermal pool with mountains misted in fog — a different kind of pleasure.

Tip: Sochi summer rain is usually short and warm. Caught in a downpour by the sea — just wait it out in a seaside cafe; in 40-60 minutes the sun's typically back.