Things to do in Black Sea Coast
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Natasha's
If you’ve never tasted khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread) then this pavement café is the master creator. The house specialty is the cholesterol-laden khachapuri po-adzharski. A hand-kneeded monster-sized pastry is filled with melted cheese and butter, then an egg’s floated in it. Other Georgian specialties like kharcho (rice with beef or lamb soup) and chanakhi (spicy meat stew in a clay pot) are also available, as are delicious desserts like chocolate or strawberry mousse. Service is snail-slow.
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Ne Goryuy
On a quiet side street between the sea and Park Rivera, it’s the best of Sochi’s many Georgian restaurants. The house specialty is the chakhokhbily (chicken pieces swimming in a garlicky red sauce). The kharcho is also hearty and delicious. Choose from Georgian and more affordable, surprisingly palatable Kuban wines. English menu.
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Stolovaya No 17
This wonderful canteen is a relic of Soviet days when 30m queues waited patiently for a cheap meal. Now there’s a kitchen full of babushkas serving a range of tasty options presented at a pick-and-choose counter. Plastic tablecloths cover metal tables decorated with plastic flowers, and you get to eat with aluminium cutlery.
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Turetskaya Kukhnya
This unpretentious eatery is perfect for those who don’t read Russian because there’s no menu. Just waltz up to the glass display case and point to what you want. Pride of place goes to the kebabs, and the salads are also exceptional. It’s popular for a reason. The service is friendly, but check your bill.
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Patskha Restaurant
Heaps of character here. Linger for long, drawn-out meals lubricated with local wine. The delicious cuisine is Georgian and the prime dish is trout or sturgeon which you catch yourself from a pool outside. Keep an eye on what you're ordering as the bill rapidly mounts, leaving you with a hole in your wallet.
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Town History Museum
The newly renovated Town History Museum has a superbly presented and impressive collection. What shines is the space display with the Soyuz 9 capsule that returned to Earth in June 1970 after 18 days in orbit. On board were local lad, engineer Sevastyanov, and his pilot Nikoliev.
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La Pizzeria
One of many restaurants scattered along the sea embankment. It has a large canopied bar at the front and a rustic Italian interior. A menu in English reveals a large range of pizzas and pasta. The salmon pizza is probably the best but order ‘small’ unless you have a huge appetite.
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Yapona Mama
Russia has discovered Japanese cuisine and this smallish restaurant is one of several in Sochi. The illustrated menu greatly helps in ordering if you don't know the Russian for sushi or tempura. You can order a couple of pieces or mix and match to make a big feast.
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Arboretum
Sochi’s lovely arboretum, with more than 1500 species of trees and shrubs, including numerous species of palm, makes for a relaxing wander. Pay at the ticket office and then take the cable car to the top and walk back down.
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Reinfo
Well-established tour operator with range of programs: heliskiing and white-water rafting in Krasnaya Polyana; sailing in Sochi; hiking to Mt Fisht, Vorontsovskaya Cave and lesser-known places. Handles visas, foreigner registration and accommodation booking.
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Home Kitchen
Near the sea terminal this unpretentious eatery comes in two parts served by a central kitchen. Opt for the older more homely part for a cosy meal in company or the modern section for a quicker meal. The Greek salad was one of the best we've ever tasted.
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Dublin
With few restaurants to choose from in Novorossiysk, this underground Irish pub is a blessing. There’s not much to distinguish it from any other Irish pub. Try the super-spicy Shanghai chicken curry washed down with Guinness.
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Volodya
Look for entrepreneurial rafting guide Volodya hanging out riverside near the Alpika base area. Volodya also runs day or overnight hiking trips into the mountains. Guides cost R1500 per day.
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Saint Tropez
Sochi's premier nightspot comes with two dance floors to suit the mood. One with low-level lighting, cool music and snuggle-up tables and the other lit with hyperactive spots resounding to pulsating techno.
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Café Mzymta
This Georgian restaurant near Alpika’s base chairlift is well known for its khachapuri,chanakhi and other Georgian specialties. Also features Russian and European fare.
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Café Cinzano
Hanging onto the end of the Hotel Moskva, this café has some of the best food in Sochi. Try the bliny stuffed with mushrooms or salmon caviar, the peach pie or the wide range of salads.
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Aquarium
Inside Park Rivera there's an aquarium plus a tacky range of art and craft shops, pony rides and an avenue of magnolias with trees planted by cosmonauts, including one planted by an Afghani.
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Mayak
For a self-contained aqua park, Mayak has most things you could want - pools, water slides, sunbaking couches and cafés and bars for energy top-ups after all that hard enjoyment.
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Adventure Studio
Specialises in canyoning, rock climbing, rafting, caving, backcountry skiing and one- to 10-day trekking trips. Partnered with superb Elbrus-based extreme-sport specialist Go-Elbrus.
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Malibu
A sprawling open-air spot that throbs to the sound of DJ-spun music while the moon casts a silvery path over the ocean. Often draws huge Russian pop acts like Mumiy Trol and Zemfira.
reviewed
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Tinkoff
Below the Winter Theatre, this brewery-restaurant rises up from the sea embankment as a three-storey monument to the new Sochi. In summer bands play on the top-floor open terrace.
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Fregat
This venue caters to a slightly older crowd with live bands or DJs playing mostly classic Soviet and Russian rock. Consistently happening and can get downright crazy on occasion.
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Art Museum
The Art Museum resides in a classical building that’s an artwork in itself. There are visiting exhibitions and an expansive permanent collection.
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Alpika
The most challenging slopes for skiing will be found at Alpika. An all-day lift pass costs R1200 on weekdays and R1400 at weekends.
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Festival Hall
Many of Russia’s top music acts play in Sochi in summer, and this massive hall, with its open front to the sea embankment below, plays host to many of them.
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