The 2014 Olympic Winter Games transformed Adler. Those arriving on holiday are greeted by a string of modern hotels, convenient transport links and many attractions. The center of attraction of the renewed resort is the Imereti Lowland with unique stadiums, the Formula 1 track, sports palaces, arenas, Sochi Park, and a railway station.
But this was not always the case in these places. Once upon a time, these swampy places with a humid, hot climate and malaria-carrying mosquitoes were called nothing less than “Death Valley.” Adler and the surrounding areas were a place of exile at the beginning of the 19th century. Disgraced poets, writers, politicians, and officers were expelled here. Moreover, such a measure of punishment was practically equivalent to the death penalty. It was difficult for a European to survive in such conditions.
It was. But let's return to our time and get acquainted with the main attractions of one of the districts of Sochi.
Olympic Park
In preparation for the Olympics, many sports facilities were erected in the Imereti Lowland. They hosted winter sports competitions and hosted the opening and closing of the Olympic Games. An Olympic village was built next to the complex of sports facilities, which later became a comfortable recreation area.
Entrance to the Sochi Olympic Park is free. You can visit it from 8:00 to midnight (sometimes entry is limited, but information about this is posted in advance on social networks). The park's territory is large - 200 hectares. It’s easy to navigate the area; there are signs everywhere.
The main entrance and ticket center, where you can buy tickets for events, competitions, karting, and an ice skating rink, are located on the side of the Imeretinsky Resort railway station. Here you can rent a bicycle (rental – 200 rubles per hour) or use an electric car without a tour or with a tour.
Official website: olympic-park.rf.
Olympic Flame Bowl
In the very center of the park stands the “Olympic Flame Bowl”. This 50-meter-tall structure, resembling the silhouette of a bird, can be seen from different parts of the park. In the evenings, an impressive performance is staged here - the Singing Fountains show, which illuminates the park with light and fills it with the sounds of popular melodies. 264 cannons fire jets of water 30-70 meters high, illuminated in bright colors.
The main buildings are located around this spectacular site: arenas, sports palaces, centers.
Fisht Stadium
This huge structure of unusual shape resembles a seashell or a snowy mountain peak. It was here that the winter games opened and closed in 2014, and the winners of the competition were awarded.
On the site of the stadium there used to be a village of Old Believers. Its inhabitants were resettled. But the Old Believer cemetery has been preserved in its original location. It is located next to Fisht and is hidden from park visitors by a beautiful fence.
Ice Palace "Bolshoi"
This sports facility resembles a giant frozen drop. During the Olympics it was the main hockey stadium. Now it hosts ice shows, sports competitions, and large-scale concerts. At night, its pearl-white dome with built-in multi-colored luminous modules is incredibly beautiful and visible from afar.
Ice Arena "Shaiba"
The Shaiba ice arena is located next door. The building's shape really resembles a puck and a snow whirlwind. The peculiarity of this building is that the stadium can broadcast images from the outside, working like a television screen. There are also no steps inside the structure.
Ice cube
Next to the “Puck” there is an “Ice Cube”. This is a curling center.
used after the Olympics by the Tennis Academy.
Iceberg Palace
“Iceberg” is a 34-meter ice palace. Lined with stained glass in blue shades. Impressive with capacity and interiors. During the Olympics, figure skaters and speed skaters competed for the title of the best in the palace arena. Today it is used for training and holding hockey tournaments.
In the summer, visitors can go ice skating at the Iceberg training arena by purchasing a ticket and renting skates.
The park also houses a concert venue, the Wall of Glory, and the Olympic rings.
Sochi Autodrom and Formula 1 track
Sochi Autodrom and the Formula 1 track are located near the main entrance to the park. Here, during the tour, you can learn about how the races are organized and conducted.
The Sochi Auto Sport Museum is located on the ground floor of the Main Grandstand. The exhibition features models of classic and racing cars of the last century. There are also quite rare specimens.
Next to the Autodrom there is the Forza Karting Sochi Karting Center with a 500-meter track and high-class cars.
Communication with sea animals
Adler is a seaside resort, and, of course, here you can meet marine life. First of all, you should visit the Aquatoria Dolphinarium. Performers here:
- white whales;
- seals;
- Pacific walruses;
- sea lions;
- bottlenose dolphins.
Adler’s pearl can be called “Sochi Discovery World”. This is the largest oceanarium in Russia. The building itself has two floors with a total area exceeding 6 thousand square meters. meters. So you can imagine the scale of this underwater “museum”. The oceanarium itself is divided into 5 thematic zones:
- The most ancient;
- Fresh water inhabitants;
- Deep ocean;
- Transitional period of evolution;
- Residents of coastal waters.
Each zone is designed in the form of a tropical forest, where among vines and beautiful flowers there are aquariums with fish. In addition, here you will find many three-dimensional models of extinct ocean inhabitants. Visitors are greatly impressed by the 44-meter acrylic underwater tunnel and the 28-meter window into the ocean.
Museums near the Olympic Park
Next to the sports facilities there is the Sochi Park amusement park, the Sochi Museum Center, which unites permanent exhibits and exhibits on one site, and the Sochi Automuseum.
Between the Ferris wheel and the Fisht stadium on the eastern side of the park, in a discreet building, there is an educational and developmental museum center (https://sochi-museum.ru/). It consists of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, the USSR Museum, and the Nikola Tesla Museum. To visit each of them (they operate on an individual schedule) you will need a separate ticket.
You can get to the Museum Center by walking a short distance from the Sochi Park stop (buses No. 57, 135, 100, 125c, some of which stop only on request) or from the Fisht Arena stop.
The Nikola Tesla Museum is located on the ground floor. After an animated video with a story about the great scientist, stunt magician Megavolt arranges scientific and entertainment sessions with lightning for visitors - the Tesla Show (the group must be at least 6 people).
The USSR Museum (on the second floor) is open to the public daily.
The Leonardo Museum with an exhibition dedicated to the inventions and achievements of the scientist, artist, sculptor, mechanic, and philosopher Leonardo da Vinci is located on the third floor. Many exhibits are operational and reproduced according to the artist’s sketches. They can be touched and experienced during an educational walk accompanied by a guide.
Nearby, in a building with facades decorated with oriental ornaments, there is an Automuseum with a retro collection of Soviet-era cars (now closed). During the Olympics it was the House of Fans of the Russian national team.
Performances and performances
There are not many theaters and halls for holding concerts in Adler; lovers of such entertainment are better off going to Sochi. The Winter, Summer and Green theaters and the state circus are located there. In Adler, pop stars often perform at the Fisht stadium, but usually there are age restrictions for such performances. But still, here you can find a place where children can watch interesting performances.
Theater "People and Dolls"
The People and Dolls Theater was created in 1992 and is based in the Adler cultural center. His productions are designed for children of primary and secondary school age (6–10 years old). The theater has a rich repertoire; artists perform not only performances with life-size puppets, but also various impromptu performances and shows. A list of events and ticket prices can be found on the theater’s official website.
Theater address: st. Ulyanova, 84/4. You can get there by bus number 555, which goes through the railway station. The journey takes about half an hour, the stop is called “Komsomolets Cinema”. By car you can get there via Prosveshcheniya Street and Lenin Street.
Sochi Park
This entertainment complex with attractions of varying complexity, stylized as Russian epics and fairy tales, is interesting for both children and adults. Official website: https://www.sochipark.ru/.
Its territory of 20.5 hectares with the Bogatyr hotel, whose guests can visit the attractions for free, borders the Olympic Park. In summer, the park is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. In the off-season, a separate operating schedule for the park and attractions is drawn up depending on the month.
To visit, you must purchase a single ticket at the box office from 10:30 to 17:00. You can use it in the park all day, visit the dolphinarium, ride unlimited rides, and participate in show programs.
Before visiting, you must check the opening hours and ticket prices (depending on the month of visit).
To determine the age category of a ticket, the determining factor is height (measured in shoes):
- Up to 107 cm – free.
- From 107.1 cm to 140 cm - children's ticket.
- From 140.1 cm – adult ticket.
To ride your favorite slides and carousels at least once, to get around all the playgrounds and themed areas without haste, or to take a short break for lunch in a cafe, you will need at least 8 hours. Therefore, putting everything aside, we went to have fun in the park for the whole day.
Attractions of Sochi Park
It took a lot of effort and time to test myself on almost all the rides. And there are more than 20 of them in the park: from classic carousels to the extreme attraction “Firebird” with a free fall from a height of 65 meters.
No less thrilling is guaranteed by the “Snake Gorynych” with a dizzying kilometer-long track with unexpected descents and ascents, on which you can rush at speeds of up to 100 km/h, and the “Quantum Leap” speed slide.
For those who don’t like extreme sports or are not tall enough, giant swing boats, water slides, chain carousels, a Ferris wheel, and a race track are suitable. For the youngest visitors there are funny rocking cars, “Carousel of Fairy Tales”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”.
The Ferris Wheel, air-conditioned and heated in cold weather, is available all year round. From above, from a height of 60 meters, the Olympic Park and the surrounding area are clearly visible.
In addition to the attractions, you can take part in shows, attend concerts and theatrical performances.
Don't forget to visit the Dolphinarium. Children love the performances of these amazing, intelligent animals. A short half-hour rest (that’s how long the show lasts) will just help you regain your strength for visiting the remaining attractions.
The Sovarium mini-zoo with rare bird species and the Experimentarium museum are objects that deserve the attention of visitors with small children. You can get to the territory of the latter from Sochi Park or from the Olympic Park.
Dolphinarium "Aquatoria"
Holidays in Adler with children are not only about beaches and amusement parks. Don't miss the opportunity to watch the performances of the most intelligent marine mammals - dolphins. The Aquatoria Dolphinarium, built in 1998, daily receives hundreds of spectators relaxing at sea near Sochi. Nine auditoriums surrounding the arena pool can accommodate up to 1,000 guests at a time.
An exciting show program will equally impress adults and children. Marine artists demonstrate amazing talents: they not only jump and perform acrobatic acts in sync, but also dance, sing and even paint pictures. Bottlenose dolphins, beluga whales, sea lions and seals take part in the performance.
After the show, you can take pictures with the dolphins and have a snack at the pancake shop, which is located on the territory of the dolphinarium. In addition to pancakes, the establishment offers burgers and hot dogs.
Southern Cultures Park
This is the oldest park in the city. In 1910, General Drachevsky laid out a private dendrological park on the banks of the Mzymta with landscape design characteristic of the early twentieth century. Alleys with southern trees are interspersed with numerous staircases, decorative ponds, elegant bridges, lawns, and green flowering terraces descending to the water. A great place to hide from the heat.
The park is located near the airport. Bus stop - "Southern Cultures". Paid entrance.
Bestuzhev Park
The cozy city park of Bestuzhev-Marlinsky is located in the center of Adler. In a green picturesque corner with hundred-year-old plane trees and palm trees, it is good to relax under the crowns of old trees. In the park there is a monument to Bestuzhev, who died in the battle for Cape Adler with the highlanders, and an ancient cannon that was found during excavations in the vicinity of the city.
Not far from the square there is the Central City Market, the Museum of the History of the City, and the Cathedral of St. Sarkis. Public transport stop - shopping center "New Century".
Livestock farms accessible to tourists
If you are not yet tired of animals, then it is worth visiting specialized nurseries and livestock farms with exotic inhabitants:
- Ostrich farm "Three Sophias". Here you can see graceful emus up close, and even make friends with them, because ostriches are quite sociable and charming birds.
- Ornithological park. In this free nature reserve you can see more than 40 species of birds. It will be very interesting for children to watch the life of birds in their natural habitat, especially since the birds have long been accustomed to people and practically do not pay attention to them.
- Monkey City . In this nursery you can see and interact with macaques, hamadryas, green monkeys and baboons.
In general, Adler can be called one of the best resorts for families with children, because there is not only a clear sea and beautiful beaches, but also a huge selection of entertainment and attractions that will not let any young tourist get bored.
Open-air water park "Amphibius"
The water park is located 2.5 km from the Adler railway station. Stop – “Sanatorium Izvestia”. Open from June to September every day.
There are many entertainments and attractions in Adler. Some excursions can be organized independently without the participation of guides and agencies, by creating your own program to suit your rhythm and schedule. Interesting offers can be found on the websites Tripster.ru or Sputnik. If you are not ready to travel on your own, look for tours online. In my travels, I most often use the following services: Onlinetours, Travelata and Level.Travel. Convenient, profitable, proven.
Zoos
All children, without exception, adore animals, and in Adler there are many places where it is worth going to get acquainted with wildlife. First of all, you should visit the White Kangaroo. This small zoo is part of the Oktyabrsky complex, but despite its modest size, it has become home to:
- kangaroo;
- peacocks;
- lam;
- camels;
- monkeys;
- tapirs;
- cheetahs;
- porcupines.
To continue your exploration of wildlife, head to the Adler Terrarium. On the territory of this mini-zoo you will find a huge variety of tropical birds, turtles, snakes, monkeys, lizards and you can even watch a crocodile.
