Sochi — is a resort of federal significance. The city is situated within 295 km from Krasnodar. Modern Sochi is one of the most extensive cities in the world. It runs along the eastern Black Sea coast for 145 km and for 40-50 km from the sea shore toward the Major Caucasian Ridge. But it is a so-called «Big Sochi», which includes not only the city itself, but also some resort localities:

• Adler,
• Dagomys,
• Krasnaya Polyana,
• Lazarevskoe,
• Matsesta,
• Khosta and others.

The resort of Sochi is fully included into the State Natural National Park, and partially — into Caucasian biosphere reserve. More than 90% of the Sochi’s territory are mountains and the foothills of Western Caucasus.

Sochi’s climate is unique — it is the most northern subtropics in the world, neighbouring the eternal ice. The typical weather for this region is a cloudless summer, rainy, but mild winter, prolonged spring and very long warm autumns — so called "the velvet season". The swimming season here lasts for more than 5 months a year.

The beaches of Big Sochi are relatively different by their structure: almost in every resort locality it is possible to find sandy beaches, pebble beaches as well as huge boulders. At every beach plenty of services are offered — from water-scooter riding to flying on a hang-glider.

Sochi offers an amazing variety of mineral waters. One of the treatment factors of Sochi is Matsesta’s hydrosulfide mineral springs. The salubrious mountain air, the sea water, the southern sun actively recuperate health of holiday-makers.

The holiday-making capacity of Sochi is more than 4 million people annually. There are about 200 sanatoriums, pensions, health homes and centres here.

The city-resort is a permanent place for hosting large international and all-Russian conferences, exhibitions, seminars, symposiums.

There is a large number of sights at the territory of Sochi: it is an arboretum, which can be reached by walk as well as by an aerial cableway; it is a relic yew and box trees grove, where at the area of 1104 hectares the flora of tertiary period is preserved; it is the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky cathedral, which is one of the orthodox temples at the Caucasian Black Sea coast; it is a trout farm, and the numerous waterfalls, the mountain rivers’ gorges, the Lakes and caves.

In Sochi the holiday-makers can try themselves practically in any sort of activity: from speleo-tourism to alpine ascends, jeepping and canyonning.