Hello, dear readers! Lena Zhabinskaya is with you. When my Levushka was one and a half years old, the whole family and I went to Sochi for a whole month. During this trip, I studied all aspects of vacationing with a small child, and I will be happy to share my accumulated experience with you.
Many people, when choosing a place to live, do not take into account one very important circumstance, and subsequently end up with a nightmare, not a vacation. Be sure to read the article to the end to find out what can greatly ruin your holiday in Sochi with a small child, and to avoid making serious mistakes.
A huge advantage of the Sochi resort is its location and accessibility to all types of transport: you can fly by plane, come by train or by car. When choosing transport, you must take into account the presence of small children. Since our little one is a terrible fidget, we only considered a plane, since we simply could not stand it for three days in a train or car. It is very convenient to buy plane tickets online - you can choose the best options both by date and price, while sitting calmly in your seat. Personally, I really like the Aviasales service; unlike other search engines, it has a clear interface, even a blonde can easily figure it out. I also noticed that this smart search engine actually finds smart and profitable flights and connections, saving your budget.
Advantages of the Adler region.
Of all the districts of Sochi for family holidays, I would recommend Adler for the following reasons:
proximity to the airport (almost any point can be reached in 10-15 minutes);- there are ramps and ramps for wheelchairs everywhere (a legacy of the Winter Paralympics);
- proximity to Olympic venues (Olympic Park, Olympic Village and Beach, Sochi Park), Park of Southern Cultures, shopping centers;
- cleanliness and order, which have been maintained since the Olympics in these places where most foreigners and guests lived;
- the closest thing to Krasnaya Polyana is either by car or by high-speed train;
- many branches of all banks and ATMs (also a legacy of the winter games).
Experimentanium – a museum of entertaining science
How does a tornado form? How did Leonardo da Vinci build a bridge without a single nail? Can magnets fly and pendulums draw? In general, everything is for young physicists and those interested in science. Here science is comprehended experimentally: acoustics, optics, electricity, magnetism and mechanics. You can interact with the exhibits: explore, collect, solve puzzles, pull, jump and even scream. Conduct an experiment on your own, check how much easier mechanical inventions make our lives, compete in attentiveness and assemble unusual puzzles - all this awaits you in the Experimentanium.
Opening hours: daily 10.00-21.00
Cost: 300 rubles
Tel.: 8 800 770 0723
Riviera Park, Egorova St., 1, Big Sochi Dolphinarium (ground floor)
Accommodation.
As for placement, you can choose:
sanatorium is the most expensive type of accommodation, usually has accommodation buildings and a medical building, a territory, a dining room, a private beach, the average price is 4000-5000 rubles. per person per day;- a hotel is usually cheaper than a sanatorium, has a building with several floors and a swimming pool, provides breakfast in its own restaurant, lunch and dinner - for an additional fee, about 3000-4000 rubles. per room;
- mini-hotel - the most popular accommodation option, optimal in terms of price-quality ratio - are two-three-story houses with several rooms, often with their own kitchens or one common for all guests, usually costs 2500-3500 rubles. per room;
- the private sector is the most inexpensive accommodation option with minimal amenities, often even without a bathroom in the room, prices start from 800 rubles. per room.
Which accommodation option is the best? Of course, with small children it is preferable to choose one of the first three options, which will provide the necessary comfort. We really liked using the Biglion service, here we were constantly able to find offers from mini-hotels with discounts of up to 60%, everything works great, we checked it ourselves, so use it with pleasure!
Organization of holidays
Transforming robots in Sochi
You can order animators, soap bubble shows, face painting and much more, including paying for the service of organizing a turnkey children's birthday party in several companies in Sochi:
- Transformers! Bumblebee and Optimus Prime + Iron Man and Superman.
- Diva Kids - more than 80 animators, soap bubble shows and full organization of a holiday for children of any age, including newborns. For teenagers – Diva Party.
- "MultiKids" - LOL dolls, unicorns, Ninja Turtles and many other characters. turnkey holiday.
- SHOWSOCHI – exclusive holidays, a very large selection of characters, including a dinosaur!
- “House of Savignon” – life-size puppets, soap bubbles, a trained dog.
- Hero Park is a trampoline center with animators and magicians.
- Quest show Fort Boyard is an exciting show with professional animators and bright decorations.
Read also: How to rent inexpensive housing in Sochi, be it a hotel or the private sector
Nutrition.
You can have a snack or a full meal in any canteen or cafe, of which there are a great many.
The closer to the sea, the more there are. On the embankment there are catering establishments at every turn. If you want to have a delicious meal in Sochi with a small child, rely on reviews from authoritative Internet portals (I recommend studying the reputation of establishments near your holiday destination in advance so as not to take risks) or on the number of visitors in a canteen or cafe (as a rule, this is also a reliable indicator) .
There are many fast food establishments in Sochi offering delicious local baked goods: chebureks, samsa, khachapuri, all kinds of pies, lavash - an excellent option for a snack.
It is best to buy fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meat, and fish at the market, where everything is fresh. Read a detailed review of what delicious food you can find at the market in Adler here.
Water parks
Despite the proximity of the sea, water entertainment centers are very popular. There are no high waves, storms or jellyfish invasions, and the number of slides and pools is amazing.
"AquaLoo"
One of the most popular places to go with children in the summer. Includes indoor and outdoor areas and a large selection of attractions.
Opening hours: from 14:00 to 21:00, on weekends from 10 am.
Cost: from 500 rub.
"Galaxy"
In addition to slides and pools, there is a recreation area, a playground, and a cafe. A sauna, ice arena and cinema are open. The building is made in the shape of a spaceship, the same applies to the interior. It looks very original, especially considering the year-round operation, since the territory is covered.
Schedule: 10:00 - 23:00.
Prices: depend on the season and time of stay.
"Amphibius"
The outdoor water park is open from June to September. In addition to adult attractions, there are safe slides for children and a food court.
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00.
Prices: full day 1400 rub.
"Gorki City"
A cozy indoor water park is located in the Gorky Gorod Mall and operates in 2 shifts. A special feature of the park is its glass roof, providing a stunning interior design.
Opening hours: 11:00 – 22:00.
Prices: full day 1400 rub.
"Nautilus"
The seasonal entertainment complex is considered one of the largest and most popular on the coast. The luxurious landscape includes 7 slides and a children's play area, a food court and a recreation area.
Opening hours: 11:00 – 18:00.
Cost: full day – 1200 rub.
"Starfish"
Very compact, along with slides there is an area with sun loungers and swimming pools with hydromassage. During the summer months, animators work for children.
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00
Cost: full day - 1250 rubles, there are tickets for 4 hours for 1000, children from 800.
"Lighthouse"
This is the place in Sochi where you should go with children if you want to go to a water park on the seashore. The border runs along the edge of the beach and there is a great choice between swimming pools and open water.
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00.
Cost: 1200 rub.
"Breeze"
A small cozy water park combines the safety of swimming in pools with extreme flights from slides and the luxury of the surrounding landscape. Good service and a small number of visitors.
Opening hours: 10:00 - 20:00 during the warm season.
Cost: depends on the season.
Entertainment for children.
Of course, the main entertainment for which tourists now travel to Sochi are the Olympic venues.
To see them, you can purchase an organized excursion tour to any of the tents selling them right on the street, or go on your own by taxi or bicycle.
The Olympic Park is impressive in its scale; it is better to see it once than to read about it a hundred times.
How much does it cost to enter the park itself? For free. True, apart from looking at the buildings, there is not much to do in it, especially with small children: there is nowhere to hide from the sun, there are no bathrooms.
The Olympic Village is huge and deserted, making it a lot of fun to ride bikes with the whole family: lots of space and few people. You can also get into it for free.
Sochi Park - Russian Disneyland - will delight any child. But entry into it is not cheap, about 3,000 rubles. per adult and 2800 rub. for the child. This price includes all attractions.
The Park of Southern Cultures is a decent-sized dendrological park, very shady and picturesque. Entrance to it costs about 300 rubles. per person. Baby dolls will feel great in strollers under centuries-old trees; older children will be able to find a pond with swans and feed them bread.
Also, you can’t do without a trip to Krasnaya Polyana. It is better to plan a whole day for this event, preferably leaving with the first trains (fewer people), take water and snacks with you. Keep in mind that it is very expensive to eat in Krasnaya Polyana: prices in restaurants are exorbitant, even at the only McDonald's the prices are higher, and there are very, very long queues. A train ticket costs about 150 rubles. one way. The main entertainment here is the cable cars, tickets for which start from 3,000 rubles. Children will love the local water park.
Be sure to take your child to the large playground next to the Mandarin shopping center, built with funds from the D. Macdonald charitable foundation: the children are simply delighted with it, there are many unusual swings, slides, structures, everything is new and modern.
There is also a small amusement park not far from the Adler embankment - you will definitely find it if you go to the Ferris wheel.
Adyghesky yard. Museum of Culture and Life of Indigenous Peoples of Sochi
A private museum about which you can’t find information anywhere: no website, no group on social networks, not even any review on review sites! But we will tell you everything! The museum is interesting, but it’s a long drive to get to it: it’s located all the way in Shah, at Akhintam 3. Under the canopy there are more than 200 exhibits: objects of culture and everyday life of indigenous peoples. These are clothes, dishes and other utensils, and even a forge. Museum workers conduct excursions for groups, telling in detail about the way of life of our grandfathers and their customs.
Admission is free for Sochi children. For adults – 100 rub.
Tel 8 918 302 1993
Photo by: soledat1989.dobrobabina
Valuable tips for choosing accommodation in Sochi.
Well done, you read almost to the end! Catch the promised valuable tips that will help you not ruin your vacation.
Location.
Carefully study the location of your chosen accommodation in advance, so that God forbid you do not settle in a new area under planes taking off and landing.
Since there is an airport in Adler, many planes take off and land every minute.
They do this in one single place.
Believe me, living there for a whole month, we saw enough of such pictures: a huge two-story Boeing landing right above the roofs of houses and mini-hotels, almost passing the landing gear over the roofs.
The sound is so loud that you want to cover your ears with your hands. I don’t know how you can live and sleep in these houses at night.
I’ll explain where this unfortunate place is: find on the map where the Mzymta River flows into the sea. If you stand with your back to the sea, then to the right of the Mzymta River there will be that same area with new buildings over which planes land and take off. Avoid staying there, especially with small children.
In the world of animals or acquaintance with the fauna of the Caucasus
Just a wonderful children's excursion “In the world of animals or getting to know the fauna of the Caucasus”! It lasts 2 hours. For 2000 rubles for a company of up to 5 people, you will explore the Aviary complex of the Caucasian Nature Reserve far and wide. It became home to many animals listed in the Red Book.
Excursion to the Aviary complex of the Caucasus Nature Reserve. Greetings from the raccoons!
A friendly guide will tell you how the bison population was restored in the Caucasus, which animals were saved from humans, and why Asian leopards have not yet been saved. After your tour of the zoo, you can have lunch in a cozy cafe.
Anya and Varya, travelers from the Tver region, write in their review:
“The zoo is small, but it is home to many rare animals. We saw several species of deer, wild boar, lynx, leopard, and bison. A guide accompanied us throughout the walk. His interesting stories helped to better understand the local flora and fauna. It was a good program!”
Best time to go on holiday with children
A great option is, of course, summer. The holiday season lasts from May to September
- In May the sun is not so aggressive , at the end of the month the temperature can fluctuate from 15 to 19 degrees, you cannot swim, the water is still quite cold (17C). But you can enjoy the fact that everything is still inexpensive and there are no tourists. This option is also suitable if you have a goal to go through an excursion program; explore natural sites, since the weather is not quite suitable for a beach holiday, warm, but not hot. Water parks start operating from the middle of the month.
- In Sochi, holidays in 2022 with children are possible from the second half of June, as the water is just starting to warm up. There is no intense heat or high temperature (about 20 degrees), and there are also a large number of tourists. The month is famous for its continuous period of holidays, concerts and festivals. On International Children's Day, many theatrical performances, competitions and sporting events are held. Free excursions are provided for schoolchildren. In addition, this is the traditional time of the federal festival “Theatrical Olympus” , which invites leading theaters from different regions of Russia to participate. But the most significant event of June is the well-known festival of national cinema “Kinotavr”, which is launched by the passage of actors along the starry path on the square in front of the Winter Theater.
- The peak season begins in July. The average water temperature is 26-28 degrees, which is good for children and their parents. And in the shade, the thermometer can even reach 35C.
- In August, the water in the sea is like “fresh milk”. The air temperature remains the same as in July. You should not lose sight of the fact that the scorching sun can harm a child and an adult too (burns and heat strokes occur).
- In September, the “Velvet Season” begins, much fewer people come on vacation, but the temperature is still quite high.
Park "Riviera
The Riviera City Park was founded at the end of the 19th century. And for more than 120 years it has been regularly replenished with new plant exhibits. Perhaps, for very young children, a walk along the park alleys will not bring much pleasure, but older children will certainly appreciate the diversity of the plant world.
The infrastructure of the park is also improving every year.
- Carousels;
- Roller coaster;
- Penguinarium;
- Room of fear;
- Dolphinarium;
- Autodrom;
- Zoo.
This is not a complete list of entertainment for children in Sochi on the territory of the Riviera Park. More details ->>>
Wellness and spa treatments
Another great idea for a spring vacation in Sochi is to take care of your health. To receive medical treatment in Sochi sanatoriums, undergo a course of health procedures in hospitals and spa centers, and relax at a balneological resort in the spring is not only pleasant, but also economically profitable.
It is in the spring that many Sochi hotels and sanatoriums offer excellent discounts on accommodation and medical procedures. Pay attention to the hospitals in Matsesta , these hydrogen sulfide springs have been known for more than a hundred years. By the way, it was initially thanks to them that vacationers who came here to improve their health drew attention to the Sochi resort destination.
The doctors in Matsesta have a more than serious approach to health improvement, but if you just want to relax and unwind, you will like the spa complexes of Krasnaya Polyana. Most reputable hotels have them, for example, Marriott and Radisson Rosa Khutor. A day of luxury rest and relaxation is offered by RIXOS Royal SPA, and if you don’t want to spend a lot, pay attention to the baths and steam rooms of Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana.
Terrace of the Mercedes Sky Lounge at the Radisson Hotel Photo: © Official website of the Rosa Khutor resort
Gorky Gorod Mall
Sochi, even in winter, can give you a real piece of summer with a sandy beach in the mountains and different types of pools, 7 slides, saunas. You will find all this in the Mountain Beach water park on the top floor of the Gorky Gorod Mall, under a transparent dome through which you can see the snow-capped mountain peaks. There are other entertainments here, including the StarCinema cinema, bowling alley, shops, cafes, and the Funcity family entertainment center.
Check opening hours and other information on the official website: https://krasnayapolyanaresort.ru/aquapark.
