The Caucasus Mountains serve as the backdrop to Sochi, Russia’s favourite Black Sea resort. Its subtropical climate and warm waters  made it a favourite summer destination for tsars, communist party bigwigs, Soviet generals and even ordinary Russians. Tsar Nicholas built himself a dacha  to spend the summers in Sochi in 1900 - a practise soon emulated by  the Russian nobility. During the Soviet era, it was the turn of the politicians, generals and bureaucrats.  The 21st century visitor to Sochi is more likely to be Russia's new  millionaires or youngsters in search of a good time.  Foreign tourists come to Russia in quest of the unusual - and find a different kind of beach resort in Sochi - one that comes complete with mountains, cascading waterfalls, spectacular hilltop views, rejuvenating spas and ski slopes.

Sochi's major attraction lies in its natural beauty. Sochi is all about mountains, rivers, streams, waterfalls, forests with over 80% of the region dedicated to the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve. The Russians call it their Riviera - and like its French counterpart, the coast along the Black Sea is a 20km long stretch of sand and pebble strewn beaches. Sochi became part of the Russian Empire after the Caucasian War - by the beginning of the 20th century, the Russians had discovered its salubrious climate, its sulphur rich waters and picturesque surrounding that made it a potential spa town and health resort.

From the tsar down, everyone who could afford to built summer retreats, dachas and lodges - most of them were elaborate and ornate examples of art nouveau architecture. During the Soviet era, in a generous state of mind, Stalin commissioned the Worker's Vacation Paradise - sanatoriums, spas and hotels where the weary Soviet workers could savour the delights here-to-for reserved for the rich and famous only. It is a different story that most workers came to Sochi to recover from bronchial, lung and nervous disorders. It wasn't long before Sochi became boomtown for medical practioners as over 250 spas and sanatoriums sprang up along the shores of the Black Sea.

Sochi has the best spas in Russia, if not the world - and that is as good a reason as any other for visiting. The Matsesta "Fire Water" Spa is one of Sochi's oldest and best known - its hot sulphur springs have been around since time immemorial and spawned the rest. A 15 minute drive away from the centre of town, the Matsesta Spa is located in a grand building and has a number of bathing rooms, special steam and inhalation cubicles and massage centres. The waters are reputed to contain over 27 minerals useful in the treatment of cardiac and respiratory ailments.

A little way down the road from Matsesta are the spectacular Orlinye Cliffs and the Agura waterfalls - the River Agura tumbles down three tiers, the tallest cascade at 90 ft in an area of magnificent natural beauty. The Agura Valley is also a protected area of endangered flora like cyclamen, box trees and Pitsunda pines. Sochi's other attractions are at the Dendrary Botanical Gardens - the subtropical park spans some 30 acres packed with 1600 trees and shrubs from all over the world. A scary drive up a long winding road leads to the Bolshoi Akhun Mountain and onto stunning views of the surrounding countryside including the snow clad Caucasian Mountains, the coast and on good days, even Turkey across the Black Sea or so swear the locals.

The Zelonaya Roscha is Stalin's former dacha - the complex is somewhat of a tourist attraction that comes with tour guides et al. The tour of the dictator's home takes visitors to Stalin's bedroom, dining room, swimming pool, screening room and billiards room etc etc etc.

The entire Sochi region is replete with the strangest rock artefacts - enormous stone slabs reminiscent of Easter Island or Stonehenge. People believe they were sacred sites of sun worshipping cults that inhabited the area some 3000 to 5000 years ago.

The active traveller will find plenty to do in Sochi - white river rafting, canoeing, swimming, sunbathing, sailing/parasailing, skiing, jet skiing,sledding, smowmobiling, hiking, climbing, horse riding, cruises on the Black Sea or exploring the over 400 caves in the region. Incidently, Krasnaya Polyana has the best skiing in Russia and Sochi can certainly qualify as the winter sports capital of Russia. A day of strenuous activity can be wound up with a relaxing/reviving soak and steambath in the sauna.

The neighbouring resort of Dagomys is just a short drive from Sochi and certainly has the cleaner beaches and waters and far fewer holidaymakers. On place worth a visit is the Dagomys Tea Plantation - it is the northern most tea gardens in the world and were established in 1901 by Iuda Koshman who sowed the tea from seeds he brought from Chakva. the tour of the plantation includes a tea/dinner at a pretty little Russian teahouse accompanied by traditional folk dance shows.

Getting There: There are six to nine flights to/from Moscow to Sochi during the peak tourist season between May and October. Flights also operate between Sochi and St. Petersburg, Yerevan, Tbilisi and Istanbul.The airport at Sochi is 30km out of town - a 30/40 minute drive- buses and cabs are available. There are several trains each day between Moscow and Sochi (36-38hrs). A once a week train service connects Sochi to Odessa (40hrs), Krasnodar(5hrs) and Vladikavkaz (17hrs).

Daily buses connect to Moscow, Stavopol. Kislovodsk and Krasnodar. When the roads are passable, driving either a car and motorbike from Tbilisi or Sukhumi is a good idea, though the border crossings between Russia and Georgia closes at times. Ferry services ply between Poti and Batumi in Georgia, between Istanbul and Sochi; a hydrofoil service operates six services per week between Sochi and Trabzon in Turkey. Check at the sea terminal for details.

Climate: The climate of Sochi is almost semi-tropical and semi-continental in its characterisation - its pretty warm in the summers with the cool breeze from the Caucasus Mtns keeping things cool. The winters are pretty extreme in the upper reaches with upto 7/9ft of snow, the rest of Sochi is kept at a balmy temperature by the warm waters of the Black Sea. Summer months are from April to October while the colder time of the year is in the months of October to April/May.

Accommodation: Sochi caters to all manners of visitors and offers art nouveau villas, the tsar's dacha and palaces built in Russian Imperial style, complete with beautiful grounds, private beaches, pools and tennis courts. At the other end of the spectrum is dormitory style places that cost as little as $5 a day. Mid segment travellers will find B&B places and apartment more to their taste. Most foreign travellers prefer to stay at any one of the hotels or at the Russian style sanatoriums that come inclusive of spa treatment.

D & E: Dining out is a delight as the number of eating establishments in Sochi are too many to enumerate - the list nclude expensive hotel restaurants that serve elaborate dishes and seaside cafés that serve a mix of shashlyk, salads, grilled meat and fish. Entertainment comes in the guise of bars, discos, casinos, pool halls, bowling, theatre, cinema,   shows, strip shows and special evening cruises on the Black Sea.

Money exchange facilities are available at counters at the sea terminal, in the city centre and at most of the hotels in Sochi. The main post office is on the Kurortny prospekt on the corner of ulitsa Vorovskogo. Bookings for rooms at the sanatoria , or for trips to Krasnaya Polyana, Mt Fisht   can be made via travel agents at most of the hotels.

For detailed country and visitor information, see Russia.