Sochi, Russia

Winter Olympics 2014 Sochi Russia

Sochi is in Russia and therefore has restricted entry.  You can get off the ship if you are on an organized tour and the company has filed the correct paper work or if you have a Russian Visa.  Getting through the customs officials is the worst part when visiting Russia.  This takes a long time and you have to sign a temporary visa slip which you need when leaving.



You can tell that Sochi is a popular location for rich Russians to holiday.  There were beautiful yachts in the harbour and private beach clubs along the water.

Water Fall

Sochi was the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics so a lot of money has been put into developing roads and the rail system.  The city was also fixed up to look good for the visitors for the Olympics.


We took a tour that allowed us to get into a national park and walk to a waterfall.  It was great getting off the ship but the waterfall was nothing special.  When choosing a tour don't have high expectations regarding what you are going to see.

What we did notice this time was that there were no undercover police shadowing our tour like we had in the past when touring in Russia.  Maybe things a getting a little less restrictive or because of the Olympics there are more freedoms in this city.

Hiking to the Waterfall