Almost the whole country rests here! Let's compare the recreation conditions in the two most popular places in our south - Sochi and Crimea. We will honestly tell you about the pros and cons of each direction. Find out where to go.
We have rested in the Crimea and Sochi many times and have already managed to visit more than 50 resorts in the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. It seems that now we know these regions like the back of my hand! But it is still very difficult to compare them. It's like a brother and sister - they seem to be similar, but so different. And choosing the best one between them is even more difficult. But we'll try! Let's evaluate the resorts of Crimea and Greater Sochi by different parameters and decide where it is better to rest.
Where is it cheaper to rest
Most often, tourists choose exactly the region where it is cheaper to relax, so we will start with this.
Accommodation prices in both regions are not very different and depend on which resort you want to relax in. For example, the center of Sochi, Imeretinskaya Bay, Krasnaya Polyana and the resorts of the southern coast of Crimea, especially Yalta, are the most expensive, there are many elite hotels. And in small villages in both regions, you can live relatively inexpensively: for example, in Koktebel and Asha. Resting in large areas of Greater Sochi (Lazarevskoye, Adler) and Crimea (Sudak, Evpatoria, Feodosia) is not particularly expensive.
To save money, choose an inexpensive resort and settle in guest houses and the private sector not by the sea. Read about the private sector in Crimea and private housing in Sochi. We advise you to look for housing only on reliable sites, and not from intermediaries on unknown resources. We are looking for the private sector on Sutochno.ru, and guest houses and hotels on the Hotellook. Also find out how hoteliers in the south cheat tourists.
Compare prices for a double room in Sochi and Crimea in the middle of summer 2021:
| Sochi | Crimea | |
| Hotel 1-2 * | 2250 ₽ - Razin | 2300 ₽ - Summer |
| Hotel 3 * | 3300 ₽ - Wind rose | 3350 ₽ - Oriental |
| Hotel 4 * | 6000 ₽ - Park Inn by Radisson Sochi Center | 5100 ₽ - Agora |
| Hotel 5 * | 16 600 ₽ - Pullman Sochi Center | 12 400 ₽ - Aquamarine Resort & SPA |
| Guest House | 2500 ₽ - Prosperus | 2500 ₽ - Spendiarova |
Food prices in the Crimea and Sochi are also about the same - it cannot be said that it is cheaper somewhere. In the dining room, you will spend 200-300 rubles per person, dinner in a cafe by the sea costs 700-1500 rubles, and in a restaurant - from 1500 rubles. In prestigious restaurants, the average check is from 2,000 rubles.
Ticket prices. In high season, air tickets from Moscow to Crimea and back cost from 10,000 rubles, and to Sochi - from 6,500 rubles.
Excursion prices in Sochi and Crimea are also about the same. Group trips start at RUB 700. Look for interesting excursions on Tripster.
Transport rental prices practically do not differ. Inexpensive cars cost 1000 ₽ per day, middle class cars - 1500-2000 ₽, and SUVs - 2500-3000 ₽. Find out how to rent a car inexpensively in Crimea.
Where is it cheaper? Yes, it turns out that in Sochi and the Crimea, you can relax for any wallet. Read our articles to properly plan your vacation:
Much cheaper tours
Let's compare the cost of vouchers to Crimea and Sochi in order to understand where it is cheaper to have a rest. A week's rest for two with a flight from Moscow costs about the same. Here are the prices for tours to Crimea and Sochi in the summer of 2021:
| Sochi | Crimea | |
| Hotel 1-2 * | 28 000 ₽ - Atria | 22 000 ₽ - Kara-Dag |
| Hotel 3 * | 30 000 ₽ - Velvet Seasons | 27 000 ₽ - Highway |
| Hotel 4-5 * | 43,000 ₽ - Prestige | 62 000 ₽ - Agora |
Where is cheaper... A few years ago, vacation in the Crimea was more budgetary. Today, the cost of tours to inexpensive hotels in Sochi and Crimea is almost equal, and rest in elite hotels on the southern coast of Crimea is more expensive. Find out what the prices for tours to Crimea depend on.
Where are the beaches and the sea better
Let's see where you need to go for the best beaches and the sea - Crimea or Sochi?
I prefer Crimea... The water is cleaner there, there are beautiful sandy and small-pebble beaches (for example, in Sudak), as well as wild places. There are good beaches with golden sand in Evpatoria and Feodosia, and with white "Maldivian" sand - in Olenevka, Popovka and on the Belyaus spit. They are ideal for children.
To choose a resort with good beaches, we advise you to read where it is better to relax in Crimea and see a list of the 12 best beaches in Crimea.
IN Greater Sochi there are no sandy beaches. The coast is covered with medium and small pebbles, and entry into the water is not always convenient even for adults. If you have sensitive feet, you will not be able to swim without aqua shoes. Almost all the Sochi beaches are narrow and crowded, and along the coast there is a noisy railway. And in the Sochi region, several rivers flow into the sea, which bring sedimentary rocks, so the water is cloudy. In addition, the coastline is heavily built up and littered in places.
Find out where to relax in Greater Sochi and see a list of the best beaches in Sochi and Adler.
Where the climate is warmer and more pleasant
Now let's find out where it is warmer and more pleasant to rest.
Temperatures in Crimea and Sochi are about the same. In summer it is higher than + 30 ° С, and the water in the Black Sea is + 23 ... + 26 ° С. The velvet season is also the same: autumn is long and warm.
However, the climate in the sea resorts of Crimea is Mediterranean and steppe, and there is much drier than in subtropical Sochi. Therefore, the heat, even on the southern coast of Crimea, is easier to tolerate. If you don't like humidity, you'd better have a rest in Crimea. It is also believed that in the Crimea, the combination of sea and steppe air is very beneficial for health, which is why there are so many sanatoriums and boarding houses on the peninsula.
Find out more about the summer weather in Crimea and Sochi.
Where is it more convenient to rest
Here I need to say a few words about the tourist infrastructure and service.
The best infrastructure is developed in the city of Sochi and the Imeretinskaya Bay - these are the most civilized resorts in our south. There are all kinds of cafes and restaurants, supermarkets and boutiques, food delivery, rental of anything. The service is not always up to par, but still they try.
IN Crimea with this it is worse - because of the sanctions, there are no usual supermarkets, shops, banks, mobile operators, gas stations. Even withdrawing money is a problem! If you are going to Crimea, read how to withdraw money without commission. The roads on the peninsula are worse, although in recent years the Tavrida highway and a bridge have been built, and a new beautiful airport has appeared in Simferopol.
Where places and nature are more interesting
I believe that in terms of natural and historical attractions Crimea is more interesting... On the peninsula there are traces of Taurus in the New World, Genoese fortresses in Sudak and Feodosia, remnants of the Crimean Khanate in Bakhchisarai and the Old Crimea, the ancient city of Chersonesos, Karaite cemeteries, cave cities, excavations of Byzantine temples, plus so many beautiful palaces and dachas 19-20 centuries - Vorontsovsky, Livadia, Massandrovsky.
Crimea is not deprived of natural beauty - on a small peninsula, landscapes fit from the flat steppes of Kerch and Tarkhankut to the high Ai-Petri mountains! See all the most interesting places in Crimea.
IN Greater Sochi There are also many interesting places, but in terms of diversity, the region is significantly inferior to Crimea. The nature is unusually beautiful, but rather monotonous in comparison with the Crimea: canyons with waterfalls, gorges, caves, rocks, lakes and wooded mountain slopes. Only Krasnaya Polyana stands out, because there are no such high snow-capped peaks in Crimea.
There are enough historical sights in Greater Sochi, but in comparison with Crimea, there are also few - ancient dolmens, a few pre-revolutionary buildings and a Soviet legacy like Stalin's dacha and the abandoned Ordzhonikidze sanatorium. Olympic facilities and attractions in Imeretinka have recently been added. Find out what else to see in Sochi.
