Sochi is the longest city in Europe along its coast, and the warmest of Russia's cities. The swimming season runs from May to October, and the days move between the beach, the tropical trees of the Sochi Arboretum, the Olympic Park in Adler and a walk along the seafront at sunset.

We pair the sea with a day in the mountains: in summer the Rosa Khutor gondola carries you up to green meadows and a summit at 2,320 m, an hour from the beach.