This beautiful garden is located close to the Central Stadium and the Arboretum. Its centerpiece, the Friendship Tree, is a unique experiment started by horticulturalist Fyodor Zorin in 1934. It is a wild lemon tree, onto which branches of other citrus trees, including orange, grapefruit, and tangerine trees, have been grafted. The tree has branches added by people from more than 160 countries, some of them famous politicians, scientists, astronauts, and cultural figures. The landmark celebrates internationalism and peace. The garden has a museum where various gifts to the Friendship Tree are collected.
The Sochi Arboretum is one of Sochi's main tourist attractions. It dazzles with its collection of subtropical flora, including various species of pines, oaks, cypresses, and palms. There are special zones on-site dedicated to the flora of the Caucasus, China, Japan, South America, North America, Australia and Mediterranean countries.
This monument pays tribute to the heroic medics who treated the Soviet soldiers wounded in the Second World War, when Sochi was a "hospital city." It is an elegant arch, under which are the statues of a nurse with a patient and a surgeon. The monument is located by the Southern entrance to the Riviera Park, at the end of a beautiful alley with flowers and fountains.
Sycamore Alley has been a Sochi landmark for more than a century-- the trees were planted in 1913. The sycamores were chosen for their longevity, since they can live for hundreds of years. The alley also contains musical fountains.
Brilliantovaya Ruka, or The Diamond Arm, is one of the most popular Russian movies ever. Released in 1968, it is a comedy that tells the story of a kindly oaf named Semyon Semyonych who inadvertently became a diamond smuggler. Part of the movie was shot in Sochi, so it is no wonder that the city would have a monument dedicated to it. The sculptural composition is located close to the Morvokzal (Seaport Building). It depicts Semyon Semyonych with his family as well as the smugglers Gesha and Lyolik.
The three Agura River waterfalls count among the top natural attractions in Sochi. They are located in the Khosta District, about two and a half miles (four kilometers) from the seashore. You can get there by bus or marshrutka (share taxi). You will have to catch your ride in the center of the city, get off at the Sputnik stop, and then cross the Agura River and follow the signs for a little bit more than half a mile. The entrance to the Agura Gorge is situated near Kavkazsky Aul, a local restaurant. The first and lowest waterfall is considered the most splendid, so there are often a lot of tourists there. Stairs lead to the next two waterfalls. After you see them, you can either visit the Orliniye Skaly (Eagle Rocks) or take a longer route to the majestic Akhun Mountain. Orliniye Skaly are said to be the rocks to which Prometheus was chained, and fittingly, there is a statue of him on top. Prometheus was watched by a god called Akhyn, who lived on the Akhun mountain. When Akhyn saw a local girl named Agura giving Prometheus water, he turned her into a river. On top of the Orliniye Skaly you can not only enjoy the view and take pictures with Prometheus, but also buy some snacks and drinks at the nearby kiosk. From here, you can descend to the Matsesta microdistrict, famous for its balneotherapy resort.