Sukhum

General information about the resort

Sukhum (Sukhum, also Sukhumi) - resort city and capital of Abkhazia. By Russian standards, Sukhum is a small city both in size and population (about 65 thousand people), but it is the largest city in the country, the political and cultural capital. Sukhum is located on the Black Sea coast in the central part of the country, 115 kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation (Sukhum on the map of Abkhazia).

It is believed that this is one of the oldest cities in the world, since the first settlements here appeared in the ancient stone age in the Lower Paleolithic era, i.e. about 300 thousand years ago. The studied history of the city has more than 2500 years, however, unfortunately, almost nothing of the historical monuments of that time remained.

In our guide to Sukhum you will learn everything you need for independent travel or rest in this resort. If you prefer an organized vacation on a ticket, you can find and book tours to Abkhazia, including installment payment, using the following proven online search and booking services, or through the search form:

• Tours to Abkhazia on Level.Travel
• Tours to Abkhazia on Travelata.ru (🎁 тут промокоды на скидку при покупке)
• Tours to Abkhazia on Onlinetours.ru
• Tours to Abkhazia on Sletat.ru

Holidays in Sukhum

Sukhum is a large resort city and a place of beach holidays. There is an opinion that there is no tourist life further than the New Athos in Abkhazia. Moreover, this opinion is sometimes imposed by the residents of Abkhazia themselves, working in tourism. So, at each resort, starting with Gagra, they tell vacationers that their city is completely ruined, and there is no need to go there. Therefore, really not very many vacationers from Russia reach the capital, but in vain. But in fact, Sukhum is one of the most developed and comfortable cities for tourists. There is a cozy clean city center, in our opinion the cleanest place in the country. The Sukhum embankment also, unlike the embankments in the rest of the country's Resorts, does not look dilapidated, it has a lot of entertainment and all sorts of tourist infrastructure. Sukhum boasts good beaches both in the city and excellent beaches on the outskirts. As elsewhere in Abkhazia, the beaches are mostly pebbly, but there are also mixed sand and pebbles. Detailed overview of Sukhum beaches here.

The infrastructure in the city is also well developed, if you compare it with other resorts in the country. There are shops, restaurants, cafes, canteens, pharmacies, public transport, in general, everything you need for everyday life. In Sukhum there are two theaters at once, the only ones in the whole country. Especially for tourists there is a sale of excursions, water and children's Entertainment are presented on the beaches. In the evenings, you can walk along the promenade or in one of the parks.

Accommodation and hotels in Sukhum, where to stay

There are a lot of accommodation options in Sukhum, you can easily find a budget guest house or apartments for family accommodation, and there are even several hotels that are equivalent to four and five stars. Prices are lower than in other resorts located closer to the border with the Russian Federation. Learn more about hotels and areas in Sukhum, where it is better to stay, here.

You can book accommodation in advance through the following hotel search and booking systems:

• 🛌 Search for cheap accommodation and hotels in Sukhum on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for cheap accommodation and hotels in Sukhum on Booking.com
• 🛌 Search hotels in Sukhum on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search for affordable housing in Sukhum on Sutochno.ru

Weather and tourist seasons in Sukhumi, when to go

The tourist season in Sukhum theoretically lasts from May to October, but in fact not at any time during this period it is worth going on vacation.

• May. Although the first tourists appear here in May, the weather from season to season at this time can be unpredictable. Even if the temperature is comfortable, the sea is still too cold for a comfortable swim. Also, not all tourist infrastructure is working at this time, many tourist institutions are still preparing to open.
• June. In June, the sea is already beginning to warm up, and in the second half of the month it is already comfortable for even children to swim.
• July and August. The best time. But prices for this period are rising, there are noticeably more vacationers on the beaches.
• September and October. The season of holidays and school holidays ends, vacationers leave, prices go down, the velvet season begins. But the weather is still warm even in the evenings until the beginning of October. In the second half of October it becomes cool.

Current weather in Sukhumi and forecast

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Attractions and entertainment in Sukhum

Despite the enthusiastic descriptions of the sights of Sukhum, found on the websites of travel agencies on the Internet, in fact, objectively there are not very many interesting places. Attractions in the city itself can be counted literally on your fingers, unless, of course, you count every monument or sculpture among them. And there are no historical places here at all, except perhaps the ruins of the fortress, of which in fact nothing remains. Mandatory places to visit are the Botanical Garden, monkey nursery and the State Museum. And Sukhum is not only the political, but also the cultural capital of the country, and here you can visit one of the two theaters and even the Philharmonic.

All other interesting sights are outside the city, and as in any resort city of the country, from here you can go on excursions to any point of Abkhazia. Most popular excursions: Lake Ritsa and national reserve, New Athos, Valley Of The Seven Lakes, Lake Mzy, Hot springs, Gupa falls, and many more. You can buy excursions everywhere from distributors on the streets or in a few travel agencies.

Learn more about all attractions and entertainment in Sukhum, see here.

How to get to Sukhum, transport

Sukhum is located 115 kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation, and it is one of the farthest resort towns in Abkhazia (Sukhum on the map of Abkhazia). Beyond it is only rarely visited by tourists from the Russian Federation City Ochamchira. Despite the fact that this is the capital, and there is even an airport, you can only get to Sukhum by land by bus, train or car. It is best for Russian citizens to get to Sukhum from the Russian Federation through the Psou checkpoint using an internal passport (without using a foreign one). If you enter Abkhazia with a foreign passport, there will be a note about crossing the border of the Russian Federation-Abkhazia, which can bring serious problems when visiting Georgia in the future (see more about this How to get to Abkhazia). If you want to get here officially through Georgia, entry is possible only with a foreign passport after obtaining the appropriate permits.

The nearest operating passenger airport is in Adler (Sochi). It operates many flights from the regions of the Russian Federation, including favorable fares are offered with transfers at Moscow airports, but it is better to buy tickets in advance, because in high season (in summer) prices rise. From the airport to Sukhum will have to get with a transfer by bus (to the PSOU checkpoint at City No. 173, after crossing the border by minibus for 250 USD), or by taxi.

By train you can get from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Samara, Rostov-On-Don, Krasnodar, Belorechensk. If there are no trains from your region, then you can take the train to the railway station Adler, and there transfer to the train or bus to Sukhum or other resorts. Train schedules and ticket prices can be found at official website of Russian Railways.

Learn more about all the ways, How to get to Sukhum yourself, here.

Where to eat in Sukhum, food

In Sukhum there are quite a lot of catering establishments, tourist cafes, kebabs. Budget the whole family can eat in the network dining room "sat-ate". There are two such canteens: one near the embankment on Kalmykov Street, the other on Eshba Street 164 almost at the exit from the city. Other establishments along the embankment are already more expensive and are designed more for vacationers than for family establishments. Of course, you will not find any World Network "McDonald's" or "BurgerKing" here.

If you live in a guest house with a kitchen or rent an apartment, you can cook yourself. But as of 2018, we were able to find only one Sukhum supermarket here on 166 Eshba Street. It is located far from the center, you will have to go to it by trolleybuses No. 1 and No. 3, routes and buses No. 1, No. 12. In the city center, products can be bought in small grocery stores and markets, of which there are a lot.

Shopping in Sukhum

Sukhum, like Abkhazia in general, is not the best place for shopping. In fact, except for local souvenirs, wine and Chacha, honey, there is nothing to buy here. Prices for most products and manufactured goods are higher here than in Russia.

nevertheless, if you need to buy something in Sukhum, there will be no problems with this. The main point of sale in the city is the Central Market (market on the map). You can buy anything at the market, but for the sake of what is really worth visiting here is fresh local fruits, meat, and other products, as well as the atmosphere. More "civilized" trade takes place in the largest shopping center and supermarket "Sukhum", but what's bad, it is located on the far outskirts of the city at 166 Eshba street, you have to go to it (supermarket on the map). We did not find other large supermarkets and shopping centers in the city center, and trade is conducted in small shops, street markets, boutiques.

If you urgently need electronics, it is better to go straight to the shops "electric world" (Aidgylara STR., 4) or" expert" (Imam Shamil STR., 13), but once again we remind you that prices there are higher than in Russian stores.

Simple souvenirs such as magnets, key chains, bracelets, honey, Chacha, etc. can be bought in shops on the embankment, in the market, and in one of several souvenir shops around the city. But we would still recommend buying wine and Chacha not for bottling on the street, but in factory glass bottles in specialized stores and supermarkets.