Sochi

Sochi might have been thrust into the limelight with the 2014 Winter Olympics, but its notoriety as a Russian resort town extraordinaire goes back long before the ski jumpers and the slalom maestros came to hit the pistes. In fact, Joseph Stalin had a dacha (a country estate) here, and thousands of other folks in search of R&R by the Black Sea arrived after the Russian Civil War, which formally saw the Riviera around Sochi come under the territory of Moscow in 1922.

In fact, the Winter Olympics accolade is something of a misnomer – the events were largely held on the slopes of Krasnaya Polyana and Rosa Khutor, located deeper in the valleys of the Western Caucasus. Sochi itself is famed more for its coastal promenades and summertime buzz. Any Sochi tour guide will be able to point you towards endless beaches with coffee-colored sand, beautiful spa hotels with views of the waves, and even private beach clubs with crystal-clear water.

History lovers will have plenty to get through too. The Empire Style architecture adds a grand air to the urban buildings – many were constructed under Soviet patronage in the 1940s and 50s. You can even delve into Stalin's Summer Residence, where meetings with Chairman Mao once took place. And there are acclaimed art museums and monuments relating to Ottoman wars and Black Sea culture to get through.