All the most important things about a trip to Krasnaya Polyana in your car. I share my personal experience and give a lot of advice. Find out about the road, difficult sections, parking lots, winter tires, sights, pros and cons of such a trip.
Here I will tell you how to drive your car to the resorts of Krasnaya Polyana. First of all, we will talk about the road to the KP from Sochi and Adler and about the nuances of trips already at the resorts of Polyana. And about the road from Moscow and other cities of Russia to Sochi, I have already described in detail in the article "How to go to the sea by car." Check it out if you want to know not only about the distances and the quality of roads, but also about other important nuances of the trip: which road is better to go, what to take with you, where to spend the night and how to find normal catering along the highway in the Rostov region and Krasnodar Territory, and do not fall into the numerous traps for tourists, where they will be stripped at exorbitant prices, and even poisoned.
Our experience
Road and distance
Let's see how many kilometers of roads separate us from the inviting mountain slopes and peaks. The distance to Esto-Sadok, the very heart of Krasnaya Polyana resorts, is indicated. I advise you to read our guide to the resorts of Krasnaya Polyana to understand how they differ and where it is better to stay.
| Adler | 49 km |
| Sochi | 77 km |
| Anapa | 407 km |
| Krasnodar | 377 km |
| Rostov-on-Don | 630 km |
| Moscow | 1700 km |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 1890 km |
| St. Petersburg | 2400 km |
| Yekaterinburg | 2860 km |
| Tyumen | 3200 km |
| Vladivostok (but what if!) | 9999 km (actually just that much on Google maps) |
Travel time is difficult to calculate, because it strongly depends on the traffic situation (especially on the route from Dzhubga to Sochi), the capabilities of your car and driving style. But the journey from Adler to Krasnaya Polyana usually takes about 40 minutes, and the road from Moscow takes about 30 hours.
Let me remind you that in the article "How to go to the sea by car" I spoke in detail about the M4 highway, the quality of roads, toll sections, choosing the best route and about other important things. I will not repeat myself here, read the link. Also learn how to prepare for your road trip.
Dzhubga-Sochi section
But this is definitely worth mentioning. This is the most difficult section of the road to Krasnaya Polyana (170 km), because here you will find the main serpentines of the entire trip. Add to this only one lane for each stream almost along the entire length of the road, frequent repairs, slowly creeping trucks that collect unthinkable columns and simply huge traffic congestion, especially in the summer. In general, you will definitely not relax on this site. Unless you, like us, hack the system by going to Sochi in the low or at least velvet season. Otherwise ... Well, I warned you.
By the way, Dzhubga is the trashiest resort of all Russia. If you want to see all the relish of the Krasnodar resort vacation, then drop in there in the summer. There is such a flavor that you will not be able to discern it for a long time.
Road from Sochi and Adler to Krasnaya Polyana
An excellent bypass road was built in Sochi, half of which runs through tunnels. So you only have to stand in city traffic jams for a little while to get to the bypass. And then it will start to relax. True, there will be several kilometers of road ahead of you, passing through the whole of Adler, with all its city “joys”: traffic jams, buses, pedestrians - but this will not be a big problem.
After leaving Adler, you will find a great brand new track to Krasnaya Polyana itself. They lead there two roads: old and new, built for the Olympics. Both roads are built in parallel and wind along the Mzymta River. If you stand with your back to the sea and facing the mountains, then the old road will be on the left side of the river (east bank), and the new one - on the right (west bank). Choose a new track - it is of excellent quality and bypasses all villages. If you want to visit Skypark, the canyon of the Psakho River, Akhshtyrskaya cave and other attractions on the way to Krasnaya Polyana or back, then go along the old road, because all these places are on the other side. Or you can drive part of the way along the new highway, and then turn onto the old one - in several places there are bridges for the exit. Fill in your destination in the navigator and see how it will be faster and more convenient.
On this map, I marked the optimal route to Krasnaya Polyana (Esto-Sadka) from Moscow via Krasnodar, Sochi and Adler.
Parking, or where to leave the car
This is the main headache for autotourists. And if not pain, then just an important item of expense. I was greatly surprised and outraged that all or almost all large chain hotels in KP resorts take money from their guests for parking. This is, of course, savagery, but such are the greedy customs of our south and especially the tourist business in the KP. For five years I have been actively traveling by car in Russia and abroad, and nowhere, except for KP and Adler, have I never seen a hotel cut money for parking from its guests. Eh, Kuban, why are you so greedy!
Entry to the territory of the ski resorts will also be paid. For example, Rosa Khutor has several parking lots for a total of 1,500 cars. The tariffs for parking P1 at the lift are as follows: 1 hour - 300 ₽, day - 1000 ₽, month - 22800 ₽. Yes, these guys are not shy about bending prices.
Keep in mind that cars parked in the wrong place are immediately evacuated by the traffic police.
In theory park for free it is possible on the streets and in the lanes of Esto-Sadka and the village of Krasnaya Polyana, but in general it is assumed that these are places for guests of hotels and guest houses, of which 99% are both of these villages. So I don't even know if the owners of the houses will enter into a discussion with you about this or will give up. We lived in the best guest house in Esto-Sadka "Usadba", it has free parking for guests, so we just left our car there for the whole week of rest and didn't bother about parking. Why don't you do the same?
What to see in Krasnaya Polyana by car
The road to Krasnaya Polyana is a dead end: there is nowhere to go further than Rosa Khutor. At the resorts of the KP themselves, you are unlikely to need a car to visit the sights, because it is easier to get to them by bus or taxi, so as not to rack your brains with the search for parking. But for a trip to interesting places in the vicinity, the car will definitely come in handy.
If you are too lazy to organize trips on your own, then look at excursions from Krasnaya Polyana and active tours.
Here's what I advise you to look at on the section of the road between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana:
Winter road to Krasnaya Polyana
Snow on the coast of Sochi is very rare. The road to Krasnaya Polyana also rarely falls asleep with snow, but even these days it is quickly cleaned with equipment and sprinkled with salt, so studded winter tires are almost never needed in the mountains. Locals prefer Velcro. However, sometimes (this usually happens during the New Year holidays) on the highway in the checkpoint there is a traffic police and checks for the presence of winter tires. Watch the webcams at the KP to understand what the situation is in terms of snow right now.
Pros
- A trip by car for two, three and an even larger company is usually cheaper than air tickets.
- You can take a lot of things.
- Stops at any interesting place along the way.
- You will be free as a bird: if you wanted to stay for a few more days, if you wanted to, you left earlier.
- It is easy to go to Sochi and Adler to the sea (although it is not difficult without a car).
- You can see any sights of Krasnaya Polyana and the whole of Greater Sochi.
Minuses
- Search for parking lots and their costs.
- Driving from afar is rather tiring, and then again and back ...
- Traffic jams on the way to Sochi.
Many drivers complain about the evil Krasnodar traffic policemen, who only want the blood of tourists to write out a fine. However, in all my numerous trips to the south of Russia and the Caucasus, I have never received their attention more than the usual check of documents and opening the trunk. What's the secret? Maybe you just need to violate less?
Car rental as an alternative
Or is it better to rent a car? This is a good solution for those who take too long to get to Krasnaya Polyana and who are not attracted by congestion on the road to Sochi. These unpleasant things can be avoided if you fly to Adler in a couple of hours and rent a car right at the airport. This business is completely simple and inexpensive. I can recommend the reliable and convenient Myrentacar service. Renting a budget car costs from 1000 rubles per day, a crossover - from 2200 rubles, a luxury car - from 3400 rubles, a BMW convertible - from 6500 rubles.
I often rent a car abroad. Read my tips for safe car rental - they are, however, primarily for foreign trips, but a lot will be relevant for Russia as well.
Who should go to Krasnaya Polyana by car
- Active travelers who want to explore the area.
- Those who do not want to once again contact people on the plane, airport, train and at the station during a pandemic.
- It is easier and cheaper to get to Krasnaya Polyana from your city by private car than by air or train.
- You spontaneously decided to go to the mountains, and all the cheap tickets were dismantled long ago.
- You just really love to travel in your car.
