Dagomys Travel Guide

Along the public beach of Dagmoys the most nightlife is taking place. Several restaurants and dancings are present on the short lumpy boulevard. Dancing is often outdoors in the warm evening and night air. Music is mostly Russian with a Arabian (Kaukasus) flavour.

Dress Code: Russians always dress up too much for any occassion, but to not fall out off line ... take care of yourself.

Though Dagomys has a station, only few trains per day stop here (and they are terribly stuffed with people). Reaching Dagomys therefore can be done best over Sochi central station. This station connects with Adler and it’s airport as well as Krasnodar and other Russian towns. From here one goes by taxi, regular bus or Mashootki (a.o. number 154 in 2005). This last are minivans that exploit existing bus lines by using the same numbers as the regular busses. Often they are faster then the slow busses and only cost a little more (still being cheaper then any public traffic I know). In the summer season you have to reckon with trafficjams on the narrow mountain road, during which the heat in the minivan and/or busses can reach uncomfortably high values.

In the mountain part of Dagomys: "Ooch D'ray" is a traditional Russian teahouse, surrounded with some tea fields. It can be reached by taxi in 20 minutes and is definately worth a visit. Here one tells everything about the Russian tea tradition. How it came to be and what it consists off. EVentually - of course - one also can enjoy this Russian tea, made of "Krasnodarskii Tsai" (regional) and in a Russian setting (a wooden house with balocony that offer an amazing view over Dagomys and the sea. The tea is poored from a small kettle and then filled with hot water from a "Samovar" (large boiling kettle with tap). With the tea you enjoy various jams and also some cake and/or pastry. Hazelnuts are often offered and for a sweet aftertaste some pieces of fruite. Deliscious!

When you go to Sochi and or Dagomys, beware of making a comparison with western staying (in, for example, Spain, Italy or Greece). Maybe the hotel complex looks great and even the rooms are satisfactory, the environment will have the tendensy to disappoint the average (spoiled) western tourist. Houses falling apart, traffic is chaotic, dangerous and poluting, sea is quite dirty from time to time (especially after rainfall, the mountainrivers that run through villages and often is used as open sewage system) and the average life standard is just lower then in any other European Society country.

Dagomys itself was not in the frontline within the Great Patriottic War (the second world war). However, like all Russian villages and towns, it had to see many young men leave for the front ... never to return. The frontline shifted Southwards to the Kaukasus, but came to a hold somewhere 70 kilometres North of this area and was swiftly pushed backwards North again. In the mountains near the Russian teahouse, one finds a large monument for the Dagomys sons that were taken in this war. In beautiful surroundings and silence.

Dagomys beaches offer a variety in watersports and against relative low prices. By speedboat one can be lifted up high in parasailing (public beach), but also diving lessons can be attended (privat beach of hotel Dagomys). Furthermore all kinds of floating devices can be rented and of course one has to take a dive once and a while to cool off from the heat. This last however is also not that possible in the warm Black Sea water that in August reaches towards the 30 degrees Celsius.