Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi: a ski resort and holiday village
Let's start with the main thing. The main thing is that now, in 2019, the term "Krasnaya Polyana" can cover three different concepts:
- The village of Krasnaya Polyana, which is located in the mountains, in the Adler district of Sochi
- A mountain cluster comprising two villages – Krasnaya Polyana and Esto-Sadok – and three ski resorts
- ski resort , which just a week ago was called Gorki Gorod
And it is in this order that we will consider them.
The village of Krasnaya Polyana
It's all quite simple here. The urban-type settlement of Krasnaya Polyana is a cozy, beautiful mountain village. It has its own infrastructure and a permanent population.
Many tourists are surprised to discover that Krasnaya Polyana is not some "village of three houses and one and a half streets" where it has suddenly become fashionable to vacation, but a fairly large and modern town.
The history of this small village is quite interesting. I wrote about it in more detail here: Krasnaya Polyana Tourist Guide
Visitors to Krasnaya Polyana can discover many interesting sights: Sights of Krasnaya Polyana
Tourists who visited Krasnaya Polyana before the 2014 Olympics are often surprised by the changes that have taken place here. Indeed, five years ago, these places became practically unrecognizable to some, while for others, on the contrary, they were very familiar. And therefore, they are in demand.
Those same foreigners flocked to Krasnaya Polyana only after the Olympics. And what about foreigners? I myself only came to Polyana for the first time in 2014, having previously preferred Alpine resorts. But, like many ski fans, I succumbed to curiosity and flew to Sochi to see the transformation the resort had undergone during the Winter Olympics.
