Understand
Krasnodar Krai has the most fortunate climate conditions in Russia. Reasonably, it attracts many people to live there: with over 5 million population it has the 3rd place in Russia after Moscow and Moscow Oblast. The region is famous as "Granary of Russia": its agricultural production is feeding the whole country and being exported.
Krasnodar Krai also contains Russia's largest tourist industry by some measure, catering principally to domestic tourists. The region contains a full 25% of all Russia's registered hotels and resorts. For international travelers, the biggest reasons to visit it are to see the stunning and lush slopes of Western Caucasus mountains and to party po-russky at the beach! Anyone visiting a seaside resort should consider reading Bunin's Sunstroke СолнеÑнÑй ÑдаÑ, one of the most beautiful short stories ever written.
Krasnodar Krai encompasses two major distinct climactic regions. The northern two thirds of the region north of the Kuban River is covered by Russia's near ubiquitous steppe and has a continental climate. The southern part of the region, however, is much more exotic, ranging from a Mediterranean climate along the Black Sea coast to subtropical in the southeast to high alpine along the border with Georgia and Abkhazia.
Additionally, Krasnodar Krai encircles the enclaved Russian region of Adygea Republic — named for the mountain Adyghe people, also known as the Circassians.
Krasnodar Krai can be divided in three tourist regions:
The Black Sea coastline "Russian Riviera"
The Azov Sea coastline
Inner Krasnodar Krai
