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Driving is on the right side of the road.

Sochi Airport rental cars may be either automatic OR manual transmission. Make sure to verify when booking if you are not comfortable with a manual transmission.

Your local drivers' licence is required.

An International Drivers' Permit (or IDP) may be required, especially if your local drivers' licence is in a language other than the local language (you may inquire when you pick up your car).

Sochi Driving Stress Level: 8/10

If you are visiting for the Olympics, don't expect to drive in Sochi. The city will be in virtual lockdown, with non-official vehicles banned for the duration of the Games.

As a general rule in Russia, drive very fast and take incredible risks, especially when passing on the open highways. If you have a driver, do not let him take these risks and always drive defensively. Typically, even city roads in Russia contain many unmarked hazards: pot holes, missing manhole covers, excavations and more. Night driving in made more dangerous with poor street lighting and dirty windshields.

The M4 / E115 road connects Sochi with Moscow (1660 km) via Voronezh (1150 km), Rostov-on-Don (570 km) and Krasnodar (300 km). The quality of this busy road differs from a narrow serpentine to a highway depending on its section, tending to improve during last years. Normally it takes 2 days to reach the city from Moscow and 5-9 hours from Krasnodar, depending on traffic.

Going to Sochi from Europe you can use transit roads through Ukraine or Turkey. In the last case a car can be transferred to Sochi from Trabzon by ferry.

Please note that entering Sochi via Georgia and Abkhazia is impossible due closed borders.

Car Rental Protection
Learn how to protect yourself when renting a car at Sochi Airport.