Krasnodar

Krasnodar may lack first-rate tourist sights but it's a rich and vibrant city, the centre of  the fertile Kuban region and the touristy Black Sea Coast. Founded in 1793 as a Cossack fortress on the Southern edge of Russia, Krasnodar received city status only in 1867. The city was then known as Yekaterinodar which literally means 'Catherine's gift' in Russian, a nod to Empress Catherine the Great who granted those lands to the Cossacks. After the revolution of 1917 the city's name was changed to Krasnodar. 

Krasnodar desperately tries to look like a metropolis with its main thoroughfare crammed with upscale international chain hotels and shopping malls, yet walk just a couple of blocks away from it, and there you'll see a charming Southern Russian town whose quiet streets are lined with old houses with carved window shutters. Krasnodar is perfect for aimless strolling along its leafy streets and boulevards and lounging in one of its many parks. Come summer, the market stalls are laden with fruits and vegetables grown at local farms and beyond. The main Krasnaya Street is traffic-free during the weekends, which makes it the perfect place for walking or sitting at one of its cafes and watching the Cossack parades.