GE
Batumi
Georgia’s Black Sea resort: a long seafront boulevard, modern towers, a botanical garden and a Roman fortress
Georgia’s Black Sea resort: a long seafront boulevard, modern towers, a botanical garden and a Roman fortress
The seafront promenade runs for around 7km beside the beach, with gardens, cafés, cycle paths and fountains.
Rent a bike to cover the full length.
Photo: Sosotedrd, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tamara Kvesitadze’s moving steel sculpture shows two figures that slowly pass through each other, inspired by the novel Ali and Nino.
Best seen at dusk.
Photo: Vicuna R, CC BY-SA 2.0
Europe Square, with its Medea statue, and the Italianate Piazza anchor the old town, with restored 19th-century buildings, cafés and the Alphabetic Tower near the seafront.
Photo: Aleksey Muhranoff, CC BY-SA 3.0
North of the city on the Green Cape (Mtsvane Kontskhi), the large garden climbs from the sea through plants from around the world.
Allow half a day; it is hilly.
Photo: Gytis, CC BY 2.0
About 14km south, the Roman-era fortress of Apsaros has well-preserved walls and gates, close to the beach at Gonio.
Photo: Kober, CC BY-SA 4.0
Try Adjarian khachapuri, the boat-shaped cheese bread topped with egg and butter, and borano (cheese melted in butter). Seafood and Georgian wine are widely available.
Cafés line the Boulevard and the old town.
Batumi International Airport has flights from several countries. Trains from Tbilisi take around five to six hours, and marshrutkas run along the coast and to Kutaisi.
The centre is walkable; taxis and buses reach the Botanical Garden and Gonio.
Georgia uses the lari (GEL). Batumi is affordable.
Three days for the city and coast.
Walk the old town and Boulevard, then see Ali and Nino at dusk.
Spend the morning in the Botanical Garden, then the beach.
Visit Gonio Fortress and swim at Gonio beach.
Bring a rain jacket, especially in autumn.
The beaches are pebbly.
Bike-share along the Boulevard.
Carry lari for markets.
Quick answers for planning time in Batumi.
Around five to six hours by train.
No, mostly pebbly.
A moving steel sculpture by Tamara Kvesitadze on the seafront.
June to September for the beach.
Yes, it is one of the wettest places in Georgia, especially in autumn.
Planning a wider trip? Our Georgia travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.