Georgia · Black Sea Coast
Batumi
Georgia's subtropical seaside, where belle-epoque streets meet a neon skyline and the boat-shaped khachapuri was born.
Batumi is Georgia's Black Sea resort city and the capital of Adjara, a subtropical strip of coast backed by green mountains just north of the Turkish border. A pastel belle-epoque old town sits beside a skyline of glass towers and casinos, and the long palm-lined Batumi Boulevard runs the length of the pebble beach. Summer fills it with holidaymakers from across the Caucasus; the rest of the year it is a softer, rainier port city with superb food.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
Georgian
Currency
GEL
Timezone
UTC+4
Why you'll love Batumi
The boulevard a long seafront park of palms, fountains and bike lanes that is the city's living room on summer evenings
Two cities in one nineteenth-century merchant streets and the Piazza sit a short walk from futurist towers lit up at night
Adjarian food this is the home of acharuli khachapuri, the bread boat of cheese, butter and egg, plus fresh Black Sea fish
Green hinterland tea hills, waterfalls and old stone bridges begin half an hour inland
Best time to visit
Apr-May
17-21° days
41.651° N, 41.636° E
UTC+4 · Asia/Tbilisi
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Weather & when to go to Batumi
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-May
Watch for Sep-Dec monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Batumi
September to December is the wet stretch: Batumi is Georgia's rainiest city, and autumn brings long, heavy downpours even while the sea is still warm. The real beach season is June to August, hot, humid and crowded, with the nightlife at full tilt. April and May are the comfortable months for walking and day trips, before swimming weather arrives.
Top things to do in Batumi
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Batumi Boulevard - walk or cycle the seafront
scenic 👍 PopularThe promenade began as a nineteenth-century seaside park and now stretches for kilometres along the beach, past fountains, sculptures, cafes and a lake. Rent a bike or join the evening stroll when the whole city turns out.
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Ali and Nino and the Alphabet Tower - the seafront icons
culture arts 👍 PopularTwo moving steel figures, named for the classic Caucasus love story, glide together and apart at the harbour end of the boulevard. Next to them the Alphabet Tower spirals with the letters of the Georgian script. Both are best after dark.
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Batumi Botanical Garden - subtropical gardens at Green Cape
nature wildlife scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedOne of the largest botanical gardens of the former Soviet Union climbs a steep headland north of town, with bamboo groves, Himalayan and Australian sections and sea views from the upper paths. Allow half a day and wear good shoes.
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Old Batumi - Europe Square, the Piazza and the old port streets
history culture artsWander the grid of restored merchant houses around Europe Square, with its statue of Medea holding the Golden Fleece, into the Italianate Piazza and past the old mosque and cathedral that recall the city's mixed past.
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Gonio-Apsaros Fortress - Roman walls by the sea
history ⭐ Highly recommendedSouth of the city, massive stone walls enclose the site of the Roman fort of Apsaros, later Byzantine and Ottoman. Local tradition places the grave of the Apostle Matthias here. Combine it with a swim at Gonio or Kvariati.
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Argo cable car - ride up over the city
scenicCabins lift from near the old town to a hilltop viewpoint with a panorama over the port, the boulevard and the coast running south to Turkey. Go near sunset.
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Adjarian khachapuri - eat the city's signature dish
food 👍 PopularThe boat-shaped bread is baked with cheese, then topped with an egg yolk and butter that you stir in and tear at with the crust. Pair it with Black Sea fish, Georgian wine and chacha.
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Summer nights - bars, beach clubs and casinos
nightlife musicFrom June to August the boulevard, the beach clubs along the pebbles and the casino hotels keep going late, drawing visitors from Turkey, Armenia and across Georgia. Out of season it is far quieter.
Best areas to stay in Batumi
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Old Batumi
First-time visitors $$Belle-epoque streets and cafe squares
Explore hotels in Old Batumi →
New Boulevard
Beach and resort stays $$$High-rise hotels along the seafront
Explore hotels in New Boulevard →
Gonio and Kvariati
Families and swimmers $$Quieter beach villages near Turkey
Explore hotels in Gonio and Kvariati →
Makhinjauri and Green Cape
Slower stays $$Leafy hillside villages north of town
Explore hotels in Makhinjauri and Green Cape →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Batumi
Getting to & around Batumi
Getting there
Fly into Batumi's own airport just south of the city, or arrive by train from Tbilisi
Flight
Batumi International Airport (BUS)
The airport sits on the southern edge of the city toward Gonio; a taxi or city bus reaches the old town in about 15-20 minutes.
Train
Batumi Central Station
Fast daytime trains and overnight sleepers run from Tbilisi in around five to six hours, along the coast via Kobuleti
Coach
Many visitors fly into Kutaisi on budget airlines and take the airport shuttle bus, about two and a half hours to Batumi
Coach
Buses from Trabzon and elsewhere in Turkey cross at the Sarpi border, about half an hour south of the city
Getting around
Walking
The old town and the boulevard are flat and compact; most sights in the centre are an easy walk
Free
City bus
Buses and minibuses run the length of the coast, including to the airport, Gonio and the Botanical Garden
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and cheap by European standards; app-based ride hailing avoids haggling
TBC
Bike share
Public bikes and dedicated lanes run along the boulevard, the best way to cover the seafront
TBC
Day trips from Batumi
Makhuntseti Waterfall and Queen Tamar Bridge
Half dayWaterfall and stone bridge
A tall waterfall in the Adjara hills and, a short walk away, a medieval arched stone bridge over the Acharistskali river. Tours often add a winery stop in the Keda valley.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 45 min inland by car, minibus or tour
Mtirala National Park
Full dayRainforest hiking
Among the wettest places in Georgia, its name means weeping mountain: dense Colchic forest, waterfalls and a lake reached on marked trails from the visitor centre.
Getting there
car
About 1 hr by car or taxi into the hills
Gonio and Sarpi
Half dayFortress and beaches
Visit the Roman walls of Gonio-Apsaros, then swim off the clearer, quieter pebble beaches of Kvariati and Sarpi, right at the Turkish border.
Getting there
bus | car
About 20-30 min south by bus or taxi
Petra Fortress and Kobuleti
Half dayCoastal fort and resort
The ruins of a Byzantine fortress on a headland at Tsikhisdziri, then the long beach and low-key resort town of Kobuleti.
Getting there
train | bus | car
About 30-40 min north by train, minibus or car
A little history of Batumi
This coast was part of ancient Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece in Greek myth, and the Romans kept a fort at Apsaros, today's Gonio. For centuries it passed between Georgian, Byzantine and Ottoman hands, and from the seventeenth century Adjara was an Ottoman province whose people largely converted to Islam, a heritage still visible in its mosques and villages.
In 1878 the Congress of Berlin handed Batumi to the Russian Empire, which made it a free port. The railway from Baku and later an oil pipeline turned it into one of the busiest oil ports in the world, run by the Nobel and Rothschild interests. After Soviet rule, independent Georgia rebuilt the seafront from the 2000s, lining it with the towers, casinos and statues that define the city today.
The Romans garrison the fort of Apsaros at Gonio
Adjara comes under Ottoman rule and Batumi grows as a small Ottoman port
The Congress of Berlin cedes Batumi to the Russian Empire, which declares it a free port
The Transcaucasian railway reaches Batumi, linking it to Tbilisi and Baku
A pipeline from Baku makes Batumi one of the world's leading oil export ports
The Batumi Botanical Garden is founded at Green Cape
The Treaty of Kars leaves Batumi in Georgia, as capital of the Adjarian Autonomous Republic
Georgia becomes independent, with Adjara keeping its autonomous status
A building boom extends the boulevard and fills the skyline with towers and casino hotels
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Limited
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+995
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Batumi
▸ When is the best time to visit Batumi?
April and May are the most comfortable months for walking and day trips. June to August is the beach season: hot, humid, busy and the only time the sea is properly warm for swimming. September to December is the wet stretch, with long spells of heavy rain.
▸ Are Batumi's beaches sandy?
No, the city beach is pebble and shingle, so bring water shoes. The water is usually clearer at Gonio, Kvariati and Sarpi, south of town.
▸ Is Batumi expensive?
Generally no. Food, taxis and guesthouses are cheap by European standards, though sea-view hotels on the New Boulevard and anything in peak summer cost noticeably more.
▸ How do I get from Tbilisi to Batumi?
The train is the easiest option, around five to six hours by day or overnight in a sleeper. There are also frequent minibuses and short domestic flights, and many travellers fly into Kutaisi instead.
▸ Can I cross into Turkey from Batumi?
Yes. The Sarpi border crossing is about half an hour south, and buses run on to Hopa, Trabzon and beyond. Check your own entry requirements before you go.
More in Georgia
Kutaisi
Georgia's old royal capital, with Gelati's golden mosaics above town and caves and canyons all around.
✓ best Apr-May, Jul-AugTbilisi
A balconied old capital built on hot springs, with the wine, the feasts and the mountains close behind.
✓ best Mar-OctTelavi
The capital of Georgian wine country, with qvevri cellars, royal fortresses and the Caucasus on the skyline.
✓ best Apr, Jun-Oct