Batumi

Introduction

Batumi sits on the Black Sea coast in Georgia's southwest, in a subtropical zone at the foot of the Caucasus and close to the Turkish border. As the capital of Georgia's Autonomous Republic of Adjara, it combines a working seaport and industries such as shipbuilding, food processing and light manufacturing with an economy that revolves largely around tourism and gambling.

Since 2010 the city has been transformed by modern high-rise construction alongside the restoration of the classical 19th-century edifices that line its historic Old Town. Expect a warm, humid seaside setting where contemporary towers and ornate older streets stand side by side.

Before you go

Batumi sits on the Georgian Black Sea coast and draws a mixed crowd of Georgians, Russians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Iranians, Turks, Dutch and Germans, so expect the beaches to be lively and social. The city's architecture is a draw in itself, mixing older buildings with modern additions.

The climate is humid subtropical, with a mild winter and a warm summer and only a small difference in temperature between seasons. Rain is frequent, so pack for showers, and snow is rare and short-lived when it comes. Georgian is the official and majority language, but English, Russian and Turkish are also commonly spoken: Russian by most older Georgians, English by many younger ones, and Turkish by locals used to Turkish visitors. Batumi is generally quite safe, with careful drivers and reliable police, but take more care with street beggars than you would in Tbilisi — they can be more aggressive, and very young children are sometimes used as pickpockets, particularly just south of Batumi Piazza.

Getting there

Batumi International Airport (BUS) sits just south of the city, close enough that the transfer into town is short. A range of carriers serves it, including Georgian Airways and Turkish Airlines, with seasonal links to destinations such as Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Dubai, Riyadh, Almaty and several Russian cities, alongside year-round services from Baku, Minsk and Tashkent.

By rail, Batumi Central Station lies about two kilometres north of the centre, reached by several local buses; the stop into town is across the road from the station exit. Georgian Railways runs several daily fast trains plus one night train to Tbilisi, with an extra summer service continuing to Yerevan, and slow trains to Kutaisi and Ozgureti. Book ahead at weekends, when trains fill quickly. Three bus and marshrutka stations serve the city: the old bus station near the northern end of the promenade handles long-distance marshrutkas to Kutaisi, Tbilisi and Poti, a separate terminal takes large buses to foreign destinations, and a third point covers marshrutkas to Sarpi and Tbilisi Square. Regular buses and marshrutkas run to Tbilisi, and daily services cross from Turkey via the Sarpi border, which stays open around the clock.

Getting around

Batumi's central sights sit on one compact coastal strip, so the promenade, the Old Town with its restored 19th-century buildings, and the modern high-rise seafront can easily be strung together on foot. For longer stretches along the coast, BatumVelo, an automatic bike-sharing scheme, lets you rent a bicycle and ride along the beaches. Note that the city has no metro or tram network, so beyond walking you'll rely on buses, marshrutkas, taxis, and ride-hailing.

• Marshrutkas cross the city in all directions and are the workhorse of local transport; keep small change handy for them.
• Newer city buses require a Batumi Card or a Visa/Mastercard to ride, so get a Batumi Card if you plan to use them more than once or twice.
• Yandex Maps or batbus.app show inner-city bus connections and are useful for planning routes.
• Taxis and ride-hailing apps are practical for reaching the station, the airport, or districts beyond the walkable core; agree on the fare or confirm it in the app before setting off.
• Batumi Central Station, the departure point for Georgian Railways services, is a short distance north of the centre; several local buses stop by it, with the stop into town across the road from the station exit.
• Batumi International Airport sits just south of the city, making the transfer into town short; local buses connect the airport area with the city under the same payment rules, and Yandex Maps or batbus.app can tell you which route suits your accommodation.
• Batumi is a rainy city much of the year, so a compact umbrella is worth carrying if you plan to walk between sights.

Where to stay

Food & drink

Western Georgia has plenty of local flavours, and Batumi's signature dish is acharuli khachapuri, a boat-shaped khachapuri with cheese mixed with an egg in the centre. For something vegan, look for lobiani — kidney bean paste baked in bread or pastry — at any small bakery around the city; the best in town are said to be sold just north of the K. Gamsakhurdia and V. Gorgasali streets cross section, in a nondescript bakery opposite Carpisa and Georgian Kitchen, where they come out triangular with flaky pastry rather than doughy. Because Batumi is a seaport, the Fish Market is worth a visit: buy your fish there and either take it to your accommodation or have one of the nearby restaurants prepare it, with Ojakhuri or mashed potatoes on the side. Buying the fish yourself works out cheaper than ordering it inside a restaurant, and you know exactly what you're getting.

In the city centre you'll find plenty of budget options. Kozlovichi on Chavchavadze St is an atmospheric spot for homemade food and local Batumi beer, while Maspindzeli-First Adjarian Restaurant on Akhmed Melashvili St is the place to go for Adjarian dishes. Batumis Shawarma on Zurab Gorgiladze St keeps things simple and delicious, and Mary's Irish Bar Batumi on Marjanishvili St serves burgers, a full Irish breakfast, vegetarian options and ten beer taps in a comfortable pub setting. For mid-range eating, Adjara on Kutaisi street offers a wide variety of local and international food, including khachapuris, pkhalis and pakhlava, plus a brownie if you want something sweet. Literary cafe near Europe Square is an upscale bookstore-cafe with coffees, cakes, Georgian sandwiches, khachapuri and lobiani, and Cafe Privet iz Batuma, also near Europe Square, is a colonial Russia-themed institution known for its many kinds of blinis. Radio Kitchen & Bar on Rustaveli str. is a good bet for non-Georgian food with a solid wine and cocktail list, Restaurant Sanremo sits at the south end of the Batumi Boulevard walking path with Georgian and international menus, and Munich on Merab Kostava St serves German traditional cuisine alongside pizza, seafood and vegan dishes. For drinks, Sinner's Bar & Kitchen on Baratashvili has a menu of over 50 different shots, fire towers, drinking challenges, chicken wings by the bucket and a good selection of draft and bottled beer.

What to see and do

Start with the seafront: walk along the Bulvar and watch the beach, busy with families and youngsters by day and favoured by couples and party-goers at night. Restaurants and bars sit both on the beach and a little inland, and the area is generally safe though you should watch out for pick-pocketing. From the end of the seaside boulevard, near the beginning of the port, you can ride the Panoramic Wheel or join one of the boat tours, with yachts also available to charter. A cable car climbs the nearby hill for views that are especially striking at night, and there is an aqua park and an Olympic swimming pool if you want to swim. Inland, 6 May Park surrounds Nurigeli Lake and has a zoo corner in its northern part, though some animals are kept in very small cages. Casinos are plentiful for visitors so inclined, and tend to have an over-21 policy. Football fans can watch FC Dinamo Batumi in the Erovnuli League at the Adjarabet Arena west of the centre, and in summer the Black Sea Jazz Festival brings an annual programme of jazz.

Among the sights, the Black Sea itself is the main draw, with the beach, the port and the Ottoman-era clock tower to admire. At night, the Music Fountain puts on a spectacle of water timed to music, and the Dolphinarium holds shows. The Batumi Botanical Garden, reached by city bus, is a quiet, green and cool spot on a high cliff beside the Black Sea; it is very large, so allow half a day to nearly a full day. In the centre you will find the Medea statue with the Golden Fleece. For museums, the Archaeological Museum has a good collection of classical vases alongside bronze vessels, glassware and foreign coins, the Adjara Art Museum shows paintings by Georgian and foreign artists plus sculpture and decorative art, and the Nobel Brothers Batumi Technological Museum covers inventions brought to the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Places of worship include the Cathedral of the Mother of God, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Armenian Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the old town, the Old Mosque and the Synagogue. Further afield, the Makhuntseti Bridge and Waterfall make a good half-day trip, with a hike between Zeda and Kveda Makhuntseti, and you can visit the remains of Gonio Fortress and the early medieval Petra Fortress at Tsikhisdziti. For hiking, Mt. Chakvistavi and its national park offer a round track through subtropical, temperate and alpine zones, with springs and campsites along the way, and the Two Mountains Trail is another option nearby.

When to go

Batumi has a humid subtropical climate, so you can expect mild winters and warm summers, with frequent showers throughout the year. Winter is the coolest stretch, with January the coldest month, but it stays mild; snow is rare and any that falls melts easily. Showers remain frequent even in winter, so pack wet weather gear whenever you visit.

Summer is the warmest part of the year, peaking in August, and it is the height of the resort season on the Black Sea coast, when the sea is at its most inviting for swimming. Expect plenty of visitors along with frequent showers even in the warm months.

Three days in Batumi

Day one: Start in the Old Town, where the architecture reflects the city's layered past, and get your bearings along the Georgian Black Sea coast. Batumi Piazza is the obvious first stop for a sense of the centre's character. Expect a mix of Georgian, Turkish and other influences in the food you find, and don't be surprised to hear English, Russian and Georgian spoken alongside each other.

Day two: Give the Black Sea your full attention. The seafront is the reason Batumi exists as a resort, and a slow day here is the point rather than a failure of planning. Rain is a real possibility, so keep the Old Town as a fallback. In the evening, eat Georgian food properly rather than treating it as a side note.

Day three: Use the time for whatever you missed, whether that's more of the Old Town or another stretch of coast. Batumi International Airport is your exit, served by Georgian Airways and Turkish Airlines among others, with routes to Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Dubai, Riyadh, Almaty, Baku, Minsk and Tashkent. If you're continuing, Tbilisi is the natural next stop.