Batumi is an excellent place to begin or finish any trip to Georgia. The city stretches from the Black sea up to the mountains, thus its beautiful natural setting.
Regarding architecture, Batumi offers plenty of attractions: a charming Old Town, interesting ‘fin de siècle’ buildings, futuristic skyscrapers and parks. Batumi is especially popular in summer when masses of tourists invade its numerous beaches.
On the other hand, we visited in winter and had a great time exploring this unique town in a quiet atmosphere. I don’t know why, but we expected Batumi to be terribly kitschy. It turned out to be pretty cool!
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Walk About the Old Town
Happy Frog is in love with architecture, so we advise you to spend your time walking about Batumi’s Old Town. Look for historical buildings and modern graffiti. You can start your walk at the Alphabet Tower and walk to the Theater Square and then to the Europe Square.
Continue along the Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Street, pass by the Armenian Apostolic Church and walk all the way to the Batumi Piazza. Visit the square and the St. Nicholas Church and walk towards the Batumi Mosque.
From there turn right and walk to the Holy Mother Virgin Nativity Cathedral. Turn right again at Vaja Pshavela Street, pass by the Synagogue and end your walk at the Sheraton Hotel. Some of the weirdest novelty buildings are along the park in front.
Bike Along the Coast
We also loved the green area along the coast and all of the bizarre buildings further away. You can walk all the way, but with pleasant weather in Batumi even in winter it makes much more sense to rent a bike. There is a bike lane and it’s pretty safe.
Since 2011 Batumi has a bike sharing system BatumVelo. Though there are 20 stations, some of them might be out of order and bikes can be unreliable too.
Therefore, we advise visiting the Batumi Tourist Information Center in a kiosk next to the Batumi Boulevard Fountain. They sell BatumVelo cards and have information about other bike rentals.
Spend Time on the Beach
The main reason why most tourists visit Batumi is for its long beaches. After all, Batumi is Georgia’s main summer resort. The pebbled Batumi Beach is pretty long and full of nice cafes and restaurants.
It starts in the city center next to the Ali & Nino Statue, north of Batumi Marina. The first stretch of the beach is packed with deck chairs and small lounges and has a more private feel.
The beach then turns westwards right after the Alphabet Tower. From there it continues straight for 15 kilometers until it reaches the Chorokhi River. If you are looking for something more intimate, head over to the Mtsvane Kontskhi Beach in the north.
Take the Cable Car
If you are dying for some breathtaking views of the city, catch the Argo cable car to the hill and prepare to be blown away. Actually, we believe it’s one of the obligatory things to do in Batumi.
The cable car station is south of Batumi Marina, where the Chavchavadze Street reaches the sea. The cable car runs from 11 AM till 10PM and it takes about 10 minutes to reach the top.
We went there during sunset, and with the thick clouds above the whole city was wrapped in an unusual blue color. Outstanding! There is a nice restaurant on the top and a small church.
Go on a Day Trip
As you can see the abundance of things to see and do in Batumi will make you busy for a couple of days. But if you have an extra day to spend, get out of the city and explore its beautiful surroundings.
Actually, two of the most important Batumi attractions are located outside of the city. The hundred years old Botanical Gardens of Batumi, north of the city, feature unique collection of subtropical and Mediterranean flora with more than 2000 units.
It’s a very large garden, so you should reserve at least half a day for it. South of the city, by the main road leading to Turkey, you’ll find the Roman Gonio Apsarosi Fortress.
Try Local Specialties
We visited Batumi in winter and most bars and restaurants were closed. Fortunately, Neocca in the park in front of the Sheraton opens year-around and serves great coffee and desserts. Our favorite place in Batumi!
Another place that is open year-round is the Heart of Batumi. They serve delicious Georgian food with great options for both vegetarians and meat lovers.
If you want to have dinner with a view, head over to Sheraton’s 360 Sky Bar. Finally, if you are into traditional spirits try the Georgian one at the Chacha Time.
Where to Stay
Batumi is packed with new fancy hotels with interesting architecture, most of them located near the three squares. From Sheraton, to Radisson, Hilton and Wyndham, you’ll find all the luxury you want. Likewise, Batumi offers plenty of boutique hotels and guesthouses for those into more intimate places.
We stayed at the wonderful family-owned Hotel Cattaleya, perfectly located between Europe Square and the Chacha Clock Tower. Our lovely host Nino spoke perfect English and gave us an insight into the life in Batumi.
Had we stayed a little longer, we would have definitely booked a room at the Sheraton Batumi to stay within a totally Batumi building.
When to Visit Batumi
Batumi is in ideal ‘year-round’ destination because of its mild subtropical climate. Since most tourists come to Batumi for its long beaches, summer gets to be really crowded.
Though most locals don’t recommend spending winter in Batumi we absolutely loved it. Yes, many shops and restaurants are closed, but there are still plenty of things to see and do, and there are almost no tourists on site.
We felt like we had the whole city to ourselves! Naturally, spring and fall (autumn) are great periods to visit for its balance of nice weather and not too many tourists.
How to Get
Batumi is well connected with the rest of Georgia and the neighboring Turkey. From Tbilisi and Kutaisi, you can take a minibus (marshrutka) or a train.
We always prefer trains, and those covering the route are quite new and have wi-fi onboard. To Tbilisi there is a slow overnight train with beds in private cars and seats in shared ones and two express daily trains that cover the route in about 5 hours.
If you are coming from Svaneti you have to change minibuses in Zugdidi. If you are coming from Turkey, you can take one of the daily minibuses from Trabzon. We took one and loved the scenery along the way.
You can also fly to Batumi from Tbilisi and several international destinations.
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