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Batumi: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Batumi is a young city dressed as an old one. Almost everything that looks two hundred years old went up in the last twenty, and nobody here is embarrassed about it. This walk starts at Piazza before the tables fill, crosses Europe Square where Medea holds the golden fleece, and climbs the cable car to show you how narrow the city really is. Bring water โ€” there is a climb.

Batumi

A short history of Batumi

The Greeks called the place Bathys Limen, 'the deep harbour', and it was this harbour that everyone fought over. For centuries Batumi was a small Ottoman town, until in 1878, after the Russo-Turkish War, it passed to Russia and was declared a free port. In 1883 the railway from Baku reached it, and Caspian oil began to leave for the world through its port; the Rothschild family set up an oil company here, and the city grew rich. In 1902 the young Stalin organised workers' strikes here. After the First World War the British held the city for about a year and a half, and in 1921 it became the capital of the Adjara Autonomous Republic within Soviet Georgia. Since 2004 the city has been rebuilt almost from scratch, so most of what looks old in it is in fact new.

The ten best sights in Batumi

  1. Holy Mother Cathedral
    1
    Holy Mother Cathedral

    Built as a Catholic church, now Orthodox

  2. Batumi Synagogue
    2
    Batumi Synagogue

    1904, after the synagogues of The Hague

  3. Orta Jame Mosque
    3
    Orta Jame Mosque

    The only mosque left in the city, 1866

  4. Astronomical Clock
    4
    Astronomical Clock

    Moon phase, zodiac and sun, on a bank facade

  5. Neptune Fountain
    5
    Neptune Fountain

    A copy of the one in Bordeaux

  6. Piazza Square
    6
    Piazza Square

    Built in 2009 to look four centuries older

  7. Ali and Nino
    7
    Ali and Nino

    Two steel figures that pass through each other

  8. Alphabet Tower
    8
    Alphabet Tower

    130 metres wrapped in the Georgian alphabet

  9. Miracle Park
    9
    Miracle Park

    The lawn where the towers stand โ€” best at sunset

  10. Argo Cable Car
    10
    Argo Cable Car

    Ten minutes up Anuria hill

sleepntripFree with every roomThree audio walks in every city

A guide in your headphones, stop after stop.

To the walks

What is an audio walk?

Tours in Batumi โ†’

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Batumi:

The old town

Free walking tours in Batumi

The old town

Batumi is a young city dressed as an old one. Almost everything that looks two hundred years old went up in the last twenty, and nobody here is embarrassed about it. This walk starts at Piazza before the tables fill, crosses Europe Square where Medea holds the golden fleece, and climbs the cable car to show you how narrow the city really is. Bring water โ€” there is a climb.

  1. Piazza Square ยท Start here before the tables fill. Built in 2009 to look four hundred years older, and at nine in the morning you can see how it was done.
  2. Europe Square ยท Medea stands in the middle holding the golden fleece. This is the coast Jason sailed to, and the city has not forgotten.
  3. Batumi Fish Market ยท Pick the fish downstairs, carry it upstairs, they grill it while you sit. The cheapest good meal in Batumi.
  4. Argo Cable Car ยท Ten minutes up Anuria hill. From the top you finally see how narrow this city is โ€” one street deep, and then the mountains.
  5. Batumi Boulevard ยท Come down and walk north along the water. Seven kilometres if you want them; two is enough, and the whole city is doing the same.
  6. Ali and Nino ยท End at dusk. The two steel figures pass straight through each other, once, and come apart. Named for a novel about a Muslim boy and a Christian girl who could not stay.

The boulevard

Seven kilometres of seafront, opened in 1881. We walk the northern half, the one with the towers. The beach here is pebble rather than sand, which is why the water is clear. Timing matters: set out two hours before sunset so that Ali and Nino are the last thing you see.

  1. 6 May Park ยท Start inland, in the shade. A lake, a small zoo and the quietest benches in Batumi.
  2. Batumi Boulevard ยท Come out to the water and turn north. The whole city walks here at six.
  3. Alphabet Tower ยท A hundred and thirty metres wrapped in the Georgian alphabet โ€” thirty-three letters that exist in no other language.
  4. Miracle Park ยท The strip of lawn where the towers stand. Sit here and wait for the light to go orange.
  5. Ali and Nino ยท End at dusk. The two steel figures pass through each other once, and come apart.

The lakes

This is the half of Batumi visitors miss. Two lakes, a Soviet-built dolphinarium, and the oldest park in the city, from 1881. No towers, no casinos โ€” local families on benches. The walk is flat the whole way and works on a hot day.

  1. 6 May Park ยท Opened in 1881 and still the shadiest place in Batumi. Benches, old trees, and local families on a Sunday.
  2. Nurigeli Lake ยท The lake inside the park, with pedal boats and a fountain. Walk the ring โ€” it takes fifteen minutes.
  3. Batumi Dolphinarium ยท Soviet-built in 1975, rebuilt in 2012. Two shows a day, and in the low season you may be almost alone.
  4. Adjara Art Museum ยท Small, quiet, and holds Georgian painting nobody outside the country has heard of. Twenty minutes, and free on the first Sunday.
  5. Ardagani Lake ยท The newer lake, right on the sea. Fountains at night, and the view back at the towers.

Food tour

Georgian food is not a version of Turkish or Russian cooking; it is a world of its own. This route is about dishes, not restaurants: what acharuli khachapuri is and why it belongs here, how to eat khinkali without burning yourself, and what chacha is โ€” poured whether you asked or not. Come hungry.

  1. Central Market ยท Start where the city shops. Fresh sulguni cheese, churchkhela on a string, mountain honey, and spices with no English name. Taste before you buy โ€” that is the rule here.
  2. Acharuli khachapuri ยท The boat-shaped bread with cheese, a raw egg and butter, folded in by hand at the table. It was invented in Adjara, which is here. One is enough for two people.
  3. Batumi Fish Market ยท Pick the fish downstairs, carry it upstairs, they grill it while you sit. Barabulka in season. The cheapest good meal in the city.
  4. Khinkali and chacha ยท Dumplings held by the knot, which you do not eat. Bite, drink the broth, then the rest. Chacha is the grape spirit that follows โ€” forty-five percent, and poured whether you asked or not.
  5. Boulevard cafรฉs ยท Finish with coffee on the seafront. Georgian coffee is Turkish coffee by another name, and nobody will rush you off the chair.
sleepntripRoad and rail routesEvery night on the road, our hotel

Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

To the routes

Getting to Batumi and getting around

  • Batumi Central station ยท Trains to Tbilisi, five hours
  • Batumi Airport (BUS) ยท 20 min by taxi
  • Old Boulevard bus stop ยท Lines 1, 2, 10

Museums in Batumi

  • Batumi Archaeological Museum ยท Colchian gold, small and quick
  • Adjara Art Museum ยท Georgian painting, two floors
  • Batumi Museum of Local Lore ยท The city before the towers
  • Nobel Brothers Technological Museum ยท The oil years, in the old refinery

Parks and gardens in Batumi

  • Batumi Botanical Garden ยท Half a day; nine climate zones on a cliff
  • 6 May Park ยท Lake, zoo, pedal boats
  • Miracle Park ยท Ali and Nino move at dusk
  • Seaside Boulevard ยท Seven kilometres end to end

Things to do in Batumi with kids

  • Batumi Dolphinarium ยท Daily shows, book ahead
  • Ferris Wheel, Miracle Park ยท The wheel on the seafront
  • 6 May Park and Zoo ยท Lake, animals, pedal boats
  • Batumi Aquarium ยท Small, and right for a wet day

LGBTQ Batumi

  • Europe Square ยท The easiest corner of the old town after dark
  • Piazza Square ยท Mixed crowd, music until midnight
  • Boulevard, north end ยท Open and busy well past midnight

Live music in Batumi

  • Black Sea Arena ยท 10,000 seats, 40 minutes north
  • Batumi Summer Theatre ยท Open air, July and August
  • Black Sea Jazz, Piazza ยท Late September, three nights

Nightlife in Batumi

  • Beach clubs, New Boulevard ยท On the sand, from midnight
  • Casino strip ยท Open all night, all year
  • Piazza after midnight ยท The bars around the square

Where to eat in Batumi

  • Batumi Fish Market ยท Buy it downstairs, they cook it upstairs
  • Boulevard Food Court ยท A dozen kitchens, one hall
  • Old town khinkali houses ยท Where the dumplings cost least
  • Batumi Central Market ยท Cheese, spices, churchkhela

More sights in Batumi

  • Argo Cable Car
  • ื”ื˜ื™ื™ืœืช ื”ื—ื“ืฉื”
  • ื”ื’ืœื’ืœ ื”ืขื ืง
  • ืคืกืœ ืขืœื™ ื•ื ื™ื ื•
  • ืžื’ื“ืœ ื”ืืœืคื‘ื™ืช
  • ืžื’ื“ืœ ื”ืฉืขื•ืŸ
  • ืœื•ื ื” ืคืืจืง
  • ืื’ื ืืจื“ื’ื ื™
  • ื”ื“ื•ืœืคื™ื ืจื™ื•ื
  • ืคืืจืง 6 ื‘ืžืื™
  • Batumi Marina
  • Upside Down House
  • Batumi Aquarium
  • ื›ื™ื›ืจ ื‘ื˜ื•ืžื™
  • ื›ื™ื›ืจ ืื™ืจื•ืคื”
  • ื˜ื™ื™ืœืช ื‘ื•ืœื•ื•ืืจื“
  • Old Bazaar

History in Batumi

  • Gonio Fortress
  • Petra Fortress
  • St. Andrew Church
  • Makhuntseti Bridge
  • Adjara Museum
  • ืงืจืงืก ื‘ื˜ื•ืžื™
  • ื ืžืœ ื‘ื˜ื•ืžื™
  • ืชื™ืื˜ืจื•ืŸ ื‘ื˜ื•ืžื™
  • ืื•ืœืžื•ืช ืงื•ื ืฆืจื˜ื™ื
  • ืคืกื˜ื™ื‘ืœื™ื

Holy places in Batumi

  • Batumi Synagogue
  • Chabad House
  • Historic Jewish Quarter
  • Jewish Cemetery
  • Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Armenian Apostolic Church

Nature and day trips near Batumi

  • Batumi Botanical Garden
  • Mtirala National Park
  • Tsitsinatela Park
  • Gonio Fortress
  • Makhuntseti Waterfall Park
  • Mirveti Waterfall
  • ื“ื™ื’
  • ืฆืคื™ื™ื” ื‘ืฆื™ืคื•ืจื™ื

Restaurants in Batumi

  • Old Boulevard
  • Exodus
  • Barn
  • Heart of Batumi
  • Laguna
  • Pan Pan
  • Oval Restaurant
  • Retro
  • Senate Restaurant
  • Shemoikhede Genatsvale
  • Blue Wave
  • Kiziki
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ืฉืจืชื•ืŸ - ืงื•ืžื” 20
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ืจื“ื™ืกื•ืŸ ื‘ืœื• - ืงื•ืžื” 19
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ื”ื™ืœื˜ื•ืŸ - ื’ื’
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ Rooms - ืงื•ืžืช ื’ื’
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ืืžื‘ืกื“ื•ืจื™
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ืœื” ืžืจื™ื“ื™ืืŸ
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ ื•ื•ื™ื ื“ื”ืื
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ Grand Gloria
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ Colosseum Marina
  • ืžืœื•ืŸ Courtyard by Marriott
  • King Solomon Restaurant
  • Chabad House Batumi
  • Jerusalem House

Cafรฉs in Batumi

  • Freeduchio Cafe
  • Blue Elephant
  • OTKHI Cafe
  • Hedonist Coffee & Breakfast
  • MOK Coffee Grand Mall
  • MOK Coffee Metro City
  • FoxCoffee
  • Chocolatte Coffee-Room
  • Dona Bakery
  • Cafe Batumi Seaside
  • Revolving Restaurant Tower

Street food in Batumi

  • Kubdari
  • Achma
  • Gldani Shaurma Style
  • Samsa
  • Cable Car
  • Gorgiladze 90
  • Vaja Pshavela 24
  • Shaurmania Batumi
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Frequently asked questions about Batumi

What is there to see in Batumi?

The top sights in Batumi are Holy Mother Cathedral, Batumi Synagogue and Orta Jame Mosque. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Batumi?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Batumi without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Batumi?

Yes. sleepntrip has 4 free audio walks in Batumi, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The old town.

How do you get to Batumi and get around?

The main ways are Batumi Central station, Batumi Airport (BUS) and Old Boulevard bus stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Batumi, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Batumi that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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