Borjomi
Spa town in a forested gorge, home of Borjomi mineral water and the base for Bakuriani and the national park.
BorjomiPhoto: Sergey Sebelev, CC BY-SA 4.0Borjomi is a small spa town in the wooded gorge of the Mtkvari river, about 160 km west of Tbilisi. It is famous across the former Soviet Union for its salty, naturally carbonated mineral water, which rises warm from deep underground and is still bottled here. The town grew in the 19th century as a resort for the Russian imperial family and Tbilisi society, and it keeps much of that look: wooden houses with carved balconies, a riverside promenade and a long park built around the springs.
Most visitors come for the Central Park and its springs, the cable car to the plateau above town and the sulphur pools at the far end of the park. Borjomi is also the gateway to Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, whose visitor centre is in town, and the starting point for Bakuriani, 30 km up the mountain. Look out for Firuze, a turquoise house with Persian-style mirror work built in 1892 for an Iranian consul, and the former Romanov palace at Likani on the western edge of town.
History
The springs were used long before the Russians arrived, but modern Borjomi began in 1829, when soldiers of the Kherson Grenadier Regiment found and cleaned the mineral sources. In 1841 Viceroy Yevgeny Golovin brought his ill daughter here and named the first spring Yekaterinsky after her, and the first bottling plant followed in 1854. From 1862 Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov, Viceroy of the Caucasus, turned Borjomi into an imperial estate; his son Nicholas later commissioned the Likani palace from the architect Leon Benois.
What to see and do
- Taste the warm water at the original spring in Borjomi Central Park
- Ride the cable car to the plateau for views over the gorge
- See Firuze, the mirror-decorated Persian-style house built in 1892
- Plan a hike at the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park visitor centre
- Walk to the open-air sulphur pools at the far end of the park
How to visit
Getting there
Borjomi is about 160 km from Tbilisi, 2.5 to 3 hours by car via Gori and Khashuri. Marshrutkas leave Tbilisi's Didube bus station throughout the day, and there are connections from Kutaisi via Khashuri.
When to go
All year; May to October for hiking, winter to combine with Bakuriani. Plan 1-2 days here.
- Book ahead for summer weekends and New Year, when Tbilisi families fill the town
- Bring a reusable bottle for the springs
- Likani Palace sits within a hotel and is generally closed to outside visitors
- Combine the town with the Green Monastery and Timotesubani on a half-day taxi loop
Borjomi: FAQ
Is Borjomi worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you like spa towns, easy forest walks and 19th-century architecture. It is also the best base for Bakuriani and Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.
Can you visit the Romanov palace in Likani?
Not as a casual visitor. The palace is part of a hotel and spa complex and is generally open only to its guests.
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Nearby places
Straight-line distance from Borjomi.
