Region guide
Adjara
- Best time
- June to September is beach season, with July and August the hottest and busiest months; May and October are better for sightseeing and hiking without the crowds. Skiers come to Goderdzi from mid-December until early April, and rain is possible on the coast all year.
- How long
- 3–5 days
- Places
- 20 in our guide
- Tours
- 7 tours visit Adjara
Adjara is Georgia's south-western corner, where the Black Sea meets the steep, rain-soaked foothills of the Lesser Caucasus and the border with Turkey. Its capital, Batumi, is the country's main seaside city: 19th-century streets, a long seaside boulevard, glass towers and a busy summer scene. Along the coast you find the Roman fort of Gonio, Byzantine Petra, the Batumi Botanical Garden and the family resort of Kobuleti. The climate is humid subtropical, so the hills are covered in Colchic forest, tea and citrus groves, and rain can fall in any season. Summer brings warm sea water and big holiday crowds.
Inland, the road up the Adjaristskali valley climbs into Upper Adjara, a world of wooden houses, village mosques, medieval stone arched bridges and hay meadows. Many highland families are Muslim Georgians, a legacy of the long Ottoman period that ended in 1878, and their cooking is famously rich in butter and cheese. Makhuntseti waterfall, Khulo and the Goderdzi ski area all lie along this one road. Two of the region's forests, Mtirala and Kintrishi, are part of the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands World Heritage Site. Base yourself in Batumi for the coast, then spend a night or two in the mountains.
Why visit Adjara
- Walk Batumi Boulevard at sunset past the Ali and Nino sculpture and the Alphabetic Tower
- Explore Gonio, a Roman fort already mentioned by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD
- Spend half a day in the Batumi Botanical Garden on the Green Cape, opened in 1912
- Hike through UNESCO-listed Colchic rainforest to a waterfall and swimming lake in Mtirala National Park
- Swim from the pebble beaches of Kvariati, Gonio and Kobuleti between June and September
- Eat a boat-shaped Adjarian khachapuri, then try borano and sinori in the mountains
- Drive up the Adjaristskali valley past medieval arched bridges to Khulo and the Goderdzi Pass
- Watch the autumn raptor migration, when more than a million birds of prey funnel past Batumi
Top things to do in Adjara
Ride the Argo cable car to Anuria hill for sunset
The 15-minute gondola trip covers 2,586 m from near the port to terraces about 250 m above the city. Go up an hour before sunset to see the coast in daylight and then the lights of the boulevard.
Read Adjara's ancient past at the Archaeological Museum
Spend an hour with Colchian, Greek and Roman finds in central Batumi, then see the real sites: Roman Gonio to the south and Byzantine Petra to the north. The museum is also the best plan for a wet afternoon.
Walk Batumi Boulevard to the Alphabetic Tower
Follow the seafront from the old subtropical park to the Alphabetic Tower and the Ali and Nino sculpture at the northern end. Hire a bike if you want to cover the whole 7 km.
Swim in clear water at Kvariati and Sarpi
The two small bays beyond Gonio have the clearest sea on the Adjarian coast. Bring water shoes and a snorkel mask, and look across the frontier to Sarp from the southern end of the beach.
Trace the story of tea in Chakvi
Plantations laid out in the 1890s under the Chinese tea master Lau Jen Jau still cover the hills above town. Combine them with the rainforest trails of Mtirala, whose access road begins here.
Climb through world gardens on the Green Cape
Wander through East Asian, Himalayan and New Zealand plantings on the Green Cape, pausing at the sea viewpoints. Spring brings magnolias and camellias, and autumn brings migrating birds of prey overhead.
Drive up the Adjaristskali valley via Makhuntseti and Keda
Stop at Makhuntseti Waterfall and its stone arched bridge, taste Chkhaveri in a family cellar around Keda, and carry on to Khulo for a highland supper of borano. The 88 km road to Khulo takes about 2.5 hours without stops.
Hike to a waterfall and lake in Mtirala
The Tsablnari loop of about 7 km is the easy introduction to Adjara's rain-soaked Colchic forest. Come ready for mud and showers in any season.
Visit Skhalta Cathedral and Green Lake in Upper Adjara
South of Khulo, the 13th-century Skhalta church keeps rare Palaeologan frescoes, while Green Lake lies at about 2,060 m north of the Goderdzi ski area. Both work best as part of a night in the mountains.
Cities, towns & villages
Places to see in Adjara
Suggested itineraries
Batumi and the southern coast in one day
- Morning: Archaeological Museum and Gonio
Start at the Batumi Archaeological Museum, then drive 20 to 25 minutes south to Gonio Fortress. Walk the Roman walls before the midday heat.
- Midday: Kvariati and Sarpi
Continue a few minutes to Kvariati for a swim and lunch. Then drive about 10 minutes on to Sarpi at the Turkish border for snorkelling around the rocks.
- Evening: Boulevard and Argo cable car
Return to Batumi in about 30 minutes and stroll the boulevard to Ali and Nino. Finish with the Argo cable car up Anuria hill for sunset over the sea.
Three days in Adjara: city, coast and mountains
- Day 1: Batumi
See the old town and the Archaeological Museum in the morning, eat Adjarian khachapuri for lunch, and spend the afternoon on the boulevard. End the day on Anuria hill with the Argo cable car.
- Day 2: Botanical Garden, Chakvi and Mtirala
Drive 20 minutes north to the Botanical Garden for the morning. Continue a few minutes to Chakvi to see the old tea hills, then take the 15 km road up to Mtirala for the Tsablnari loop in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Into the mountains
Leave Batumi early for Makhuntseti Waterfall, about 40 minutes away, then taste wine around Keda, 10 km further on. Drive on to Khulo, about 2.5 hours from Batumi in all, and visit Skhalta Cathedral before a night in a highland guesthouse.
Adjara at a glance
Batumi has its own airport just south of the city, the fast train from Tbilisi takes about 4 to 5 hours, and the drive along the main east-west highway is 5 to 6 hours.
Getting here: routes
KutaisiPhoto: Kober, CC BY-SA 3.0Batumi → Kutaisi
About 150 km north along the coast and then inland across the Colchis plain. Roughly 2.5-3 hours of driving, and Petra Fortress, the Guria beaches and Prometheus Cave all lie close to the road.
- CheapestMarshrutka · about $6
- FastestTrain · About 1.5-2 h
BatumiPhoto: Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, Public domainTbilisi → Batumi
About 370 km by road from the capital to the Black Sea. The fast train is now the easiest way, at about 4 hours on the quickest services; a private car takes 5 to 6 hours but lets you see Uplistsikhe, Kutaisi and the Guria coast on the way.
- CheapestBus · about $11
- FastestTrain · About 4-5 h
Festivals in Adjara
Batumi's summer jazz festival, which has brought international jazz, soul and funk names to the coast since 2007.
Varies: recent editions have been held either in late April or on the first weekend of September; check each yearBatumoba (Batumi City Day)Batumi's city festival, with concerts, fairs and fireworks in the old town and on Europe Square.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Batumi is about 370 km west of Tbilisi by road, roughly 5 to 6 hours' drive along the country's main highway through Kutaisi. The fastest trains from Tbilisi reach Batumi Central station in about 4 hours since the 2026 track upgrades, with a stop at Kobuleti, and marshrutkas (minibuses) run throughout the day. Batumi International Airport, just south of the city, has direct international flights, including from Istanbul. Kutaisi International Airport, served by low-cost airlines, is about 150 km and 2.5 hours from Batumi. From Turkey, the Sarpi border crossing is less than 30 minutes south of Batumi.
Getting around
Central Batumi is walkable, and taxis booked through ride-hailing apps are cheap for longer hops. Frequent buses and minibuses run north along the coast to the Botanical Garden, Chakvi, Tsikhisdziri and Kobuleti, and south to Gonio, Kvariati and Sarpi. For the mountains, minibuses leave Batumi bus station for Makhuntseti, Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo, but a car or a hired driver makes more sense if you want to stop at bridges, waterfalls and viewpoints. The road to Khulo is paved and winding; beyond Khulo to Goderdzi and over the pass, check conditions in winter and early spring.
Best time to visit
June to September is beach season, with July and August the hottest and busiest months; May and October are better for sightseeing and hiking without the crowds. Skiers come to Goderdzi from mid-December until early April, and rain is possible on the coast all year.
Where to stay
Food & wine in Adjara
Adjara: frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Batumi and Adjara?
Plan two days for Batumi itself and one more for Gonio, the Botanical Garden and Petra Fortress. Add one or two days if you want to go up to Makhuntseti, Khulo, Green Lake or Mtirala National Park. Three to five days covers the region well.
How do you get from Tbilisi to Batumi?
By car it takes about 5 to 6 hours over roughly 370 km, by the fastest train about 4 hours; minibuses take a little longer than driving. Trains run from Tbilisi Central to Batumi Central and are the most comfortable option. Batumi also has an international airport with flights from Istanbul and other cities.
Are the beaches in Batumi sandy or pebbly?
Batumi and almost all of the Adjarian coast have pebble beaches, from fine gravel to large stones, and the shore drops off quickly. Water shoes make swimming easier. For sand, drive about an hour north to Ureki or Shekvetili in neighbouring Guria.
When is the swimming season in Batumi?
The main season runs from June to September. July and August are the warmest and most crowded months, while June and September are calmer and still warm. Rain showers are possible even in summer.
Is Upper Adjara worth visiting from Batumi?
Yes, if you want to see a very different side of Georgia: mountain villages, wooden mosques, arched bridges and the richest food in the region. Khulo is 88 km and about 2.5 hours from Batumi, so a day trip to Makhuntseti and Khulo is possible, but stay overnight if you want to reach Green Lake or Goderdzi.
Tours that visit Adjara
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