How to get from Tbilisi to Batumi in 2026

How far is Batumi from Tbilisi, and which way is best?

Batumi is about 360 km from Tbilisi by road, and for most travellers the train is the best way there, 4 hours for 35 GEL. This is how the four options compare in October 2026.

• Train. About 4 hours, 35 to 36 GEL in second class, leaving Tbilisi at 08:05 and 17:10. Best for one or two people with normal luggage. Buy a few days ahead, and in summer as soon as sales open.
• Bus or minibus. 5.5 to 7 hours, 25 to 50 GEL, with departures from early morning until after midnight. Best when the train is sold out or you need to leave late.
• Plane. 45 minutes in the air, from about 270 GEL one way. Three flights a week in October 2026, and none on sale yet for the winter. Rarely worth it.
• Car, rented or with a driver. 4.5 to 5 hours without long stops. Best for families, groups of three or more, heavy luggage and sightseeing on the way.

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How long is the train from Tbilisi to Batumi?

The fast train from Tbilisi to Batumi takes 4 hours and 1 minute. In August 2026 Georgian Railway finished track works that cut the journey from 5.5 hours to 4. The trains are Stadler double-deckers with air conditioning and toilets.

Since the summer extras ended on 9 October 2026, two trains run each way every day. Train 802 leaves Tbilisi at 08:05 and reaches Batumi at 12:06, and train 804 leaves at 17:10 and arrives at 21:11. From Batumi, train 803 leaves at 08:00 and train 801 at 16:50, and both reach Tbilisi 4 hours later. In summer 2026 extra trains also left Tbilisi at 06:30 and 10:15.

On the way the train stops at Kutaisi International Airport, about 2 hours 35 minutes from Tbilisi, then at Ureki and Kobuleti. It does not go into the city of Kutaisi. The timetable changes with the season, so check it when you book.

Where does the Batumi train leave from in Tbilisi, and where does it arrive?

The Batumi train leaves Tbilisi Central Station on Station Square, next to the metro station of the same name. Bus 337 from the airport ends there, see Tbilisi Airport to the city centre. The platforms are downstairs and the ticket counters upstairs.

It arrives at Batumi Central station on Queen Tamar Avenue, about 4 km north of the Old Town. A Bolt to the Boulevard costs about 10 to 12 GEL. City bus 10 runs from the station through the centre to the airport, for 70 tetri with the Batumi Card transport card or about 1 GEL with a bank card. More in our guide to Batumi Airport.

How much is the train ticket from Tbilisi to Batumi?

A second-class ticket from Tbilisi to Batumi costs 35 to 36 GEL (about 14 USD) and first class 75 to 76 GEL (about 29 USD), as checked in September and October 2026. Business class, on some trains only, costs about 120 to 125 GEL. On the railway's own site the fare is a few lari lower, but a booking fee is added.

Children aged 5 to 10 pay half. Children under 5 travel free if they do not take a seat of their own. A ticket to Ureki or Kobuleti costs the same as one to Batumi.

How do you book the Tbilisi to Batumi train, and does it sell out in summer?

Tickets go on sale 20 days before departure, and in July and August the fast trains sell out, weekends and holidays first. You can buy on the railway's own site, gr.com.ge, with an account and your passport number, or on tkt.ge, which works in English without an account and adds a small fee. The e-ticket with a QR code comes by email, so there is nothing to print.

At Tbilisi Central the ticket counters are on the third floor, open from 08:00 to 20:00, and take cash. Take your passport on board, because tickets are checked against ID and you will not be let on without one. There is no check-in, but be at the station 20 to 30 minutes early.

If your train is sold out, try the 17:10, which sells more slowly, or ask tkt.ge for an SMS when a seat comes free. Otherwise take a coach, or a car that leaves when you are ready.

If you return a ticket 15 hours or more before departure, you lose only the fees. Between 4 and 15 hours before, 15% of the fare is kept, between 1 and 4 hours 30%, and in the last hour it cannot be returned.

How much luggage can you take on the train to Batumi?

Each passenger may take up to 36 kg of luggage free on the Tbilisi to Batumi train, as long as the length, width and height of a bag add up to no more than 180 cm. A normal large suitcase is within that size. Small pets travel free in a carrier.

Is there a night train from Tbilisi to Batumi?

There is a night train from Tbilisi to Batumi only in summer. In 2026 night trains ran from 16 June to 30 September, and in June the train left Tbilisi at about half past midnight. It has seats only, no sleeping berths. From October to mid-June the last train leaves Tbilisi at 17:10.

For a late start, take a night coach instead. In October 2026 coaches left Tbilisi for Batumi at about 23:00 and 01:00. The dates of the summer 2027 night trains have not been announced yet.

How much is the bus from Tbilisi to Batumi?

A minibus (marshrutka) from Tbilisi to Batumi costs 25 to 35 GEL and a coach about 30 to 50 GEL, and both take 5.5 to 7 hours.

Minibuses leave Didube bus station, next to Didube metro, about every hour from 7:00 until midnight, as soon as they are full. You pay cash at the desk. Shared taxis from the same station take four passengers for 50 to 60 GEL each and are a little faster.

Metro Georgia and City Bus Georgia coaches leave the Central Bus Station at Ortachala, 1 Gulia Street. In October 2026 about 20 a day were on sale online at 12 to 20 USD, night departures included. The coaches have reclining seats and air conditioning and stop for a break on the way. Some City Bus departures use other stops, and the companies arrive at different places in Batumi, so check your ticket.

Is it worth flying from Tbilisi to Batumi?

Flying from Tbilisi to Batumi is rarely worth it, because it saves little time over the 4-hour train and costs about eight times as much. Georgian Airways started the route on 25 June 2026. The flight takes 45 minutes and leaves Tbilisi at 09:00.

In October 2026 there were three flights a week, on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from about 103 USD (about 270 GEL) one way. At the June launch the fare was about 295 GEL. On 19 October 2026 the airline had no Tbilisi to Batumi fares on sale from November to March, so winter flights are uncertain.

Tbilisi Airport is 17 km from the centre and you need to be there well before the flight, so door to door the plane is not much faster than the train. It makes sense when the train is sold out and you are short of time. Batumi Airport is 15 to 20 minutes by car from the centre. The small airline Vanilla Sky has also flown light aircraft to Batumi from Natakhtari airfield north of Tbilisi, without a regular schedule.

How long does it take by car on the new Rikoti highway?

By car Tbilisi to Batumi takes 4.5 to 5 hours without long stops. The distance is about 360 km, most of it now on four-lane highway.

The Rikoti section opened on 30 December 2025. It is 52 km long, with 51 tunnels and 97 bridges, and made the route 8 km shorter. Tbilisi to Samtredia is now one continuous four-lane road that bypasses Zestaponi and Kutaisi. On the Samtredia to Grigoleti highway 42.5 of 52 km have been open since 18 July 2026, and the last 9.5 km are due in 2027.

If you drive yourself, the trip uses about 30 to 35 litres of fuel, roughly 115 to 145 GEL at October 2026 prices. In summer expect traffic jams in Batumi. Deposits, licences and road rules are in our guide to renting a car or hiring a driver.

What can you see on the way from Tbilisi to Batumi?

The best stops between Tbilisi and Batumi are Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe, Kutaisi with Gelati Monastery, and the beaches at Ureki and Kobuleti. Going into Kutaisi and up to Gelati adds only about 30 km and 40 minutes of driving. Martvili Canyon is a bigger detour.

• Mtskheta, 25 km from Tbilisi. Georgia's ancient capital, with Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. See our guide to Mtskheta.
• Gori and Uplistsikhe, about 85 km. Gori is Stalin's home town, and the cave town of Uplistsikhe is about 10 km from it. See Uplistsikhe and Gori.
• Surami, about 135 km. Roadside bakeries sell nazuki, a sweet spiced bread. From nearby Khashuri, Borjomi and its mineral-spring park are a detour of about 30 km up the Mtkvari gorge.
• Kutaisi. The highway bypasses the city, but going in to see Bagrati Cathedral, which is free, adds only about 15 km and 20 minutes. Gelati Monastery, founded in 1106 and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is 11 km northeast of the centre. See what to see in Kutaisi.
• Prometheus Cave, 20 km from Kutaisi. It adds about 35 km and an hour of driving. In 2026 foreign visitors pay 40 GEL, and the cave closes at 17:00.
• Martvili Canyon, about 50 km north of Kutaisi. It adds about 60 km and close to 2 hours of driving, plus the visit, so it needs an early start or a night in Kutaisi. See Martvili and Okatse.

Is it worth stopping at Ureki or Kobuleti on the way?

Ureki and Kobuleti are worth a stop in the swimming season, from mid-June to the end of September, because both lie on the road and the railway just before Batumi. Ureki, about 50 km before Batumi, is the first beach on the way. Its sand is black and magnetic instead of Batumi's pebbles, which is easier for small children. Kobuleti, about 30 km or 35 minutes from Batumi, is the last resort before the city.

Both have stations on the Tbilisi to Batumi train. Ureki is about 3 hours 25 minutes from Tbilisi and Kobuleti about 3 hours 45 minutes, and the ticket costs the same as to Batumi.

When is a transfer with a driver better than the train?

A transfer with a driver is better than the train for three or more people, families with small children, heavy luggage, and anyone who wants to stop at Gelati, Martvili or the sea on the way. For one or two people travelling light, the train is cheaper.

The driver picks you up at your hotel in Tbilisi and drops you at the door in Batumi, so there are no stations, taxis or sold-out trains, and you leave when you like. The Tbilisi to Batumi transfer has a fixed price per car, not per person, shown on the page. Child seats are free, and you pay the driver after the trip. Book on the site or in our Telegram bot. The same trip also runs from Batumi to Tbilisi.

To make the road part of the holiday, look at our three-day Adjara and Black Sea tour. It stops in Mtskheta and Kutaisi on the way out and at Martvili Canyon and Prometheus Cave on the way back.

Is Batumi worth it, and how many days do you need for Tbilisi and Batumi?

Batumi is worth it from mid-June to September, when you can swim and the sea reaches about 25 °C in August, and two or three days there are enough. Tbilisi needs one or two days for its main sights, and more if you add day trips.

Batumi is a modern resort of high-rises, the Boulevard and the Botanical Garden, with Gonio fortress and the Adjara mountains close by. See what to see in Batumi. Out of season it is quiet and cheaper, but Batumi is the rainiest city in Georgia. If you came for old churches, mountains and wine, Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Kakheti will give you more.

With a week, our 7-day itinerary has a version that ends at the sea, with four days in and around Tbilisi, a night in Kutaisi and a night in Batumi.