Borjomi

Borjomi and Bakuriani

Mineral water, pine forest and a mountain resort

1 day
≈ 10 h
5 stops
from $270 per carfrom €245 per carfrom ₾705 per car

The price is per car for the whole tour, not per person.

Borjomi is a spa in a pine gorge, where the mineral water comes warm out of the rock and the tsars built summer houses. Bakuriani is half an hour up the road: a family ski resort in winter, a cool green plateau in summer. Together they make an easy day in the Lesser Caucasus with one driver.

Pickup: 09:00 at your hotel in Tbilisi
Back in Tbilisi: around 19:00
On the road: about 5 h of driving, 380 km
Best season: all year: snow from December to March, walks from June to October

Book this tour

Pick the date and the car. No payment now, you pay the driver after the tour.

Car

Mercedes-Benz V-Class7 seats≈ $55 per person≈ €50 per person≈ ₾144 per person$385€345₾1,005
Mercedes-Benz S-Class3 seats≈ $90 per person≈ €82 per person≈ ₾235 per person$270€245₾705
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado4 seats, recommended≈ $88 per person≈ €79 per person≈ ₾229 per person$350€315₾915

Date

Time

Passengers2

Book$350€315₾915

per car, for the whole tour
Starts in Tbilisi
Free cancellation up to 24 h before

Itinerary

5 stops

The line shows the order of the stops. Your driver takes the best road on the day.

1
Borjomi Central Park11:00
A walk up the park along the stream to the mineral spring, where the water comes out warm and you fill a cup, then on to the hot sulphur pools a kilometre further if you fancy a swim.
2
Likani12:15
The Romanov palace of 1895 in its riverside park, a few minutes from the town: the grounds and the exterior, with the river and the pine slopes behind.
3
Lunch in the gorge13:00
A restaurant under the pines by the river: trout, mushrooms from the forest, lobio and the famous water on the table.
4
Bakuriani14:30
The mountain road up through the forest, then the resort: the Kokhta lift in winter for a run or two, the Didveli lift in summer for the meadows and the view, a coffee on the plateau.
5
The road home16:30
Back down through the gorge and along the highway, in Tbilisi by early evening.

What's included

Car and driver for the whole day (about 10 hours)
Fuel, tolls and parking
Water, Wi-Fi and chargers on board
Child seats on request, free of charge
Snow chains and winter tyres in the cold months

Not included

Park entrance, lift tickets, ski hire and the railway (paid on the spot)
Lunch
A licensed guide

Details and questions

About this tour

Two hours west of Tbilisi the highway leaves the plain and enters the Borjomi gorge, where the Mtkvari runs between walls of pine. Borjomi itself is a small spa town in the Russian imperial style: a park along a mountain stream, pavilions, a mineral spring that flows warm and slightly salty into cups held out by visitors, and, three kilometres away in Likani, the summer palace of the Romanovs in its own park on the river.

After lunch the road climbs through the forest to Bakuriani, 1,700 metres up on a plateau. In winter it is the easiest skiing in Georgia, gentle and family-friendly, with lifts on Kokhta and Didveli. In summer the same lifts carry walkers up to meadows and views over the Trialeti range, and the air is ten degrees cooler than in the capital. A narrow-gauge railway, the Kukushka, still runs between the two towns in just over two hours for those who want the slow way.

The day fits ten hours comfortably and leaves room for a detour: Rabati, the restored fortress of Akhaltsikhe, is an hour beyond Borjomi, and the cave monastery of Vardzia a further hour and a half. Both turn this into a long day or a two-day trip. Ask and we price it.

Best time to go

Borjomi is pleasant in every season. Bakuriani changes character with it. From December to March it is a ski resort with snow guaranteed by altitude. From June to October a hiking base with cool nights. April, May and November are quiet and the lifts may be closed for maintenance, so the day leans on the gorge, the park and the palace.

Food and wine

The gorge is mushroom and trout country. Lunch under the pines means river trout, forest mushrooms in a clay pan, lobio, and a jug of the local water. Count on 40 to 60 GEL per person. In Bakuriani the café on the plateau does good coffee and honey cake, and the roadside stalls sell pine honey and herbal tea from the mountains.

Which car

The Land Cruiser Prado is the right car for the mountain road in winter and for the gravel track to the Didveli meadows in summer. In the warmer months any of our cars does the day in comfort.

Tips from our drivers

Bring a swimsuit if you want the warm sulphur pools above the park.
In winter the Bakuriani lifts run from about 10:00 to 16:00. Ski hire is available in the village.
Take an empty bottle: the spring water is free and tastes nothing like the bottled version.

Can we ski in Bakuriani on this tour?

Yes, from December to March. Start early, keep the park visit short, and you have about three hours on the slopes. Equipment hire is in the village.

Can we add Rabati or Vardzia?

Rabati adds about two hours and fits a long day. Vardzia makes it a two-day trip with a night in Akhaltsikhe or Vardzia. Both are priced on request.

Is the Kukushka railway worth it?

As a slow ride through the forest, yes, for train lovers and children: two hours and twenty minutes for 37 km. The driver meets you at the other end.

Is the road safe in winter?

The gorge road is a main highway and kept open. The climb to Bakuriani is cleared daily. We travel in the Prado with winter tyres and chains on board.