Adjara3 days
Adjara and the Black Sea, 3 days
From the capital to the coast, the long way round
Batumi is five and a half hours from Tbilisi on the highway; this trip takes three days and sees Georgia on the way. Your driver and car stay with you throughout. Hotels are your choice, and we are glad to recommend or book them.
- 3 dayslength
- from $900per vehicle
Book this tour
Pick the date and the car. No payment now, you pay the driver after the tour.
- per vehicle, whole tour
- Starts in Tbilisi
- Free cancellation up to 24 h before
At a glance
- Departure
- 09:00 on day one, at your hotel in Tbilisi
- Back in Tbilisi
- evening of day three, or Kutaisi Airport
- On the road
- about 14 h of driving over three days, 900 km
- Best season
- May, June and September
- Best time to go
- The coast is warm from May to October and crowded in July and August, when Batumi fills with holidaymakers from the whole region. Late spring and September give warm sea, open restaurants and room on the beach. Adjara is Georgia's rainiest corner: a shower in the mountains is normal in any month, so the day in the highlands is planned with the forecast in mind.
- Food and wine
- Adjara eats differently from the rest of Georgia: the boat-shaped khachapuri with egg and butter, borano (cheese melted in butter), sinori, Black Sea fish grilled on the boulevard, and tea from the hills above the city. In Batumi dinner by the sea is about 60 to 100 GEL per person; in the mountains a village lunch is half that.
About this tour
Georgia is small enough to cross in a day and varied enough to deserve three. This trip runs from the dry east to the wet, subtropical west: from the old capital at Mtskheta, through Kutaisi and its UNESCO monasteries, to Batumi, where the mountains of Adjara come down to the Black Sea and the air smells of tea and eucalyptus.
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The first day is the long one, about six hours of driving broken by two unhurried stops. The second day stays in Adjara and is short on the road: the Roman fortress at Gonio by the Turkish border, the mountain road up to the Makhuntseti waterfall and its medieval bridge, lunch in a village, and the botanical garden in the afternoon light. The third day heads home through the canyons and caves of Imereti, or ends at Kutaisi Airport if you are flying on.
Your driver stays with the car and with you for all three days; we cover his accommodation. You pick the hotels in Batumi, from boulevard high-rises to quiet guesthouses in the old town, and we are happy to book them.
Highlights
- Mtskheta and Kutaisi on the way west
- Two nights in Batumi, the city on the Black Sea
- Gonio fortress and the Makhuntseti waterfall
- The Batumi Botanical Garden on its cape above the sea
- Martvili Canyon and Prometheus Cave on the way back
Itinerary
Day 1: Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kutaisi, Batumi
- 0109:30
Mtskheta
Jvari Monastery above the meeting of two rivers and Svetitskhoveli, the cathedral where Georgia's kings were crowned. An hour and a half in the old capital.
- 0213:00
Kutaisi
Georgia's second city: Gelati Monastery (UNESCO) with its 12th-century mosaics, the Bagrati Cathedral hill and lunch in the old town by the river.
- 0318:00
Arrival in Batumi
Check-in, then an evening on the boulevard and dinner by the sea.
Day 2: Adjara
- 0110:00
Gonio fortress
Roman walls from the 1st century near the Turkish border, a quiet pebble beach next to them and the mountains right behind.
- 0212:00
Makhuntseti waterfall and bridge
Up the Adjaristsqali valley into the highlands: a waterfall, a 12th-century stone arch bridge and a village lunch with Adjarian khachapuri.
- 0316:00
Batumi Botanical Garden
A subtropical garden on a cape above the sea, planted in 1912 and best in the late-afternoon light. Back in Batumi for the evening.
Day 3: Batumi to Tbilisi
- 0111:00
Martvili Canyon
A boat ride between mossy limestone walls and a walk along the gorge.
- 0213:30
Prometheus Cave
A kilometre of lit halls underground near Kutaisi, cool on any summer day. Lunch nearby.
- 0319:00
Back in Tbilisi
The highway home, in the capital by evening. Or we leave you at Kutaisi Airport instead.
The route
- 1 Mtskheta
- 2 Kutaisi
- 3 Arrival in Batumi
- 4 Gonio fortress
- 5 Makhuntseti waterfall and bridge
- 6 Batumi Botanical Garden
- 7 Martvili Canyon
- 8 Prometheus Cave
- 9 Back in Tbilisi
Straight lines between the stops; your driver takes the best road on the day.
What's included
- Car and driver for three days
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- The driver's accommodation and meals
- Water, Wi-Fi and chargers on board
- Flexible route: swap any stop, add a day
Not included
- Your hotels (we can book them for you)
- Meals, boat tickets and entrance fees
- A licensed guide
Good to know +
- May, June and September are the best months on the coast: warm sea, fewer crowds.
- Pack for two climates: it is often ten degrees warmer and wetter in Batumi than in Tbilisi.
- The trip works in reverse too, starting in Batumi or at Kutaisi Airport.
Questions about this tour
Can we extend the trip?
Yes. A fourth day in Batumi or a detour to Svaneti is a common request; additional days are priced by the day.
Who pays for the driver's hotel?
We do. It is included in the price.
Can the trip end at an airport?
Kutaisi Airport is on the way back and Batumi has its own. Tell us your flight and we plan the last day around it.
Which hotels do you recommend?
It depends on the trip: a boulevard hotel for the sea view and the nightlife, a guesthouse in the old town for quiet. Tell us your budget and we send three options and book the one you choose.
Is it suitable for children?
Very. Child seats are free, the days are short on driving and the stops are easy.
When to go and what to see: our guide to Batumi.
Read the guide
