Things to do in Borjomi
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Borjomi
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best hiking and gorge colour, park and monasteries without summer crowds or winter ice.
Main season, everything open and pools full, Borjomi at its busiest with Georgian families escaping Tbilisi heat.
Spa town in winter and Bakuriani ski season above it, with short days, icy paths and high park trails not a winter plan.
Turning seasons: rain and mud in spring, first snow possible in November, quieter hotels and shorter hours.
What's on
- Orthodox Christmas and New Year 31 December to 7 January
Peak spa hotel period with gala dinners and full Bakuriani slopes. Book weeks ahead or avoid the exact dates.
- Feast of the Dormition 28 August
Patronal feast of Timotesubani Church of the Dormition, with a service and local worshippers alongside visitors.
- Rtveli, the grape harvest late September to mid October
A table season in Borjomi rather than a festival, with harvest menus and new wine in restaurants and hotel dinners.
Best things to do in Borjomi
Borjomi Central Park
A wooded gorge park built around the Ekaterina Spring, where you taste warm Borjomi water at the pavilion and fill a small bottle.
Borjomi Sulfur Pools
Open air thermal pools in the forest at the end of Central Park, reached only on foot, with warm water for a winter or summer soak.
Borjomi Cable Car
A short ride from the park entrance to the plateau and Ferris wheel, for the clear day panorama over the gorge, river and town.
Firuza
The turquoise 1892 palace at the park entrance, built for an Iranian consul and now a hotel, best seen from the street and lobby.
Borjomi Museum of Local Lore
A small, old museum founded in 1926 that explains the spring, the bottling plant, local nature and the Romanov years in Likani.
Romanov Palace
The grand dukes' palace in Likani, closed and guarded, so come for the exterior and the story, not a visit inside.
Where to stay in Borjomi
Central Borjomi, around the park entrance and 9 April Street
almost everyone, first stay, no car
Central Park, the spring, the cable car, restaurants and marshrutka stops are all on foot from here.
Likani
spa stay, national park trails, quiet
Large spa hotels, the Romanov Palace grounds, the visitor centre and the Likani ranger station, with a taxi ride to dinner in the centre.
Town streets above the centre, around Kostava and Rustaveli
budget, lived in stay, host help
Family guesthouses and small hotels a short uphill walk from the park, at the lowest prices in town.
Think twice about
- Bakuriani as a Borjomi base
It adds a mountain road in both directions every day and loses the springs and park evenings. Base there only if skiing is the trip.
- Far outskirts listings sold as Borjomi with no Likani or centre location named
The savings are eaten by taxis and there is nothing to walk to. Book a named centre or Likani address instead.
Best restaurants in Borjomi
Bergi Terrace
The towns most named terrace dinner, Georgian and European food on Kostava Square, best for a full shared order in the evening.
Pesvebi
A Georgian restaurant and bar on Erekle Street serving the full traditional menu, reliable for families and group dinners.
Cafe Iggy
A relaxed cafe restaurant on Kostava Street for a long lunch, coffee and cake, or an easy Georgian and European dinner.
My House
A small house restaurant on Kostava Street for a simple Georgian meal and khinkali without a terrace premium.
Inka Cafe
A cheap cafe near the park for khachapuri and pizza, the easy lunch before the park or a low cost dinner on a guesthouse night.
Outdoor things to do in Borjomi
National Park Information Trail
A 3 km registered loop from the visitor centre to St. Nino Church and a viewpoint over Borjomi, the starter park hike.
Footprint Trail
The best one day park hike, from Likani past old yews and panoramic climbs to Mariamtsminda Church and Kvabiskhevi.
Panorama Trail
A 34 km two day loop from Atskuri to the Amarati shelter, with Lesser Caucasus panoramas and a bezoar goat enclosure on the way.
Nikoloz Romanov Trail
A 43 km three day crossing from Likani over Mount Lomismta to Marelisi, the signature multi day route through the park.
Mtsvane Monastery
The Green Monastery in forest by a river 9 km from town, a working monastery restored in 2003 after two centuries abandoned.
Timotesubani Monastery
A pink stone Dormition church built under Queen Tamar, with frescoes from the 1220s counted among Georgias finest medieval painting.
Bakuriani
The family ski resort at 1,700 metres above Borjomi, with Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi in winter and cool meadow altitude in summer.
Vardzia
The 12th century cave city reached from Borjomi by a long driver day through Akhaltsikhe, better done as an overnight.
Best hotels in Borjomi
Crowne Plaza Borjomi
The central five star spa hotel, a short walk from Central Park, with two restaurants and a large wellness centre on site.
Borjomi Likani Health & Spa Centre
A 151 room five star health resort in Likani on former sanatorium grounds, with indoor pool, hammam and medical spa treatments.
Golden Tulip Borjomi
Seventeen rooms inside Firuza, the 1892 turquoise palace at the park entrance, the most characterful luxury night in town.
Borjomi Palace Health & Spa Center
A four star spa hotel in town with indoor and outdoor pools and medical services, the mid range version of the Borjomi formula.
Milano Palace Borjomi
A small central four star with mountain view balconies, for a comfortable room and an easy walk to dinner and the park.
Hotel Victoria
A budget hotel in an old town house on Kostava Street, with rooms at different prices and hosts who help with local transport.
Marina's Guesthouse
A family guesthouse near the centre known for a warm welcome, large bedrooms and very large home cooked breakfasts.
Is Borjomi expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | GEL 100 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | GEL 210 a person |
| Splurge | GEL 480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Panorama Trail: a few days ahead
- Nikoloz Romanov Trail: a few days ahead
- Vardzia: a few days ahead
- Crowne Plaza Borjomi: weeks ahead
- Borjomi Likani Health & Spa Centre: weeks ahead
- Golden Tulip Borjomi: weeks ahead
- Borjomi Palace Health & Spa Center: a few days ahead
- Milano Palace Borjomi: a few days ahead
- Top spa hotels and Golden Tulip in summer, at New Year and in ski season. National park shelters through the Borjomi visitor centre. A Vardzia driver a day or two ahead in July and August.
Is Borjomi safe?
- Mountain roads, muddy river paths, park trails in bear and wolf country and winter ice are the main risks. Register for park trails, stay on marked trails, and use a hotel recommended driver in snow. Emergency number 112.
Borjomi travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Building a day around the suspended Kukushka train, paying for a combined Borjomi and Bakuriani day trip with no time in either, and expecting the closed Romanov Palace to open because a guidebook lists it.
Getting around Borjomi: public transport and more
- Walk the centre and the park. Use a hotel booked taxi or driver for Likani, the ranger stations, the Green Monastery and Bakuriani, with price, stops and return agreed before you set off. Marshrutkas take roughly 3 hours to Tbilisi and roughly 1 hour to Akhaltsikhe and leave when full.
Who Borjomi suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Borjomi your trip
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