Unveiling The Quirks Of Batumi, Georgia’s Seaside Hub: A Traveller's Raw & Honest Take

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Page Contents

• Welcome To Batumi, Georgia’s Abandoned Seaside Dream
• What Makes Batumi Questionable: Abandoned Building, Sleazy Streets, and Cultural Mismatch
• The Good Parts Of Batumi: Nature, Weather, Nightlife, and Cuisine
• Activities In Batumi
• Getting To Batumi
• And That's A Wrap!
• Related Blog Posts: Tbilisi Travel Guide and Georgian Cuisine

Welcome To Batumi, Georgia’s Abandoned Seaside Dream

Batumi, the wacky and entertaining city of Georgia, was designed to be the Las Vegas of the Black Sea but it fell short of meeting my expectations as a solo traveller and a digital nomad. As a blogger, I must be honest about my travels and post about destinations that impress as well as ones that disappoint.

Batumi is a lively place, but it hasn’t quite attracted as many people as it could. It has all the ingredients to become a buzzing entertainment hotspot, but there’s something holding it back and I can’t seem to figure out exactly what that is.

What Makes Batumi Questionable

Eclectic Architectural & Abandonment Extravaganza

In Batumi, you’ll find all sorts of visually bizarre buildings and a mishmash of bright colours sprinkled throughout the city. Unfortunately, many of these buildings have been abandoned because the previous and current governments couldn’t agree on a lot of the infrastructural investments.

Suspicious Streets

Even though Batumi is surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, it seems to have a questionable energy in some areas. Maybe it has something to do with all the casinos and questionable after-hours massage parlours scattered around town. This definitely gave the city a sleazy vibe.

Cultural Melting Pot Or Mismatch?

Batumi seems to grapple with a lack of distinct character in certain pockets. Culturally, you can observe Georgian, Russian, and Turkish communities throughout the city. However amidst this blend, you also notice a lack of cohesion and distinct differences between these communities in daily interactions.

The Good Parts Of Batumi

But hey, let’s not forget the good stuff. Though my experience in Batumi was disappointing overall, it wouldn't be fair for me not to highlight the bits I enjoyed.

Nature Surrounding Batumi

Batumi has some beautiful pockets of nature outside the city which will leave you awestruck. Batumi’s botanical garden is one place you must visit. It’s extremely lush and has some truly breathtaking sights of the Black Sea.

Just two hours outside of Batumi, there’s Mtirala National Park which makes for a wonderful day adventure filled with options like hiking and riding ATVs.

Here's a link to a tour you can book of Mritala National Park from Batumi via GetYourGuide 👇

Coastal Weather

The weather here is really nice, the sea is right at your doorstep. I had gone to Batumi in May and had enjoyed some wonderful weather. May people treat Batumi as an escape from the winter. Though it’s not necessarily warm in the winter, may people tend to use Batumi as a winter escape to deal with better weather compared to the rest of Georgia.

Weekend Nightlife

If you’re in the mood for a night out, there are select pockets in the city that know how to keep the party going with electric bars and bumping nightclubs. The nightlife offers a good dose of fun, though it's predominantly confined to the weekends, with weeknights mostly being eerily silent.

Georgian Cuisine

Georgian food in general is worth dying for! It's one of my top 5 cuisines I've ever tried. Sure enough, as the second biggest city in Georgia, Batumi’s food scene is great with its wide variety of restaurants.

Read more on Georgia’s mouthwatering food scene here 👇

🍴 Exploring Georgian Food: 11 Mouthwatering Local Dishes You Must Taste While Travelling Georgia

Activities In Batumi

If you’re planning on visiting Batumi, here some activities you can book through GetYourGuide to enjoy what the area has to offer.

Getting To Batumi

Getting To Batumi By Train

The train from Tbilisi to Batumi is extremely comfortable! I wholeheartedly recommend this option as it’s way more comfortable than taking a flight. The trains in Georgia are very high quality and affordable, making even 1st class tickets an accessible and worthwhile choice.

Here’s the link to the official website for Georgian Railway tickets 👇

🚆 Georgia Railway Tickets

(You will need to switch the language from Georgian to English)

Getting To Batumi By Flight

The flight from Tbilisi to Batumi is a swift one-hour journey, providing a quick and convenient travel option. Alternatively, international travelers have the option to fly directly into Batumi from cities like Istanbul.

Check out some of your flights options below with Skyscanner.

And That’s A Wrap!

I visited Batumi as a solo travelling digital nomad and I found it okay at best. Based of Batumi’s hype, I had expected a seaside wonder but it came up short. Batumi unfortunately did not pass the vibe check for me. In my opinion, skip Batumi — save that time to visit other parts of Georgia or the world.

That being said, I was totally thrilled to visit Tbilisi in Georgia! Tbilisi is a beautiful beautiful city (yes, I said beautiful twice) with a lively art, culture, lifestyle, food, and nightlife scene.