Batumi

Orientation

Batumi sits on Georgia’s Black Sea coast in Adjara, about 20 km north of the Turkish border. It is a port city as well as a resort city, so the waterfront shifts quickly from public promenade and towers to harbour infrastructure.

The centre is compact enough to connect the Old Town, the seafront and the cable-car base on foot. The fish market lies farther north in the Boni-Gorodoki area, by the port approach rather than on the main leisure waterfront.

Follow the waterfront

Batumi Boulevard is the city’s main coastal axis. Use it to link the central beach and gardens with Miracle Park at the northern end.

Look for these fixed landmarks:

• Alphabet Tower: a tall steel double helix carrying Georgian letters.
• Ali and Nino: two moving metal figures on the waterfront that pass through one another during their cycle.
• Batumi Lighthouse and harbour: a useful point for reading the boundary between promenade and working port.

The boulevard is broad and largely level, making it the simplest route for a long walk or cycle. The port perimeter, by contrast, is fenced and industrial; do not expect an uninterrupted waterside walk north to the fish market.

Batumi Fish Market

At 27 Baku Street, Batumi Fish Market is a small, single-storey market with a few stalls visible from the entrance. Fish is displayed on ice and sold by weight; vendors can clean a purchase, and nearby restaurants can cook it.

Treat the counter as a market, not as proof of a single local catch. Black Sea fish is sold alongside imported and frozen products, so ask what is local and what is fresh that day. Red mullet, flounder, anchovy and mullet are among the local Black Sea fish that may appear.

Practical: Go earlier in the day for the broadest choice. Floors can be wet from melting ice; wear shoes with grip. The market is near the port road, so a taxi is more practical than turning the visit into a waterfront stroll.

Green Cape: Batumi Botanical Garden

For the coast at a larger scale, head about 9 km north of central Batumi to Batumi Botanical Garden at Mtsvane Kontskhi, or Green Cape. Founded in 1912, the garden covers roughly 109 hectares of coastal slopes, ravines and viewpoints above the Black Sea.

The terrain is steep in places. Choose a shorter loop near an entrance if slopes are a concern; otherwise allow time to combine the collections with the sea-facing paths. City buses and minibuses run from Batumi toward Green Cape, while a taxi gives the most direct access.

Food to order

Batumi is the natural place to try Adjarian khachapuri: a boat-shaped bread filled with cheese, butter and egg. At the fish market, keep the order plain—grilled or fried fish with bread, salad and a sharp Georgian sauce lets the seafood do the work.