Borjomi

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 16 October 2026 · Editorial policy

Overview

Borjomi is a spa town in Samtskhe-Javakheti, southern Georgia, set in a narrow, forested gorge where the Borjomula stream meets the Mtkvari (Kura) river. It lies roughly two hours by road from Tbilisi and about two hours from Kutaisi, in the hill country between the Lesser Caucasus ranges that also holds Bakuriani, Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia. The town’s name is inseparable from its naturally carbonated mineral water, bottled and exported since the late nineteenth century and still drunk across the wider region.

Borjomi matters as one of Georgia’s oldest planned resorts: a nineteenth-century spa town built around a mineral spring, laid out with a central park, promenades and villas for the Russian imperial family and Caucasus nobility. It survives today as a functioning health resort, a gateway to the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, and a base for day trips into a region layered with Romanov-era architecture, Ottoman-period fortresses and rock-cut monasteries. For visitors planning a route through Georgia, Borjomi works equally well as an overnight stop or a multi-day base for hiking and touring.

History

The mineral springs of the gorge were known locally long before the modern resort existed, but the site entered wider imperial attention in the 1820s and 1830s when Russian military units stationed in the region reported the carbonated waters; a garrison regiment is traditionally credited with drawing attention to the spring that became known as Ekaterina’s Spring, after Ekaterina Vorontsova, wife of the Viceroy of the Caucasus, who visited in the 1850s. Commercial bottling of Borjomi water began in the later nineteenth century, and by the 1890s it was being shipped well beyond the Caucasus.

The Romanov connection shaped the town’s architecture directly. Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, Viceroy of the Caucasus, and later his son Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, established a summer residence at Likani, just outside the town centre, with the palace built in the 1890s in a style drawing on Russian and Moorish influences. The resort’s central park, promenades, bathhouses and many of its villas date from this same late imperial period, when Borjomi functioned as a fashionable spa for the Caucasus elite alongside Kislovodsk and other Russian resorts.

A narrow-gauge railway linking Borjomi to the mountain resort of Bakuriani was built in 1902 to serve the growing spa traffic and remains in occasional seasonal operation, one of the oldest narrow-gauge lines still used in the Caucasus. Through the Soviet period Borjomi water became a mass-market brand across the USSR, and the town retained its role as a sanatorium destination, with Soviet-era rest houses added to the earlier villa stock. In 1995 the surrounding forests and high pastures were protected as the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, among the largest protected areas in the Caucasus, now managed by Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas. A severe flood in 2015 damaged the park’s trail network and parts of the town; recovery works were carried out with international support in the years that followed.

What to see

Borjomi Central Park and Ekaterina Spring

The town park, laid out in the nineteenth century along the Borjomula stream, is the heart of the resort and the point where the original mineral spring still flows, free for visitors to drink. Paths lead past a cable car, a small amusement area and a mineral-water pool, with the gorge narrowing into forested walks further upstream. It remains the easiest and most central place to understand why Borjomi became a spa town in the first place.

Open-air sulphur and mineral pools

A short walk upstream from the central park along a paved riverside path leads to open-air hot pools fed by the same mineral springs, popular with visitors in all seasons, including winter when the warm water contrasts with snow on the banks. The setting is informal rather than a developed spa facility, and is best visited outside peak midday hours.

Likani Palace

Built in the 1890s as a summer residence for the Romanov viceroys of the Caucasus, Likani Palace stands a short distance from the town centre in landscaped grounds above the Mtkvari river. It later served as a state residence through the Soviet and post-Soviet periods and is used today for official purposes, so interior access is limited, but the exterior and park setting can be viewed from the approach road.

Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park

One of the largest national parks in the Caucasus, Borjomi-Kharagauli opens directly from the edge of town, with a network of marked trails ranging from short half-day walks to multi-day routes crossing into Imereti, managed by the Agency of Protected Areas. The park protects extensive beech, spruce and pine forest along with subalpine meadows, and maintains ranger stations and basic shelters along the longer routes. Guides and park passes can be arranged at the visitor centre near the park entrance.

Borjomi-Bakuriani narrow-gauge railway

Opened in 1902 to carry spa visitors up into the mountains, this narrow-gauge line still runs a seasonal service between Borjomi and the ski resort of Bakuriani through forested switchbacks. It is a slow, scenic alternative to the road and a point of interest for railway history in its own right.

Day trips: Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia

Akhaltsikhe’s Rabati fortress complex, substantially restored in the 2010s, and the twelfth-century cave monastery of Vardzia, carved into a cliff above the Mtkvari during the reign of Queen Tamar, both lie within a day’s round trip from Borjomi. Both can be combined into a single itinerary with a private guide; see GTour’s tours page for arranged routes.

Getting there

From Tbilisi, Borjomi is about two hours by car along the main highway through Khashuri, a route also served by regular marshrutka minibuses from Tbilisi’s Didube station and by a direct passenger train operated by Georgian Railway. From Kutaisi the drive is also around two hours, via Khashuri, with marshrutka connections available from the Kutaisi bus station. From Batumi the journey takes around four hours and fifteen minutes by road, crossing the Lesser Caucasus foothills; travellers without a car should check connections in Khashuri, where most routes from the coast change. Current conditions on the main highways can be checked on GTour’s road status page, and GTour arranges private transfers and guided day tours with an English-speaking driver-guide from any of the three cities.

When to go

Borjomi is a year-round destination. Summer brings cool, shaded walking weather in the gorge and park, a relief from the heat of the Tbilisi plain; autumn turns the surrounding forest gold and is a quiet, popular season for hiking in the national park. Winter is mild for a mountain town by Georgian standards, with snow on the surrounding hills and the open-air mineral pools at their most atmospheric, while nearby Bakuriani offers skiing a short drive up the mountain. Spring can be wet, and some higher trails in the national park remain closed until snowmelt clears; checking with the park visitor centre before a multi-day hike is advisable.

Where to stay and eat

Borjomi’s accommodation ranges from restored historic villas to modern hotel blocks. The Crowne Plaza Borjomi and Borjomi Likani offer larger, resort-style properties close to the park and the Likani area, while Hotel “Old Borjomi” keeps closer to the town’s older villa character. Hotel & Restaurant Emerald and the nearby Emerald Borjomi combine lodging with on-site dining, and Gantiadi Mountain Resort sits slightly out of the centre toward the hills. For a quieter, cottage-style stay, Tsemi My House is an option in the surrounding countryside. The Borjomi Tourist Information Center in town can advise on current opening hours and seasonal services. GTour’s verified register lists more hotels, guesthouses and restaurants in and around Borjomi; see the best of and guides pages for further recommendations and planning.

Practical notes

The central park has an entrance fee covering access to the spring area and cable car; the open-air mineral pools upstream are typically free or charge a small separate fee. Entry to the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park’s marked trails requires a park pass, available at the visitor centre, and longer routes should be checked with rangers beforehand, particularly after heavy rain. Mobile signal is generally reliable in town but patchy on higher trails in the park. Cash is useful for small vendors and the open-air pools, though most hotels and larger restaurants accept cards.

Questions travellers ask

Is Borjomi mineral water actually from this town?

Yes. The water is drawn from carbonated springs in the gorge, most visibly the Ekaterina Spring in the central park, and has been bottled commercially since the late nineteenth century.

Can you still drink the water straight from the spring?

Yes, the spring in the central park is open to the public and visitors can drink from it directly, though the warm, mineral-heavy taste is an acquired one for many first-time visitors.

Is Borjomi worth an overnight stay or a day trip from Tbilisi?

Both work: a day trip allows time for the park and the spring, but an overnight stay makes it easier to combine Borjomi with Bakuriani, Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia without a rushed schedule.

How long does the hike into Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park take?

Routes range from a one- to two-hour loop near the town entrance to multi-day treks crossing into Imereti with overnight shelters; the visitor centre can match a route to the time available.

Is the narrow-gauge train to Bakuriani still running?

It operates seasonally rather than as a year-round daily service, so travellers wanting to use it should confirm the current timetable locally before planning around it.

Can Likani Palace be visited inside?

It functions as a state residence and is not generally open for interior visits; the exterior and grounds can be seen from the approach road.

Is Borjomi suitable as a base for visiting Vardzia and Akhaltsikhe?

Yes, both are a manageable day trip from Borjomi by car, and the route is commonly combined into a single guided day out.

What is the best season for the open-air hot pools?

Many visitors prefer winter, when the contrast between warm water and cold air and snow is most striking, though the pools are used year-round.

How crowded does Borjomi get in summer?

The central park and spring area can be busy with domestic tourists in July and August; the national park trails and Likani area remain quieter even in peak season.

Sources

• Georgian Railway
• Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park – Agency of Protected Areas
• Borjomi – Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Borjomi-Bakuriani Narrow Gauge Railway – Georgian Railway