Resort in Samtskhe-Javakheti2 h 25 min by car from Tbilisi2 h 35 min by car from Kutaisi4 h 45 min by car from BatumiPopulation 1,879
Bakuriani is a resort in Samtskhe-Javakheti — a region of Georgia, about 2 h 25 min by car from Tbilisi, 2 h 35 min from Kutaisi and 4 h 45 min from Batumi. Home to about 1,879 people.
Bakuriani is a family mountain resort at 1,700 metres in the Samtskhe-Javakheti highlands, half an hour above Borjomi. It was the first ski resort in Georgia, and its gentle slopes, pine forests and cool summers have made it the country's favourite retreat for children and for anyone who prefers calm to the steeper terrain of Gudauri.
In winter there are lifts at Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi; in summer, horse riding, walking in the woods and the botanical garden. The narrow-gauge Kukushka railway from Borjomi, built in 1902, still climbs the valley. Vardzia, Rabati and the Borjomi park are all within a day.
Bakuriani is three hours from Tbilisi and suits a slow few days of mountain air at any time of year.
