Venue & Travel

By plane Batumi International Airport [2] (IATA: BUS) is located 2 km south of the city.

The following airlines operate service to/from Batumi International Airport:
Belavia (Minsk)
Georgian Airways (Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kiev-Boryspil, Moscow-Vnukovo, Odessa, Tbilisi)
Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)
Pegasus Airlines (Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen)

By bus Buses and minibuses (marshutkas) operate regularly between Batumi and Tbilisi. Travel time is around 6 hours. The fare is 20 Lari. The scenery along the way is interesting. The best place to take the marshutka in Tbilisi is from Didube metro station. They depart approximately every hour. Be aware that they will wait until the bus has enough number of passengers before they depart. The ride can be a bit rough, so if you get travel sick, definitely take something for it before you leave.

Buses also operate between Trabzon (Turkey) and Batumi 4-5 times daily. They stop in Rize (Turkey) and cross the border at Sarpi. The fee is 25 Lari. Make sure you meet all visa requirements before crossing the border into Georgia. After the first of January 2015, you will need to apply for visa online to enter Turkey. If coming from Turkey, your bus might leave you at the border (Sarpi). You will be able to find a marshutka on the Georgian side (Sarpi) going to Batumi for 1GEL. The marshutka goes all the way to Tbilisi Square in Batumi, but you can hop off before that if you wish. There will be ATMs and money changers in Sarpi once you go through Georgian customs.

There are two Marshutka stations in Batumi. One has long distance minibuses to Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Poti, etc. The other, on Tbilisi Square, has marshutkas to Sarpi (2 GEL, 20 minutes).

By car Road transportation from outside of the country is possible from the neighboring countries Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. From the administrative borders of Abkhazia and South Osetia crossing the border in the usual manner is prohibited for citizens of Georgia as well as foreigners.

By train Georgian Railways operates trains between Batumi and Tbilisi. Night train leaves Tbilisi at 22:25 and arrives in Batumi's Makhinjauri Station at 7:05 the next morning. First class sleeping wagon costs 40 GEL (2 people per cabin), second class costs 23 GEL (4 people per cabin). The berths are a little short, narrow and hard but rather comfortable, and linen is provided if you ask for them early enough in the train. Night train #621 returns from Batumi's Makhinjauri Station to Tbilisi at 22:40, arriving at 7:10.

Day express train leaves Tbilisi at 8:45 and arrives at Makhinjauri at 14:00. Ticket price is 25/18 GEL for first/second class seat (October 2014). The train is modern and the ride is quite comfortable. There is no meal service, but you can buy coffee, beverages and snacks from vending machines on board. On-board free WiFi is available.

Makhinjauri Station is 5 km north of Batumi, and taxis and buses await incoming passengers.

Train tickets can be bought at the station or from an office in the old town at 5 General Mazniashvili St (between Melashvili and Abashidze). This office is very plain and nondescript with no signs in English. The door and window frames are green and some metal chairs are visible inside. Hours are 09:00 to 18:00.

Reserve your seats in advance on the weekends, as many Georgians flock to the seaside.

By boat There is a weekly ferry to Ilyichevsk/Odessa, Ukraine ($175pp, approx 60 hours). Occasionally the service departs from Poti in the north (5 Lari with marshrutka and takes about one hour)...The vessel is a large Roll On Roll Off Vehicle Ferry ($500 for Jeep/SUV, $450 for Passenger Car, $300 for Motorbike - as of Jan 2014)...Booking and payment must be made in advance thru ferry agents UGB with offices in Batumi, Tbilisi, or Poti. Check UKR Ferry web site (http://www.ukrferry.com/eng). Batumi booking office is located at Kutaisi 34.

A boat operates between Sochi, Russia to Batumi, Georgia. It is a high speed hydrofoil which operates three times a week, Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., Fridays at 9:30 a.m., and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. In 2010, the cost is 3500 rubles for adults, 1750 rubles for children. The number is +7-8622-609-622 or +7-918-409-12-96.

By Bike There are a few adventurous cyclists passing through Batumi (Spring 2014 average 2+ per week). The road from Batumi to Khulo is mountainous and sometimes the road after Khulo is closed. Consider contacting the Khulo municipality if you are planning on biking the southern road between Batumi-Tblisi. There are two reasonably priced and knowledgeable bike shops on Pushkin ave, in addition to other more trendy shops in the old city.