The Black Sea coast of Georgia is the country's entire west: around 100 kilometers of shoreline from the Turkish border to Anaklia. Here you'll find buzzing Batumi with its skyscrapers, quiet villages with black magnetic sand, and pebble coves for diving. This guide covers every resort, the season and water temperature, where the sand and pebbles are, and how to reach the sea from Tbilisi. Heading to the coast after the capital? See our complete guide to Batumi.
Where the Black Sea is in Georgia — the coast
Georgia's entire seaside lies in the west of the country, in the Adjara and Guria regions. The sea capital is Batumi, Georgia's third-largest city. From there the resort line spreads both ways:
- South, toward Turkey: Gonio, Kvariati and the border town of Sarpi — the cleanest water and mountains that come right down to the sea.
- North: Kobuleti, then sandy Ureki, Grigoleti and Shekvetili, and at the very end — Anaklia near the Abkhazia boundary.
From Tbilisi the sea is about 6 hours to the west. That matters: Georgia is compact, but the capital sits inland, so a "half-day trip to the sea" from Tbilisi isn't a thing — the coast is a separate journey of at least a couple of days.
Season and water temperature
The swimming season on Georgia's Black Sea runs from mid-June to the end of September. Month by month:
| Month | Water | Air | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | 21–23 °C | 25–28 °C | Season starts, few people |
| July | 24–26 °C | 29–32 °C | Hot, humid, peak season |
| August | 25–26 °C | 30–33 °C | Warmest but busiest |
| September | 23–25 °C | 25–28 °C | Indian summer — the best month |
| May / October | 18–20 °C | 20–24 °C | Good for walks, cool to swim |
Many regulars call September the best month: the water still holds its warmth, the exhausting July heat fades, and hotels get cheaper. One quirk of the Adjara climate — the subtropics are humid, so rain and short thunderstorms are possible even at the height of summer, though the greenery around is lush for it.
Resorts from Sarpi to Anaklia — overview
Every resort on the Georgian coast has its own character. Briefly, the main ones:
- Batumi — the sea capital: the Boulevard promenade, skyscrapers, hotels, water parks, nightlife and a pebble beach. The all-in-one resort city.
- Gonio and Kvariati — 10–15 km south of Batumi, the clearest water, pebbles, mountains by the sea, diving. Quieter than the city.
- Sarpi — right at the Turkish border, a scenic bay with transparent water and a striking arch-shaped border crossing.
- Kobuleti — 30 km north of Batumi, a long promenade, pebble-and-sand beach, calm family and budget stays.
- Ureki — famous for its magnetic black sand, said to be good for your health. A shallow, gently sloping sea — a paradise for families with kids.
- Grigoleti and Shekvetili — sandy, surrounded by pine and magnolia forests, quiet and green.
- Anaklia — the far north near Abkhazia: wide, empty beaches, space and silence.
For the main resort in detail, see the dedicated guide: getting to Batumi from Tbilisi and what to see. And for the sandy family resort — Ureki beach and its magnetic sand.
Sand or pebble: choosing a beach
The key question when choosing is the beach type. On the Georgian coast it changes almost by latitude:
- Pebble — the whole south: Batumi, Gonio, Kvariati. A steep entry, deep water close to shore, clear water. Water shoes help.
- Sand — the north: Ureki (black magnetic), Grigoleti, Shekvetili. A gentle entry, shallow for a long way — ideal for children.
- Mixed — Kobuleti: fine pebbles with sand, a compromise between clear water and an easy entry.
Almost all beaches in Georgia are municipal and free. Loungers and umbrellas cost money at the beach bars (5–15 GEL), but you can come with your own mat. Infrastructure is best developed in Batumi and Kobuleti.
Guests often ask, "Batumi or Ureki?" I answer with a question — are you coming to party or to unwind? Batumi is the buzz: restaurants, the cable car, casinos, evening lights. Ureki is silence, black sand and kids digging by the water. Many do both: a couple of lively Batumi days, then a move to the sand at Ureki just to exhale. A 40-minute drive takes you from a metropolis to rural bliss.
Getting to the sea from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi to Batumi there are four options:
- The Stadler train — a fast double-decker, ~5–6 hours, comfortable and scenic. Book tickets online ahead; they sell out in summer. Details in our Tbilisi–Batumi train guide.
- Car / transfer — 5–6 hours via Kutaisi. Handy if you want to stop on the way (canyons, caves, waterfalls).
- Minibus (marshrutka) — the cheapest option, but long and cramped.
- Flight — a domestic Tbilisi–Batumi hop of about 1 hour, though with luggage and transfers the time saving is modest.
For Ureki and Kobuleti a car is easiest, or the same Batumi train with a stop at an intermediate station. The best option for combining the capital and the coast is a guided tour: on the way to the sea we show the Martvili and Okatse canyons, the Prometheus Cave and the vineyards of Imereti.
We weren't sure whether to go to the sea from Tbilisi — it's far. Timur mapped the route: on the way we stopped at the canyons and the Prometheus Cave, and by evening we were on the Batumi promenade. The sea was warm, the beach pebbly but fine with water shoes. On the way back we swung by Ureki — the kids loved the black sand most of all. A perfectly planned three days.
What to do beyond the beach
The Georgian sea is more than a sunlounger. Within an hour of the coast:
- Batumi Boulevard and the "Argo" cable car — a view of the city and sea from above.
- Gonio Fortress — an ancient Roman stronghold where, by legend, the Apostle Matthias is buried.
- Batumi Botanical Garden — one of the most beautiful in the world, on a cape above the sea.
- Martvili and Okatse canyons, the Prometheus Cave — on the way from Tbilisi, a must-see of western Georgia.
- Waterfalls and tea plantations of Guria — the green subtropical hinterland.
All of this joins neatly into one "capital + sea + western Georgia" route. Planning such a trip is easy with a private tour of Georgia — tailored to your dates and pace.
Which resort to pick: in short
| If you want | Resort | Why |
|---|---|---|
| City and buzz | Batumi | promenade, hotels, nightlife, water parks |
| Travelling with kids | Ureki | magnetic sand, shallow gentle sea |
| Quiet and cheap | Kobuleti | long promenade, calm stay |
| Clear water, diving | Kvariati, Gonio | transparent water, mountains by the sea |
| Space and silence | Anaklia | wide, empty beaches in the north |
Combine Tbilisi, the sea and western Georgia — with a guide
Timur will plan the route to the sea with canyons and caves on the way, and match the resort to your style of holiday. Private itinerary, rated 4.9/5.