Borjomi from Tbilisi is a 150 km day trip into the Mtkvari river valley. The town is famous for its mineral water — which you can drink free from the original source — plus thermal baths, a pine-scented national park, and the faded grandeur of Romanov-era spa architecture. Train: ~3 hours from 10 GEL. Park entry and the water spring are free. Thermal pools: 10–15 GEL/hour. Best combined with Akhaltsikhe if you have a car.
Why visit Borjomi from Tbilisi?
Borjomi is not just a brand on a green glass bottle. It is a small resort town tucked into a mountain valley on the Mtkvari (Kura) river, 150 km southwest of Tbilisi. Soviet sanatoria rise among pine forests, thermal pools bubble year-round, and the original mineral spring flows free inside the city park — same source, same water, much stronger taste than anything you have tried from a supermarket shelf.
The town was a favourite retreat of Russian aristocracy and Soviet leadership alike. Nicholas II and the Romanovs summered here. Later, Stalin's inner circle occupied the sanatorium villas. What remains is an unusual layering of eras: a Romanov palace, Stalinist neoclassical spa buildings, a functioning cable car up into a national park that covers 75,000 hectares of Caucasian forest.
I bring groups to Borjomi about twice a month. People who arrive expecting "just a park with water" consistently leave surprised. There is something about pine-scented mountain air mixing with the faint sulphur note from the spring, surrounded by forested ridges and near-total quiet, that is genuinely hard to replicate. Bring an empty 1.5-litre bottle — you will want to take the water home.
Today Borjomi is an ideal day trip from Tbilisi: mountain air, a park to walk through, a hot pool to soak in, and the feeling that time moves more slowly here. If you are planning a week-long Georgia itinerary, Borjomi fits naturally as a standalone day or as part of a longer loop through the Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
How to get from Tbilisi to Borjomi?
Train — the best option for independent travellers
Direct trains run from Tbilisi to Borjomi in about 3 hours. Tickets start from 10 GEL. Schedules are limited — check the Georgian Railway website a few days before and book in advance. The station drops you in the town centre, a short walk from the park entrance.
Marshrutka (shared minibus)
Shared minibuses to Borjomi depart from Didube bus station in Tbilisi every hour or hour and a half. Journey time: 2.5–3 hours. Cost: 12–15 GEL. The minibus arrives at the local bus station, from where it is a 10–15 minute walk to the park.
Private car or guided tour
By car from Tbilisi the drive takes roughly 2 hours along the main highway. This is the best option if you want to combine Borjomi with Akhaltsikhe, Rabati Castle, or other destinations in the same region. A private guided tour gives you door-to-door pickup, full commentary, and the flexibility to adjust the itinerary. Ask about a Samtskhe route →
What to see in Borjomi and where are the springs?
Borjomi City Park — free and always open
The city park in the centre is free to enter and open year-round. Tree-lined alleys run along the Borjomula river, Soviet-era sculptures dot the lawns, there is a Ferris wheel and several cafes. The original Borjomi mineral springs are here — an orange stone pavilion beside the river. Fill your bottle and drink. The water is more intensely mineralised than anything from a bottle and has a faintly salty, slightly effervescent character unlike anything else.
Thermal Baths
Inside and around the park, several pools are fed by natural thermal springs (water temperature around +35°C). Entry costs 10–15 GEL per hour. You can choose open shared pools or private cabins. Go in the morning — the queues are shorter and the water feels particularly pleasant before the midday heat.
Cable car into the national park
A cable car runs from the park up into Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park — one of the largest protected areas in Europe at 75,000 hectares of Caucasian conifer forest. At the upper station you find hiking trails, a viewpoint over the valley, and genuine silence. The cable car operates seasonally (spring to autumn), costs around 10 GEL return.
In my experience, the cable car is the one thing you should not skip. There is a 40-minute trail at the top with a view across the entire valley. I recommend riding up before 11 AM — after lunch, organised tour groups fill the queues and waiting times stretch to 20–30 minutes.
Romanov Palace in Likani
Three kilometres from the town centre, in the village of Likani, stands the former summer residence of the Romanov dynasty. It is now an official Georgian state residence — you cannot go inside, but you can walk around the grounds and the surrounding park. A quiet alternative to the main tourist flow.
How much does a Borjomi day trip cost in 2026?
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Park entry | Free |
| Mineral water from the spring | Free |
| Thermal pool (1 hour) | 10–15 GEL |
| Cable car (return) | 10 GEL |
| Train Tbilisi – Borjomi | from 10 GEL |
| Marshrutka Tbilisi – Borjomi | 12–15 GEL |
| Lunch in a cafe | 25–50 GEL/person |
What is the best day itinerary for Borjomi from Tbilisi?
The day flows best when you sequence the activities to avoid crowds and finish at the cable car rather than starting with it:
- 08:00 — depart Tbilisi by train or marshrutka
- 10:30 — arrive in Borjomi, breakfast at a cafe near the park
- 11:00 — walk through the city park, drink mineral water from the spring (free)
- 12:00 — thermal pool (1 hour, 10–15 GEL)
- 13:30 — lunch: khinkali, mtsivadi (grilled meat), local wine
- 15:00 — cable car up into the national park, 40-minute trail at the top
- 17:00 — return to the town centre, buy Borjomi in glass bottles at the market
- 18:00 — marshrutka or train back to Tbilisi
I usually stop with my groups for lunch at the cafe near the bridge by the park — they grill shashlik over charcoal and pour local draught beer. After the thermal pool and a morning walk, it is the perfect pause before the cable car ride up into the forest.
Where to swim in Borjomi's thermal pools?
Borjomi is not only about the drinking spring. The thermal baths are a centrepiece of any visit.
Open pool in the park. Right inside the city park there is a pool filled with warm mineral water. Depending on the season there may be a small admission fee or it is free. Water temperature: 26–28°C. Swimwear hire is available at the entrance if you forgot yours.
Private SPA. Several hotels in Borjomi offer private mineral baths. Prices: 30–60 GEL per hour for two people. Book ahead or on arrival. If you want privacy and quiet, this is the best option.
Likani baths. Near the Romanov Palace in Likani (10 minutes by local marshrutka) there are additional thermal facilities associated with what was once the Soviet leadership's private spa. The setting is quieter than the main park.
Can you combine Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe in one day?
Both towns are in the same region — Samtskhe-Javakheti — with only 40 km between them. If you have a car or are travelling with a private guide, combining them in one day is entirely doable.
Akhaltsikhe is home to Rabati Castle: a striking reconstruction of a 15th-century fortress complex that contains a mosque, an Orthodox church, Islamic minarets, and Georgian towers all within one perimeter wall. It looks like a film set and manages to be genuinely impressive despite the heavy-handed reconstruction work.
A full circular day Tbilisi → Borjomi → Akhaltsikhe → Tbilisi covers approximately 350 km. Depart at 7:00 AM and you will be back by 9:00–10:00 PM. Dense, but very achievable by car.
We booked a two-day Borjomi + Akhaltsikhe + Vardzia trip with Timur. Day one: Borjomi park and springs, then Rabati Castle in the afternoon. Day two: Vardzia. That is the ideal way to see southern Georgia — unhurried, with proper explanations at each site. Rabati Castle made a bigger impression than we expected.
Is it worth staying overnight in Borjomi?
Most visitors do Borjomi as a day trip. But if you are travelling with children, or simply want a slower pace, an overnight stay opens up the quiet Borjomi that day-trippers never see: the park at dusk when almost no one is around, a late evening at the spring by lamplight.
Guesthouses on the streets bordering the park offer rooms from 40–80 GEL per night. Most include breakfast and a home-cooked dinner. The Borjomi Palace hotel (a historic building converted to a modern spa-hotel) is the most comfortable option in the centre, with rooms from around 150 GEL.
If you are staying overnight, consider adding a morning walk in the national park before the cable car gets crowded — the forest is beautiful and nearly empty before 10 AM.
Official sources