Thermal Springs in Georgia: Where to Soak in Hot Water Under the Open Sky

Georgia has dozens of natural thermal springs — from the open-air pools by the Vardzia fortress, where you soak under the stars in winter, to the forest resort of Nunisi and mountainous Abastumani. The water comes out of the ground hot (37–45°C) and rich in minerals: sulfur, nitrogen, silica. Entry to the wild springs is often free; developed resorts charge 15–40 GEL. Below is where exactly to bathe, when to go, why it is good for you and how to get there without your own car.

Thermal springs vs. the Tbilisi sulfur baths

The first thing to clear up: thermal springs and sulfur baths are not the same thing, even though both involve hot mineral water. The Tbilisi sulfur baths in the Abanotubani district are covered city bathhouses right in the center of the capital, with private cabins, domes and bath attendants. We have a separate detailed guide to them — the Tbilisi sulfur baths: prices, addresses and how to pick a bathhouse.

Georgia's thermal springs are something else. They are natural outflows of hot water in the mountains, forests and valleys across the country: open-air pools under the sky, wild baths by a river, Soviet-era sanatoriums, climate resorts. If the sulfur baths are about urban tradition and history, the thermal springs are about nature, silence and wellness far from the crowds.

The chemistry of the water also varies by place. Some is sulfur water (like the Tbilisi baths), some is nitrogen-silica thermal water, and Tskaltubo has its unique radon water. This is exactly why a whole culture of "water healing" grew up in Georgia: people came for centuries to fix their health, and the Soviet sanatoriums were not built on empty ground.

Map of Georgia's thermal springs: where to go

Thermal springs are scattered all over Georgia, but most of those accessible to travelers lie in three zones: Samtskhe-Javakheti (south, around Vardzia and Akhaltsikhe), Imereti and the west (Tskaltubo, Samegrelo) and the area around Tbilisi. Here are the main spots genuinely worth visiting.

Prices are approximate for 2026. Natural springs often have no official ticket desk — carry cash in lari just in case.

Thermal vs. mineral water in Georgia: the difference

Travelers often mix up two concepts — and it matters. Thermal water is hot water from deep earth layers that you bathe in. Mineral water is water you drink: the famous Borjomi, Nabeglavi, Sairme. One place can be known for both, but the experience is completely different.

Borjomi, for example, is world-famous precisely as drinking mineral water: in the town park there is a pump room where that same slightly salty warm water flows from the source. People do not come to Borjomi to bathe — for that they head to the nearby forest resort of Nunisi for thermal baths. Sairme and Nabeglavi are drinking balneo-resorts in Imereti, where people go to treat the stomach and kidneys, not to soak in a pool.

The practical takeaway is simple: if you want to actually bathe in hot water under the sky, you need the thermal springs from this guide (Aspindza, Abastumani, Menji). If you are after healing drinking water and classic resorts, that is the mineral side — Borjomi, Sairme, Nabeglavi. A good route through Georgia often combines both: sip mineral water in a park and soak in a thermal pool nearby the same day.

Aspindza and Vardzia: thermal pools by the Kura

This is probably the most atmospheric thermal spot in Georgia for a traveler. Near Aspindza, not far from the cave monastery of Vardzia, hot mineral water comes up from the ground and has been channeled into open-air pools right on the bank of the Kura river. You bathe under the open sky, looking out at the Javakheti mountains.

It is especially magical in winter and late autumn: it is +3°C outside and you are sitting in +40°C water, steam rising over the pool, snowy slopes and total silence all around. Summer is pleasant too, but it is exactly the contrast of cold air and hot water that makes the winter soak unforgettable.

Logistically Aspindza pairs perfectly with Vardzia: travelers usually explore the cave city first, then drive to the thermal pools to warm up. It is the classic southern Georgia route. The drive from Tbilisi takes about 3–3.5 hours one way, so it is either a very long day or an overnight in Akhaltsikhe or near Vardzia.

Nunisi: forest healing resort near Borjomi

Nunisi is a completely different format. It is a small resort hidden in the forest on the slopes above the Borjomi gorge. People come here not for photogenic views but for the water: the local thermal water has long been considered healing for skin conditions — eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. Visitors come for a course of several days, not a couple of hours.

The atmosphere here is quiet, almost sanatorium-like: pine air, wooden buildings, an unhurried rhythm. Nunisi pairs well with a trip to Borjomi — the famous mineral water resort. Many combine them: in the morning drink Borjomi from the source in the park, in the afternoon soak in the thermal water of Nunisi.

If your goal is genuine wellness rather than a one-off soak, Nunisi is one of the best options in Georgia. But check ahead: the resort is small and part of it may be closed in the off-season, so it is best to confirm availability through a guide or directly.

Abastumani: mountain climate resort

Abastumani is an old balneological and climate resort in the mountains of Samtskhe-Javakheti, at around 1,300 meters. It is known for two things: mountain air historically used to treat the lungs, and the famous astrophysical observatory on the peak above the village. The thermal-mineral waters here are nitrogen-silica, up to 40–48°C at the wellhead.

The place suits those who want a calm, restorative stay in the mountains rather than a quick photo stop. Pine forests, serpentine roads, old resort buildings from the imperial and Soviet eras — Abastumani breathes history. It is easy to combine with the Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia — all of it is southern Georgia.

Western Georgia: Menji, Samegrelo and sulfur waters

In western Georgia, in the Samegrelo region near the town of Senaki, lies the Menji resort — one of the oldest water-healing spots in the country. Its sulfur thermal waters were used back in the Soviet sanatoriums. The infrastructure today is modest, but the water is the same, and for anyone heading to western Georgia (Kutaisi, the canyons, Martvili) it is an interesting detour.

Western Georgia is generally rich in water: nearby are the Martvili and Okatse canyons, the city of Kutaisi as a convenient base, and half an hour away is Tskaltubo with its radon baths and legendary abandoned sanatoriums. You can build a whole "water route": thermal baths, mineral springs and emerald canyons in one trip.

One note: not all western springs are set up for tourists. Some are half-wild baths that locals have used for decades. That is exactly why western Georgia is especially convenient to explore with a local guide-driver who knows where the water is clean and the spot is safe.

Health benefits of Georgia's thermal water

Thermal water is not marketing but physiology. Hot mineral water acts on the body in several ways at once, and Georgia's springs are in no way inferior to the well-known European resorts while costing many times less.

• Relaxing muscles and joints. Heat of 38–42°C releases muscle spasms while the minerals boost circulation. With chronic back and joint pain the relief often lasts 2–3 days after a soak.
• Skin. Sulfur and silica waters are traditionally used for psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis — that is exactly why people go to Nunisi. The mechanism is not fully understood, but many report periods of remission.
• Nervous system. After 30–40 minutes in hot water a parasympathetic response kicks in — deep relaxation that lasts into the next day. It is a good cure for stress and jet lag after a flight.
• Breathing and general tone. The mountain air of resorts like Abastumani, combined with the thermal water, gives a "second wind" feeling — no wonder people were sent here for centuries to recover.

When to go to thermal springs and what to bring

Best season

Open-air pools (Aspindza) are best from November to March — the contrast of hot water and cold air is unbeatable and there are almost no tourists. For winter Georgia in general we have a separate guide — Georgia in winter: what to do and where to go. Forest and mountain resorts (Nunisi, Abastumani) are best in the warm season, when it is comfortable to walk in the mountains. The springs work year-round.

What to bring

• Swimwear and a change of underwear — wild pools may have no changing room
• Two towels and flip-flops (stones by the pools are slippery)
• Cash in lari — natural springs often have no card terminal
• Drinking water: hot water dehydrates the body
• Warm clothes for the way out — especially in winter, you must not cool down abruptly while warm
• Rubber slippers and a bag for wet clothes

How much time to plan

The soak itself is 40–90 minutes with breaks. But most springs are far from Tbilisi: Aspindza and Abastumani are 3+ hours of driving one way. Plan a full day, or better an overnight, to combine with Vardzia, Borjomi or the western canyons.

How to reach the thermal springs and do you need a guide?

The main challenge with Georgia's thermal springs is that almost all of them are off the public transport grid. You cannot reach Aspindza, Nunisi or Abastumani by marshrutka directly: it takes a transfer and then several kilometers on foot or by hitchhiking. Your own car solves it, but the mountain serpentines in winter take experience.

So people usually reach the springs one of two ways: by rental car (if you drive confidently in the mountains) or with a guide-driver. The second is more convenient for three reasons: the guide knows which pools actually work this season (some close for the off-season), combines the spring with the main sight nearby, and handles all the driving — and after hot water you really do not feel like getting behind the wheel.

I take travelers to the thermal springs year-round and tailor the route to the season: in winter the open-air pools of Aspindza together with Vardzia, in summer the forest of Nunisi and Borjomi, and for the west the combination of Kutaisi, canyons and thermal baths. Everything is private, no groups and no rush.