Most guests in Tbilisi end up going east (Kakheti, wine), north (Kazbegi, mountains), or short-north (Mtskheta, half a day). South is the direction nobody recommends, which is why the answer is usually no when somebody asks for it. But the answer should sometimes be yes, and Borjomi is the trip that makes it so.
Photo: Levi Kukchishvili / Unsplash.
The geography
Borjomi sits 165 kilometres south-west of Tbilisi, in the river gorge of the Kura, at an elevation of 800–850 metres. The drive is 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 30 each way along the S1 highway; reliable, scenic in the second half, no mountain passes to negotiate. The town runs along the gorge for about three kilometres; you arrive at the south end, work your way north, exit the same way you came in.
Five hours in the car, four to five hours on the ground. A full day, not a half-day; do not try to compress.
Why people go
Two things, in this order.
Mineral water. Borjomi is the name of both the town and the water that Soviets sent to Politburo offices. The spring rises through volcanic rock from eight to ten kilometres deep, hits the surface at 38 to 41°C, carbonated by the gas pressure of the depths. The drinking pavilions in Borjomi Central Park serve it warm and unfiltered. Some guests find it medicinal, others find it sulphurous; reactions are split. Try a small glass first.
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. A working biosphere reserve with 12 hiking routes ranging from 30 minutes to four days. For a one-day visit, the Panorama Trail (about three hours round-trip) from Likani is the standard. Forest, gorge views, a small monastery at the turnaround. The trail is moderate; guests over 60 in good shape do it.
The afternoon route
Arrive at 11:30. Park at the south entrance of Borjomi Central Park. Walk through the park (about 25 minutes end to end if you don’t stop, an hour if you do), drink at the mineral-water pavilion, take the cable car to the small plateau above town (15 minutes round trip), come back down. Lunch in town around 1:30. Likani Palace is a 10-minute drive west; the Romanov-era summer residence is now a sanatorium and only the exterior is accessible without booking, but the building itself is the point.
For guests who want a walk: shorten the park visit, drive to the Likani trailhead, do the first 90 minutes of the Panorama Trail (the gorge views are in the first hour), turn back. By 4pm you are at the car. By 6:30pm you are back in Tbilisi.
When Borjomi is the wrong recommendation
It is the wrong recommendation when the guest only has one day in Georgia and they have not seen Kakheti or the mountains. Borjomi is a fine trip but it is not a top-three trip. It is the right recommendation as a third or fourth visit, or for a guest who specifically wants a spa-town pace, or for a family with mixed interests where the park solves “what do the kids do.”
It is also the right recommendation when the guest has a return flight from a regional airport (Batumi, Kutaisi); Borjomi can be slotted on the drive west, and the transfer itself is booked as one job.
What to skip
The cable car at the south entrance. The view from the top is the same view from any hillside two minutes’ walk above town. Charged, slow on weekends.
The “Romanov-era summer residence” tour at Likani, beyond the exterior view. The building is a working medical facility now; the interior tour, when available, is brief and shows little. The exterior is the visit.
The Borjomi water bottling tour. Industrial, scheduled, charged. The bottle on the supermarket shelf is the same product.
Driving notes
Fuel. Tbilisi before leaving in whichever car is on the job, refill in Khashuri (the petrol stations on the highway are reliable, the ones in Borjomi itself are smaller).
Road. Good asphalt the entire way. The last 30 km along the gorge is the prettiest stretch.
Cell signal. Solid except in the Borjomi-Kharagauli park interior. If the guest is hiking the Panorama Trail, expect 90 minutes of no signal.
Toilets. Reliable at the park entrance and the central pavilion. The trail has none.
Last driven by us: May 2026.
A short closing note
Borjomi is the day trip for the guest who has already seen the wine and the mountains, or who wants a slower-paced spa-town day, or who is curious about water that supposedly cured Stalin’s ulcers. Five hours in the car for four on the ground; it has to be the right guest. Guests doing several of these in a week usually take them as one multi-day booking rather than four separate days. Write to bookings@soitblack.com or send us the week.