Three directions from Batumi
A car turns Batumi from a beach city into a base for the whole of Adjara. Almost everything worth a day out lies within 45 km, in one of three directions:
- South to Gonio and Sarpi, 13–20 km. The Roman fortress of Gonio-Apsaros, already standing in AD 77, is a short drive past the airport. Beyond it, the clear-water beaches of Kvariati and Sarpi run right up to the Turkish border.
- North along the coast, 9–27 km. The Botanical Garden on the Green Cape, the tea village of Chakvi, the 6th-century Petra fortress on its rock at Tsikhisdziri, and Kobuleti with its 10 km beach.
- Into the hills, 28–45 km. The 36-metre Makhuntseti waterfall and a medieval stone bridge over the Acharistsqali, the family wine cellars of Keda, and the dripping rainforest of Mtirala National Park.
Our day trips from Batumi turn these into easy routes. Longer journeys are simple too: Kutaisi is about 150 km away and Tbilisi about 360 km, both on the main highway.
Two rules that shape every trip
The car stays in Georgia. Sarpi, the main crossing into Turkey, is 20 km from the centre, but rental cars can't cross it, not even for a fee. For a day in Turkey, our Sarpi guide explains how to go without the car.
Paved public roads only. The rental terms rule out dirt tracks and a short list of mountain routes. The one nearest Batumi is the road over the Goderdzi Pass towards Akhaltsikhe, so plan inland trips as far as Khulo, and ask the owner in writing before going any higher.
Otherwise the rules are familiar: speed limits of 60 km/h in built-up areas, 90 outside them and 110 on motorways, and a strict alcohol limit of 0.3 per mille. In the city, parking is bought as a pass for a day or longer rather than by the hour, and the seafront Boulevard is closed to cars. Our guide to driving and parking in Batumi has the details.
Booking and documents
At booking you pay 15–20% online; the rest is due to the owner when the keys change hands. At pickup, owners check your passport and the original licence; a licence in another script must come with an International Driving Permit. Age matters too: at 18 with one year's driving behind you the choice is small, at 21 with two years it grows, and at 23 with three years every car is available. Separately, since 1 January 2026 every visitor to Georgia needs health and accident insurance with at least 30,000 GEL of cover; the car's insurance doesn't count towards it.
When to book
Across Georgia, demand on the rental marketplace we work with jumps in May, when 76% of cars are booked, and stays between 72% and 82% until the end of August. In January, February and December only about a third are taken. Book early for the beach season, and pack a raincoat if you come later in the year: Batumi is the wettest city in Georgia, and its heaviest rain falls between September and December.