Batumi Dolphinarium: show times, tickets and what to know
Updated 5 November 2026
The Batumi Dolphinarium lists one dolphin show in November 2026, at 16:00 every day except Monday: 30 ₾, about 35 minutes, children under 6 free without their own seat. Swimming with dolphins is 200 ₾ for 15 minutes from age 5, and the aquarium in the same complex is 5 ₾. It stands at 51 Rustaveli Street by 6 May Park, about 1.3 km on foot from Ardagani Lake on the New Boulevard. The figures come from the dolphinarium's own site and ticket page, as of November 2026.
| What | When | Price | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin show | 16:00, not on Monday; about 35 min; three shows a day in summer | 30 ₾; under 6 free without a seat | no reservations, no refunds |
| Swimming with dolphins | 15 min; 12:10 on the dates on sale on 4 November | 200 ₾ | from age 5; book online |
| Aquarium | 10:00–17:30, break 13:30–14:30; closed on official holidays | 5 ₾; under 6 free | same complex |
| Box office | 10:00–18:00 | or online on rune.ge |
Show times by season
The dolphinarium's home page gives 16:00 every day except Monday, and on 4 November 2026 its ticket page matched: 16:00 on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November. Monday is a "quarantine day", closed to visitors.
Two things on the same site complicate this. The show page says three shows a day in summer, without times; the 14:00, 17:00 and 21:00 on In Your Pocket are undated, so do not rely on them. And the FAQ says there is no closed season, but that winter shows run "only on weekends", which the home page does not mention. Check your date on the ticket page.
The show goes ahead in any weather under a covered amphitheatre with 887 seats, lifts and ramps. It is presented in Georgian and English: dances, rings and balls, balancing on the tail. Pets are not allowed. The dolphinarium opened in 1975, stopped in the early 1990s and reopened in 2011 (Visit Ajara).
Tickets: prices by age and how to buy
The site shows one price: 30 ₾ from age 6. A child under 6 is free unless they need their own seat. It lists no other discounts.
Buy at the box office, 10:00–18:00, or on rune.ge, the seller the dolphinarium links to. Reservations are not possible. Online you register, choose date, time, sector and seat, pay by Visa or Mastercard (not American Express) and get an e-ticket by email; show it on your phone at security. An order is limited to 5 tickets. The FAQ adds a commission of 0.90 ₾ + 0.90 ₾ to the 30 ₾, which we read as 31.80 ₾ online.
Sales open 2–3 days ahead. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged, and a missed show is lost. The FAQ warns that shows sell out, but on 4 November most of the 887 seats for the next day were still free; in high season, buy ahead. Madloba (October 2026) suggests seats higher up for a calmer view with children; seats near the pool get splashed.
Swimming with dolphins
200 ₾ for a 15-minute group session with instructors, from age 5. Registration is online only, except for people with special needs, who arrange it by phone: +995 595 335 861, every day except Monday, 10:00–18:00, break 14:00–15:00. (Visit Ajara still says to phone a week ahead.) On 4 November the ticket page showed one session, at 12:10, on each of the next two days, with up to 4 tickets per order.
Be on time: latecomers are not admitted or refunded, and breaking the rules also costs you the fee. Swimming is not allowed under alcohol, drugs or psychotropic medicines, with skin conditions, or during menstruation. You remove jewellery, shower, disinfect your hands and do not touch the dolphins' eyes or blowholes. Vests are provided for small children. Photos and video are free.
The aquarium in the same complex
5 ₾, under 6 free, 10:00–17:30 with a break 13:30–14:30, closed on official holidays; Visit Ajara lists 10:00–18:00, but we give the dolphinarium's own hours. It holds up to 100 species in about 200,000 litres: Black Sea rays and seahorses, Georgian freshwater fish, piranhas and discus. The home page says it opens every day, but the FAQ closes the complex on Mondays, so phone first on a Monday: +995 422 221730.
Getting there from the New Boulevard
The address is 51 Rustaveli Street, by 6 May Park and Nurigeli Lake. Walking times are from OpenStreetMap routing.
- On foot from Ardagani Lake: 1.3 km, about 17 minutes, ending on Rustaveli Street.
- On foot from Black Sea Mall: 1.5 km, about 20 minutes: north-east along Tbel Abuseridze Street for 700 m, then left along Murad Khinikadze Street to Rustaveli Street.
- Bus 7 (clockwise loop, not 7A): from the Carrefour stop by Black Sea Mall, four stops to "Rustaveli Ave., Dolphinarium" (OpenStreetMap). Bus 10 and 10A from the airport stop there too. A trip is 0.70 ₾ with a Batumi Card (Batumi City Council, January 2026). We could not open an official timetable.
- Bolt: a city ride is about 5–10 ₾ (Madloba, October 2026).
Keeping dolphins in captivity: what to know
The dolphinarium says its building meets international requirements for keeping marine mammals and that specialists supervise the animals constantly; its site gives no headcount or origins. Ceta-Base, a database of captive cetaceans, lists 23 dolphins here (updated 3 November 2026): six caught in the Black Sea, eight caught at Taiji, Japan, and nine born in Batumi; it warns it cannot guarantee accuracy. In 2015 the Georgian Federation for Animal Protection said dolphins cover about 160 km in the wild, which no dolphinarium can offer, and management replied that births show good conditions (Eurasianet). A 2019 report by the Animal Welfare Institute and World Animal Protection argues that captivity causes stress and abnormal aggression. A 2019 study in Marine Mammal Science found that dolphins in US facilities live about 29 years, as long as or longer than three wild populations; its authors work at a dolphin centre and a zoo, and it does not cover Batumi.
Our studios
Our two studios are on the 33rd floor of Blue Sky Tower, across the street from Black Sea Mall. Each sleeps up to three on a king bed and a sofa bed, and children of any age are welcome within that limit. You book directly with us on this site: see the studios.
More from our Batumi guide: Batumi with kids, what to see in Batumi and prices in Batumi.
Questions and answers
What time is the dolphin show in Batumi?
In November 2026, at 16:00 every day except Monday, for about 35 minutes. The site says three shows a day in summer, without times, so check the ticket page for your date.
How much are tickets for the Batumi Dolphinarium?
30 ₾ from age 6; under 6 is free without a separate seat. The FAQ adds a commission of 0.90 ₾ + 0.90 ₾ online. The aquarium is 5 ₾.
How much is it to swim with dolphins in Batumi?
200 ₾ for 15 minutes, from age 5. Book online; people with special needs arrange it by phone. Latecomers are not admitted or refunded.
Is the Batumi Dolphinarium open in winter?
Yes, it has no closed season. Its FAQ says winter shows run only on weekends, while its home page lists 16:00 daily except Monday, so check the ticket page for your date.
Is the Batumi Dolphinarium open on Monday?
No show and no swimming: Monday is a "quarantine day". The home page says the aquarium opens every day, but the FAQ closes the complex on Mondays, so phone first.
How do I get to the dolphinarium from the New Boulevard?
Walk: about 17 minutes from Ardagani Lake or 20 from Black Sea Mall. Or take bus 7 from the Carrefour stop by the mall, four stops, or Bolt for about 5–10 ₾.
Sources: Batumi Dolphinarium — home, Batumi Dolphinarium — FAQ, Batumi Dolphinarium — show, Batumi Dolphinarium — swimming conditions, Batumi Dolphinarium — aquarium, Rune — dolphin show tickets, Rune — swimming tickets, Visit Ajara — Batumi Dolphinarium, Visit Ajara — aquarium, Madloba — Batumi Dolphinarium, Madloba — taxi, In Your Pocket — Dolphinarium, Batumi City Council — Decision No. 9, 30 January 2026, Ceta-Base — Batumi Dolphinarium, Eurasianet — Activists Demand Freedom for Georgian Dolphins, 4 September 2015, World Animal Protection — The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity, 2019, AMMPA — How Long do Dolphins Live?, Dolphin Research Center — the study, OpenStreetMap — bus and walking routes. Checked in November 2026.