Gonio Fortress and Gonio Beach: how to get there from Batumi
Updated 5 November 2026
Gonio Fortress is 12 km south of Batumi: take city bus 16 (20–30 minutes, 0.70 ₾ with a Batumi Card, about 1 ₾ by bank card) or Bolt (about 15–25 ₾). Entry is 15 ₾ for foreign visitors, and the official guide Visit Ajara lists 10:00–17:00 with no seasonal change. Gonio's beach is about 600 m from the walls, and Kvariati is 3 km further along the same bus route. Prices and times are as of November 2026.
| Option | Time from the centre | Price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| City bus 16 | 20–30 min | 0.70 ₾ Batumi Card, about 1 ₾ bank card | no cash; goes on to Kvariati and Sarpi |
| Minibus 20, 33 or 88 | 20–25 min | about 1.50 ₾ cash (one guide, September 2026) | ends in Gonio |
| Bolt | 15–25 min | about 15–25 ₾ | fare shown before you confirm |
| GoTrip car with a driver | half a day | from 60 ₾ per car, Gonio, Kvariati and Sarpi (Wander-Lush, March 2026) | round trip, booked online |
Bus 16: where to catch it, fare, last bus
Bus 16 runs from Mayakovsky Street past the bus terminal and Tbilisi Square, along Chavchavadze and Tbel Abuseridze streets, past the airport and down the coast to Sarpi (GoBatumi, OpenStreetMap). In the centre, board at Tbilisi Square or on Chavchavadze Street; near the New Boulevard, at the Carrefour stop by Black Sea Mall or the Stadium stop. Tell the driver you want the fortress: the Apsaros Highway stops are beside it. Coming back, wait across the road.
Fare. Batumi's city council set a standard trip with a transport card at 0.70 ₾ in Decision No. 9 of 30 January 2026, in force since 3 February. Some guides still say 0.30 ₾. A contactless bank card costs about 1 ₾ (Wander-Lush, March 2026; Madloba, October 2026), and municipal buses take no cash.
Frequency and last bus. We could not open an official timetable: on 4 November 2026 the operator's site, batumitransport.ge, showed only parking passes. Madloba's route page (updated 24 September 2026) says every 17 minutes from 06:40 to 23:06, without saying at which end; Rome2Rio says every 30 minutes. Treat 23:06 as the end of service, not a departure from Gonio, and leave well before it. The operator's phone is +995 422 24 76 76.
Bolt and taxi. Madloba, with prices from September and October 2026, gives 15–25 ₾ in a taxi app. Lower figures of 10–15 ₾ also circulate, but Bolt raised fares by 12 % on 18 September 2026 (Georgia Today), so go by the app. With a street taxi, agree the price first.
Fortress tickets and hours
| Ticket (4 November 2026) | Price |
|---|---|
| Foreign visitor | 15 ₾ |
| Georgian citizen | 10 ₾ |
| Student at a Georgian university, with ID | 3 ₾ |
| Children (6–16 on Visit Ajara, 6–18 on TKT.GE); Georgian pensioners | 2 ₾ |
| Under 6 | free |
| Audio guide | 15 ₾ |
| Guide in a foreign language / in Georgian | 35 ₾ / 25 ₾ |
TKT.GE, the online seller named on the site of Ajara's heritage agency, and Visit Ajara both show 15 ₾ for foreign visitors. The lower prices in blogs are old or apply to other visitors: GoBatumi still shows 3 ₾, now the student price, and Madloba (June 2026) gives 8–10 ₾.
Hours. Visit Ajara lists 10:00–17:00 and recommends a visit "year-round". The heritage agency and TKT.GE publish no hours. GoBatumi and Wander-Lush (March 2026) say until 18:00; Madloba (June 2026) says 17:00 on weekdays and 18:00 at weekends. We found no official summer or winter timetable, so plan around 17:00 and arrive by 15:00, or ring the fortress on +995 577 47 17 55.
What is inside
The Romans built the fortress in the 1st century; Pliny mentions it by 77 CE. It is a rectangle of 222 by 195 m, 4.75 hectares, with 900 m of walls, 5 m high and 7 m at the corners. Of 22 towers, 18 stand, and the north and south gates remain (TKT.GE listing). The Byzantines held it from the 540s, and an Ottoman garrison from 1547 to 1878.
Excavations have found the praetorium, barracks, baths and water and sewage systems. The heritage agency also describes a reconstructed Roman barracks with a commander's room, dormitory, weapons store and kitchen, and a museum space with finds from Gonio and Petra, from the Late Bronze Age to the late Middle Ages. Digging continues: in August 2026 the agency announced a bronze coin of Neocaesarea from 184–185, the first found in Georgia. Some old sources place the grave of the Apostle Matthias here.
Allow about 2 hours. A visitor review on Madloba mentions toilets but no water machines, so bring water.
Gonio beach or Kvariati?
| Gonio | Kvariati | |
|---|---|---|
| From Batumi | 12 km | 15–17 km, sources differ |
| Beach | wide, with a promenade; pebbles | large pebbles, bring water shoes |
| Water | clear, used for diving | clear; snorkelling by the rocks, murky after storms |
| Around it | guesthouses, cafés, shops | hotels on the shore, beach bars with DJs at night, a diving centre |
| Pick it for | a swim and a walk after the fortress | swimming and snorkelling |
From Visit Ajara, Visit Batumi, georgia.travel and Madloba (October 2026). Wander-Lush (2023) also notes two abandoned Soviet-era hotels on Gonio's beachfront. From the fortress the nearest shore is about 600 m, 8 minutes on foot; Kvariati is 3 km on, about 8 stops on bus 16 (OpenStreetMap). Sun loungers and the season are in our beaches guide.
A half-day plan: fortress, beach, Kvariati
- 09:15. Bus 16 from Tbilisi Square or Black Sea Mall, to reach the gate at about 10:00.
- 10:00–12:00. The fortress, with the audio guide if you want the story.
- 12:00–13:00. Walk 8 minutes to Gonio beach for a swim.
- 13:15–15:00. Bus 16 or Bolt to Kvariati for lunch and a second swim.
- 15:00. Bus 16 back. In summer the coast road jams in the evening, so return before six.
Out of season, swap the swims for a walk along the promenade.
Our studios after Gonio
Our two studios are on the 33rd floor of Blue Sky Tower, across the street from Black Sea Mall. After the beach, each has a rain shower, a washing machine and a drying rack on the balcony. The sun sets towards Gonio, to the right of the stadium, and from the balcony you see a pink evening sky. You book directly with us on this site: see the studios.
More from our Batumi guide: beaches of Batumi and around, what to see in Batumi and day trips from Batumi.
Questions and answers
How do I get from Batumi to Gonio Fortress?
Take city bus 16 towards Sarpi from Tbilisi Square, Chavchavadze Street or the Carrefour stop by Black Sea Mall: 20–30 minutes, 0.70 ₾ with a Batumi Card, about 1 ₾ by bank card. Bolt costs about 15–25 ₾.
How much is the entrance to Gonio Fortress?
15 ₾ for foreign visitors and 10 ₾ for Georgian citizens, as of November 2026. Children pay 2 ₾ and under 6 is free. An audio guide is 15 ₾.
What are the opening hours of Gonio Fortress?
Visit Ajara, the official guide, lists 10:00–17:00 with no seasonal change. Other sources say until 18:00, so aim to arrive by 15:00.
What time is the last bus from Gonio to Batumi?
We could not confirm an exact time. Madloba gives service from 06:40 to 23:06 without saying at which end, so leave well before that, or take Bolt.
How much is a taxi from Batumi to Gonio?
About 15–25 ₾ in a taxi app (Madloba, October 2026). Bolt shows the fare before you confirm; with a street taxi, agree the price first.
Is Gonio or Kvariati the better beach?
Gonio suits a swim and a walk after the fortress: a wide beach with a promenade. Kvariati, 3 km further, suits swimming and snorkelling: large pebbles and clear water. Bus 16 stops at both.
Sources: Visit Ajara — Gonio-Apsaros Fortress, Visit Ajara — Gonio, TKT.GE — Gonio-Apsaros Fortress, Ajara heritage agency — history, museum space, Roman barracks, coin find, 4 August 2026, Batumi City Council — Decision No. 9, 30 January 2026, GoBatumi — Gonio fortress, Visit Batumi — Gonio Beach, Visit Batumi — Kvariati Beach, georgia.travel — Kvariati, Madloba — Batumi to Gonio, Madloba — bus 16, Madloba — Gonio fortress, Madloba — fortress article, Madloba — Gonio museum reviews, Madloba — bus fares, Madloba — taxi, Madloba — Kvariati, Madloba — pebbles or sand, Wander-Lush — day trips from Batumi, Wander-Lush — cycling to Sarpi, Rome2Rio — Batumi to Gonio, Georgia Today — Bolt fares, OpenStreetMap — bus 16 and walking routes. Checked in November 2026.