Batumi Old Town and Boulevard: a walking route
Updated 5 November 2026
The Batumi walk from the New Boulevard to the Old Town is about 5.6 km and 75 minutes on foot, or 3 hours with stops, and nearly all of it is free. It follows the sea past Ardagani Lake and the Old Boulevard to the Alphabet Tower and Ali and Nino, then turns inland to Piazza and Europe Square. The dancing fountains play in the evening, but sources disagree on the hours and on winter, so do not count on them from November to April. All of this is as of November 2026.
| # | Stop | Walk from the previous stop | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Boulevard, on the seafront south-west of the lake | start | free |
| 2 | Ardagani Lake | about 6 min, 0.45 km | free |
| 3 | Colonnade, Old Boulevard | about 33 min, 2.5 km | free |
| 4 | Alphabet Tower | about 10 min, 0.7 km | outside free, going up 5–20 ₾ |
| 5 | Ali and Nino | about 5 min, 0.4 km | free |
| 6 | Piazza | about 12 min, 0.9 km | free |
| 7 | Europe Square | about 9 min, 0.65 km | free |
| Total | about 75 min, 5.6 km |
Distances are the shortest footpaths between the stops on OpenStreetMap foot routing, and the minutes assume a normal pace of 4.5 km/h, so every time here is approximate. Google Maps gives much the same from Ardagani Lake to Europe Square: 5.0 km, about 1 hour 8 minutes, mostly flat (open the route). Keeping to the path nearest the water between the lake and the tower adds about 1.1 km, or 15 minutes. With less time, start at the Colonnade: to Europe Square by way of the tower, Ali and Nino and Piazza is about 2.7 km, or 36 minutes.
New Boulevard and Ardagani Lake
Batumi Boulevard runs about 7 km along the sea. Visit Ajara dates its start to 1881 and the Boulevard's own history page to 1884; the extension built from 2009 is the New Boulevard. We found no official line between old and new: Madloba places the old part by the centre and the port, and the new part further south, among the modern towers.
Join the seafront south-west of the lake and walk north-east with the sea on your left. Ardagani Lake lies just behind the promenade, and Visit Batumi calls its fountain the largest French dancing fountain.
Dancing fountains: what the sources say
| Source | Hours | Season |
|---|---|---|
| georgia.travel | 21:00–02:00, about 30 min every hour | every night, no months named |
| GoBatumi | 20:00–00:00 | not stated |
| Madloba | not stated | Ardagani Lake May–September; Europe Square fountain roughly May–October, off in winter |
| TripLinkHub (undated) | 21:00–02:00, every 30 min | May–October only |
We found no 2026 timetable from the city or the Boulevard's operator, and we could not confirm any winter show. From May to September, be at Ardagani Lake by 20:00 and expect to wait; from November to April, treat a show as luck. georgia.travel names three sites: Ardagani Lake, the Old Boulevard and Europe Square. To finish the walk at the fountains, do the route in reverse.
Old Boulevard: Colonnade and Alphabet Tower
The 2.5 km to the Colonnade is the longest stretch; about 1.6 km along, 6 May Park and Nurigeli Lake lie on your right. The Colonnade of 1934 is the Boulevard's main gateway, with the rebuilt Summer Theatre (2013) and the musical fountains of 1977 close by (Visit Batumi).
Ten minutes on is the 130-metre Alphabet Tower. Visit Ajara lists 5–20 ₾ and 10:00–00:00, without saying what each price covers. Madloba's listing says 11:00–22:00, and visitors writing there in July 2026 report 20 ₾ for an adult and 10 ₾ for a child, while one reports 40 ₾. The tower's own site was down when we tried it on 4 November 2026, so ask at the door.
Ali and Nino
Walk on past the lighthouse of 1863, renovated in 1882 (georgia.travel), and the 55-metre Ferris wheel, which stops in strong wind (Madloba, October 2026). Ali and Nino, Tamar Kvesitadze's eight-metre moving steel figures of 2010, are free to watch. Sources differ on when they move: Visit Ajara says the cycle repeats every 10 minutes and names no start time, while georgia.travel says from 19:00 every evening. Arrive at dusk to be safe; the coast faces west, so start about two hours before sunset.
Old Batumi: Piazza and Europe Square
Old Batumi runs from the port to Nurigeli Lake, with Memed Abashidze Street as its historic axis (georgia.travel). From Ali and Nino turn inland to Piazza: 5,700 square metres of cafés with an open-air stage, live music in the evening, a clock with moving figures and a large marble mosaic (Visit Ajara). Orta Jame Mosque, built in 1866 (georgia.travel), is about 4 minutes away.
Europe Square has Davit Khmaladze's bronze Medea of 2007 holding the Golden Fleece (georgia.travel). About 100 m away, the astronomical clock on the former National Bank building chimes every half-hour (Madloba), and the gilded Neptune Fountain is about 3 minutes on. A Bolt back across the centre is 5–10 ₾.
What is free and what costs money
Free: the whole Boulevard (open 24 hours), Ardagani Lake, the fountains, 6 May Park, the Colonnade, Ali and Nino, Piazza and Europe Square. Paid and optional: going up the Alphabet Tower (5–20 ₾), the Ferris wheel (15 ₾ in 2026, up from 10 ₾), BatumVelo bikes (2 ₾ an hour with a 20 ₾ card), the dolphin show in 6 May Park (30 ₾, 16:00 except Monday), the Argo cable car from Old Batumi (39 ₾ return, 10:00–21:00) and beach toilets (1–2 ₾).
Rain falls on 10–14 days of every month, so check the weather first.
Our studios near the start of the route
Our two studios are on the 33rd floor of Blue Sky Tower, across the street from Black Sea Mall: seven minutes on foot to the beach and the New Boulevard, ten minutes by taxi to the Old Town and Piazza. After the walk there is a rain shower, a kitchen and a balcony lounge for the evening view over the city. You book directly with us on this site: see the studios.
More from our Batumi guide: what to see in Batumi, Batumi with kids and the Argo cable car.
Questions and answers
How long does it take to walk Batumi Boulevard?
The whole Boulevard is about 7 km, so roughly 1.5 hours at a normal pace without stops. Madloba suggests from 1.5 hours for a short walk to half a day without rushing.
Is Batumi Boulevard free?
Yes. It is open 24 hours and walking it costs nothing. You pay only for extras such as the Alphabet Tower, the Ferris wheel (15 ₾) and bike hire.
How far is Old Batumi from the Boulevard?
It is right next to it. The Colonnade to Europe Square is about 0.5 km, or 7 minutes, and the Alphabet Tower to Europe Square about 0.75 km, or 10 minutes.
Do the dancing fountains work in winter?
We could not confirm it. georgia.travel says every night, 21:00–02:00, and names no months, while Madloba gives May to September for Ardagani Lake and TripLinkHub May to October only. Do not build a winter evening around them.
When does the Ali and Nino statue move?
Visit Ajara says the cycle repeats every 10 minutes and names no start time; georgia.travel says from 19:00 every evening. Come at dusk.
How much is the Alphabet Tower in Batumi?
Visit Ajara lists 5–20 ₾. Visitors writing on Madloba in July 2026 report 20 ₾ for an adult and 10 ₾ for a child, and one reports 40 ₾, so confirm at the door.
Sources: Visit Ajara — Batumi Boulevard, Alphabetic Tower, Ali and Nino, Piazza; georgia.travel — dancing fountains, Europe Square, Old Batumi, two-day tour in Batumi; Visit Batumi — Batumi Boulevard, Boulevard fountains; GoBatumi — dancing fountain, BatumVelo; Batumi Boulevard — history; Madloba — Batumi Boulevard, Alphabetic Tower, Europe Square, monuments and fountains, Ferris wheels, 6 May Park; TripLinkHub — Batumi Boulevard; Batumi Dolphinarium; Argo cable car — tickets; OpenStreetMap foot routing. Checked in November 2026.