Here is the thing nobody tells you about a Borjomi day trip: the famous water takes two minutes. You walk up to the pavilion, fill a cup, sip, pull a face. Done. Whether the rest of the day earns the five-hour round trip from Tbilisi depends on one decision — do you keep walking past the pavilion or not.
Keep walking. Three kilometres beyond the park entrance, along a river path most day-trippers never start, there are open-air sulfur pools where the water sits at 32–38°C all year. That walk is the trip. The cup of salty water is just the ticket stub.
Skip the train (yes, really)
Borjomi used to be a lovely lazy train ride. Not anymore. The morning departure from Tbilisi has been suspended, and the one train still running — number 686 — leaves Tbilisi at 18:35, which is exactly when your day trip should be ending, not starting. The return train (618) leaves Borjomi at 06:35. Useless in both directions unless you sleep over. Fare data on Georgian Railway confirms the timings; fares are 2 GEL, paid on board, card only. Checked August 2026.
So it is the marshrutka. They leave from Didube station when full, roughly every 40–60 minutes through the morning, 10–12 GEL, and take about two and a half hours. Sit on the left side going — the Mtkvari valley opens up on that side after Gori. An organised tour only makes sense if you are bundling Rabati or Vardzia into the same day, which is a different (and much longer) day than the one this guide describes.
The park: 5 GEL in, free water inside
Borjomi Central Park is a strip of 19th-century spa architecture squeezed into the gorge — a turquoise colonnade at the gate, then about 850 metres of promenade along the Borjomula river. Entry is 5 GEL. The mineral water pavilion is just inside, and the water there is free and unlimited. Bring an empty bottle; the kiosks by the gate sell them at tourist prices to people who did not.
A warning about that first sip. Borjomi from the source is warm, and it tastes the way a hard-boiled egg smells. This is normal. The chilled, carbonated bottle you have had from a shop is a processed, gentler product. Try the warm original once — it is the whole point of the town — but nobody will judge you for preferring the bottle. We certainly do.
The sulfur pools: the part worth coming for
At the far end of the park the crowds thin out and a forest path continues along the river. Follow it. After about two kilometres — 40 to 50 minutes of easy, flat walking from the park gate — you reach three open-air pools fed by warm sulfur springs: a big one for actual swimming, a shallow one for kids, and a smaller, hotter one. There are changing rooms and showers. Entry has been around 5–10 GEL; it is cash-friendly, unlike the train.
Two practical notes. First, bring a towel and swimwear from Tbilisi — there is nothing to rent once you are on the path. Second, in summer aim to be at the pools before noon; by mid-afternoon the big pool can feel like a school swimming lesson.
Cable car, Ferris wheel, zipline: one honest paragraph
The Soviet-era cable car (15 GEL each way) hauls you up to a plateau with a small Ferris wheel and a view over the gorge. It is pleasant. It is also entirely skippable if you are short on time — the view from the pools path is better company. The zipline is 80 GEL for a few seconds of noise. Our advice: put that 80 GEL towards dinner instead.
Do not try to add Vardzia to this day
Every tour operator will offer you Borjomi + Rabati + Vardzia as one day trip. By marshrutka it is impossible; even by tour van it means ten-plus hours of driving with a walk-through of each stop. If Vardzia matters to you — and it should — give it its own day or stay the night in Akhaltsikhe. Borjomi on its own, with the pools done properly, already fills 1pm to 5pm after a morning bus.
If you stay the night
An overnight unlocks the one thing a day trip cannot: Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, one of the largest protected forests in the Caucasus. Trailheads start just above town, entry is free, and you register at the visitor centre near the park entrance before heading up. It also unlocks that 06:35 train back — which, at 2 GEL with the morning mist on the river, is quietly the best value in the whole town.
When to go
May, June and September are the sweet spot: warm enough for the pools, cool enough for the walk. July and August work but bring the crowds. In winter the park is half-asleep and the pools become the entire reason to visit — steam rising off 38°C water into freezing air is worth the cold walk in. Avoid rainy days; this is an outdoor town, full stop.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get from Tbilisi to Borjomi without a car?
Marshrutka from Didube station — 10–12 GEL, about 2.5 hours, departures roughly every 40–60 minutes in the morning. The train no longer works for day trips: the only Tbilisi departure is at 18:35.
How much does a Borjomi day trip cost in total?
Around 40–50 GEL per person from Tbilisi: 20–24 GEL return marshrutka, 5 GEL park entry, 5–10 GEL sulfur pools, and lunch. The cable car adds 30 GEL return and the mineral water inside the park is free.
How far are the sulfur pools from the Borjomi park entrance?
About 3 km one way — 850 metres of park promenade, then a flat forest path along the river. Count on 40–50 minutes of walking each direction and bring swimwear and a towel, as there are no rentals.
Is Borjomi water safe to drink from the spring?
Yes — it has been drunk as a health tonic since the 1890s. It comes out warm and noticeably salty, which surprises people who only know the chilled bottled version. Drink a cup, not a litre; it is mildly laxative in quantity.
More ideas for the region are in our guide to day trips from Tbilisi. Fares and hours above were checked in August 2026 against Wander-Lush and operator pages — Georgian prices move, so treat anything older than a season as a rumour.
Featured image: Kober (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
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