Borjomi

Introducing Borjomi

Famous throughout the former Soviet Union for its salty-sour, love-it-or-hate-it carbonated mineral water, Borjomi is an attractive resort town clinging to the hills either side of the Mtkvari River, 850m above sea level. The town dates from 1829 when some soldiers discovered the health-giving mineral spring here. A Russian governor of the Caucasus, Count Vorontsov, developed Borjomi as a resort, one that became fashionable with the aristocracy after Duke Mikhail Romanov (brother of Tsar Alexander II) took a liking to it. In the 1890s Duke Mikhail built a summer residence, the Likani Palace, 2km west of the modern centre off the Akhaltsikhe road. It’s now a Georgian presidential residence.

During the Soviet era Borjomi attracted enormous numbers of visitors from all over the USSR. After the Soviet collapse, Borjomi’s flow of visitors slowed to a trickle, but things are now looking up, with a steady number of new hotels and restaurants opening. Borjomi is a good jumping-off point for Vardzia, and the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, right on its doorstep, offers some of the best hiking in Georgia outside the greater Caucasus.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009