Text Yelena Gurina photo Yelena Gurina, Galymzhan Zhalairi, Shutterstock

Tourists from all around the world find themselves charmed by the Georgian city of Batumi, the administrative centre of Adjara. It has a gentle climate, with the Black Sea on one side and mountains on the other, delicious food and the warm hospitality of the local residents, for which the city has been famed for many years. However, no story told or photograph taken can truly reproduce the spirit of this wonderful place, which is why you should come here in person.

1. The Sea and Batumi Boulevard

Holidaymakers first of all come to Batumi for the sea. The pebbles on the local beaches are very large and flat, making them comfortable to walk on and, when lying down on a towel, to sunbathe. Batumi Boulevard stretches for 15 kilometres and is the longest seaside boulevard in Europe. Here there are beaches, green parks, pleasure boats, fish restaurants and cafés, a cable car, a port, interesting local sights such as the Ali and Nino monument, the Alphabetic Tower, the Ferris wheel and the famous Chacha Fountain (a type of Georgian vodka). A wide cycle path makes it easy to get around and you can rent a bicycle from any number of places along the route. At one end of the boulevard are the monuments and main attractions; if you head away from them in the opposite direction you will find the modern district, the airport and even the Georgian border with Turkey – this part is called the New Boulevard. Though the boulevard is comfortably supplied with take-away coffee shops, souvenir shops, cafés and recreation areas for children, one of its best features is that you can walk here in safety, night or day, just as you can elsewhere in Batumi, as this is known to be one of the ten safest cities in the world. At night, everything is beautifully illuminated and the boulevard looks charming even when it rains.