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Voykit pocket guide · Georgia
Ozurgeti
ოზურგეთი
Give Ozurgeti one night as a Guria base, not a destination: the town itself is a 2-hour walk, the value is Shemokmedi, Likhauri and the beaches at Ureki.
Ozurgeti is the small capital of Guria, 60 km from Batumi and 85 km from Kutaisi airport, with a Soviet-era centre, a 19th-century garden and a theatre that is Georgia's second largest. Almost nobody comes for the town alone: it works as a cheap, quiet base for the monasteries, fortresses and rural villages of Guria, and for the Black Sea sand at Ureki. Two nights is the useful maximum unless you are hiking or volunteering.
- Country
- Georgia
- Local name
- ოზურგეთი
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (humid, 30 °C+), Dec–Feb (wet, quiet)Jul–Aug (humid, 86 °F+), Dec–Feb (wet, quiet)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GEL
- Money
- Currency is the Georgian lari (₾, GEL). Change money at banks or exchange offices, not in the airport hall.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₾70–120 excl. bed · Mid ₾120–220 excl. bed · High ₾220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Magti, Silknet (Geocell) and Cellfie sell SIMs with a passport; cheap data.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance and fire 112 · Gas emergency 114
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European plugs fit.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: Check the bill for a service charge; otherwise 10%.; Drivers and guides: GEL 10–30 a day.
- Water
- Tap water is widely drunk in Tbilisi and mountain towns (check locally); bottled is cheap.
- Toilets
- Free in cafés for customers; small fees at stations.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ₾3–6 |
| Gurian khachapuri (boat-shaped, with egg) | ₾8–15 |
| Lunch in a village guesthouse | ₾15–30 |
| Bottle of local wine (0.75 l) | ₾10–25 |
| Taxi within town | ₾5–10 (check) |
| Marshrutka to a nearby village | ₾2–5 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₾20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BUS · Batumi International
- About 60 km south; the closer of the two airports.About 37 mi south; the closer of the two airports.
- KUT · Kutaisi International
- About 85 km north; Wizz Air's Georgian base.About 53 mi north; Wizz Air's Georgian base.
Typical fares
- Ozurgeti → Batumi, marshrutka
- about ₾10–15, 1.5–2 h (check)
- Ozurgeti → Tbilisi, train
- ₾17–44, about 7 h (check)
- Taxi station → town centre
- ₾3–5 (check)
Get around
The town has no public transport and is walkable end to end in about 40 minutes. Taxis within town cost 5–10 lari (2026 estimate); agree the price first. Marshrutkas run to villages and to Ureki, Lanchkhuti and Chokhatauri; the main bus station is in the centre and the railway station has a minibus stand.
See and do
Known for
- Guria regional capital
- Shemokmedi Monastery
- Likhauri fortress and church
- Soviet-era town centre and gardens
- Base for Ureki beaches
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shemokmedi Monastery | Taxi or marshrutka toward Shemokmedi, about 7 km southeastTaxi or marshrutka toward Shemokmedi, about 4.3 mi southeast | About 30 min |
| Likhauri fortress and church | Taxi or marshrutka, about 5 km southTaxi or marshrutka, about 3.1 mi south | About 25 min |
| Ureki | Marshrutka or taxi on road 46, about 20 kmMarshrutka or taxi on road 46, about 12 mi | About 30–40 min |
| Jumati Monastery | Taxi, about 14 km northTaxi, about 8.7 mi north | About 30 min |
| Bakhmaro | Mountain road via Chokhatauri, roughly 60 kmMountain road via Chokhatauri, roughly 37 mi | 2–3 h |
| Batumi | Marshrutka or train from Ozurgeti | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Chavchavadze St)
- Walk to the theatre, gardens, museum and bus station; guesthouses and small hotels here.
- Near the railway station
- 500 m north of the centre; convenient for the Tbilisi and Batumi trains, quieter at night.
- Ureki (coast, 20 km)
- Magnetic-sand beach village; stay here in Jul–Aug and day-trip inland instead.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | გამარჯობაgamarjoba |
| Thank you | მადლობაmadloba |
| How much is it? | რამდენია?ramdenia |
| Where is the bus station? | სად არის ავტოსადგური?sad aris avtosadguri |
| I would like this one | ეს მინდაes minda |
| Can I pay by card? | ბარათით შეიძლება?baratit sheidzleba |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; cheek kiss among friends; avoid: Refusing hospitality outright
- Church: Cover up; do not turn your back to the altar; avoid: Shorts, bare shoulders, loud talk
- Supra: Follow the tamada; drink on toasts; avoid: Toasting with beer; leaving early without thanks
- History: Listen; avoid: Calling Georgia part of Russia or the region 'post-Soviet' casually
Scams and watch-outs
- No bike rentals in town; bikes are sold, not hired.
- Village marshrutkas are infrequent and stop early; check the last return before you go.
- Some monasteries and churches are active sites: cover shoulders and knees, and women should carry a headscarf.
- The Tbilisi train takes about 7 hours; do not treat it as a day trip.
- Card payment is common in town but not in villages: carry lari cash.
Ozurgeti is a quiet, low-crime town and the main risks are practical: unlit village roads at night, stray dogs on the outskirts, and marshrutka drivers on the mountain roads. Keep to 112 for anything urgent.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ozurgeti yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Guria regional capital
- Shemokmedi Monastery
- Likhauri fortress and church
- Soviet-era town centre and gardens
- Base for Ureki beaches
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Georgian Railway: railway.ge/
- Georgian National Tourism Administration: georgia.travel/
- Wikivoyage: Ozurgeti, revision 5250070 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5250070
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ozurgetiოზურგეთი
ამ მისამართზე, გთხოვთ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ozurgeti; the US, UK and most EU missions are in Tbilisi, with consulates in Batumi for some countries (check).
112 works from any phone, including without a local SIM.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ozurgeti). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.