Gudauri gets the skiers and the headlines. Bakuriani gets the families, and has done since the first ski base opened here in 1932. It is a small town, not a purpose-built resort: 7,890 people live here year-round at 1,700 m on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, in a bowl of spruce forest 30 km up the mountain from Borjomi. The skiing is spread across three areas run by the state operator, Mountain Trails Agency (MTA), plus two small private hills, and none of it is steep for long. That is the point. Our skiing overview compares all four Georgian resorts; this page is Bakuriani on its own.
Quick answer
Come to Bakuriani for a first week on skis, for children, or for a snow holiday that is not only about skiing. The lifts opened on 20 December in 2025-26 and closed on 29 March, a day pass was 55 GEL (about $21), and when we read Booking.com on 1 November 2026 for a Saturday in mid-January 2027, an apartment by the Didveli lifts was 160 GEL a night and a good hotel double with breakfast 300 to 500 GEL, with the same hotels at one and a half to two and a half times that over New Year. Get there by the direct 20 GEL van from Didube or a 223 GEL GoTrip driver, avoid 30 December to 13 January, and rent a car or budget for taxis, because the two ski areas are 8 km apart with the town between them.
- Elevation
- 1,700 m
- From Tbilisi
- 184 km
- Day pass
- 55 GEL
- Top lift
- 2,702 m
Why Bakuriani, honestly
Bakuriani is the gentle one. The runs are cut through forest, so they hold up in wind and flat light when Gudauri's open bowls are unskiable, and the lower half of every area is easy enough that this is where Georgian ski schools bring six-year-olds. There is a town with a park, supermarkets, pharmacies, a 24-hour clinic and a couple of dozen restaurants, so a non-skier in the group has a life. The trade is the terrain: the top of Didveli is the only sustained steep skiing, Kokhta and Mitarbi are a notch harder but short, and anyone who wants freeride will be bored by the second day. It is also a town rather than a ski-in resort, so you move between your bed, the lifts and dinner by car, bus or taxi.
Snow is reliable from mid-December to the end of March at this height, and Bakuriani usually opens first of the four resorts. The 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships and the 2025 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival were held here, which tells you the infrastructure has been rebuilt in the last decade even if the town itself still looks like a Soviet-era spa village with A-frames.
When to go
The lift season is late December to the end of March. In 2025-26 the Kokhta area opened on 20 December, a week before any other Georgian resort, Didveli followed a few days later, and all three MTA areas closed on 29 March 2026. For 2026-27 MTA announced on 28 October that the season opens on 20 December 2026 at all four resorts, with lifts following the snow, so do not book an early-December trip expecting to ski. Our ski season status board copies the operator's live lift list, so check it before you book a December date. The lifts run again in summer for walkers and the view; in 2026 the summer season opened on 6 July.
Bakuriani's January averages minus 7.3°C and its August 15°C, with an annual mean of 4.3°C, so it is cold but not brutal, and the forest takes the edge off the wind. The busiest weeks are the New Year fortnight, roughly 30 December to 13 January, when Tbilisi empties into the resorts and apartments cost several times their January price, the middle week of February, when families from the Gulf come for half-term, and the Georgian school break in the second week of March. For fresh snow, open lifts and no queues, aim for the second half of January, early February, or the last two weeks of March, when the days are longer and the snow is still complete up high. Our Georgia in December and Georgia in January guides cover the holiday fortnight in detail: what closes, when rooms double in price and when the lifts open.
Getting there
Bakuriani is 184 km from Tbilisi by road: west on the main highway past Gori to Khashuri, south along the Mtkvari to Borjomi, then 30 km of steady climbing with a few tight bends. It is about the same distance from Kutaisi (152 km by GoTrip's route). The road is paved and cleared all winter, but winter tyres are compulsory on the mountain section and the police check; the southern approach over the Tskhratskaro Pass from Akhalkalaki is unpaved in parts and not open in winter, so always come up from Borjomi. Prices below were read on 23 September 2026; the driver fares were re-read on 1 November 2026 and had not moved.
| Option | Cost and what you get |
|---|---|
| Direct van | 20 GEL per person from Didube station in Tbilisi, cash; at least four a day including 09:00, 10:00 and 11:00; about 3 hours to the bus station in Bakuriani town. Back to Tbilisi for 15 GEL, with departures through the day from 08:00 to 17:00. One direct van a day from Kutaisi at 10:00. |
| Via Borjomi | Vans to Borjomi leave Didube hourly from 08:00 to 19:00 for 12 to 15 GEL, then a 3 GEL van up the hill (six a day between 08:30 and 16:30, 45 minutes) or a taxi for 50 to 70 GEL. |
| Train | Only as far as Borjomi: the local train leaves Tbilisi at 06:35 and 18:35, takes just under four hours and costs 2 GEL, paid on board. The Kukushka narrow-gauge train from Borjomi to Bakuriani has not run since March 2020; Georgian Railway has spoken of restarting it around January 2027, so check before you count on it. Our trains guide has the details. |
| Driver | GoTrip from 223 GEL per car from Tbilisi (Ford Fusion, 2 h 42 min), 233 GEL from Tbilisi Airport and 218 GEL from Kutaisi, fixed when you book, winter tyres, unlimited stops. This is what we use with children or skis. More on Georgia with children, Bakuriani included, in our family travel guide. |
| Rental car | Any sedan on winter tyres; a 4x4 is not needed. Fill up in Khashuri or Borjomi, where fuel is cheaper than in the resort. Localrent cars come with winter tyres; our car rental guide has the rest. |
How the resort is laid out
Think of three places joined by one road. The town centre, with the bus station, the bazaar, Amirani's Park and most of the restaurants, is in the middle. Didveli, the biggest ski area, is 3 km south along Aghmashenebeli Avenue, with the apartment blocks and the private Crystal resort strung along the road on the way. Kokhta and Mitarbi, the two newer hills, are 4 km east of the centre, so Didveli and Kokhta are about 8 km and a 20-minute drive apart. The two private hills, Crystal Park and the 25 Ski Park, sit between the town and Didveli and on the town's south-eastern edge.
Green Isuzu city buses run between Didveli and Kokhta through the town all day for 1 GEL a ride, card only, tapped on as you board; stops have a blue bus sign and drivers stop when hailed. Bolt works in Bakuriani, and a taxi from Didveli to Kokhta is 20 to 25 GEL. With a car, the lifts all have paid lots at 3 to 5 GEL a day, paid on arrival at a terminal; the road into Kokhta is rough and unpaved, the rest are paved with potholes. The town is walkable and lit at night, but there is no footpath on the road to Didveli.
Bakuriani ski resort: the three areas, lifts and passes
One MTA pass covers Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi: 29 km of marked runs on 20 lifts between 1,641 and 2,702 m, all of it in or at the edge of the forest. Didveli, up to 2,702 m, has a gondola, three chairlifts and a platter lift, the resort's only green beginner run (the long, flat piste called the Half Pipe), a handful of blues and about eight reds and blacks near the top; two runs are reserved for competition training. Kokhta (2,175 m) and Mitarbi (2,207 m) were rebuilt in 2015 with newer lifts and have no green runs, six blues between them and a more grown-up feel with fewer children. Lifts run from 10:00 to about 17:00 daily, and Didveli ran night skiing daily from 17:00 to 21:30 in 2025-26 on a separate 40 GEL pass. Snowmaking covers the Didveli runs.
Bakuriani lift passes, 2025-26 season
| Pass | Adult | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single ride | 15 GEL | Up and back, same price for children; the way to see the view without skiing |
| One day | 55 GEL | 28 GEL for children aged 6 to 12; under 6 free |
| Two days | 110 GEL | 55 GEL for children |
| Seven days | 296 GEL | 148 GEL for children |
| Night skiing, Didveli | 40 GEL | 17:00 to 21:30 in 2025-26 |
| Season, all four MTA resorts | 650 GEL | 325 GEL for children; family passes 135 and 160 GEL |
| Multicard | 5 GEL | Plastic card per person, refundable; a phone QR code does not open the turnstile |
Prices checked September 2026 from the 2025-26 list; MTA announced the 20 December 2026 opening on 28 October but had published no 2026-27 price list by 10 November 2026; it usually comes in mid-December. Ranges reflect season and operator.
Tickets are sold at the bottom station of every lift, cash or card; the Didveli office is open 10:00 to 16:45 and again 17:00 to 21:30 for the night session. Swipe the card on the reader on the left of the turnstile to go up; you do not swipe to come down. None of the lifts is ski-only, so non-skiers in proper boots can ride up and walk off at any station, and the lift staff will slow a chair for you.
The private hills. Crystal, between the town and Didveli, has its own 2.5 km run, a chairlift, a 350 m children's slope, a gondola and an ice rink, on its own tickets: 55 GEL for a day, 30 GEL for the night session, 80 GEL for the full 12 hours, and 25 GEL return to ride the gondola up to Cafe Skyline at 2,056 m, which runs 10:00 to 22:00 and is the best sunset in Bakuriani. The 25 Ski Park on the edge of town is the informal one: a wide, flat, treeless run, platter lifts at 1 to 3 GEL a ride in cash, sledges and tubes for hire by the hour, and a lot of people going in different directions. It is the cheapest place to find out whether a child likes skiing.
Gear hire and lessons
There are dozens of rental shops, at every bottom station and through the town, and prices barely differ. In the 2025-26 season the going rate was 40 GEL a day for skis, boots and poles or a snowboard and boots, 10 GEL each for a helmet, goggles or gloves and 15 GEL each for a waterproof jacket or trousers, so a full kit from nothing is about 100 GEL a day (about $38). Some of it is old; look at the edges and the boot liners, and bring your own boots if you own them. The town's clothes bazaar sells second-hand ski clothing, dearer than the same thing in Tbilisi. Ski schools run private and group lessons for all ages; Bakuriani Ski Academy has English-speaking instructors, and group lessons for children started around 100 GEL.
Off the slopes
This is the part Gudauri cannot offer. Amirani's Park at the southern end of town is free to walk in, with sledging, tubing and rides at the front and quiet forest trails at the back that are empty early in the morning. The tiny Trinity church sits on the wooded hill in the middle of town, the cone of the extinct Mukhera crater whose lava built the plateau; the path up from the northern side takes under ten minutes. The Crystal gondola to Cafe Skyline is the sunset ride, and the MTA lifts are open to walkers on a 15 GEL single ticket. Ski Club Georgia runs guided snowshoe walks on five routes around the town and down towards Borjomi, including a moonlit one; the Husky Park takes bookings a week ahead for sled rides and will not take walk-ins; and snowmobile and quad tours run out over the Tskhratskaro Pass towards Tabatskuri Lake, 30 km south-east, which is a genuinely remote piece of country, so choose a licensed operator.
With a car, two stops on the road down are worth the detour: the abandoned Libani sanatorium of 1926 above the villages of Tsemi and Tba, a vast tuberculosis hospital from the era when this valley was a health resort, and the marked viewpoint on the main road over the Eiffel Bridge, the 1902 steel span of the Kukushka railway designed by Gustave Eiffel. Borjomi itself, its park, springs and cable car, is a day out under an hour away and looks its best under snow; the Borjomi guide covers it.
Where to stay in Bakuriani
Bakuriani has beds of every kind, from Soviet-era sanatoria to new apartment blocks, and because the town is spread out, where you stay matters less than in Gudauri, as long as you accept a bus or a taxi to the lifts. Three areas make sense. Didveli and the road towards it, for beginners and families who want the biggest area and the Crystal facilities within walking distance; the town around Amirani's Park, for a snow holiday with restaurants and shops on foot and the buses to both ski areas; and Kokhta, for skiers who want to walk to the newer lifts and the closest thing Bakuriani has to a resort bar. We think both big Georgian resorts are best done from an apartment rather than a hotel, and here that is easy: the apartment blocks along the Didveli road have kitchens, parking and lift access, and cost half what Gudauri charges for the same week.
We read Booking.com on 1 November 2026 for one night, Saturday 16 to Sunday 17 January 2027, two adults, and again for the New Year Saturday, 2 to 3 January 2027. Mid-January: 179 places on sale (26 hotels, 128 apartments, 13 villas, 13 holiday homes, 3 guesthouses, 2 resorts and a lodge; 61 of them scored 9 or above), one-bedroom apartments by the Didveli lifts from 118 to 250 GEL (about $45 to 96), hotel doubles with breakfast in the town from 311 to 545 GEL, and Kokhta Bakuriani alone at 1,285. New Year: 100 places left, and the same hotels at one and a half to two and a half times their January rate. Everything below is the cheapest room each property showed for two, in GEL, per night, taxes included unless the row says otherwise.
Hotels in Bakuriani, with mid-January and New Year prices
Booking.com's hotel filter returned 19 hotels for the January Saturday and 21 for New Year, and said 96 and 95 percent of Bakuriani's places were unavailable on those filters. The table has every hotel the two filters showed. "Not listed" means the hotel did not appear in the hotel results for that night, which is what you would see too: sold out, closed, or not yet on sale. Distances are Booking.com's, from the centre of town; Didveli is 3 km south and Kokhta 4 km east.
| Hotel | Where | Score | 16-17 Jan 2027 | 2-3 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel King David Bakuriani Mountain View | Centre, 400 m, opposite the park | 9.6 from 287 | 500 twin with sofa, breakfast | not listed |
| Tribu | Centre, 350 m | new, no score | 90 double | 90 double |
| Hotel Villa Palace | Centre, 350 m | 7.4 from 23 | not listed | 400 economy double, breakfast |
| Hotel Iceberg | Centre, 350 m | no score | not listed | 200 double |
| GABATA INN | Centre, 450 m | 8.1 from 95 | not listed | 370 triple, breakfast and dinner |
| Hotel Sachino | 1 km | 7.7 from 3 | 311 double, breakfast | not listed |
| Babex Panorama | 1 km | 9.2 from 37 | 300 one-bedroom with balcony | 650 one-bedroom with balcony |
| Bakuriani Inn | 1.1 km | 7.7 from 932 | 363 twin, breakfast | 626 twin, breakfast |
| Bristol Hotel and Spa | 1.2 km | 8.0 from 296 | 315 economy double, breakfast | 540 superior king, breakfast |
| Dialog Kokhta | 1.2 km | 8.1 from 724 | 457 twin, breakfast | 720 twin, breakfast |
| Hydeout Bakuriani | 1.3 km | 8.9 from 91 | 365 double, breakfast | 527 double, breakfast |
| Komorebi Bakuriani Resort | 1.3 km | 8.0 from 256 | not listed | 631 double, breakfast (from 677) |
| Kokhta Bakuriani | Kokhta lifts, 1.6 km | 8.6 from 640 | 1,285 twin, breakfast | not listed |
| Kokhta Plaza Boutique Hotel | Kokhta, 1.6 km | 9.5 from 72 | 350 double, breakfast | not listed |
| Loft Hotel Bakuriani | 1.7 km | 8.5 from 37 | 208 double with balcony (from 405) | 423 double with balcony (from 770) |
| Grand Noel Bakuriani | 1.7 km | 7.2 from 118 | 545 double or twin, breakfast | 452 double or twin, breakfast (from 545) |
| Chalet Kokhta | 1.7 km | 8.6 from 26 | 430 one-bedroom | 650 one-bedroom |
| Boutique Hotel Shale | 1.7 km | 6.9 from 49 | 90 quadruple | not listed |
| Crystal Hotel & SPA | Didveli road, 2.2 km, own lifts | 8.6 from 1,165 | 342 double or twin, breakfast | 920 superior double, breakfast and dinner |
Read it like this. The town's two standouts are Hotel King David, opposite the park and the best-scored hotel in Bakuriani, which had one twin left for mid-January and nothing for New Year, and Hydeout, the small hotel scoring 8.9 with the gentlest New Year mark-up in the table. Crystal is the all-in-one for families, with its own lifts, pool and rink, and the New Year price is for a bigger room with dinner thrown in. Kokhta Bakuriani is the design hotel at the foot of the Kokhta lifts and charges accordingly. Bakuriani Inn and Dialog Kokhta are the big older hotels that always have rooms and score in the 7s and low 8s. The 90 GEL rooms at Tribu and Shale are new or low-scored, so read the reviews before you count on them. Grand Noel was the one hotel cheaper over New Year than in January, a last-minute deal on the day we read it.
Apartments, chalets and villas
Apartments are where Bakuriani beats Gudauri. The blocks on the Didveli road (Orbi Palace, Didveli Gallery, The Valley, Crystal Resort) sell one-bedroom flats with a kitchen and parking for 140 to 250 GEL on a January Saturday, and the handful of villas in town sleep six to twelve for 475 to 900. The mid-January rows are from the first 50 results sorted by popularity; the New Year reads we have are Orbi Deluxe Apartment 162 GEL (144 in January), Bakuriani Bliss one-bedroom 213, A Modern Suite Close to Gondola 380, House in Forest one-bedroom 400, Star Villa two-bedroom 1,615, Villa by Sunexpress two-bedroom 1,900 plus 285 taxes and Art Villa 3,116 plus 420 taxes (from 3,800). Apartments rise less than hotels over New Year, but far fewer are left.
| Property | Where | Score | 16-17 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Valley | 1.1 km | 10 from 1 | 118 one-bedroom |
| Bakuriani Orbi Palace | 1.9 km | 5.8 from 28 | 140 one-bedroom |
| Orbi Deluxe Apartment | Didveli road, 2.5 km | 7.8 from 9 | 144 one-bedroom |
| Didveli gallery | Didveli lifts, 2.9 km | 7.6 from 11, location 9.6 | 160 one-bedroom, 28 m2 |
| Didveli Gallery B202 | Didveli road, 2.6 km | new, no score | 180 one-bedroom, king bed |
| Orbi Palace Hotel Official | Didveli road, 2.5 km | 7.5 from 661 | 189 twin room |
| Hotel Bobline 304 | 600 m | 9.5 from 8 | 192 one-bedroom, plus 10 taxes |
| The Valley 117 | Didveli road, 2.9 km | new, no score | 195 one-bedroom, 75 m2 |
| Bakuriani Apartment Orbi Palace | Didveli road, 2.5 km | new, no score | 198 one-bedroom, 30 m2 |
| Cozy Studio, Orbi Palace | Didveli road, 2.6 km | 9.8 from 10 | 221 one-bedroom |
| Crystal Resort Premium Apartment B404 | Didveli road, 2.1 km | new, no score | 246 one-bedroom, 55 m2 (from 308) |
| Bakuriani m25 | Centre, 350 m | 8.0 from 5 | 300 one-bedroom |
| Tribu apart hotel | 2.1 km | 9.6 from 9 | 317 studio with balcony |
| Raimond Residence 202 | 1.5 km | 8.2 from 4 | 350 one-bedroom |
| Villa in Bakuriani | 1.4 km | 9.7 from 81 | 475 to 500 three-bedroom villa |
| Greenfield Bakuriani | 800 m | 9.5 from 160 | 600 two-bedroom house |
| Crystal Hill Resort | 800 m | 8.4 from 65 | 600 villa |
| Wonder Hill group | 1.9 km | 8.9 from 96 | 900 villa, twelve beds |
Eating and evenings
Bakuriani is a family resort, so the evening is dinner, not a bar crawl, and prices are a little above Tbilisi and well below Gudauri. Mimino, near the 25 Ski Park, is the cosy one with an open fire and the Georgian standards. Vartsikhe Cellar, run by a winery from outside Kutaisi with a branch near Kokhta and a newer one near Didveli, does the khinkali and an Imeretian wine list. The Kitchen at Kokhta Bakuriani, the hotel lounge with the giant fireplace at the foot of the Kokhta lifts, is the one real apres-ski room in town and takes walk-ins for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cafe Skyline at the Crystal gondola's middle station is for the view, and Baron, opposite Crystal, for a forest view with a Georgian menu. The town has several Nikora supermarkets including a 24-hour one, Spar and Ori branches, PSP and Aversi pharmacies, TBC, Bank of Georgia and Liberty ATMs, exchange offices, a Magti shop open on weekdays and a 24-hour clinic near Bakuriani Inn.
What a day costs
A ski day at Bakuriani, one adult, mid-January 2027
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day pass | 55 GEL | Plus 5 GEL Multicard once; 28 GEL for a child of 6 to 12 |
| Full gear hire | 100 GEL | 40 GEL for skis, boots and poles; the rest is clothing and helmet |
| Bed, half an apartment | 80 GEL | Didveli gallery one-bedroom at 160 GEL shared by two |
| Buses and a taxi | 25 GEL | Two 1 GEL bus rides and one 20 to 25 GEL taxi between the areas |
| Meals | 60-90 GEL | Our estimate, from khinkali and a beer to a full restaurant dinner |
Prices checked September 2026 for passes, gear and transport, 1 November 2026 for the bed. Ranges reflect season and operator.
So about 320 to 355 GEL (about $125 to 135) a day for an adult renting everything, or under 200 GEL with your own gear and a supermarket lunch, before the transport up and down. The trip budget calculator puts a whole week together, and our packing list generator splits the ski kit into what to bring and what to rent.
Mistakes to avoid
- Booking for early December. The season opens on 20 December 2026, announced by MTA on 28 October, and the lifts opened on 20 December in 2025-26 too. Nothing on a booking site changes that.
- Coming over New Year without a plan. Book by October, expect queues, and expect to pay one and a half to two and a half times the mid-January price for the same room; on 1 November 2026 Booking.com had 100 Bakuriani places left for 2 to 3 January against 179 for 16 to 17 January.
- Staying at Kokhta with beginners. There are no green runs there. Beginners and children belong at Didveli's Half Pipe, Crystal's children's slope or the 25 Ski Park.
- Assuming the train. The Kukushka has not run since 2020. The local train gets you to Borjomi for 2 GEL and no further; from there it is a van or a taxi.
- Driving up on summer tyres. Winter tyres are compulsory on the mountain road and the police check. Localrent cars come with them; check any other rental.
- Expecting Gudauri's terrain. Bakuriani is forest skiing with one steep top. If you want bowls and off-piste, our Gudauri guide is the page you want.
Frequently asked questions
When does the ski season in Bakuriani start and end?
How much is a ski pass in Bakuriani?
How do I get from Tbilisi to Bakuriani?
Is Bakuriani good for beginners and children?
Do I need a car in Bakuriani?
Where should I stay in Bakuriani?
How much do hotels in Bakuriani cost over New Year?
Bakuriani or Gudauri?
Keep planning
Practical Info
Skiing in Georgia 2026-27: Which Resort, Passes and Costs
Georgia's four ski resorts compared for 2026-27: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Mestia and Goderdzi, all opening 20 December 2026, with pass prices, transport and costs.
17 min read
Destinations
Gudauri Ski Resort Guide 2026-27: Lift Passes, Slopes, Stays
Gudauri, Georgia's biggest ski resort, two hours from Tbilisi: the 70 GEL day pass and 2025-26 list, the 2026-27 season, slopes, freeride, stays and transport.
17 min read
Destinations
Borjomi Guide: Spa Town, Mineral Water and the National Park
Borjomi in 2026: the 5 GEL park and free spring, 15 GEL sulphur pools, spa hotels priced for a Saturday, national park trails, vans and drivers from Tbilisi.
15 min read