Batumi: neighbourhoods, buildings and our services across the city

Batumi stretches along the sea for several kilometres, and its neighbourhoods differ noticeably: a historic centre by the port, Soviet-era blocks, high-rises by the beach, private houses on the slopes. The neighbourhood decides which apartment people buy here, how it is let and what renovation it needs. Below is a short guide to how the city is laid out and where each kind of task comes up most often.

Batumi neighbourhoods: how the city is laid out

The city is easiest to read from north to south. By the port stands the Old Town with its narrow streets, Europe Square and the Piazza; more on our page about the Old Town. Around it and along the Seaside Boulevard lies the centre with Rustaveli Avenue, Chavchavadze Street and 6 May Park; it has its own page about Batumi city centre.

Further south the New Boulevard begins: a wide promenade, high-rise complexes by the sea and Khimshiashvili Street. Inland from the sea lie residential neighbourhoods where people live all year round: Boni-Gorodok and the blocks around the Alley of Heroes and Aghmashenebeli, Javakhishvili and Bagrationi streets. Many new complexes have gone up along the Airport Highway in recent years, and further south are the airport and Kakhaberi. To the north the city climbs the slopes of Makhinjauri and the Green Cape, and beyond the city along the coast lie Gonio, Kvariati and Sarpi to the south, and Chakvi and Kobuleti to the north.

Where to live in Batumi and where to let

For living all year round people usually choose the centre, Boni-Gorodok and the blocks around the Alley of Heroes: schools, kindergartens, markets and transport are close, and the neighbours stay through the winter. Apartments for short-term letting are sought above all on the New Boulevard and Khimshiashvili Street, where the sea is close, the buildings have pools and summer brings many tourists. In winter these buildings empty, and apartments by the sea are mostly let long-term from autumn to spring.

Quiet and sea views are found on the slopes of Makhinjauri and the Green Cape, and houses and villas with a plot in the coastal villages south and north of the city. How to choose an apartment for your purpose is explained on our page about buying an apartment in Batumi.

Which buildings stand where and what renovation they need

The Old Town and the centre have many pre-war houses with timber floors and walls laid in lime mortar. In Soviet five- and nine-storey blocks the wiring is often aluminium, the risers are cast iron and the balcony slabs are worn. In recent high-rises apartments are sold as a black, white or green frame, and renovation there follows the complex's rules. Each type of building needs its own renovation sequence, and for old houses it is described on our page about renovation in older buildings.

The climate is equally hard on every neighbourhood. Humidity rarely drops below 70 %, so in any apartment we plan extraction in the bathroom and kitchen, and for an apartment that stands empty in winter, a dehumidifier or supply ventilation. By the sea we choose balcony metalwork and outdoor air conditioning units with salt protection.

Building in and around Batumi

There is little free flat land for a private house within the city, so houses are built mainly on the slopes of Makhinjauri and the Green Cape and in the coastal villages. On a slope, retaining walls, drainage and an access road add to the cost of the house; by the sea there is damp ground and water close to the surface. Adjara is seismically active, and we design every house with a margin for earthquakes.

A permit for a private house within Batumi is usually issued by Batumi City Hall, and outside the city by the city hall of the relevant municipality. What a permit requires and how long it takes is explained on our page about the building permit.

If you do not live in Batumi

Many of our clients live in other countries and come once a year. For them we view properties by video, run renovations with weekly photos and reports, let the apartment and pay the bills. How this works is described on our page about management for owners living abroad.