Apartments in central Batumi: old buildings, life all year and letting without an empty winter

An apartment in central Batumi means a city that does not empty out in October. Shops, cafés, schools and work are close by, the sea is a few minutes' walk away, and there are tenants and guests all year round. In return you get old buildings, narrow streets, noise in the evenings and almost no parking. We shortlist central apartments so that the advantages outweigh the rest.

Apartments in central Batumi: what counts as the centre

By the centre we mean the Old Town and the blocks around it: from the old Batumi Boulevard and Europe Square to the streets lined with Soviet-era buildings. The sea is a few minutes' walk from here, but windows usually face the street or the courtyard, and a sea view is found only from the upper floors of new buildings.

Listings often call anything closer to the sea than the airport “central”, even buildings along the Airport Highway. So we check on the map how far it is to the old boulevard, the market, a school and a bus stop, and do not take the word “centre” in the headline on trust. How the centre differs from the seafront is covered in our comparison beachfront vs city centre.

Old houses and new infill

There are three types of building in the centre. Old houses in the Old Town with high ceilings and timber floors: some of them are monuments, and work on the façade, the windows and even some interior work follows special rules. Soviet apartment blocks with roomy layouts and old services. And new buildings put up between the old ones, often tall and with an underground car park.

In an old building the engineer inspects the floors, roof, risers and wiring, and the lawyer checks the building's status. What changes when renovating older housing is explained on our page about renovation in older buildings. Buying an apartment from its owner, history and all, is covered in detail on our page about resale homes.

Life all year round

The main advantage of the centre is that people live here in winter. Shops and cafés stay open, schools, banks and doctors work, and there are people on the streets. For those moving to Batumi for the long term this often matters more than a sea view: everything you need is within walking distance, and a car is needed less often.

Neighbours in the centre are also more often permanent. In a building where most people live all year, it is easier to agree on repairs to the roof or the entrance, and there are fewer suitcases in the lift. That is worth checking by talking to the neighbours at the viewing. Ask too how the building copes with winter rain: in old buildings roofs and gutters leak, and the whole entrance pays for repairs together.

Noise, cars and parking

The centre has a downside too. In summer the streets by the boulevard are lively until late at night; by law night begins at 23:00, but on the lower floors above cafés that is not always noticeable. We view apartments above bars and restaurants on a weekend evening, not on a weekday afternoon. The enclosed courtyard of an old building can be noisy too: sound from neighbours' windows and air conditioners bounces off the walls.

Parking in the old centre is a separate issue. The courtyards of old buildings have little room, street parking is paid, and underground car parks exist mainly in new buildings. If you have a car, we look for a space together with the apartment. Many people in the centre manage without a car: the sea, the market and shops are all within walking distance.

View, light and height

In the centre a sea view is the exception, not the rule. It is found from the upper floors of new buildings and lasts only until something is built in front. If the view is part of the price, we check which plots between the building and the sea are still free and what may be built on them.

In the old blocks the streets are narrow and the buildings stand close together. An apartment on the first floor may hardly see the sun, while one on the top floor gets both light and wind. So we view apartments in daylight and note which way the bedroom and living room windows face and how many hours of sun they get.

Letting in the centre

A central apartment lets more evenly through the year. In summer it is taken by tourists who want to explore the old town on foot, in winter by tenants for several months, students and people who work in the city. There are usually fewer empty months than by the sea, although the summer nightly rate by the sea is higher. In a heritage-listed or old building guests like the high ceilings and balconies over the street, but there are also more complaints about noise and old plumbing, so we take more care with a renovation for letting here.

For long-term tenants in the centre, quiet, a warm apartment and a washing machine matter more than a view. How we let apartments long-term is explained on our page about managed long-term letting.

How much central apartment search costs

Property search for a fixed fee starts from 5 400 ₾, or we work as a buyer's agent for 2–3 % of the price. A technical inspection of the apartment before purchase starts from 480 ₾, a legal due diligence check from 960 ₾, a valuation by an accredited valuer from 330 ₾.

The final price is set after we review your brief and agree the scope of work. The registry fee and the notary's charges are paid at their own rates.