Gonio Fortress, Batumi

Gonio Fortress tickets and opening hours

Adult entry to Gonio Fortress is about 10 GEL; students pay around 3 GEL, children aged 6–16 around 2 GEL, and under-6s go free. These are unofficial figures — older guides quote 2–5 GEL, so prices have clearly risen over the years.

Tickets are sold at the gate and, since summer 2025, online through the Georgian ticketing service TKT. You only meet queues in July and August. Card payment is normal across Batumi, but carry a few lari in cash in case the terminal at the ticket desk is down.

The site is usually open daily, 10:00–18:00, sometimes until 19:00 in summer and earlier in winter. There is almost no shade inside, so in hot weather come at opening time.

Is Gonio Fortress worth visiting?

Yes, if you like history. It is the most complete Roman fort on this coast, and it costs you a morning, not a day. The scale of the walls impresses more than any single find.

Skip the ticket if you expect a castle with rooms, viewpoints and a big exhibition: inside it is mostly grass and foundations, and shade is scarce. In that case, look at the walls from the road on your way to Gonio beach.

What is Gonio Fortress?

A Roman military camp on the empire's eastern frontier. In the 1st–2nd centuries a garrison here guarded the point where the Chorokhi valley opens onto the sea. The cut-stone walls have survived almost intact, which is rare for Roman forts anywhere on the Black Sea.

Inside you'll find an open field of excavated foundations rather than halls: the headquarters (praetorium), barracks, baths, wells, water pipes and drains. Some finds are on show in the small museum hall; others are held by the archaeology museum in Batumi.

What to see inside

• Walls and towers — walk the inside of the circuit to feel the size of a square of almost 5 hectares.
• The west gate — the main entrance from the sea side, and the way you'll come in.
• The Roman camp — foundations of the praetorium, barracks and baths, plus wells and water channels.
• The tomb of St Matthias — stone crosses inside the walls where pilgrims come to pray; keep your voice down.
• The museum hall — pottery, coins, glass and weapons from the excavations.
• The mountain view over the Chorokhi mouth — clearest in the morning before the haze.

A short history of Apsaros

Pliny the Elder mentions Apsaros in the 1st century AD, and Arrian describes a Roman garrison here in the 2nd. In the 6th century Procopius wrote of a large town with a theatre and a hippodrome. Byzantium, Lazica and then the Georgian kingdom held it in turn.

The name Gonio appears in the Middle Ages — the Georgian Encyclopedia dates it to the 12th century, Wikipedia to the 14th-century chronicle of Michael Panaretos. The Ottomans took the fort in 1547 and kept it for over three centuries, until Adjara passed to Russia in 1878. It became a museum-reserve in 1994.

Two legends cling to the walls. In the Argonaut myth, Medea's brother Apsyrtus was killed and buried here, giving the place its name. Georgian church tradition holds that the Apostle Matthias lies inside the fort; the authorities do not allow digging near the supposed grave.

Gonio vs Petra Fortress

Pick Gonio for history and complete walls, Petra for the sea view. On the way north you can stop at the Botanical Garden.

Batumi's historic sights compared

Every historic place in Batumi rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Arrive at opening time: by midday in summer the stone is hot and there is barely any shade.
• Pair the fort with a swim — Gonio beach is a few minutes' walk from the gate.
• Take the audio guide: without the story, the barracks and baths are just rows of stones.
• Summer evening traffic back into Batumi is heavy — allow an extra half hour.
• Not keen to pay? The walls are easy to see from outside along the main road.
• Back in town, visit the Medea statue on Europe Square — the sister of Apsyrtus from the fort's legend.

Questions