# Gonio Fortress, Batumi > Gonio Fortress (ancient Apsaros) is a 1st-century Roman camp 12–15 km south of central Batumi. Allow 1–1.5 hours; adult entry is about 10 GEL, and it is usually open daily 10:00–18:00 (unofficial figures). Inside: a near-square circuit of walls with 18 surviving towers, excavated barracks and baths, a small museum and the traditional tomb of the Apostle Matthias. Web page: https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/gonio-fortress - City: [Batumi](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi), Georgia - YesGo score: 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Entry: ≈ 10 GEL, children ≈ 2 GEL - With kids: Fine with kids - Adult ticket: ≈ 10 GEL - Students and children: ≈ 3 GEL students, ≈ 2 GEL ages 6–16, under-6s free - Opening hours: Usually 10:00–18:00 daily; some listings give 10:00–17:00 on weekdays - Where to buy: At the gate, or online through the Georgian ticketing service TKT - Time needed: 1–1.5 hours; closer to 1.5 with the audio guide - Location: Gonio village, left bank of the Chorokhi by the sea, on the Batumi–Sarpi road - Getting there: Bus 16 towards Sarpi or a Gonio marshrutka, ≈ 20–30 min - Paying on the bus: Batumi Card or contactless bank card — city buses take no cash - Coordinates: 41.57306, 41.57361 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1st century AD** — Pliny the Elder gives the first mention of Apsaros (source: English Wikipedia; Georgian Encyclopedia) - **18 of 22** — towers on the curtain wall still stand (source: English Wikipedia; Advantour) - **≈ 4.5–4.8 ha** — inside the walls — one of the largest Roman forts on the Black Sea (source: Georgian Encyclopedia (4.75 ha); LIMEN project (4.78 ha); Advantour (4.5 ha)) - **≈ 900 m** — total length of the walls (source: Advantour; TripLinkHub) - **Up to 5 m** — height of the walls today (source: LIMEN project; Advantour) - **4 gates** — one per side; the main one faces the sea to the west (source: LIMEN project; English Wikipedia; Advantour) - **1547** — taken by the Ottoman Empire (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Georgian Encyclopedia) - **1878** — Adjara passed to the Russian Empire under the Treaty of San Stefano (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Advantour) - **1994** — the fortress and its surroundings became a museum-reserve (source: Georgian Encyclopedia; Advantour) - **St Matthias** — the apostle is traditionally said to be buried here; digging near the grave is banned (source: English Wikipedia; LIMEN project) - **Apsyrtus** — Medea's brother in the Argonaut myth — legend puts his grave here and gives the fort its name (source: LIMEN project; In Your Pocket 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. > **Hours and prices are unofficial** The museum-reserve publishes no timetable we could find, and listings disagree: most say 10:00–18:00 daily, others 11:00–17:00, and one claims it closes on Mondays. Go in the morning and don't plan to arrive just before closing. ## How to get to Gonio Fortress from Batumi 1. From [Europe Square](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-europe-square), walk 5–10 minutes to Chavchavadze or Abuseridze Street, where southbound buses and marshrutkas stop. 2. Take city **bus 16** towards Sarpi, or a marshrutka signed Gonio or Sarpi. Check the destination on the sign, not just the number. 3. On the bus, pay with a Batumi Card or a contactless bank card — no cash. Marshrutka drivers take cash. 4. Ask the driver for Gonio Fortress: the stop is right on the main road, ≈ 20–30 minutes from the centre, longer on summer evenings. 5. Bolt or a taxi takes ≈ 15–20 minutes; you can order your ride back from the gate. Driving? There is parking at the entrance. ## 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. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Leaving in the morning, ahead of the heat and closing time - [ ] Batumi Card or contactless card for the bus - [ ] A few lari in cash for the marshrutka and the ticket desk - [ ] Water and a hat — almost no shade inside - [ ] Comfortable shoes for stone and grass paths - [ ] Gonio or Kvariati beach planned for afterwards ## Gonio vs Petra Fortress | | Gonio | Petra | | --- | --- | --- | | Era | 1st-century Roman camp, Byzantine and Ottoman layers | 6th-century Byzantine fortress | | Where | 12–15 km south, near the Turkish border | About 20 km north, at Tsikhisdziri | | What remains | An almost complete square of walls and towers | Ruins on a rocky headland | | Best for | The scale of Roman walls | The sea view from the cape | | Entry | Paid | Check on site | | Time needed | 1–1.5 h | ≈ 1 h | Pick Gonio for history and complete walls, [Petra](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/petra-fortress) for the sea view. On the way north you can stop at the [Botanical Garden](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-botanical-garden). ## Batumi's historic sights compared Every historic place in Batumi rated by YesGo. - [Europe Square](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-europe-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Batumi Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Makhuntseti Waterfall](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/makhuntseti-waterfall) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Gonio Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/gonio-fortress) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 10 GEL, children ≈ 2 GEL - [Petra Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/petra-fortress) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ 8 GEL (unofficial) ## Gonio in the morning, Batumi by night The Roman fort before the heat, then the centre: Europe Square, the seafront, Ali and Nino and the dancing fountains after dark. YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Gonio Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/gonio-fortress) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 10 GEL, children ≈ 2 GEL 2. [Europe Square](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-europe-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 3. [Batumi Boulevard](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-boulevard) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free 4. [Ali and Nino statue](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/ali-and-nino) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 5. [Batumi Dancing Fountains](https://yesgo.io/georgia/batumi/batumi-dancing-fountains) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free ## Good to know Gonio is both the beach resort village and the fortress inside it — search for “Gonio Fortress” in your maps app. St Matthias is not St Matthew the Evangelist: Matthias was chosen to replace Judas among the Twelve, and some guides mix them up. ## Tips - 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 ### How much is the entrance fee to Gonio Fortress? About 10 GEL for adults, around 3 GEL for students and 2 GEL for children aged 6–16; under-6s are free. These are unofficial figures — confirm at the gate. ### What are Gonio Fortress opening hours? Usually daily, 10:00–18:00, sometimes until 19:00 in summer. There is no official timetable and listings differ, so go before lunch. ### How do I get from Batumi to Gonio Fortress? Bus 16 towards Sarpi or a Gonio marshrutka from Chavchavadze or Abuseridze Street, ≈ 20–30 minutes. By taxi or Bolt, ≈ 15–20 minutes. ### Does bus 16 stop at Gonio Fortress? Yes — it runs along the Batumi–Sarpi road past the fort. Ask the driver for Gonio Fortress and pay with a Batumi Card or contactless card. ### Is Gonio Fortress worth visiting? For history lovers, yes: it is the most complete Roman fort on the coast and needs only a morning. If you want castle interiors or views from the walls, look from outside instead. ### How long do you need at Gonio Fortress? 1–1.5 hours for the walls, the excavations and the museum hall; half a day with the trip and a swim. ### Can I buy Gonio Fortress tickets online? Yes — since summer 2025 the Georgian ticketing service TKT sells them, though queues at the gate are rare outside July and August. ### Is the Apostle Matthias really buried at Gonio? Georgian church tradition says so, and crosses mark the spot. Excavation near the grave is not allowed, so there is no scientific confirmation. ### Is Gonio Fortress good for kids? Yes: it is open, safe and roomy. Bring water and hats; the paths are uneven, so a buggy will struggle. ## How we checked Historical facts are checked against at least two sources. We found no official museum-reserve page with prices and hours, so both are unofficial and marked “verifying”: recent listings give 8–10 GEL for adults, older ones 2–5 GEL; hours are given as 10:00–18:00 daily (most), 10:00–17:00 on weekdays or 11:00–17:00, and one listing mentions a Monday closure. The area appears as 4.5, 4.75 and 4.78 ha, so we show a range; the distance from Batumi is 12 or 15 km depending on the starting point. Sources date the first use of the name Gonio to the 12th or the 14th century — we show both. Bus payment rules come from a transport guide citing the Batumi bus operator. We don't quote taxi fares because they change. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Gonio (fortress); Russian Wikipedia: Gonio-Apsaros Fortress; Wikidata Q944813 - Georgian Encyclopedia: Gonio; Gonio-Apsaros Museum-Reserve - LIMEN project (Black Sea Roman frontier): Gonio-Apsaros Museum-Reserve - Advantour: Gonio Fortress near Batumi - In Your Pocket Batumi: Gonio Fortress - Madloba.info: Gonio Fortress, Batumi public transport fares, Batumi to Gonio (as of October 2026) - TripLinkHub: Gonio-Apsaros Fortress; Red Fedora Diary: day trips from Batumi --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.