Renting a car in Batumi: where to get one, where to go 2026

Batumi is a Black Sea resort base: the city itself is easy to explore on foot and along the seafront, while a car is more often rented for trips around Adjara and drives along the coast. The main thing here is the season: demand for rentals is high in summer. For how renting works in general, see how to rent a car in Georgia; for the deposit specifically, see renting with no deposit. Specific prices change, so confirm them with the rental company.

Where to pick up a car in Batumi

• At the airport - rental desks in the arrivals area; the airport is close to the city (about 2 km south of the centre), which is convenient.
• In the city - local offices and delivery to your address.
• Online aggregators (such as Localrent or Discover Cars) - compare prices and terms and book ahead, which matters especially in high season.

Season and traffic

Batumi is packed in summer: demand for cars is higher, and the good options get booked up early - reserve well in advance. In the centre and along the seafront the traffic is heavy in season and parking is tricky, so a car makes more sense for trips out of town than for getting around the resort. The coastal road and the switchbacks inland into Adjara are scenic but narrow in places.

Manual or automatic, and do you need a 4x4

Most of the cheaper rentals in Batumi are manual; automatics cost more and go first in summer, so book early if you only drive automatic. For the coast and the paved Batumi-Tbilisi road an ordinary car is fine. But the inland Adjara routes - Khulo, the Goderdzi pass, the gravel switchbacks in the photos above - are steep and often unpaved, and there a higher-clearance car or a small SUV saves you both scraped bumpers and a stressful drive. In winter the Goderdzi pass can need winter tyres or close outright, so check the road status before heading up.

Where to drive from Batumi

• Inland Adjara - waterfalls, old arched bridges and Gonio fortress not far from the city; easy to loop around in a day.
• Down the coast - the resort villages south of Batumi, with cleaner water and quieter beaches: resorts near Batumi.
• The corridor to the capital - the scenic Batumi ↔ Tbilisi road with stops: Tbilisi → Batumi in 7 days (works in the other direction too).
• The canyons of Imereti via Kutaisi - Martvili and Okatse: Imereti: canyons and caves. Starting from Kutaisi? See renting a car at Kutaisi Airport.

One-way rentals and crossing borders

If you’re driving the coast one way - picking up in Batumi and dropping off in Tbilisi or at Kutaisi airport - ask about the one-way fee up front: some companies waive it on longer rentals, others add a fixed drop-off charge. Taking the car out of Georgia (to Armenia, Turkey or Azerbaijan) is usually possible only with the company’s written permission and separate insurance, and not on every car, so raise it when you book rather than at pickup.

Documents, deposit, insurance - in brief

You’ll need your passport and a driving licence (if your licence isn’t in the Latin alphabet, an International Driving Permit, IDP, is handy). The deposit is usually held on your card; some rates come without one. The key thing with insurance is the size of the excess, not the daily price. For more, see the basic guide and renting with no deposit; for the mandatory health insurance required to enter the country, see the insurance section.

What to check at pickup

• Photograph the body, wheels, windscreen and interior - record any damage before driving off.
• The fuel level and the return condition.
• In the contract: the excess, the mileage limit, and whether you can cross into neighbouring countries.

Next, pick a route and have a look at the Batumi city guide. You can compare rental offers through the box below.