Batumi Dolphinarium 2026: Tickets, Times, from 30 GEL

The dolphin show in Batumi runs daily except Monday - per dolphinarium.ge, at 16:00, 19:00 and 21:00. The afternoon show costs 30 GEL and both evening shows (19:00 and 21:00) are 35 GEL each, and children under 6 go free if they don’t take a separate seat. The dolphinarium sits in 6 May Park at Rustaveli Avenue 51 - a 15-20 minute walk from the centre. Below is the 2026 schedule, swimming prices, and what’s worth knowing before you go.

One caveat up front: the times and prices here are seasonal and get moved around regularly. The dates and figures below come from the official site, dolphinarium.ge, in late July 2026, but check it or call the box office before you head over. A week out, things can shift, especially between seasons.

Show schedule in 2026

The core summer schedule is simple: three shows a day except Monday, at 16:00, 19:00 and 21:00. The late 21:00 slot now sits on the dolphinarium.ge listings alongside the others, but it’s the first to drop in the off-season: autumn and winter have fewer shows and they shift toward weekends. So in winter check the listings ahead - you can turn up on a day without the show you wanted.

The show itself lasts about 35 minutes. The programme features around ten bottlenose dolphins and up to thirty routines: jumps through hoops, synchronised swimming, “dances” and tricks with the trainers. It’s presented in Georgian and English, so you’ll follow the gist without the language - the reactions and stunts speak for themselves. It runs in any weather: the pool is indoors, so rain on the seafront won’t cancel it, and on a grey day it’s a solid backup when the beach is out.

A practical tip: the evening shows are prettier than the afternoon one - the 19:00 gets the sunset light, and the late 21:00 runs entirely under the pool lighting - but they sell out faster and cost more. If you’re travelling with small kids who are hard to keep going until evening, take the 16:00: it’s calmer and cheaper. Heat is another factor - the stands warm up in the afternoon, so bring water and a hat.

When to go by season. The peak is July and August: more shows, but full stands, and evening tickets go a day or two out. May, June and September are the sweet spot - the weather is already (or still) beach weather, with less of a scramble, and you can grab a ticket same-day. From October to April the dolphinarium stays open, but the schedule is trimmed and tied to weekends, so in winter check the listings ahead - you can turn up on a day with no show at all. Budget an hour to ninety minutes for the visit: about twenty minutes for the box office and seating in season, plus the 35-minute show; with a walk around the park and lake it makes a comfortable half-day.

Ticket prices

Per the dolphinarium’s website in July 2026, the 16:00 afternoon show costs 30 GEL and both evening shows - 19:00 and 21:00 - are 35 GEL each; children under 6 get in free if they don’t take a separate seat. Some third-party sites still list a “single 20-25 lari ticket” - those are either outdated or averaged figures, so go by the official price rather than the aggregators.

You buy tickets at the box office by the entrance (open 10:00 to 21:30, with a 13:00-14:00 lunch break) or online at dolphinarium.ge. In high season - July and August, plus holidays - the evening shows sell out, so booking online ahead beats queuing at the window and risking a “sold out”. Groups from educational institutions get a discount with an advance written request; the average tourist won’t need that, but if you’re travelling as a large family group, it’s worth asking.

A word on the ethics: this is a show with marine animals in captivity. Some people won’t be comfortable with the format at all - that’s your call, and it’s more honest than pretending the question isn’t there. If you’re unsure, the same 6 May Park has an aquarium and a lake with boats, and the seafront and beaches are next door, so you can build a day by the sea without the dolphinarium.

Swimming with dolphins

Besides the show, the dolphinarium offers a one-on-one programme - swimming with the dolphins. It’s open to ages 5 and up and costs around 200 GEL per person; the session covers the swim itself, contact with a dolphin, and photos. Some sources quote a 150-200 lari range split by age (children 5-16 pay less, adults the full price), so confirm the exact figure for your date when you book.

The key thing is that it’s by appointment only, and you book it online at dolphinarium.ge, ahead of time - slots can be gone in season. Questions are easiest by phone on +995 422 221730 during working hours. The contact with the dolphin lasts around fifteen minutes, but it’s the kind of thing kids remember for a long time. If the swim is your main reason for coming to Batumi, sort out the booking before you even reach the city rather than on the day.

Where it is and how to get there

The dolphinarium is in the southeast corner of 6 May Park, by the junction of Rustaveli Avenue and Lermontov Street - the address is Rustaveli 51, opposite the park’s main entrance. Batumi is compact, so it’s a 15-20 minute walk from the centre and boulevard, and just 5-7 minutes from the beach. For most visitors staying near the sea, you won’t need a car - walking is simpler.

By public transport, buses 1, 7 and 10 run here - get off at “University”, “Dolphinarium” or “6 May Park” on Rustaveli Avenue. You pay with a Batumi Card travel card or cash to the driver; the city fare is nominal, but check the exact amount locally, since it gets revised from time to time. A taxi or Bolt from anywhere in the centre is cheap, but on a jammed evening walking is often faster.

If you’re coming from Tbilisi or Kutaisi, you first get to Batumi itself (by train, marshrutka or a flight to Batumi airport), then move around the city on foot or by bus. We cover getting around the country in the transport section, and how to get around and what to see in the city itself in the Batumi guide.

What’s nearby: building a day in 6 May Park

The upside of the dolphinarium is that it’s inside a ready-made walking area. 6 May Park is Lake Nurigeli with boat stations, the city’s oldest aquarium (open 10:00 to 17:30, entry around 5 GEL, children under 6 free) and a small zoo corner. It’s all compact, so pairing the dolphin show with a walk through the park and a boat ride makes sense - that’s a half-day right there.

How to lay out the route: get a ticket for the 16:00 afternoon show, walk the park and take a boat on the lake beforehand, then head out to the seafront and stay for sunset by the water. Or flip it - a morning on Batumi’s beaches, the afternoon out of the heat in 6 May Park, and the 19:00 show in the evening. Either way you fill a day with no car and almost no transfers.

Other spots within walking or bus distance include the cable car, the seaside boulevard and, a little further out, the botanical garden on Green Cape. The dolphinarium is a convenient anchor for a family day in Batumi: a short, lively show with a green area right beside it, no long trek, and a budget you can pin down.