Batumi Piazza
An Italian-style square in Old Batumi — a giant marble mosaic, stained glass, cafes and free summer-evening concerts.
- Time needed
- 1.5 h
- From Tbilisi
- 375 km · 5:30
- Road
- Paved
- Car needed
- Economy class
- Season
- All year
- Entry
- free
The Piazza is Batumi doing its best Venice impression — and largely pulling it off. Opened in 2010 in the heart of the Old Town on Parnavaz Mepe Street, the square was built from scratch in the manner of an Italian piazza: arcades, balconies, a clock tower and open-air cafes filling the space between them.
The real treasure is underfoot. The central marble mosaic (106 square metres, designed by Georgian-Swiss artist Natali de Pita-Amirejibi) is billed as the largest figurative marble mosaic in Europe — roughly 88 million cut stone elements of one square centimetre each, with marble sourced from 15 countries. The composition shows five sea goddesses; the central figure was modelled on the designer's five-year-old daughter.
What you actually do here:
- Study the mosaic and the tower's stained glass — both look best in daylight
- Settle into a perimeter cafe with live music
- Catch the free open-air concerts and jazz on summer evenings
- Come back after dark, when the whole square is lit and feels theatrical
The Piazza works year-round: packed in summer, and at New Year it turns into one of Batumi's main gathering points under heavy festive decoration.
Practical advice
Entry is free and the square never closes. It rewards two visits — daytime for the mosaic and stained glass, evening for the music. The cafes on the square charge above the Batumi average; you are paying for the setting. Parking in the Old Town is tight, so leave the car near the Boulevard or in a paid lot and walk — everything is close together.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi take the main east–west highway (E60/S1): through the Rikoti tunnels, past the Kutaisi bypass and Samtredia, then down the coast road through Kobuleti into Batumi — about 375 km and 5:30 of pure driving, asphalt the whole way and motorway-grade for much of it. Fuel stations are everywhere; the best rest stops are around Zestaponi and Kobuleti. In Batumi the Piazza sits in the pedestrian Old Town on Parnavaz Mepe Street, so park on nearby streets or in a paid lot. An economy car is all you need.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Europe Square
Batumi's showpiece square — the Medea column with the Golden Fleece, restored Belle Époque facades and an astronomical clock.
Ali and Nino
Tamara Kvesitadze's 8-metre moving steel statue on Batumi's seafront — every evening the two figures merge and pass through each other.
Batumi Boulevard and Old Town
A seven-kilometre seafront promenade, a nineteenth-century old quarter and modern towers in one compact city.
Batumi Archaeological Museum
Colchian gold, Greek amphorae and Roman coins gathered in one small, well-arranged hall.
Best car for this trip
Guides
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Pickup locations
Car Rental in Batumi — 0 km (straight line)