Bakuriani

Bakuriani sits at 1,700 metres on a volcanic plateau, on the northern flank of the Trialeti range and buried in thick pine forest. It became known in the late 19th century, when the Romanovs summered at Borjomi and their circle came up here for the cool air. Under the Soviet Union it turned into the country's main ski base and the training ground for the national team; in 2023 it hosted the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.

The resort is not one mountain but several separate areas:

• Didveli — the main sector, with a gondola and chairlifts, topping out at roughly 2,250 metres and holding the longest descents
• Kokhta-Mitarbi — 2,155 metres, steeper and more open, where the wind is noticeably stronger
• Tatra and 25 Tetri — nursery slopes inside the village itself, for children and first-timers

The season normally runs from late December to early April. Bakuriani is lower than Gudauri, so the snow is wetter and the bottom runs often soften by late March; in exchange, the forest shelters the pistes and skiing here in bad weather is far more pleasant. The runs are mostly wide and gentle. This is a family resort, and skiers who want off-piste terrain go to Gudauri instead.

In summer Bakuriani is a different place altogether. At 1,700 metres the air stays cool when the lowlands are at forty degrees, and Georgians come up precisely for that. Horse riding, quad bikes, the narrow-gauge Kukushka train, the alpine botanical garden and a rough drive out to Lake Tabatskuri make up the standard summer repertoire.

To be honest about it: November and the second half of April are the bleakest weeks here — the snow has gone, the grass has not arrived, and building sites are everywhere. The village has roughly doubled in the last fifteen years, and the old wooden dachas are steadily disappearing between new hotels.