Gonio - Kvariati

Where will Batumi continue to expand? The city has two main directions of coastal growth: toward Green Cape and the former settlement of Makhinjauri in the north, and southward toward the Turkish border — Gonio, Kvariati, and Sarpi. Both directions offer enormous potential and are already attracting major investment, with the first large-scale development projects now underway.

These coastal areas are effectively part of greater Batumi, connected to the city center by regular municipal buses and private minibuses. From early morning until late evening, public transport carries passengers all the way to the Sarpi border crossing:

Along the route, buses also serve the growing residential developments. Until 2011, the village of Kvariati belonged to the Khelvachauri municipality and had fewer than one hundred permanent residents. Today, glass-and-concrete high-rise buildings are appearing here, though many undeveloped plots still remain:

Developer interest in southern Batumi is especially strong. Investors are attracted by the clean beaches, lighter traffic, available parking, and fresh sea air. The deep-water coastline is also popular among divers. New buildings continue to rise:

The unusual “Pyramid” residential complex can be seen on the left:

New developments are appearing almost continuously along the coastline. Expansion inland remains limited, however, as the mountains approach very close to the sea in this area:

Gonio and Kvariati also have their own attractions, including a well-preserved medieval fortress:

Back in the Soviet era, a small cluster of nine-story panel apartment blocks was built in what was then the village of Gonio. For now, they still stand spaciously apart from surrounding development:

But the city continues to grow, and denser construction will almost certainly arrive here in the near future.