What is Gonio?
Gonio is a seaside resort on the left bank of the Chorokhi river, about 12 km south of central Batumi and about 4 km north of the Turkish border. It is best known for its Roman fortress, and around it a small village of family guesthouses has grown into a strip of new apartment blocks and branded resort projects. The mountains come close to the shore, so most building is squeezed between the hills and a long pebble beach.
Gonio has been part of the city of Batumi since 2011. Under a parliamentary resolution of 14 June 2011, 1,456.15 ha of coastal land near Akhalsopeli, Gonio and Kvariati passed from Khelvachauri municipality to the city, and today Gonio belongs to Batumi's Gonio-Kvariati administrative unit. The last separate population count, from the 2002 census, recorded 2,886 people; we found no later figure for Gonio alone.
Kvariati and the Sarpi border crossing, further south, will have their own guide. This page covers Gonio itself: the fortress and its protection zone, what flats cost and rent for, the resort projects, and the large plans that could change this coast within a few years.
Map and boundaries
Gonio lies south of the Chorokhi river mouth, between the sea and the hills, along the coastal road towards Kvariati and the Sarpi border; the fortress stands a short way inland from the beach.
Open the mapThe main road through the resort is named after Saint Andrew the First-Called (Andria Pirveltsodebuli in Georgian), and many listings give it as the address. The Georgian National Tourism Administration puts Gonio at about 30 m above sea level and around 25 minutes from Batumi by car. A lake known locally as Gonio Lake marks a former mouth of the Chorokhi.
Who Gonio suits
- Buyers who want a summer base by the sea: a quieter coast than the city, with the fortress and the hills close by.
- Buyers who cross into Turkey often: the border at Sarpi is a short drive south.
- Buyers of branded resort flats: international hotel names are attached to several projects here.
- Less suited to buyers who need year-round long lets: rent adverts are few compared with flats for sale.
- Less suited to buyers who dislike uncertainty: a 260 ha resort plan and a new motorway may reshape the area.
The fortress
Gonio-Apsaros fortress is one of the oldest Roman military sites on the eastern Black Sea coast. Pliny the Elder mentioned it in the 1st century AD, and later writers described it as a well-fortified Roman town. The official tourism site gives its area as 44,460 m², about 4.5 ha, within a rectangle of 228 by 195 m. Of 22 original towers, 18 survive. The Ottoman Empire held it from 1547 to 1878, and the name "Gonio" is linked to the presence of Genoese traders in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Two traditions draw visitors: the legend of Apsyrtus, son of King Aeetes, who gave the fort its ancient name, and the belief that the Apostle Matthias is buried within the walls. Digging near the supposed grave is not allowed, so the tradition has not been tested. The Adjara tourism office lists tickets at GEL 15 for foreign visitors and GEL 10 for Georgian citizens; check the current price before you go.
Building near the fortress: the protection zone
This is the point most buyers miss. The Gonio-Apsaros complex was given the status of a monument of national significance by a presidential decree of 7 November 2006. Under the Law on Cultural Heritage, every monument has a protection zone made of two areas. In the physical protection area, which by default extends at least 50 m from the monument, nothing may be built that does not serve the monument. In the visual protection area, nothing may be done that damages the historic setting or blocks views of the monument.
By default the visual area reaches 500 m for a monument of national significance, halved to 250 m when the monument lies inside a city, as Gonio has since 2011. An individual zone can replace these defaults, and we could not confirm whether one has been approved for Gonio. For a plot or an off-plan building within a few hundred metres of the walls, ask the developer for written confirmation that the project complies with the heritage rules, and check with the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation or Batumi City Hall. Our guide to checking a construction permit explains which papers to ask for.
Prices: the research zone
Galt & Taggart, the research arm of the Bank of Georgia, reports Gonio together with Kvariati. In its report for the second quarter of 2026, dated 14 August 2026, the Gonio-Kvariati zone was the second most expensive in Batumi for new finished flats, after Old Batumi, though with few sales.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average price, June 2026 | USD 2,228 per m² |
| Average price, June 2025 | USD 2,059 per m² |
| Average price, June 2024 | USD 2,065 per m² |
| Change over the year to June 2026 | +8.2% |
| Range, June 2026 | USD 1,330 to 4,924 per m² |
| Sales in the 2nd quarter of 2026 | 83 |
| Average rent | not published |
Two things stand out. Prices barely moved between 2024 and 2025 and then rose in 2026, and the range is very wide, from about USD 1,330 to almost USD 5,000 per m², because simple blocks and branded beachfront towers sit side by side. The zone also accounts for only a small share of the city's activity: 83 of roughly 4,168 sales across Batumi in the quarter. Our comparison of Batumi zones sets these figures against the rest of the city.
What sellers ask on ss.ge
ss.ge lists Gonio separately from Batumi, with 240 flats and 32 houses for sale on 27 October 2026. The examples below come from the first and third pages of results.
| Property | Asking price | Per m² |
|---|---|---|
| 1 room, 45 m², floor 8 of 13, black frame, sea view | GEL 105,000 | about GEL 2,334 |
| 1 room, 38 m², floor 2 of 11 | GEL 119,000 | about GEL 3,132 |
| 4 rooms, 107 m², floor 4 of 10, furnished | GEL 473,000 | about GEL 4,421 |
| 2 rooms, 57 m², branded tower, finished | GEL 454,000 | about GEL 7,965 |
| Villa of 180 m² with a pool, gated area | GEL 727,000 | - |
Most resale flats asked about GEL 3,100 to 5,000 per m², unfinished shells less, and finished units in the Wyndham-branded tower about GEL 7,000 to 8,000. Several adverts in the same branded building give different floor counts and completion dates, one of them 2027, so treat the brand as a promise about future management, not proof that the building is finished. Before you compare a black-frame shell with a finished flat, read our guide to frame stages.
Rents and the season
On the same day ss.ge listed only 44 flats for rent in Gonio, against 240 for sale. Most asked GEL 600 to 1,300 a month: for example GEL 800 for two rooms of 50 m², GEL 1,170 for three rooms of 80 m², and GEL 649 for a two-room flat of 34 m² that the owner offered from October to May. That last advert shows the usual pattern: a monthly let in the cool months and holiday guests in summer.
Gonio's visitors come mostly in summer, many of them from Tbilisi. Galt & Taggart publishes no rent for the zone, and the city-wide short-stay rate it reports, about USD 35 a night in the second quarter of 2026, says little about a resort where demand is concentrated in a few months. Model a full year, with an empty winter if needed, in our rental yield calculator.
Branded resorts and the marina plan
Gonio's skyline is changing because of resort projects. The developer NEXT Group announced a Radisson Blu Resort & Residences in Gonio in August 2022, with 576 rooms, suites and residences and a planned opening in the first quarter of 2026. In October 2026 Radisson's booking page still described the hotel as coming soon and not taking reservations. The same developer markets Wyndham-branded residences nearby.
A much larger plan sits behind the resort. In October 2025 the Georgian state and the Abu Dhabi developer Eagle Hills signed a joint venture for a project called Gonio Marina on about 260 ha of coast, with hotels, homes, shops and a yacht marina; the state holds a third of the company. The government of Adjara transferred about 257.9 ha of Gonio land, including a former military training ground, to the state in July 2025. The agreement itself was classified as a commercial secret, and the environment ministry told a local newspaper that the project would affect protected areas in the Chorokhi delta, which is part of Europe's Emerald Network. In November 2025 the prime minister said construction would start within months; we found no confirmation that it had begun by October 2026.
For a buyer, this cuts both ways. A marina, hotels and new infrastructure could lift demand and prices; years of construction, new towers in front of today's views and a large new supply of flats could do the opposite. Ask any seller near the former military site what is planned on the land between the flat and the sea.
Roads, buses and the new motorway
City bus No. 16, between Batumi and Sarpi, runs through Gonio, and the trip to the centre takes about 20 to 30 minutes; minibuses also run, and an app taxi usually costs GEL 15 to 25, according to a travel guide updated in October 2026. Today traffic to and from the Turkish border also uses the coastal road through the resort.
That is set to change. By September 2026 the roads department had signed a GEL 809 million contract with China Railway Tunnel Group for a new 11.3 km road from the Batumi bypass to the Sarpi border, with a 7.6 km tunnel and a bridge of about 1.5 km over the Chorokhi, to be built over four years. The road replaces the coastal route that runs through three settlements, so in time transit traffic should leave Gonio's main street. In July 2026 a design competition was also announced for a pedestrian bridge across the Chorokhi between Batumi and Gonio; it is still at the design stage.
The beach and the shore
The tourism administration describes wide beaches with promenades and clean, clear water, with the mountains coming right down to the coast. The beach is pebble. The Chorokhi has long fed this coast with gravel, and studies prepared for Batumi's coastal protection describe serious erosion on the stretch north of the river mouth, near the airport. We found no erosion or storm record specific to Gonio and no water-quality data or Blue Flag award for its beach.
The city is also tidying the shore. In April 2026 the municipal inspection notified 35 owners of cafes, bars, bungalows and kiosks on the Gonio-Kvariati beach; 12 were dismantled and the city moved to remove 15 more that owners had left standing. If a flat is sold with a view of a beach bar or with rights to a beach structure, check that the structure is lawful.
Daily life
When Gonio joined Batumi in 2011, the education ministry renamed its village school Batumi Public School No. 30. We could not confirm a clinic in Gonio itself, so expect to use hospitals and polyclinics in Batumi. Visit outside the summer to see which guesthouses, cafes and shops stay open before you decide whether you could live here all year.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quiet coast with a Roman fortress and mountains behind | Heritage rules limit building near the fortress |
| Second-highest average price of any Batumi zone | Few sales and a very wide price range |
| Close to the Turkish border | Border traffic on the coastal road until the new motorway opens |
| Branded resort projects | Opening dates have slipped |
| Marina plan could add infrastructure | Plan is unclear, classified and years away |
To be added by the team: photos for the team to take: the fortress walls from the road, the beach and promenade, the coastal road with new blocks, the Radisson and Wyndham sites, and the former military land from the hills.
Checking a flat in Gonio step by step
Measure the distance to the fortress
Within a few hundred metres, check the heritage rules.
Get the registry extract
Owner, area, mortgage and restrictions.
See the permit
And the developer's record on dates.
Ask what is planned in front
Especially near the former military land.
Test the winter
Rent demand and open services off season.
Check the road plans
Works now, less traffic later.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gonio part of Batumi?
Yes, since a parliamentary resolution of June 2011; it belongs to the Gonio-Kvariati administrative unit.
How much do new flats cost in Gonio?
Galt & Taggart's Gonio-Kvariati average for new finished flats was USD 2,228 per m² in June 2026.
What do sellers ask on ss.ge?
Most resale flats asked about GEL 3,100 to 5,000 per m² in October 2026; branded finished units cost more.
Can I build or buy right next to the fortress?
Building near a monument of national significance is restricted; by default the visual area inside a city reaches 250 m. Check before you buy.
Is the Radisson in Gonio open?
It was due in the first quarter of 2026, but in October 2026 the brand still listed it as coming soon.
What is the Gonio Marina project?
A 260 ha resort plan by Eagle Hills with the Georgian state; the agreement is classified and no construction start was confirmed by October 2026.
How do I get to Batumi?
Bus No. 16 takes about 20 to 30 minutes, or an app taxi for about GEL 15 to 25.
Is there a good long-let market?
It is thin: 44 flats for rent against 240 for sale on ss.ge in October 2026.
Sources
- Parliament Resolution No 4757 of 14 June 2011 on the boundaries of Batumi, Legislative Herald of Georgia
- Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2Q26 Overview, Galt & Taggart, 14 August 2026
- Flats for sale and for rent in Gonio, ss.ge (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Gonio Fortress and Gonio, Wikipedia (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Gonio resort, Georgian National Tourism Administration, and Gonio-Apsaros fortress, Visit Ajara (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Presidential Decree No 665 of 7 November 2006 on monuments of national significance, and Law on Cultural Heritage, Legislative Herald of Georgia
- NEXT Group signs agreement with Radisson Hotel Group, Property Georgia, 25 August 2022, and Radisson Blu Resort & Residences Batumi Gonio (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Eagle Hills joint venture, Batumelebi, 6 November 2025, and Gonio land transfer and the Chorokhi delta, Batumelebi, 17 December 2025
- Prime Minister on the Eagle Hills projects, Commersant, 17 November 2025
- Batumi-Sarpi highway contract, Interfax, 9 September 2026, and ADB loan for the Batumi-Sarpi highway, Georgia Today, 7 October 2025
- Design competition for the Batumi boulevard and a Batumi-Gonio pedestrian bridge, Municipal Development Fund, 3 July 2026
- Batumi to Gonio, Madloba (updated 3 October 2026)
- Batumi redraws its coastline in Gonio-Kvariati, Georgia Today, 4 May 2026, and advice on Batumi coastal protection, Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment
- Minister of Education Order No 132/n of 9 August 2011 renaming schools, Legislative Herald of Georgia
Change log
- - Area guide published from a 2011 Parliament resolution, Galt & Taggart, ss.ge, Wikipedia, the Georgian National Tourism Administration, Visit Ajara, the Law on Cultural Heritage and a 2006 presidential decree, Property Georgia, Radisson, Batumelebi, Commersant, Interfax, Georgia Today, the Municipal Development Fund, Madloba, the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment and the education ministry.