Tbilisi to Poti trains

Tbilisi–Poti: the matarebeli guide

Poti is Georgia's great working port — the place where the ancient river Phasis (today's Rioni) meets the Black Sea, where Argonaut legend blends into lighthouse-and-cargo-crane reality. The Tbilisi–Poti train crosses the whole country, finishing among the lagoons and pine forests of the Kolkheti lowlands.

It's a quieter, more local journey than the Batumi flagship — and that's exactly its charm. Travellers come for Kolkheti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage wetland where boat tours glide through flooded forests, for Maltakva beach, and for the unpolished, authentic side of Georgian coastal life.

Kolkheti National Park

Just south of Poti, Paliastomi Lake and the surrounding peat wetlands form one of Europe's most unusual ecosystems — part of the UNESCO 'Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands' site. Boat trips and kayaking run from the park visitor centre; birdwatchers come for pelicans and migrating raptors.

A different Black Sea

Poti doesn't compete with Batumi's skyline — it offers wide, empty Maltakva beach, a working lighthouse built in London in 1864, the round Poti Cathedral modelled on Hagia Sophia, and seafood straight off the boats. It pairs naturally with Ureki's magnetic sands, one stop down the line.

Practical notes

Services to Poti run along the main western corridor; fares are modest and the train comfortably beats the bus for space. Buy your railway ticket ahead on matarebeli.ge in summer, when coastal demand rises across the whole network.

Route at a glance

Schedules and fares change seasonally. For live departures and to buy Georgian Railway tickets for this route, use matarebeli.ge — the booking service for matareblis biletebi in English, with instant e-tickets.