Hystory of Boulevard

Batumi Boulevard – where the trees tell stories and the sea is always near

If you are in Batumi, there is a place where you simply must walk to – or at least sit down on a bench and just watch the world. This is the Batumi Boulevard, the heart and lungs of the city, where the past, the present, and the future meet every day, and all under the shade of palm trees.

Do you also love those promenades where each step sweeps you into a new mood?

A French gardener and the meeting of the Georgian seashore

The history of the boulevard stretches back to the 1880s, when an ambitious Russian military governor decided to turn the seashore into not just a fishing port but into an elegant promenade. They invited the French landscape architect, Michael D’Alfonse, who thought ambitiously – and planted palm trees, roses, and pine trees where before there were only pebbles and reeds.

The result? A lush, green oasis on the shore of the Black Sea, which has become one of Batumi’s most important attractions today.

Where every stroll is an experience

Today, the boulevard is more than 7 kilometers long, and it is not just any promenade: there is a musical fountain, open-air cinema, bike paths, modern sculptures, and of course the iconic Ali and Nino statue as well. It is full of life at any time of the day – runners in the morning, ice cream eating families during the day, and in the evening, couples in love and roller-skating youths fill the place.

I even once saw an old man who was carrying a chess board, and with just one smile, he challenged tourists to a game. I lost. But I didn’t mind.

Not just for locals

The boulevard is not only a favorite among Georgians – tourists quickly fall in love with it too. And how could they not, when here one truly forgets which continent they are on? Because it simultaneously seems Mediterranean, bustling like Asia, and has the romance of Eastern Europe.

Have you ever been to a city where the promenade tells more about the lives of the locals than any museum? Write it in the comments!

Source: boulevard.gov.ge – History