- Source temperature
- 47°C
- Bathing temperature
- 40°C
- Bathing
- Indoor
Abanotubani — literally the bath district — is built directly over sulphur springs that rise at up to about 47°C. Behind low brick domes, private rooms hold stone pools where bathers book by the hour, usually with a kisi scrub.
Balnevia view
Why visit
It is the oldest continuously used bathing quarter in the Caucasus, and still an ordinary part of Tbilisi life rather than a resort.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Abanotubani Sulphur Baths.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Tbilisi sulphur springs
- Character
- Strongly sulphurous water, characteristically pungent
History
Tbilisi's founding legend attributes the city to the discovery of these springs by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the fifth century. The surviving bathhouses, including the tiled Orbeliani, are largely seventeenth- to nineteenth-century.
Practical information
Most bathhouses rent private rooms rather than selling general admission; agree the room, the duration and any scrub or massage before entering. The sulphur smell is strong and will linger on swimwear.
Getting there
In the Old Town below Narikala Fortress, a 10-minute walk from Liberty Square; the nearest metro is Avlabari.
Location
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