Gagra is the old resort face of Abkhazia: a narrow Black Sea strip backed almost immediately by the Caucasus foothills. Palms, cypresses, sea air, and decaying imperial-resort architecture give it a mood very different from inland Georgia. Old Gagra, around the park and fortress, is the part worth your time.
The town was pushed as a subtropical health resort under Prince Alexander of Oldenburg at the start of the 20th century, then folded into the Soviet holiday machine. That history still shows in the seaside park, the colonnade, the wooden Gagripsh restaurant, and the palace above the coast. Older layers sit beside it: Abaata Fortress and Gagra Church go back to the early medieval period.
Gagra would be an easy recommendation if politics did not get in the way. Abkhazia's border and recognition status make travel legally and practically complicated, especially for anyone entering Georgia later. Treat this as a guide to what is there, not as advice to ignore current border rules.