Central Park and Mineral Spring

A pleasant riverside park where you can drink Borjomi mineral water warm and sulphurous from the source

The Central Park runs along the Mtkvari River through the centre of Borjomi, a pleasant strip of gardens, cafes, and pavilions. At its heart is the mineral spring — a heated, slightly sulphurous water that flows year-round from taps into a stone basin. Drinking it warm from the source is an experience: it tastes nothing like the carbonated, chilled bottle you buy in Tbilisi supermarkets, but the locals swear by its digestive properties.

A cable car runs from the park up the hillside to an observation point above the town, with views of the gorge and the forested slopes of the national park beyond. Amusement rides for children and the slightly dilapidated charm of a Soviet spa town still colour the park's atmosphere — it is simultaneously earnest and a little melancholy.

things to do sight park
A story
The spring that made Borjomi famous was rediscovered by a Russian officer in 1829, who stumbled upon it while hunting in the gorge. Word reached Tsar Nicholas I, who sent a relative to investigate — the relative was cured of a digestive ailment and the town's reputation as a spa resort was made. By the 1880s, Romanov royalty was arriving each summer and Borjomi water was being exported across the Russian Empire.