Bakuriani starts its lifts on 20 December, and the fortnight straight after is the one to avoid
The travel guide Wander-Lush, updated on 17 October 2026, says Didveli and Kokhta are confirmed to open on 20 December 2026, snow permitting. Its own recommendation is to ski Bakuriani from late January to early February or in the last two weeks of March, and to stay away over the New Year break, roughly 30 December to 13 January. A day on the lifts in the main zones is listed at 55 lari, with a 5-lari Multicard on top, though the guide notes 2026/27 prices are not yet confirmed.
The date, and the weeks around it
Didveli and Kokhta are set to open on 20 December, subject to snow and weather, and the closing date has not been announced; last season the lifts shut on 29 March. The guide's own advice on when to go is more useful than the opening date itself. It recommends late January to early February, or the last two weeks of March, and names three periods to avoid: the New Year break from roughly 30 December to 13 January, mid-February, and the spring holidays around 8 to 14 March. Those are the weeks when Georgian families and regional visitors fill the place, so a trip timed for the first week of the season sits right against the worst of it.
What a pass costs, with the card nobody mentions
For the three state-run zones, Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi, the listed prices are 15 lari for a single ride, 55 for a day, 110 for two days, 296 for seven days and 650 for the season, with children at roughly half on each. There are family passes at 135 lari for two adults and two children, and 160 for two adults and three. The detail that catches people out is the Multicard: 5 lari per person on top, needed before you can load a pass at all. Crystal, which is private, lists 55 lari for a day, 30 for a night session and 80 for the full twelve hours, with its gondola up to the Skyline cafe at 25 lari. The guide says 2026/27 prices are not yet confirmed, so treat these as last published rather than final.
Which zone suits whom
Didveli, topping out at 2,702 metres, is the family side: five lifts, the resort's only green run, three blue runs and eight red or black ones, and night skiing until ten. Kokhta at 2,175 metres and Mitarbi at 2,207 are the more advanced pair, with no green runs between them, six blue, and lifts running only from ten in the morning to a quarter to five, with no night skiing. Crystal is a private area with a 2.5-kilometre run and a 350-metre children's slope. The 25 Ski Park is informal, charges one to three lari a ride in cash, and the guide warns about quad bikes and snowmobiles sharing the space. Beginners and families with small children want Didveli; this matters because a pass bought for the wrong zone is not a transferable mistake.
Getting there, and the train that may come back
Bakuriani is about 180 kilometres from Tbilisi, two and a half to three and a half hours depending on the road and the weather, via the Rikoti highway, a turn at Khashuri towards Borjomi and then the mountain road up. Winter tyres are required for the area and police check for them; the approach from Akhalkalaki is closed in winter. Fill the tank in Khashuri or Borjomi, because fuel costs more in the resort, and note that local bus fares of 1 lari are card-only. The guide also records that the narrow-gauge Kukushka train, which stopped running in March 2020, is planned to relaunch in December 2026, with no date or timetable confirmed. For anyone selling winter trips, that is one to watch rather than to advertise.
Written by us from the source linked above, not investment, legal or tax advice. Figures and rules change — confirm anything that matters before acting on it.
