Bakuriani opens 20 December, and the winter road in is via Borjomi

Bakuriani is about 30 km from Borjomi, roughly 180 km and two and a half to three and a half hours from Tbilisi, or about 150 km from Kutaisi. The road is sealed and does not need four-wheel drive. Shared vans run from Borjomi several times a day for around 3 GEL; a taxi from Borjomi is closer to 50 to 70 GEL. There are direct vans from Kutaisi, including a morning departure, but for most arrivals the transfer happens in Borjomi.

Prices for 2026/27 were not confirmed at the time of writing, so the figures below are last season's and should be treated as an order of magnitude rather than a quote. On the MTA lifts covering Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi, a single ride was 15 GEL, a day pass 55 GEL for adults and 28 GEL for children, two days 110 GEL, and a season pass 650 GEL, with a 5 GEL card on top. Gear rental ran about 40 GEL a day for skis or a board with boots. Didveli also runs night skiing.

The writer's advice is late January into early February, or the last two weeks of March, for decent snow without the crush — and to avoid roughly 30 December to 13 January, mid-February, and the spring school holiday around 8 to 14 March. Those windows are the difference between a lift queue and a run to yourself. For a host, they are also the weeks that fill first and the weeks worth holding back inventory for.

The narrow-gauge Kukushka line from Borjomi, suspended since March 2020, has a relaunch planned for December 2026 with no confirmed date. It is worth knowing about and not worth planning around: if it runs it is a reason in itself to come, and if it does not, nothing about the trip changes. The same applies to the private ski areas, Crystal Park and 25 Ski Park, which price separately from the MTA lifts and can be crowded and informal in a way the main slopes are not.