Why go
Borjomi sits atop a volcanic spring whose mineral water was first bottled in 1890 and became the official drink of the Russian Imperial Court. The town's ornate Ekaterina Park—planted by Romanovs, complete with a pavilion over the original spring—preserves this gilded legacy. Beyond the promenades, Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park offers 85,000 hectares of old-growth forest and bear habitat, while the narrow-gauge railway (operating since 1902) still climbs to Bakuriani, where Soviet-era ski infrastructure meets modern pistes. The water itself remains the draw: naturally warm, carbonated, and rich in minerals, dispensed free from public taps throughout town.