GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Likani

Romanov refuge where Borjomi's sacred waters rise

Likani

Why go

Likani sits in a folded valley of the Borjomi Gorge, where carbonated mineral springs have drawn seekers for millennia—first mentioned by Strabo in the 1st century BCE. The village became imperial sanctuary when Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich Romanov built his summer palace here in 1892-95, a brick-and-timber confection of Russian Revival architecture surrounded by ornamental gardens. The springs feed directly into Borjomi's bottling operations, making this the literal source of Georgia's most famous export. Beyond the Romanov romance, Likani offers the particular hush of old spa towns: chestnut alleys, sanatorium architecture fading into forest, and the faint sulfur tang that signals healing waters underground.

On the ground See

  • The Romanov Palace, now Likani Park administration building, with its preserved wooden verandas and period interiors visible on arranged visits
  • The original mineral spring pavilion where visitors still fill bottles with naturally carbonated, 38°C water straight from the source
  • The Likani River gorge walking trail connecting the village to Borjomi Central Park through mixed broadleaf forest

Practical Know before you go

Best visited May–October; the palace interior requires advance booking through Borjomi-Likani National Park administration, while springs remain freely accessible year-round via marshrutka from Borjomi (20 minutes).

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly