What to Buy in Borjomi: Top 10 Souvenirs and Authentic Gifts

Borjomi pulls in visitors for the mineral springs and mountain air, but most people leave carrying the same three things: a plastic water bottle, a magnet, and vague regret about not looking harder. In 2026, the town’s souvenir scene has quietly improved — there are more small producers selling directly, fewer middlemen stacking up identical trinkets — but you still need to know where to go and what to look for. This guide cuts through the noise and tells you exactly what is worth buying and where to find it.

Borjomi Mineral Water and Water-Based Products

Yes, this is obvious. But most visitors buy the wrong format. The standard half-litre plastic bottles you find at every kiosk are fine for drinking during your stay, but they are not a meaningful souvenir and they are heavy to carry. What you want instead is one of the branded glass collector bottles — the dark-green ones with the embossed logo — sold at the Borjomi brand shop on Merab Kostava Street and at the spring park gift counter. These pack flat in luggage and actually look good on a shelf.

More interesting are the cosmetic products built around Borjomi mineral water: mineral-infused soaps, facial mists, and bath salts. A small local brand called Aqua Borjomi Cosmetics — it started selling in-person in late 2024 and now has a proper counter inside the park entrance — produces mineral soap bars (around 15–25 GEL each) that smell faintly of sulphur and pine, exactly as the spring itself does. They are made in small batches and are genuinely hard to find outside the region.

If you want the full ritual, fill your own bottle at the free outdoor tap in Borjomi Central Park. The water is slightly warm, almost salty, with a clean mineral edge that lingers. Locals bring big jugs on weekends. Bring a small glass bottle from home and do the same — the act of filling it is more memorable than any packaged product.

Local Honey and Bee Products from the Borjomi Valley

The forests around Borjomi — pine, fir, and the lower-elevation flowering meadows — produce honey with a distinctive dark colour and a resinous, almost woody taste. This is not the pale acacia honey sold all over Tbilisi. Borjomi-region honey tends to come from wildflower and linden blossoms, and the taste changes noticeably depending on which side of the valley the hives sit on.

Small producers sell directly along the road leading into town from the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park trailheads. Look for handwritten signs and glass jars lined up on fold-out tables — this is genuinely home-produced honey, not repackaged stock. A standard 500g jar costs 20–35 GEL depending on the producer and the season. Beeswax candles and propolis tinctures are usually sold alongside. The candles are a good lightweight gift — compact, beautifully scented, and very difficult to find in this quality in Tbilisi shops.

Churchkhela and Regional Sweets to Pack Home

Churchkhela — the candle-shaped strings of walnuts or hazelnuts dipped in thickened grape juice — is sold across Georgia, but the versions made in Samtskhe-Javakheti (the region Borjomi sits in) use a slightly thicker grape must coating and local walnuts that have a milder, creamier flavour than the Kakhetian variety. The difference is real and worth seeking out.

Buy from the women who sell directly outside the park gates rather than from the souvenir shops on the main street. The shop versions often travel from Tbilisi wholesale markets. The park-gate vendors typically make their own or source from nearby villages. Ask when it was made — fresh churchkhela, no more than a few days old, has a slight give when you press it. Older stock is brittle and the coating tends to crack and crumble.

Also look for pelamushi — a thick grape-and-walnut pudding that is sometimes sold in sealed plastic containers for travel — and local fruit leathers (tklapi) made from plum or cornelian cherry. These are genuinely regional and not as easily found in Tbilisi markets.

Wool and Felt Crafts from the Mtianeti Highlands

Borjomi sits at the edge of the southern Caucasus highlands, and traders from the mountain communities to the north regularly bring wool and felt goods down to sell here. The range includes felted slippers (nabukvari), small felt animals popular as children’s gifts, and heavier wool socks designed for actual mountain use — thick, slightly rough, with reinforced heels.

The wool socks are particularly worth buying if you plan to hike in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. At 10–20 GEL a pair, they are a fraction of the cost of synthetic hiking socks sold in Tbilisi outdoor shops, and they perform well in damp conditions. The felt slippers (typically 25–40 GEL) come in sizes for adults and children and are a practical souvenir that people actually use.

You will find these at the weekend market near the central bus station. The selection is better on Saturdays than Sundays — vendors from outlying villages tend to arrive Saturday morning.

Georgian Wine and Chacha Sourced Near Borjomi

Borjomi is not wine country in the way Kakheti is, but the surrounding region produces small quantities of wine from local growers, and several producers in nearby Akhaltsikhe and the Meskheti area have started bottling and labelling their output properly since 2024. Look for Meskhuri varieties — Meskhuri Mtsvane in particular — a slightly tart, floral white that is almost entirely drunk locally and very rarely reaches Tbilisi shops.

More widely available is chacha — the Georgian grape-marc spirit — sold in unlabelled glass bottles by local producers at the weekend market. Home chacha varies wildly in quality and strength. A good sign: clear liquid, no cloudiness, and a clean smell with no acetone sharpness. The market vendors are usually happy to let you smell before you buy. Prices run 15–30 GEL for a half-litre.

For labelled wine you can transport safely, the small shop on Kostava Street near the central park stocks regional bottles you will not find in standard Tbilisi supermarkets. The staff there in 2026 have been surprisingly knowledgeable — ask what came in that week.

Handmade Woodcraft and Decorative Items

The forests of the Borjomi valley feed a small but active woodcraft tradition. The most distinctive products are carved wooden spoons and ladles with decorative handles, small boxes with geometric inlay patterns, and — less common but worth finding — miniature carved relief panels depicting the mountain landscapes and old churches of the region.

One craftsman, working out of a small workshop just off the main pedestrian area near the park entrance, produces these panels to order and keeps a small stock of finished pieces for walk-in buyers. His work is recognisable by the fine grain of the Georgian walnut wood he uses and the absence of any painted finish — the colour is entirely natural. Prices for small panels start at around 80 GEL and rise quickly for larger pieces. This is genuinely handmade, not imported, and the difference in quality compared to the tourist-shop woodcraft is immediately obvious.

Carved wooden magnets and spoons at the souvenir kiosks are mass-produced and mostly sourced from Tbilisi wholesalers. They are not meaningless, but they are not what this region actually makes.

Where to Actually Shop in Borjomi

Borjomi is small, and shopping is concentrated in a few areas that are easy to walk between.

• Borjomi Central Park entrance area: The gift counter inside and the vendors just outside the gates. Best for mineral water products, churchkhela, and ceramic items. Busiest and most stocked on weekends and during summer.
• Weekend market near the central bus station (Avtostansia): The real local market. Runs Saturday and Sunday mornings from roughly 8am to 1pm. Honey, wool goods, chacha, seasonal produce, and occasionally woodcraft. Bring small bills — vendors rarely carry change for 50 GEL notes.
• Merab Kostava Street shops: The main commercial street has a handful of small shops with a more curated selection than the kiosks. Quality varies, but this is where you will find the Borjomi-branded glass bottles, regional wine, and some better-quality felt crafts.
• National Park trailhead road: The road leading toward the Borjomi-Kharagauli park entrance has roadside honey sellers and occasionally woodcraft. Better in summer and early autumn when producers are active.

2026 Budget Reality — What Things Cost

Prices in Borjomi have risen modestly since 2024, tracking general Georgian inflation, but the town remains significantly cheaper than Tbilisi for handmade and food-based souvenirs.

• Budget tier (under 30 GEL): Churchkhela strings (5–12 GEL each), mineral soap bars (15–25 GEL), wool socks (10–20 GEL a pair), half-litre chacha from the market (15–25 GEL), small felt animals (8–15 GEL), local honey 500g jar (20–30 GEL).
• Mid-range (30–100 GEL): Felt slippers (25–40 GEL), beeswax candles set (30–50 GEL), labelled regional wine bottle (25–60 GEL), small carved wooden spoon with decorative handle (30–55 GEL), collector glass Borjomi bottle (35–50 GEL).
• Comfortable spend (100 GEL+): Handmade carved wood panel (80–250 GEL depending on size), larger mixed gift sets assembled at park shops (100–150 GEL), premium Meskhuri wine from specialist shops (60–120 GEL).

Most market vendors and small producers do not accept card payment in 2026. ATMs are available on Kostava Street and near the park entrance. Withdraw cash before heading to the weekend market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take Borjomi mineral water on a plane?

Liquids over 100ml are not allowed in carry-on luggage under standard airline rules, which apply at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports in 2026. You can pack sealed Borjomi bottles in checked luggage. Glass collector bottles are best wrapped in clothing and placed in the centre of your bag to avoid breakage.

Is it safe to fill water directly from the free springs in Borjomi park?

Yes. The outdoor taps in Borjomi Central Park are the same mineral water source as the commercial product. The water is natural, unsanitised mineral water — perfectly safe for healthy adults. People with kidney conditions or those on low-sodium diets should check with a doctor first, as the mineral content is high.

What is the best day to visit Borjomi for shopping?

Saturday is the strongest day. The weekend market near the bus station is fullest on Saturday mornings, park vendors are well-stocked, and roadside producers are more likely to be present. Sunday mornings are acceptable but quieter. Weekday shopping is limited mostly to the fixed shops on Kostava Street.

Are Borjomi souvenirs significantly cheaper than in Tbilisi?

For food-based and handmade items — yes, noticeably. Honey, churchkhela, chacha, and wool goods bought directly from producers in Borjomi run 20–40% cheaper than comparable items in Tbilisi’s Dezerter Bazaar or tourist shops. Mass-produced magnets and generic crafts are similarly priced in both places.

Do Borjomi market vendors speak English?

Rarely, and in 2026 this has not changed much. Basic numbers and pointing work fine for most transactions. Having Google Translate with Georgian downloaded offline is useful. Younger shop owners on Kostava Street typically have some English. At the weekend market, bring a local phrase or two — vendors appreciate the attempt and it often results in a better price.

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📷 Featured image by Aleksandr Artiushenko on Unsplash.