Gonio Fortress

Gonio Fortress

Gonio Fortress
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles191 reviews
Excellent
65
Very good
72
Average
45
Poor
7
Terrible
2

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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papastudenta
Elista, Russia760 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2024 • Couples
Admission ticket 10 GEL. Large space with beautiful views. Very clean and original toilet. On the territory of the fortress a small museum, recreated tent city, residential structures, you can climb the walls. Remains of ancient buildings, thermals, running water - all the comforts of the Romans, chariots, huge crossbows, stone-throwing machines. With the weather we were lucky, in December it was good to walk, taking your time to view the ancient walls of the fortress and imagine antique times.
At the entrance are monuments to Prince Apsirtus of Colchida, who was allegedly killed by Jason (remember the Argonauts who sailed to Colchida for the golden rune?) and buried here, and to the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Kolhida, if anything, is not a Soviet truck that was assembled in Kutaisi, but an ancient kingdom located, among other things, in the territory of this fortress. I don't know if Adrian himself was in the fortress, but they founded it, apparently, during his reign.
It is also believed that the tomb of the apostle Matthew, who lived here after the death of Christ, is located in the fortress.
So even if you're far from history, you'll love it here.
Automatically translated
Written January 6, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dirk W
Alexandra Headland, Australia10,137 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
Just 4km from the border with Turkey, Gonio Fortress deserves a 1-hour stop. History books (Pliny) refers to this site in the 1st century as a well fortified Roman city with a theatre and hippodrome.
Nowadays the outer walls are pretty much what remains of it, but in remarkable good condition. Inside the walls there are ongoing excavations and you can see original water or sewer lines. They have a model "legionnaires camp" on display as well.
There is a grave that supposedly holds the body of Saint Matthias, one of the 12 apostles.
Written November 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tatjana M
Tbilisi, Georgia28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Family
Calling all history buffs! Immerse yourself in the spirit of the Roman Empire within the walls of the Gonio-Apsaros Fortress.
This monument holds a special place for fans of Greek mythology. Legend has it that in the 13th century BC, the Argonauts, led by Jason, arrived in Colchis (present-day Adjara) in search of the Golden Fleece. King Aeëtes, ruler of Colchis and son of the sun god Helios, sent his daughter Medea and her brother Apsyrtos to capture the Argonauts. However, Medea betrayed her father and helped Jason escape. In the ensuing conflict, the Argonauts killed Apsyrtos. To delay King Aeëtes' pursuit, they dismembered Apsyrtos' body and scattered the remains in the water. According to the myth, the Gonio-Apsaros Fortress now stands on the site where they buried what remained of Apsyrtos.
Written March 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sephora Noha
23 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
The outside walls are pretty much all that's left of this Fortress. You can climb them up in several places and get beautiful views. The garden is well taken care of with beautiful flowers and blooming trees.

It's worth the 5GEL it costs. I recommend doing this before doing a hike to Gonio cross to maximize your time in Gonio.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

YitzchakM
Or Yehuda, Israel1,137 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
This is one of those attractions that get onto a tour group’s itinerary because it happens to be on the way, is somewhat interesting, looks nice, and makes for a good bathroom break. In this case, our tour group was on our way back to Batumi from having driven right up to the Turkey Border crossing south of Batumi having begun earlier in the day in Kutaisi. We walked around the grounds of the fortress which looked nice but was NOT special at all (lots of better looking ruins in my own country). If you are passing by this fortress on your way to somewhere else, then it’s worth a half hour stop for the bathroom and to put a checkmark on your list of attractions to see in Georgia, BUT it definitely is not worth making a special trip to here just for this! I would have been just as happy had we not stopped here.
Written November 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert S
Zagreb, Croatia329 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Solo
Located close to Turkey border lies Gonio fortress, mostly noticeable by its well preserved stone walls. Despite being very big in size there are not many things to see inside, some excavations from various points in history and small museum. During winter months fortress is open for public, no admittance and you're probably be only visitor wandering it's premises.
Place is easily reachable by public transport, catch a bus from city center in direction of Sarpi, price is 1 lari and they run app. every 20 minutes. There are also nice beaches close to fortress
Written April 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Miotoni
Nairobi, Kenya612 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Solo
This fort was occupied by the Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. Not much left to see within the walls. Good little museum, but overall, not that impressive. You have to use your imagination.
Written August 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paweł M
Warsaw, Poland27 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Friends
There's practicaly nothing in there. Area look unkempt and littered. There is mini museum inside, but it takes 5 minutes to see it all.
Written May 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maarten V
Leuven, Belgium609 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
The remaining fortress is mainly an Ottoman structure, but inside you will find Roman and Byzantine remains - quite far from Rome indeed. The small museum contains some artifacts but most have been transferred to other museums. There are also replicas of shields and swords and other photo opportunities which will be great for kids. You can easily get here by bus or by marshrutka, and afterwards have a drink at Gonio's beach which is less touristic than the one at Batumi.
Written August 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sus1952
Palmerston North, New Zealand2,105 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Couples
I was very disappointed in this fortress. All that is left is the walls built by the Ottomans. Although Romans and Byzantines have occupied this area there is very little left of the structures that these people left.
Written May 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Gonio Fortress - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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