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- Cluster of Soviet-era sanatoria — The town’s main claim to fame: a ring of grand, once-luxurious spa hotels with ornate lobbies, mosaic halls and crumbling pool rooms. Walking around them (and joining a guided interior visit where offered) feels like stepping into a paused chapter of 20th-century spa culture.
- Tskaltubo Spa Park and colonnade — A shady, fountain-filled promenade where locals stroll and sip mineral water. It’s the social heart of the resort: good for people-watching and sensing how the spa town functioned in its heyday.
- Mineral springs & pump rooms — The radon-carbonate springs are what made Tskaltubo famous. You can see the pump-rooms and public intake points, taste the waters, and (depending on season) use local balneotherapy services still offered in working baths.
- Stalin’s
- Cluster of Soviet-era sanatoria — The town’s main claim to fame: a ring of grand, once-luxurious spa hotels with ornate lobbies, mosaic halls and crumbling pool rooms. Walking around them (and joining a guided interior visit where offered) feels like stepping into a paused chapter of 20th-century spa culture.
- Tskaltubo Spa Park and colonnade — A shady, fountain-filled promenade where locals stroll and sip mineral water. It’s the social heart of the resort: good for people-watching and sensing how the spa town functioned in its heyday.
- Mineral springs & pump rooms — The radon-carbonate springs are what made Tskaltubo famous. You can see the pump-rooms and public intake points, taste the waters, and (depending on season) use local balneotherapy services still offered in working baths.
- Stalin’s bunker / underground complex — An actual Cold War-era bunker and tunnel network carved near the spa district. Tours (when running) explain the strategic purpose and let you walk into spaces rarely seen above ground — eerie and historically fascinating.
- Tskaltubo Local History Museum — Small but useful: exhibits on the spa’s development, local ethnography and Soviet life. If you want context for the buildings you’re walking past, this is the place to get it quickly.
- House of Culture (Palace of Culture) — Typical Soviet cultural hub where concerts, plays and community events still happen. The interior and exterior murals/architecture capture the era’s aesthetic and it’s a good spot to catch local life or a low-cost event.
- Central Market (bazaar) — A down-to-earth place to buy seasonal produce, Georgian snacks and homemade goods. Great for a cheap, authentic meal and to practice a bit of Georgian with vendors.
- Tskaltubo Railway Station & surrounding Soviet streetscape — The station area has classic Soviet transit architecture and makes for a short, atmospheric walk — good photos and an easy way to feel the town’s layout and scale.
- Main Orthodox church in town — The active parish church is worth a quiet visit: simple religious architecture, local worshippers, and a chance to observe contemporary traditions in a spa town still anchored by faith and community.
- Sanatorium gardens, promenades and lookout points — Don’t skip the green spaces between complexes: landscaped paths, small viewpoints and the old spa gardens are perfect for relaxed wandering, photography and imagining the resort at its busiest.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.