How much extra travel time should I allow for the Sarpi border crossing (Georgia-Turkey) near Batumi during high season due to traffic?

From messages by 4 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 52 days ago

TL;DR

In July-August, traffic near the Sarpi border crossing (Georgia-Turkey) gets very heavy, especially after 5pm — the drive to Batumi airport can take 1-1.5 hours instead of the usual 20-30 minutes, since it's the only road. Leave earlier than you think you need to.

What the community said

One traveler reported being on the road from Sarpi for 1.5+ hours and still not arrived — during high season this is very common because there's only a single road to and from the border, with no alternate routes.

1.5+ hrs from Sarpi

If you're planning to cross via the Sarpi border, leave with a big time buffer — heavy traffic jams typically start after 5pm on this route.

traffic after 5pm

One traveler shared that due to traffic on this route, the drive to Batumi airport took over an hour instead of the usual 20-30 minutes.

over 1 hr to airport