How to travel from Batumi to Trabzon or Rize–Artvin Airport via the Sarpi border crossing early in the morning

From messages by 6 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 40 days ago

TL;DR

For an early flight from Rize–Artvin Airport, cross the Sarpi border well in advance: minibuses from Batumi start running early, then continue from Hopa towards Rize. Allow substantial extra time for immigration queues at Sarpi.

What the community said

To reach Rize by 6:00 am, plan to leave Batumi overnight or position yourself on the Turkish side in advance; catching an early morning minibus to Sarpi may not get you to Rize in time.

Rize, 6:00 am

Sarpi border control is a separate part of the journey: even when arriving early in the morning, leave buffer time for queues and passport checks between Georgia and Turkey.

Sarpi border crossing

For a late-night trip from Sarpi to Trabzon or Rize–Artvin Airport, do not rely solely on regular minibuses: after crossing, onward transport normally needs to be arranged on the Turkish side via Hopa.

Hopa, Trabzon, Rize–Artvin Airport

Arriving at the Georgia–Turkey border around 6:00–7:00 am does not guarantee a quick crossing: processing time at Sarpi varies with vehicle and passenger traffic.

6:00–7:00 am, Sarpi border crossing