Anaklia is a small beach resort on the western coast of Georgia, nestled along the Black Sea shore near the administrative border with Abkhazia. Once a discreet commercial port, the town today cultivates a dual profile: a family summer destination and the site of an ambitious port project that remains stalled.

Why visit Anaklia

Anaklia stands out for its expansive shoreline, dark sand characteristic of this stretch of coast, and moderate crowds compared to better-known resorts like Batumi. The resort attracts visitors for three main reasons:

• An extensive, underdeveloped beach suited to families seeking tranquility and swimming.
• The pedestrian bridge connecting Anaklia to Ganmukhuri, a striking laminated timber structure of unusual length for Europe.
• A lively summer music scene, anchored by the GEM Fest electronic music festival, which has helped put the town on the international map.

The atmosphere remains that of a modest village: tourist infrastructure clusters along a few streets, and the wild coastline reasserts itself quickly as you move away from the center.

History and identity of Anaklia

Anaklia long functioned as a Black Sea commercial port, a point of exchange between Georgia, the Ottoman world, and Russia. This position left traces in local culture, straddling Ottoman and Russian influences.

A popular toponymic legend recounts that a village mother named Anna supposedly cried out in despair after her child was taken: rkians Anna ("Anna cries" in Georgian). The village is said to have been called Anakria, the "crier,