New Athos

General information about the resort

New Athos - a small town in Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast. It is located almost in the center of the coast of Abkhazia, 80 kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation and 25 kilometers from the capital Sukhum (New Athos on the map of Abkhazia. Despite its small size and population (less than 2000 people live) New Athos is one of the most popular resorts in Abkhazia.

The history of the city is very eventful, and begins at least in the III century. It is to that period that the first mention of the ancient city of Anakopia on the site of the present new Athos, which became the capital of the Principality of Abazgia and the Abkhazian Kingdom, belongs. During the period of its existence, it repeatedly changed its affiliation, and each new government partially destroyed ancient monuments and built its own. Despite this, many historical sights have survived to this day, some of the most important and interesting in Abkhazia.

New Athos monastery — Panteleimon Cathedral

In this guide to New Athos you can find out everything you need for an independent trip or vacation in this resort. If you prefer an organized vacation on a ticket, you can find and book tours to Abkhazia, including installment payment, using the following proven online search and booking services, or through the search form:

Holidays in New Athos

New Athos is not often chosen as the main place for recreation, since the town is better known as an excursion place, which is visited from other larger resort cities of Gagra, Sukhum, Pitsunda to explore the sights. Indeed, there is a whole cluster of historical places, important temples and monasteries, natural attractions.

However, this does not mean that you will not be able to spend all your rest here. In our opinion (the authors of the site) this is generally one of the best places to stay in Abkhazia. Here you can combine beach holidays and trips to attractions, and it is also one of the cleanest and most cozy resorts in the country. In the center there is a very beautiful and well-groomed park, there is entertainment, including for children. Entertainment for adults, nightclubs, bars, there is no. Frankly speaking, the infrastructure here is very poorly developed, but everything you need for a relaxing holiday is available: there is a dining room, several cafes and kebabs, a restaurant, a pizzeria, shops and a market, selling excursions to all corners of Abkhazia.

The only weak point of New Athos is the beaches. They are here, as elsewhere in Abkhazia, pebbly, long, clean water. But the infrastructure is poorly developed, there is little entertainment. The embankment here is conditional, remaining from Soviet times and destroyed, but very beautiful during the flowering of plants. It is also inconvenient that in the center the road runs right along the beach, there is no first line, and to get to the sea, you have to cross the main highway of the country every time.

Hotels in New Athos, where to stay

Accommodation options in New Athos, like almost everywhere else in Abkhazia, are mainly represented by private guest houses or apartments (houses, rooms). These serviced hotels are hardly a dozen of more than a hundred offers. It is best to book accommodation in good hotels in advance, private accommodation can be found immediately before the trip or on the spot.

You can find and book accommodation in New Athos on the following sites, or through the search form below:

Now as for choosing a place to stay. New Athos is conditionally divided into the historical part or center (center on the map), as well as the residential part, which is located on the outskirts.

If you live in the center, you will be close to attractions, the city park, and the main infrastructure. But the disadvantage of the center is that there are always a lot of visiting tourists from other resorts. Also note that some accommodation options are on the slopes and tops of hills, so if you choose an unsuccessful place to stay, you will have to go down and up to the beach every time.

If you are located in a residential area on the outskirts, you will find yourself in a more secluded environment, but each time you have to get to the center and attractions on foot or by taxi, which, however, is not so far, only 10-15 minutes on foot. As for the beaches, they are the same everywhere, both on the outskirts and in the center.

Map of New Athos with hotels and attractions

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Weather and tourist seasons in New Athos, when to go

The tourist season in New Athos theoretically lasts all year round, but beach holidays here are possible only from May to October inclusive. That being said, Not All months are actually very well suited for shore holidays, especially with children:

May. The air at the end of May is already warm, you can even sunbathe, but the sea is still too cold for a comfortable swim, with children is not recommended. Also keep in mind that the tourist infrastructure is not yet fully operational at this time: many cafes and entertainment are just preparing to open.
June. In June, especially in the second half, the sea becomes warm. At this time you can come on vacation even with children
July and August. The best season for recreation, but at this time there is the largest influx of tourists and rising prices. But there are not so many vacationers to avoid rest at this time.
September and October. The holiday and school holiday season ends and the velvet season begins. Most vacationers leave, prices fall. But the weather is still very comfortable for rest until the beginning of October. This is the perfect time to relax, but it gets too cool in the second half of October, so it's best to plan your trip in the first half.

Seasons in New Athos by month, when is it better to go
Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov.	Dec

* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit

Current weather in New Athos and forecast

Sights in New Athos, what to see

New Athos is one of the main centers of concentration of attractions in Abkhazia along with the Ritsinsky National Reserve. But if in the Ritsinsky reserve you can see mainly natural beauty, then in New Athos and its surroundings there are many historical and cultural attractions, including The New Athos monastery, the temple and grotto of Simon the Canaanite, the ancient anakopian fortress, the museum-dacha of Stalin. There are also natural attractions here, in particular, the most beautiful new Athos cave in the country, natural pools of three boilers, healing hydrogen sulfide Springs.

In addition to well-known and popular attractions, from New Athos you can visit several more interesting places that will be of interest to adventurers and little-trodden routes. So, you can go on a hiking trip along the trails to the surrounding hills and villages, during which you can see an old steam locomotive on a mountain on a section of an abandoned railway; look at the city and the coast from one of the many natural viewing platforms on the hills; the ruins of a 6th-century temple on the way to the village of Akuacha; waterfalls on the Mysra River. In general,if you want not to sit still and see something, the sights in New Athos and the surrounding area will last for 5 days or even more.

And when you see everything, you can easily go on excursions to other attractions of the country. They are sold in hotels or at distributors on the streets, prices start from 500 rubles. You can get to Sukhum, Gagra and other cities during the day by yourself on buses running along the main E60 Highway.

Learn more about everything attractions of New Athos with the cost of visiting, opening hours and ways to get to them yourself here.

Temple of Simon the Canaanite in New Athos

How to get to New Athos

New Athos is located 80 kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation and 25 kilometers from the capital Sukhum (New Athos on the map of Abkhazia). You can get here from the border crossing with the Russian Federation by bus, taxi, and from the Russian Federation by train, electric trains, and your own transport.

It is best for Russian citizens to get to New Athos from the territory of the Russian Federation through the Psou checkpoint in the village of Veseloe in Adler using an internal Russian passport, and in no case present a foreign one. Note in the passport about crossing the border of the Russian Federation-Abkhazia can further bring serious problems when visiting Georgia (see more about this How to get to Abkhazia). If you want to get here officially from the point of view of the Georgian authorities, then this can be done only with a foreign passport after obtaining the appropriate permits through the Inguri checkpoint on the border with Georgia.

Learn more about all the ways to get to New Athos on your own, schedules and transport costs here.

🕒 21 May, 2026

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