Skip to main content
Geotour

Photos: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Mostafameraji (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mostafameraji (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Tbilisi

Tbilisi & Surroundings · City

Getting there
International airport about 17 km (25–30 min) from the centre
Best time
April–June, September–October
Recommended stay
2–3 days

About Tbilisi

Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, spreads along the Mtkvari river gorge between Narikala fortress and the Mtatsminda ridge. It is where most trips begin and end, and it deserves 2–3 days of its own. Walk the Old Town from the domed sulphur baths of Abanotubani up to Narikala, cross the Bridge of Peace, spend a morning with the gold of the Georgian National Museum and eat your way through the city's wine bars and khinkali houses. Every day trip in this area starts from here.

Tours Including Tbilisi

See all 15 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • Old Town and Abanotubani

    Lanes of wooden balconies above the domed sulphur baths, where you can book a private bath room by the hour.

  • Narikala fortress

    The 4th-century fortress on the ridge above the Old Town, reached on foot or by cable car from Rike Park, beside the Kartlis Deda statue.

  • Georgian National Museum

    The archaeology treasury on Rustaveli Avenue shows gold jewellery from Colchis and Vani. Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba): The large cathedral consecrated in 2004 on Elia hill.

  • Anchiskhati Basilica

    The oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, from the 6th century, in the Old Town.

  • Rustaveli Avenue

    The 19th-century avenue with the Opera and Ballet Theatre, Parliament and the Dry Bridge flea market nearby.

Nearby

  • Mtskheta

    The ancient capital with Jvari monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (UNESCO), about 25 km (30–40 min).

  • David Gareja

    Cave monasteries in the semi-desert on the Azerbaijan border, about 100 km (2 h).

  • Ananuri

    The fortress on the Georgian Military Highway above the Zhinvali reservoir, about 70 km (1–1.25 h).

  • Sighnaghi

    The walled wine town above the Alazani Valley, about 113 km (2 h).

Location41.6938° N, 44.8015° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

International airport about 17 km (25–30 min) from the centre; trains and roads connect it with Kutaisi, Batumi, Zugdidi and Yerevan, and it is the starting point for all our day trips.

Best time

April–June, September–October

Best time

Spring and autumn are warm and dry for walking; July and August are hot, often above 30 °C, and winter is mild with occasional snow and few crowds.

Recommended stay

2–3 days

Getting there

Tbilisi International Airport is about 17 km (25–30 min) from the centre.

Getting around

The metro and buses take contactless bank cards; taxis are cheap through apps such as Bolt.

Walking

The Old Town is hilly with steep cobbled lanes; the cable car saves the climb to Narikala.

Heads-up

Many museums close one day a week and hours change, so we check them for your dates.

Time needed

Allow at least two full days for the city.

History & culture

Culture

Old Tbilisi was a city of many peoples, and it still shows: within a few streets of the Old Town you find Georgian churches, an Armenian cathedral, a synagogue and a mosque. Georgian polyphonic singing, on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, can be heard at church services and at supra dinners with a tamada (toastmaster). The city's festival, Tbilisoba, takes place in October with food and wine stalls in the old centre.

History

According to tradition, King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded the city in the 5th century beside hot springs; the name comes from the Georgian word tbili, "warm". His successors moved the capital here from Mtskheta. Standing on the routes between the Black Sea, Persia and the North Caucasus, Tbilisi was held in turn by Persians, Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans, and David the Builder retook it in 1122. The Persian army of Agha Mohammad Khan sacked it in 1795. Under Russian rule from 1801 it grew into the Caucasus's main city, with the boulevards and theatres of Rustaveli Avenue, and in 1991 it became the capital of independent Georgia.

Local Cuisine

Tbilisi is where you taste every region in one place: Adjarian and Megrelian khachapuri, khinkali in the Old Town, and natural qvevri wine in the many small wine bars. For fresh produce, spices and churchkhela go to the Dezerter Bazaar near the railway station, and try the tarragon and cream soda of Lagidze Waters, a Georgian lemonade maker founded in 1887, at its café on Rustaveli Avenue.

Accommodation

The widest choice in Georgia: international chain hotels on Rustaveli Avenue and in Vake, design hotels such as Stamba and Rooms in the old Vera district, boutique hotels in Sololaki and the Old Town, and good guesthouses and hostels, including Fabrika in a former Soviet sewing factory. For walking, Sololaki, the Old Town and Vera are the most convenient areas.