Tbilisi guide – 21 Tbilisi travel tips to make your trip easier

Tbilisi, the awesome capital of Georgia and one of my favorite cities, is getting more and more popular with each year.

I’ve been visiting Tbilisi frequently for the past 8 years – the number of tourists increased, a lot and Tbilisi tourism is developing rapidly.

And I do get it, the city is amazing, with so much to offer that everyone should find something interesting.

If you are planning to visit Georgia I put together a small Tbilisi guide with numerous Tbilisi travel tips that will hopefully make your trip smoother.

Where is Tbilisi Georgia?

First things first – Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is located in the Caucasus region.

The country has borders with Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and it used to be part of the Soviet Union.

The local time is GMT +3 in the summer and GMT +4 in winter.

When is the best time to visit Tbilisi, Georgia?

I’ve been to Tbilisi in all seasons and my favorite time is either spring or autumn.

Summers can be insanely hot there, the city is also full of tourists so you might wait a bit in line for a cable car or for a table at the restaurant.

On the other hand, winters can be unpredictable. If you plan a trip to Tbilisi aim for either spring or autumn.

Money in Tbilisi

The local currency in Georgia is lari (GEL). At the time of writing this article (March 2019), 1 GEL was approximately $0,38 and €0,33.

I assume Georgian lari isn’t readily available all over the world, but you don’t need to worry about it.

There are numerous ATMs all over Tbilisi so you can get your money without problems. Just be careful as some ATMs charge the commission – i.e., ProCredit Bank on Liberty Square.

If you want to exchange money the easiest will be US dollars, Euro or Russian rubles.

There are numerous exchange points all over the city (I know by heart at least 3 at Kote Afkhazi street – the main road in Old Tbilisi that connects Liberty Square with Metekhi Bridge), and you will easily spot them.

The rates are more or less similar to all of them, the majority of these points also don’t take the commission.

You can also pay by card with most of the cafes, restaurants, shops and other places.

How to get to Tbilisi

There are numerous way how to get to Tbilisi: plane, train, bus, marshrutka – you name it.

If you arrive from abroad, you will most likely fly to Georgia, either to Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport.

To get from Tbilisi airport to the city center, you need to take bus no 37.

It runs 24/7 from the airport to the central train station via Avlabari metro station, Liberty Square and Rustaveli. The ticket costs 0,50 lari (~ $0,20 / €0,17) and can be bought onboard – you need to place the travel card on top of the grey ticket machine and collect the printed ticket (if you don’t have it you can ask fellow passengers to do it for you and give them money, it’s also possible to throw the coins to the machine directly).

You can check the schedule of the buses on the TTC website.

Alternatively, if you already have the internet data or if the airport wifi works well, you might take Yandex Taxi – a local version of Uber, popular in many post-USSR countries.

Everything works just like with Uber, you only need to download the app before the trip, and you’re free to go.

The big advantage of Yandex Taxi is that you can pay by cash, whereas in Uber it’s not always possible.

From the Liberty Square, the Yandex Taxi should cost just under 20 lari.

If you arrive in Georgia with low-cost airlines, you will most likely land at Kutaisi International Airport. That’s actually how I most often reach Georgia, and there are no issues with getting to Tbilisi from there.

A company called Georgian Bus operates Kutaisi airport – Tbilisi route, with the departure time suitable for flight arrivals.

They wait for all the passengers and depart when everyone is on the bus, usually within an hour after the plane arrives. They also have enough seats for everyone.

You can buy the ticket online or get it after arriving at Kutaisi (that’s what I always do) – Georgian Bus stand is directly in front of the exit from the arrivals zone.

One way ticket costs 20 lari, but if you buy a return (you need to tell them when exactly you are going back), it’s 36 lari.

The journey from Kutaisi airport to Tbilisi takes around 4 hours, in Tbilisi buses arrive and depart from Liberty Square.

If you come from Yerevan, Armenia or Baku, Azerbaijan most likely you will arrive by train.

The station is well connected with central Tbilisi by metro, it’s two stops away from Rustaveli and three from Liberty Square.

You might also arrive by bus/marshrutka (uncomfortable minibus, the most popular form of local transport in former USSR countries) to Tbilisi, in that case, it depends on the destination where you will arrive from.

Marshrutkas from Kutaisi, Batumi and other destinations in Western Georgia arrive to Didube – you can take the metro from there to the center.

Comfortable vans from Yerevan arrive at Avlabari – it’s very close to the center and with the good metro connection. Marshrutkas from Yerevan (not really recommended) or buses from Turkey come to Ortachala bus station – it’s more tricky to get to the center from there, buses no 50 or 71 go directly to Liberty Square.

How to get around Tbilisi

You will walk to many places in Tbilisi, especially in and around the Old Town.

But the good thing is Tbilisi has an efficient and easy to navigate the public transport system.

There are two metro lines, numerous buses, and cable cars that you can use, one ride costs 0,50 lari (although if you change between mode of transportation within a certain time you are not charged for another ticket, I haven’t figured out yet how long it is).

You can get a public transport card in the metro station (I got my ages ago, it was and still is 2 lari), charge it how much you want and use it for how many people you want.

If there are three of you, you don’t need to get three separate cards. Instead, each of you can use the same card to get the ticket.

You can check beforehand which buses you will need at the website of Tbilisi public transport company – it’s easy to navigate.

Once at the bus stop screens are showing the nearest departure, with the destinations written in both Georgian and English.

In the new blue buses, you will find the ticket machine in the middle door, in the old yellow ones you should enter through the front door.

With the public transport card, you can also use cable cars to Narikala fortress (2,50 lari one way) and to from Vake Park to Turtle Lake (1 lari/one way).

The funicular to Mtatsminda requires a separate card, it costs 2 lari and then the ticket is 3 lari/one way.

The card can be bought and charged at the lower station of the funicular if more people are traveling together one card is enough for everyone.

Where to stay in Tbilisi

My number one Tbilisi accommodation is Hotel Flower. I stayed there during my last visit to Tbilisi, and I know I will be staying there again.

Everything about this hotel was great – the location, the staff, the large, spotless room and filling breakfast.

But the absolute best thing about the place was the view, I don’t think I know a hotel in Tbilisi with a better view really.

The hotel is located on the 6th floor, and each room is facing the city – I got a view towards Mother Georgia, Narikala, Avlabari and beyond.

There is also a terrace from where you can see the view in all the directions. Just stunning!

For my three nights stay, I paid 204 lari which I think is a very reasonable price for everything the hotel offers.

It has the rating of 9.9/10 on Booking – you hardly see such a high rates there!

Click here to see current rates and book Hotel Flower

Other recommended places to stay in Tbilisi:

• ALCATRAZ JAIL-HOSTEL (9.5/10 on Booking)
• Fabrika Tbilisi (9.0/10 on Booking)
• Tuta Hotel (9.5/10 on Booking)

What to do in Tbilisi

This list can be long really.

First and foremost head to the Old Tbilisi and get lost in the maze of streets there.

Visit some of the amazing old churches (did you know Georgia was among the first countries that took Christianity as the state religion?), including Sioni Cathedral.

Take the cable car (or walk) to Narikala Fortress and while you are there say hello to Mother Georgia.

Go to the old baths. Hang out in the Rike Park and walk across the funky Bridge of Peace.

Walk down Rustaveli Avenue to admire the splendid architecture. Go shopping at the Dry Bridge flea market and walk the Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue.

And don’t even get me started with the Soviet architecture in Tbilisi! There are so many things to do in Tbilisi, really!

How many days should you stay in Tbilisi

I think the absolute minimum is 2 days in Tbilisi but the more, the better.

I’ve already spent around 4 weeks here in total, and I still haven’t seen everything I wanted to. It’s one of these places that the more time you spend here, the more things to do you find.

Where to eat in Tbilisi

Let’s start with the most important fact here – Georgian food is hands down the best.

As a vegetarian, there are so many options I can choose from that make Georgia food heaven for me.

I have one favorite place to eat in Tbilisi (that is currently going through renovation, unfortunately) and that’s Racha at Lermontov street.

If a friend wouldn’t have taken me there the first time I don’t think I’d notice this place myself, or be brave enough to enter.

But don’t get discouraged, Racha might not look fancy (although it improved a lot over the years) but it offers some of the best and cheap food.

If Racha is closed or busy another place I visit frequently is Samikitno.

It’s a chain, they have numerous locations all over the city. However, I most often go to the one at Liberty Square.

They are open 24/7 which is good when you arrive in the city early in the morning and are dying to get some Georgian food (which is often how I start my visits in Tbilisi).

Their dishes are good, and the prices are affordable too (I never paid more than 20 lari there, including the service, and I always left full).

Cafes in Tbilisi

You might not know or expect it but Tbilisi is kind of like a hipster capital of Eastern Europe. The number of cool places to visit here is outstanding and that also applies to the cafes.

So many great places opened up here recently that again, a week wouldn’t be enough to visit them all. So if you are looking a good cafe in Tbilisi here are my top picks:

• Althaus Tea Room
• Coffeesta
• Moulin Electrique
• Skola Coffee & Wine Bar
• Linville
• Double B

Where to go out in Tbilisi

To be honest, I’m not much of a party animal so I can’t personally recommend any place to go out in Tbilisi.

Everyone kept raving about Bassiani – an iconic techno club located in the former Soviet pool in the basement of Dinamo stadium.

Knowing how Fabrika looks like in the daylight, I assume this might be an excellent place for a night out too!

Day trips from Tbilisi

Tbilisi can be a perfect base for day trips around. The most popular is Mtskheta, the holy city of Georgia located only 20 km away from Tbilisi.

Other places you can easily visit as day trips from Tbilisi include David Gareja, Sighnagi, Gori, Uplistsikhe, Ananuri or Kazbegi (although the last one definitely deserves more than a day in my opinion).

Here you can check the details and current prices of day trips from Tbilisi:

• David Gareji Monastery and Signagi Wine Tasting Private Tour
• Kazbegi, Gergeti & Ananuri Mountains Private Full-Day Tour
• Tbilisi: Mtskheta, Gori, Stalin Museum & Uplistsikhe Tour
• Borjomi & Bakuriani: Small Group Full-Day Tour from Tbilisi
• From Tbilisi: Private Day Trip to Armenia

Be careful when walking around

And I don’t even mean crazy local drivers. This might sound silly but be careful when wandering around Tbilisi.

Dogs poop is a big problem here, some of the streets are so full of them you need almost to jump around. You don’t want to end up with one on your shoes…

Be brave to get lost

Old Tbilisi is an incredible maze of streets.

Be brave, hide the map and wander aimlessly around. Don’t be afraid to get lost. You don’t even know how many amazing wonders you can find around.

That’s actually how once I found probably the most colorful house in Tbilisi, still with “for rent” sign – today it’s one of the biggest attractions of the area.

Be curious

One of the highlights of Tbilisi is beautiful yards. Be curious, step inside and see them too. They are beautiful and again might hide some wonders waiting for you to find them!

Be observant

Tbilisi is all about the details. Tiles, sculptures, mosaics, paintings – you will see a wide variety of all of these in Tbilisi. Be observant and catch as many of these details as possible!