Hello everyone,
In this post I want to share how I usually host my guests from abroad when they come to Tbilisi for the first time. As a former couchserfer I have designed a 1-2 day plan of activities, sightseeings, food places you need to try in this city, also some tips and advices, hope it will be helpful and as a disclaimer I want to say this is just my own way of planing 1-2 day trips in Tbilisi, in case if other Georgians will not agree ?
Arriving:
The moment you will leave the airport a lot of taxi drivers will come and start offering ‘good prices’ to take you to the city center. Don’t take those taxis. If I don’t have big luggage I usually take bus 37. It’s 24/7 and the bust takes you to the city center with the last stop at the station square, which is quite convinient. Usually international flights arrive late at night, so there will be no traffic-jams and the bus will need just 15 minutes to get you to the centre.
If you have taking public transport or have big luggage I suggest to install Taxify app. There is free internet at the airport and you can get a taxi for fixed price with Taxify app (available in English as well). Make sure to install it in advance and attach your card to it. You can pay in cash as well, but you’d better exchange money in the city for better rates. Personally I almost never use cash, everywhere it is possible to pay via cards, but if you still need cash I recommend to exchange money in exchange booths rather than in banks, as banks have worse rates (but for little amount it doesn’t really matter).
Staying:
Here I am not a big expert, but usually I tell people to try Fabrika Hostel. It’s a hipster hostel (single rooms available too), perfect for your instagram. It is in the city center, it has caffees and restaurants in the yard, also Impact Hub Tbilisi branch is there, if you need to do some work. There are a lot of couchsurfers here, if you are budget-travelling or you can get nice airbnb deals here. For more luxurious stays I’d probably recommend Rooms Hotel or Radisson.
Must sees and to dos:
Probably the first impression you’ll have will be from bus or taxi, when you will pass Narikala Castle with the nice old city views on the way to Baratashvili bridge. Day or night, the image is always amazing. So the first thing you need to do is of course go to the old city. What I usually do with my friends/guests: we walk from Rustaveli Main Street to Freedom Square. You’ll pass the Opera House, Parliament building and National Museum. I am not a big fan of museums, so I usually avoid it, but the ticket is quite cheap and you can do some jewelry shopping at the museum, where they have replicas of the items found in the museum.
From Freedom Square take Kote Apkhazi street and you’ll end up at Rike. Take a walk in Abanotubani where you will find old sulfur bathes, maybe if you have time even go for it and relax. Little hint, if you are not travelling with the guide it is always hard to notice little passage behind the sulfur bathes, which leads you to a little valley called Leghvtakhevi where there are tiny little bridges and a waterfall with beautiful houses leaning from the rock, perfect place to get photos.
After that you can walk on the bridge to the Roses park, where you can find a ropeway. Take ropeway which will take you near the statue of Mother Georgia, which overlooks the city. You can walk down the stairs and go to Narikala Castle. From Narikala you can walk down back to the Rike and if it is spring, or autumn or summer walk up to the botanical garden for a nice walk and again for good photo opportunities.
Now when you are in Georgia lots of Georgians love showing different churches. What I like to do, I take them to Avlabari to see Sameba (trinity) Cathedral. It is one of the biggest churches in Europe. It will be about 10 minutes walk from Avlabari metro. It has a beautiful garden and it overlooks Tbilisi from another side. If you see this church the rest of the churches will be pretty much the same but smaller and with different icons inside. When you are finished seeing the church in the garden there is small cafe called Laghidze Waters. Go there and order Georgian traditional food Khachapuri. It’s cheese in bread and there are different types of it. My personal favourite is Imeruli, but a lot of people prefer Adjaruli. Of course order a lemonade too, I recommend mixture of chocolate and cream.
From early morning till about 6pm you can go to Dry bridge for flea market. You can find lots of unique thing here and I also enjoy taking photos there. You can walk in Deda Ena park right next to it or have coffee at a Book Corner cafe.
If you still have time you need to take funicular, which will take you to the TV Tower. I like going there in the evening or at night to get the night view of the city. It has an amusement park if you go during a day. There are cafes and restaurants overlooking the city. It’s a great place to spend the evening.
Foods and places to go out
Georgian food is quite heavy, so be ready for it. Things you really should try if you are not vegan: Khachapuri and Khinkali. Try different types of both of them. There will a lot more to discover in the traditional Georgian restaurants. I would recommend to go to Khasheria near Abanotubani. For a bit cheaper option you can go to Machakhela, but it is always crowded and the service is very slow.
If you are vegan or vegetarian life will be harder here for you. A go to place will be Kiwi Cafe, which is vegan place and right in the city center. From famous Georgian food you should try eggplants with pomegranate and walnuts as well as various types of pkhali with corn-bread called Mchadi. There are Khinkalis available with potatoes or mushrooms instead of meat, but I would not really recommend it. I recommend mushrooms roasted with Sulguni cheese on them.
As for going out, I don’t love clubs or drink often, but still I would recommend to really go to Bassiani if you enjoy clubbing or Khidi. You can also go to Galery, which is on Rustaveli. For bars you can go to Ambavi, Success Bar, Mozaika, Atoneli or Bauhaus Bar in Deda Ena Park next to Book Corner Cafe.
If you’re looking for more queer friendly destinations again Bassiani, Success Bar and Gallery are the most popular ones among them.