Three to four days is the right length for a first trip to Tbilisi: two days for the Old Town, the sulfur baths and the food, half a day in Mtskheta, and a full day in the mountains at Kazbegi. Base yourself in Sololaki or the Old Town if you want to walk everywhere. The one rule that changed for 2026 is insurance: since January 1, every tourist entering Georgia needs health and accident cover of at least 30,000 GEL.
Prices below are in Georgian lari (GEL) and were checked in October 2026.
How many days do you need in Tbilisi?
Plan on four days if you can, three if you have to. Tbilisi itself is compact, but the two best day trips each take a real chunk of time, and the hills make sightseeing slower than a map suggests.
| Day | Plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Town, Abanotubani, Narikala by cable car, Leghvtakhevi waterfall, evening sulfur bath | Book the bath for after dark, when the domes are lit |
| 2 | Sololaki, Rustaveli Avenue, Dry Bridge Market, dinner in Chugureti, drinks at Fabrika | Mostly walking; use the metro to get back |
| 3 | Half day in Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery, afternoon free | Go in the morning before the tour buses |
| 4 | Full day to Kazbegi on the Georgian Military Road | 10 to 12 hours on a tour; leave early |
With only three days, do Mtskheta on the morning of day 2 and spend the afternoon in Sololaki and on Rustaveli Avenue. With five or more, add a wine day in Kakheti or stay a night in Stepantsminda.
Entry rules for 2026: visa and mandatory insurance
Citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Israel and roughly 90 other countries can enter Georgia without a visa and stay up to a year, according to the Georgian National Tourism Administration. If your passport isn’t on the list, you’ll need a visa or e-visa before you fly.
The newer rule is insurance. Under the Law of Georgia “On Tourism”, every tourist entering the country from January 1, 2026 must hold health and accident insurance with at least 30,000 GEL of cover, valid from arrival to departure, as the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs notice sets out. The policy can come from a Georgian or a foreign insurer and must be in Georgian or English, printed or digital. Border police can check it.
Many standard travel policies already exceed 30,000 GEL of medical cover, but check that yours names Georgia, covers the full dates of your trip and is available as an English PDF on your phone.
How to get from Tbilisi airport to the city
Bus 337 is the cheapest way in, and a Bolt is the easiest after dark. Tbilisi International Airport sits about 17 km southeast of the center.
| Option | Price (Oct 2026) | Time to Freedom Square | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 337 | 1 GEL (90 minutes of transfers) | Around 45 to 60 minutes | Stop is outside arrivals; tap a contactless bank card or Metromoney card to get the 90-minute fare |
| Bolt or Yandex Go | Usually around 25 to 40 GEL | 20 to 30 minutes | Fare shows in the app before you confirm; surge pricing applies late at night |
| Airport taxi rank | Higher than ride-hailing | 20 to 30 minutes | Agree the price before you get in and ignore drivers who approach you in the hall |
The airport’s bus page lists the 337 timetable as 06:59 to 22:59. The route runs via Rustaveli Avenue and Freedom Square to Station Square. A Metromoney card costs 2 GEL and is sold at metro station ticket offices and Bank of Georgia express branches, so a contactless bank card is simpler for the first ride.
Where to stay in Tbilisi
The best area for a first visit is Sololaki or the Old Town, since almost everything on day 1 and day 2 is within walking distance. Vera and Vake suit travelers who want a quieter, greener base with good restaurants, and Chugureti is the budget and nightlife pick.
| Area | Best for | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town (Kala, Abanotubani) | Walking to the baths, Narikala and Meidan Square | Steep cobbled streets, some late-night noise |
| Sololaki | Old townhouses, cafes, a short walk to Freedom Square | Hilly, and older buildings may have no elevator |
| Vera | Design hotels, quieter streets near Rustaveli metro | 15 to 20 minutes’ walk to the Old Town |
| Chugureti (Marjanishvili) | Aghmashenebeli Avenue restaurants, Fabrika, lower prices | Across the river from the main sights |
| Avlabari | Holy Trinity Cathedral, guesthouses, cheaper rates | Less to do in the evening |
Four places that suit different budgets:
- Communal Hotel Sololaki is a small boutique hotel on Kojori Street in Sololaki, within walking distance of Freedom Square and the Old Town. Check rates at Communal Hotel Sololaki.
- Stamba Hotel occupies a former Soviet publishing house on Merab Kostava Street in Vera, about 200 m from Rustaveli metro, with Cafe Stamba on the ground floor. See Stamba Hotel on Booking.com.
- Rooms Hotel Tbilisi shares the same Kostava Street complex and is usually a little cheaper than Stamba. Compare Rooms Hotel Tbilisi prices.
- Fabrika Hostel & Suites turned an old sewing factory in Chugureti into dorms and private rooms around a courtyard of bars and shops. Book a room or bed at Fabrika.
Things to do in Tbilisi
Old Town, Narikala Fortress and the cable car
Start at Meidan Square and walk up through the Old Town toward Narikala, the fortress walls that crown the hill above the river. If you’d rather save your legs, the Rike-Narikala cable car crosses the Mtkvari from Rike Park to the fortress for 2.5 GEL one way, according to the Tbilisi Transport Company tariff. From the top, follow the ridge to the Mother of Georgia statue, then walk down into the Leghvtakhevi gorge, where a short path ends at a waterfall right behind the bath district.
On the way back, cross the glass-roofed Bridge of Peace to Rike Park. In the evening, this whole stretch of riverbank is lit up and full of people.
If you’d like a guide to explain what you’re looking at, the Old Tbilisi walking tour with cable car, wine and bakery stops covers the Old Town, Narikala and several tastings in about four hours. The cable car fare is paid separately.
Sulfur baths in Abanotubani
The brick domes in the Abanotubani district sit over natural hot sulfur springs, and soaking in one is the most Tbilisi thing you can do. Most visitors book a private room by the hour: a hot pool, a cold plunge, a shower and a changing area, shared with your partner or friends.
What to know before you go:
- Price is per room, per hour. Public sections cost little, while recent reports put private rooms at roughly 100 to 250 GEL an hour depending on the bath house and room size. A group of four pays the same as a couple.
- Book ahead for evenings and weekends. Chreli Abano (the blue-tiled one) and Gulo’s Thermal Spa are the best known, and most bath houses take bookings by phone or messaging apps.
- The kisi scrub costs extra. An attendant scrubs you down with a coarse mitt. It’s worth trying once.
- Keep it short. The water is hot and smells of sulfur. Twenty minutes in the pool at a time is plenty, and the smell fades from your skin after a shower or two.
Rustaveli Avenue, Sololaki and the Dry Bridge Market
Rustaveli Avenue runs from Freedom Square past the Georgian National Museum, the parliament building and the opera house. Sololaki, the grid of 19th-century townhouses just south of Freedom Square, is the best area in the city for aimless walking: look into the entrance halls, many of which have painted ceilings and carved staircases.
The Dry Bridge Market is a flea market by the river selling Soviet badges, cameras, old vinyl, paintings and enamelware. It’s busiest on weekends. Haggle politely.
Fabrika and Aghmashenebeli Avenue
Across the river in Chugureti, Aghmashenebeli Avenue has a pedestrianized stretch lined with restaurants and wine bars. A few blocks away, the Fabrika courtyard fills with people in the evening, with bars, coffee shops and street art. It’s the easiest place in Tbilisi to meet other travelers.
What to eat and drink in Tbilisi
Georgian food is the main reason many people come back. Order a spread for the table and share.
| Dish | What it is |
|---|---|
| Khachapuri adjaruli | Boat-shaped bread filled with cheese, butter and an egg yolk you stir in |
| Khinkali | Large twisted dumplings filled with spiced meat and broth; hold the top knot and don’t eat it |
| Badrijani nigvzit | Fried eggplant rolls with walnut paste and pomegranate seeds |
| Pkhali | Minced vegetables (spinach, beet, beans) with walnuts and herbs |
| Lobiani | Bread stuffed with spiced beans |
| Mtsvadi | Grilled skewered pork or veal |
| Churchkhela | Walnuts threaded on string and dipped in thickened grape juice, sold at markets |
Places with a strong reputation that we’d put on a first-timer’s list:
- Barbarestan on Aghmashenebeli Avenue cooks from a 19th-century cookbook by Princess Barbare Jorjadze. Book ahead.
- Cafe Littera is in the garden of the Writers’ House in Sololaki and is one of the city’s most praised restaurants. Weekend tables go one to two weeks out.
- Shavi Lomi in Chugureti does modern versions of Georgian classics.
- Cafe Stamba in the Stamba Hotel works for breakfast, coffee or a casual lunch in Vera.
Georgian wine is the other draw. The country’s tradition of fermenting wine in clay qvevri buried in the ground is on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. In Tbilisi, ask for amber (orange) wine made from white grapes fermented on their skins. Wine bars in the Old Town and Sololaki pour it by the glass, which is the cheapest way to try several.
Some restaurants add a service charge to the bill. Read the receipt before you tip again.
The best day trips from Tbilisi
Mtskheta and Kazbegi are the two classic day trips, and Kakheti is the third if you like wine. You can do all three by marshrutka (shared minibus): to Mtskheta and Kazbegi from Didube bus station, next to Didube metro station, and to Sighnaghi from Samgori. Tours save time and add stops you’d miss on public transport.
| Day trip | Distance from Tbilisi | DIY by marshrutka | Organized tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mtskheta and Jvari | About 20 km | Around 30 to 40 minutes from Didube, a few lari | Half day, about 4 hours |
| Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) | About 155 km | About 3 hours from Didube, around 15 GEL each way | Full day, 10 to 12 hours |
| Sighnaghi and Kakheti | About 110 km | Around 2 hours to Sighnaghi from Samgori | Full day, about 10 hours |
Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery
Mtskheta was Georgia’s ancient capital, and its Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is still the most important church in Georgian Orthodoxy. Its main churches are listed by UNESCO as the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta. The two to see are Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the town and Jvari Monastery, a 6th-century church on the hilltop opposite, above the meeting of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers.
Marshrutkas from Didube reach Mtskheta town, but Jvari is up a separate road with no regular bus, so most independent travelers take a taxi up and down. The simpler option is the half-day Mtskheta, Jvari and Samtavro tour from Tbilisi, which takes about four hours with hotel pickup. Dress modestly in all three churches: shoulders and knees covered, and women are expected to cover their hair (scarves are usually available at the door).
Kazbegi and Gergeti Trinity Church
The drive to Kazbegi is the best day out from Tbilisi. The Georgian Military Road climbs past the Zhinvali reservoir and Ananuri fortress, through the ski resort of Gudauri and over the Jvari Pass to the town of Stepantsminda, where Gergeti Trinity Church sits on a ridge below the glaciers of Mount Kazbek.
Doing it by marshrutka from Didube takes about three hours each way and leaves you with a few hours on the ground, enough to hike or take a 4x4 up to the church. A tour costs more but stops at Ananuri, the Zhinvali viewpoint and the Gudauri overlook. The Kazbegi, Gergeti and Ananuri full-day tour from Tbilisi runs all of those in one day.
The Jvari Pass can close for hours or days after heavy snow, usually between November and March. In winter, check the road status the night before and keep a backup plan for that day.
Kakheti wine country and Sighnaghi
Kakheti, east of Tbilisi, is where most Georgian wine comes from. A day there usually combines a winery tasting, Bodbe Monastery and Sighnaghi, a hilltop town with walls and views over the Alazani Valley. Without a car, the Kakheti wine tour with Sighnaghi from Tbilisi is the easiest way to fit in tastings without anyone having to drive.
If you’re weighing tours on different platforms, our Viator vs GetYourGuide comparison explains how their cancellation rules and prices differ.
How to get around Tbilisi
Walking covers the Old Town, Sololaki and Rustaveli Avenue. For longer hops, the metro has two lines, and one 1 GEL fare covers 90 minutes of metro, bus and municipal minibus rides. Pay by tapping a contactless bank card or a Metromoney card. A day pass costs 3 GEL and a week pass 20 GEL, but passes need a Metromoney card.
Bolt and Yandex Go are widely used and cheap by European standards, and the app fixes the fare before you set off. Street taxis exist, but agree a price first.
When is the best time to visit Tbilisi?
May, June, September and October are the best months: warm days, cool evenings and good conditions in the mountains. July and August are hot in the city, often above 30 C, though that’s peak season for Kazbegi. Winter is cold and gray in Tbilisi and the mountain roads can close, but hotels are cheaper and the sulfur baths feel better in the cold. If you want warmth in December, Tbilisi isn’t it: see our guide to warm places to travel in December instead.
Money, mobile data and safety
- Money. The currency is the Georgian lari (GEL). Cards work in most hotels, restaurants and shops in Tbilisi. Carry some cash for marshrutkas, markets and village guesthouses.
- Mobile data. Set up an eSIM before you land so Bolt and maps work from the arrivals hall. An Airalo eSIM for Georgia is the quickest route. Local SIMs are cheap too, and our Airalo vs local SIM vs roaming comparison shows when each one wins.
- Language. Georgian is the official language. Many older people speak Russian, and younger people in hospitality usually speak English.
- Safety. Tbilisi is generally safe to walk around, including at night in the center. Political demonstrations have been held on Rustaveli Avenue since late 2024, so check your government’s travel advice before you go and avoid large gatherings. Don’t try to visit the breakaway regions of Abkhazia or South Ossetia from Georgia.
Plan your trip
For restaurants, cafes and bars pinned on a map you can open on your phone, Maya Barkan’s Tbilisi map on Guidez (in Hebrew) is a good start. The Tbilisi food, baths and markets map, also in Hebrew, adds the sulfur baths and markets. Then book the longest day of the trip first: the Kazbegi day tour.
