Georgia · Georgia
Tbilisi travel guide
Tbilisi is a city in Georgia, Georgia, home to about 1,331,000 people.
- Best months
- April, September and October
- Nearest airport
- TBS15 km · Tbilisi International Airport
- Currency
- GELGeorgian lari
- Time zone
- Asia/Tbilisi
- Language
- Georgian
About
About Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( tə-bil-EE-see, tə-BIL-iss-ee) is the capital and largest city of Georgia, located on the banks of the Kura River. With more than 1.3 million inhabitants, it contains almost one third of the country's population.
Tbilisi (formerly called 'Tiflis' after its Russian name) lies in the centre of eastern Georgia, in the foothills of the Trialeti mountain range. According to Georgian legends, it was founded in the 5th century by King Vakhtang Gorgasali who, while hunting, shot a pheasant which fell into a warm spring and was either boiled or healed. Either way, the king was inspired to found a city on the site, and the name of the city derives from the Georgian word tbili meaning "warm".
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Tbilisi
See
- Open Air Museum of Ethnography
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Tbilisi History Museum
- Museum of Georgia
- Puppet Museum
- Galaktion Tabidze Museum
- Tbilisi Art Gallery
- State Academy of Arts
- Jewish History Museum
- U. Japaridze House-Museum
- E. Akhvlediani House-Museum
- Open air carriage exhibition
Do
- Sulphur Baths
- Bath No. 5
- Turtle Lake (Kus T'ba)
- Lake Lisi (Lisis T'ba)
- Climb up to the Narikala Fortress
- Botanical garden
- Mtatsminda park
- Alexander's Garden
- Vake Swimming Pool
- Paragliding around Tbilisi
- Alexander Griboedov Russian State Drama Theatre
- Gabriadze Theatre
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Tbilisi to stay in
Due to the countless budget options, prices have dropped significantly in the city. Check out prices on the usual suspect websites and turn up on site stating the price; hostel owners will happily give you the online rate, so they can skip the fee they pay via such websites.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Tbilisi
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tbilisi are April, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; May is the wettest, with about 97 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Tbilisi: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Shirak International Airport (LWN, 133 km) is also within reach.
Getting around
The primary transport inside and outside the Tbilisi city are metro, buses and marshrutka (converted transport vans aka minibuses aka microbuses). Check the Tbilisi Transport Company website for live overview and more information on buses. Otherwise, to find the correct bus route, Google Maps has comprehensive bus network information with numbers and routes. If you click on one of the numerous bus stops around the city or next to you, you will get displayed the bus lines, their routes and frequency.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
TBS · Tbilisi International Airport
LWN · Shirak International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Tbilisi
Eat
Street side stalls selling Georgian fast food are all over the city. Some kind of hot snack will cost 0.70-2.50 lari.
Drink
One is never far from a corner store opening late selling the bare essentials of life late into the night, which always include booze and bread. Georgia is known as the cradle of wine having produced wine since the neolithic period; and locals are very proud of this. Georgian wine was and still is the best in post-Soviet culture and there are many wine tasting shops in the upmarket areas of the city where wine culture is greatly respected. Try one of the famous wines from Kakheti or the other popular regions.
Stay safe
Tbilisi is very safe after the Rose Revolution. You will be welcomed with the cheerful hospitality that is a hallmark of Georgian culture. The police system was reformed completely and the public's trust in police rose dramatically. The police are usually quick to respond, though usually only Georgian and Russian are spoken. Walking as a solo black man is unusual. Be prepared to receive stares and be "randomly" controlled by police every day. While walking is generally fine, even for solo women, it makes sense to take a bus or taxi home at night. Use common sense and big-city awareness. Night time at the clubs and bars are generally safe but fights between locals can escalate quickly.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Tbilisi: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Tbilisi?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tbilisi are April, September and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; May is the wettest, with about 97 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Tbilisi?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Shirak International Airport (LWN, 133 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Tbilisi?
Georgian lari (GEL).
Nearby
Destinations near Tbilisi
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.