Tbilisi is the city that travelers who've been everywhere find and can't stop talking about. The old town (Dzveli Tbilisi) cascades down a cliff above the Mtkvari River in a layered chaos of Persian-era bathhouses, Soviet balconied houses painted ten different yellows, 6th-century churches, and wine bars in caves. Georgians invented wine 8,000 years ago and their qvevri amber wines are still fermented in buried clay vessels. Come to eat, drink, and be confused in the best possible way.
What to do there
- 01
The sulphur bathhouses in Abanotubani — the Reikhe bathhouse complex has operated since the 5th century on natural sulphur springs that smell like the inside of a volcano and leave your skin feeling completely different. A private room with a bath, scrub, and massage costs about 50 GEL ($18 USD). Bezubani baths on Abano Street are the most traditionally maintained. Book 24 hours ahead.
- 02
The Narikala fortress at sunset — the ruined 4th-century citadel above the old town, walkable via the cable car from Rike Park on the river. The panorama from the walls takes in the entire city, the old town churches, and the Mtkvari valley. Walk down through the sulphur district afterwards as the neighbourhood comes alive for dinner.
- 03
Stamba Hotel wine bar — Tbilisi's best contemporary wine bar in a converted Soviet printing press, serving natural and amber wines from small Georgian producers. The qvevri-fermented Rkatsiteli from Kakheti (the wine region 2 hours east) is unlike any white wine you've had. Order the badrijani nigvzit (walnut-stuffed aubergine rolls) alongside.
- 04
Dezerter Bazaar on Tuesdays — the city's main covered market, at its most alive on weekday mornings. Spice sellers with pyramids of dried marigold, coriander, and fenugreek; churchkhela (walnut-and-grape-must candles) hanging in long strings; fresh churchkhela at the back that's still warm. The best chakapuli (sour plum lamb stew) in the city comes from a tiny comedor on the market's eastern edge.
- 05
Day trip to Mtskheta and Jvari — 20km north of Tbilisi by marshrutka (₾1), the ancient capital of the Georgian kingdom where the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers meet. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) and Jvari monastery (6th century, visible from the highway and hauntingly positioned on a hill above the confluence) are both UNESCO sites.
Best time to go
April–June and September–November. Spring has wildflower meadows in the countryside; autumn is warm and the grape harvest happens in October. Summers are hot (35°C). Winters are cold but manageable.
Insider tip
Georgian table culture centres on the supra — a feast governed by a tamada (toastmaster) with elaborate toasts to God, peace, the guests, the dead. If you're invited to a Georgian family dinner or a supra at a restaurant, the host is insulted if you stop eating. Bring your appetite and pace yourself.
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