Flight time
4h 30m
Best season
April–June & September–October
Budget
Budget
Best for
Natural wine, ancient culture, architecture, value
Overview
Why Tbilisi for a city break?
Tbilisi is the next great European city break — a medieval city of carved wooden balconies, Persian-era bathhouses, Orthodox churches and Soviet modernist architecture, set in a gorge between the Caucasus mountains, where the wine culture predates France's by 5,000 years and where a dinner of extraordinary quality with outstanding natural wine costs under £15. The city has been at the crossroads of the Silk Road, the Persian empire, the Ottoman empire and the Soviet Union — and the layers of that history are visible in every neighbourhood.
From London it's around four and a half hours — direct flights from Heathrow and Gatwick with Georgian Airways and other carriers, with good connections from Manchester and other UK airports. Tbilisi International Airport is 20km from the centre (metro then transfer, or taxi under £8). The Georgian lari is extraordinarily weak against sterling — a city that costs next to nothing by European standards, where the hospitality culture demands that guests are fed and looked after, and where the wine (amber wine, made in clay qvevri buried underground for thousands of years) is unlike anything available elsewhere. Go in spring or early autumn; the summer heat can be significant.
Where to stay & explore
Tbilisi's best neighbourhoods
Old Town (Kala)
The ancient city — the carved wooden balconies, the sulfur baths of Abanotubani, the Narikala fortress above, the Metekhi church on its cliff. The most atmospheric part of Tbilisi.
Marjanishvili & Vera
Tbilisi's most creative neighbourhood — the best natural wine bars, the independent restaurants of Vera, the art galleries and the young Georgian creative scene.
Mtatsminda & the funicular
The hill above the old town — the funicular to the Mtatsminda plateau, the amusement park, the television tower and the finest view of Tbilisi spread through its gorge below.
Things to do
What to see in Tbilisi
1
Narikala Fortress & Old Town panorama
The 4th-century fortress above the old town is partly ruined, entirely atmospheric and gives the finest view of Tbilisi — the gorge, the Kura river, the carved wooden balconies of the old city below and the Caucasus range on the horizon. Reached by cable car from Rike Park (₾2, about 50p) or on foot through the botanical garden. The old town below — the Anchiskhati Basilica (the oldest church in Tbilisi, 6th century), the Sioni Cathedral, the carved wooden balcony houses of the Kala quarter — deserves two hours of unhurried walking.
2
Abanotubani sulfur baths
The sulfur bathhouse district — the domed brick bathhouses on the south bank of the Kura river have been here since at least the 5th century (the city's name derives from the Georgian word for "warm"). The water comes from natural hot springs at 37–43°C and smells strongly of sulfur. The public baths are cheap; private rooms with a scrub (kisi massage) and wash are available for around £15–20 per person. Orbeliani Baths (the most beautiful exterior) and the Royal Baths are both recommended.
3
Georgian National Museum
The finest collection of Georgian antiquity — the gold treasury (extraordinary Colchian goldwork from the second millennium BC, the finest examples of ancient Georgian metalwork) and the Soviet occupation exhibition (a floor documenting the Red Army's invasion of 1921 and the decades of Soviet rule, presented with raw honesty). The treasury requires a guided tour; book when you arrive. Allow two hours.
4
Mtatsminda Funicular & Tbilisi panorama
The 1905 funicular railway climbs the Mtatsminda hill above the old town to a plateau with extraordinary views over Tbilisi in its gorge. The funicular is in itself a beautiful piece of engineering; the views from the top at sunset are the finest available of the city. The Ferris wheel at the top dates from the Soviet era and still operates. The walk down through the botanical garden takes 45 minutes and passes the Narikala fortress.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Tbilisi
Culinarium Khasheria
Modern Georgian / fine dining
The finest restaurant in Tbilisi — a modern reinterpretation of Georgian cuisine using outstanding local produce. The khinkali (the Georgian dumpling, filled with spiced meat or mushroom, always eaten by hand, always leaving the topknot) and the walnut dishes are extraordinary. Book ahead; the most sought-after table in the city.
Shavi Lomi
Traditional Georgian / Vera
The best traditional Georgian restaurant in the city — mtsvadi (grilled meat), lobiani (bean-filled bread), pkhali (vegetable dumplings), badrijani (aubergine with walnut paste), satsivi (chicken in walnut sauce) and the full spread of Georgian table culture. In the Vera neighbourhood. The wine list focuses on natural qvevri wines from Kakheti. Book ahead.
Vino Underground
Natural wine bar / old town
The most important natural wine bar in Georgia — and Georgia invented wine 8,000 years ago. Vino Underground serves the finest qvevri-made amber wines from small producers across Kakheti, Imereti and Racha alongside excellent food. The Rkatsiteli amber (skin-contact white wine aged in buried clay amphorae) is the essential order. The basement location under the old town is perfectly atmospheric.
Itinerary
3 days in Tbilisi — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Old Town, Narikala, sulfur baths, amber wine at dusk
Metro from the airport to Avlabari station (Line 2, ₾1, under 50p) or taxi (under £8). Walk into the old town — the Metekhi church on its cliff above the Kura river, the carved wooden balconies of the Kala quarter, the Anchiskhati Basilica (6th century, the oldest in Tbilisi). Cable car to Narikala Fortress from Rike Park — the fortress and the panorama of the old town in the afternoon light. Walk down through the old town to Abanotubani — the sulfur baths. Book a private room and kisi scrub at the Royal or Orbeliani baths (₾40–60, around £12–18 per person); an hour in the sulfur water is one of the most distinctive experiences in the Caucasus. Vino Underground for the evening — amber wine, pkhali, badrijani. Order everything; it costs almost nothing.
Day 2
Georgian Museum, Mtatsminda, a long Georgian table
Georgian National Museum at 10am — the gold treasury (book the guided tour on arrival) for 45 minutes, the Soviet occupation floor for another 45. The Rustaveli Avenue (Georgia's main boulevard) walk: the National Opera, the Parliament building, the galleries. Funicular to Mtatsminda at noon — the view of Tbilisi from the plateau, the Soviet Ferris wheel, lunch at the restaurant with the panoramic terrace. Walk down through the botanical garden (1.5km path, 45 minutes, past waterfalls and the Narikala fortress) to the old town. Shavi Lomi for dinner — the full Georgian spread: khinkali, mtsvadi, lobiani, the orange wine from Kakheti. The Georgian feast (supra) culture involves many courses, many toasts and the tamada (toastmaster) guiding the evening; embrace it.
Day 3
Kakheti wine region day trip or a slow old town morning
The Kakheti wine region — the source of 70% of Georgian wine, 80km east of Tbilisi — is one of the finest day trips available from any city on this list. Marshrutka minibus from Tbilisi's Isani Metro station to Sighnaghi (2 hours, ₾5) — the most beautiful town in Kakheti, walled, on a hilltop, with views to the Caucasus and the Alazani valley below. The family wineries in the surrounding villages (Pheasant's Tears in Sighnaghi is the essential stop, with outstanding qvevri wines and a kitchen serving traditional Kakhetian food) make for one of the finest wine days in Europe. Return minibus in the late afternoon, airport taxi in the evening.
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