What to do in Tbilisi, Georgia: Epic Itinerary

What to do in Tbilisi, Georgia: epic itinerary. Tbilisi is a vibrant, exciting city. The Georgian capital is sophisticated, cool, and yet deeply traditional. There are so many things to do, ranging from historical sites to sulphur baths to cooking classes, cute cafes to buzzing nightlife and everything in between. Choosing how to spend your time can be overwhelming! I’ve brought together a list of all my favourite things to do in Tbilisi. Read on for what to do in Tbilisi, Georgia: epic itinerary.

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Chreli-Abano Sulfur Baths

This traditional bathhouse has such a beautiful facade that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a mosque or some other place of worship. The distinctive blue-tiled building is located right in the centre of the historic old town. Whether you just go to admire the outside, or opt to take a dip in the steamy sulphuric water (renowned for its healing properties), Chreli-Abano is definitely worth a visit.

Betlemi Street Stairs

There’s a hill behind the historical old town with steps leading up through small streets to the top. These are the Betlemi Street Stairs. There’s a beautiful church at the top called Upper Betlemi Church. It’s quite a steep climb, but worth it for the views. Alternatively, you can get a cable car to the top!

Mother of Georgia

At the very top of the hill above the Betlemi Street Stairs stands the Mother of Georgia (“Kartlis Deda”), watching over the city spread out at her feet. This imposing aluminium statue of a woman wearing traditional Georgian dress has become a symbol of the nation. It was erected in 1958 in celebration of Tbilisi’s 1500th anniversary. In one had she holds wine to welcome friends, in the other she holds a sword to defend against enemies.

Freedom Square

Right in the centre of Tbilisi you’ll find the famous Freedom Square, with a shining gold statue of St George slaying the dragon. The square originally had another name, but it was renamed Freedom Square when the First Georgian Republic was founded, following the fall of the Russian Empire in 1918. Most of the main sites in Tbilisi are within walking distance from here, so it’s a good place to get your bearings.

Georgian Churches and Polyphonic Chanting

There are so many beautiful churches in Georgia. Many feature intricate artwork, both inside and outside. I recommend getting up early on a Sunday morning and walking past the churches while a service is going on – you often get to hear the traditional polyphonic chanting. If you like, you could actually attend a church service, just be respectful and dress modestly. Tbilisi’s oldest church is the 6th century Orthodox Anchiskhati Basilica – a tiny stone church hidden away in the old town.

Admire Street Art

Tbilisi is one of the most genuinely creative cities that I have been to. Creating, design and art really run deep here. There are so many things to marvel at, from exquisite interiors to traditional crafts and modern architectural wonders. Once of the most noticeable things about Tbilisi is that every almost surface is covered in amazing street art. The most impressive I found was inside the tunnels of the Nikoloz Baratashvili Bridge. There’s also a lot around Fabrika hostel.

Walk up the Academy of Arts Steps

From the top, the Academy of Arts Steps just look like ordinary steps from one street down to another. But from below you’ll be able to see the stunning ornamental tiles decorating the front of each step. I love how you can find such beautiful detail in seemingly mundane everyday parts of this city. The ceramic tiles are hand painted. The pictures depict scenes from the Georgian epic poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin. Find them by walking along Rustaveli Avenue and finding the flight of stairs leading up to the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts on Griboedov Street.

The State Academy of Arts Museum

The State Academy of Arts building was built in the 19th century as a private mansion house for a wealthy Armenian merchant. Extravagant interiors are covered in intricate artwork. The building is now a museum.

Rike Park and the Bridge of Peace

You can learn a lot about the history of Georgia just from the architecture of the buildings. Ornate silk road style facades are juxtaposed against Soviet brutalist blocks and Stalinist buildings. Once of the most impressive structures is the steel and glass Bridge of Peace in Rike Park. If you really love architecture you can book a guided architecture tour such as Brutal Tbilisi: Urban exploration and untold stories.

Dry Bridge Flea Market

This massive outdoor flea market is a permanent feature of Tbilisi’s streets. Stallholders appear every day, touting wares ranging from household knick-knacks to soviet medals and even daggers. It’s fascinating to browse, even if you don’t buy anything. Located on Dry Bridge itself and also underneath and in Dedaena Park.

Chill Out in Cafes

Tbilisi is the perfect city for digital nomads, or for simply spending all day with a good book. Cafe culture is the beating heart of this city, and you don’t have to wander far to find an effortlessly cool spot to chill out for a few hours. Tbilisi is a city full of night owls, so many places open late in the morning, around 10am at the earliest! I enjoyed a breakfast of Chizhi Bizhi (traditional Georgian dish of tomatoes cooked in a clay pot with onion and eggs) at Chaduna. I also really like the Georgian bakery Entrée on Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue for their healthy salads. It may be a chain, but their beetroot bowl and salmon and avocado in black bread rolls are delicious.

Fabrika

This former soviet sewing factory has been successfully rebranded as a creative space. The high-ceilinged factory floor has been transformed into a light-filled co-working space that doubles as a cafe during the day and a bar in the evenings. You could spend all day in this space, which is filled with plants, tables for working, comfy sofas and colourful Georgian rugs. The rest of the building is now a hostel, so it’s a great place to stay and meet other travellers. The outside courtyard comes alive at night, full of both Georgians and travellers mingling into the small hours. This is the best place in the city to come if you want to socialise and meet people.

Georgian wine tasting

No visit to Tbilisi is complete without sampling the local wine. This is an industry that Georgia takes very seriously and the results are phenomenal. In fact, winemaking is believed to have originated in Georgia. Georgian wines are unique. I especially like their dark yellow amber wines. If you’re a fan of trendy “orange wine”, this is where it actually comes from. The skin-fermented white wine making technique has been around in Georgia for far longer than anywhere else.

Eat Khachapuri and Other Traditional Dishes

Georgian cuisine is to. die. for. I’ve been to a lot of countries, but Georgia is a very strong contender for the best food. And it doesn’t even need to be expensive. There are plenty of fancy restaurants (which are amazing!) but some of the most traditional dishes can be found in more humble places. My favourite secret spot for trying traditional Georgian dishes is Ghebi. Don’t expect it to be fancy. This basement restaurant is no frills and you’ll probably be surrounded by men drinking beer. But the staff are lovely, the food is fantastic, it’s cheap and the portions are generous. Another restaurant I really enjoyed is Shavi Lomi (the Black Lion). Hidden behind a secret door, this restaurant offers up a new take on traditional Georgian cuisine. And the wine is also very good!

If you enjoy cooking why not try a Small-Group Khinkali and Khachapuri Cooking Class in Tbilisi?

Where Next? Day Trips from Tbilisi

This post, What to do in Tbilisi, Georgia: Epic Itinerary, was about the capital city of Georgia. However, visiting Tbilisi is just the start of discovering this incredible country. There are also mountains, beaches, remote villages, isolated churches and much more to be discovered. If you’d like to get out of the city, there are a number of providers offering day trips from Tbilisi. For example you could join this Day Trip to Kazbegi and Gudauri Including a Hotel Pick-up.

If you want a longer holiday, you can opt for a Private 7 Day Tour From Tbilisi: The Most Popular Tourist Destinations In Georgia.

Did you know that Tbilisi is very close to neighbouring Armenia? It’s possible to take a train or a bus to get there. If you’d like someone else to organise everything for you, try Day Trip to Armenia Including Homemade Lunch.

Practical Guidance for Tbilisi, Georgia

Hopefully you have found this guide on What to do in Tbilisi, Georgia: Epic Itinerary useful. I have also included some practical guidance below so that you can get the boring stuff sorted and make the most of your trip!

Transport in Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi is a very easy city to get around. I personally enjoy walking, especially in the old town area. The city wakes up very late (around 10-11am), so if you go for a walk in the early morning you’ll have the place almost to yourself! There’s also a good metro / subway system. This was built in the Soviet era and some of the metro stations are stunning.

The easiest way to get around Tbilisi is to use Bolt. Bolt is an Estonian-headquartered rideshare app (like Uber) that operates in a number of countries in Europe. I recommend downloading the app in advance before your trip so that you can set up the payment card etc. The best card to link in order to avoid high FX exchange fees is a WISE card (see below).

Withdrawing Cash in Georgia in Georgian Lari (GEL)

To withdraw cash at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into Georgian Lari (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then withdraw cash in Georgia without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).

Get your WISE card here.

Travel Insurance

Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use. As a Call of the World reader you get 5% off below.

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