Visiting Tbilisi Georgia – 14 Best travel tips

If you’re planning on visiting Tbilisi the capital city of Georgia (the country!), you might be looking for some travel tips before you go.

If you’re anything like me, you like to know what you’re getting into before visiting Tbilisi Georgia. What to expect, what to see, and any unique things about your destination that’ll help make sure you have a great time.

If that sounds right, then this Georgia travel blog has the answers for you.

From the best food to eat in Georgia (yummm khinkali), to the top things to see in Tbilisi, and things you might not have thought of like how to get to and from the airport from those early morning flights, the language and dogs. There are SO many dogs in Tbilisi and Georgia as a whole and that was honestly one of my favourite things about visiting this Eastern European country.

Don’t miss out on Georgian food

I’d heard about Georgian food before visiting Tbilisi but had never actually tried it. I’m not going to lie it was one of the things I was most excited about as I love trying new foods when I travel!

Now that we’re in Stockholm I keep seeing Georgian restaurants everywhere so I’m not sure how I’d missed out on Georgian cuisine for so long!

Any Georgian travel guide will say that Georgian cuisine is heavy. Expect a lot of cheese and dough but also a lot of vegetable-based dishes.

Some of my favourite things to eat in Georgia were khinkali; Georgia’s version of dumplings. They’re soup-filled dumplings that you pick up at the top, bite into and then slurp out the juice before enjoying the rest of it. They come with lots of different fillings with meats, cheese and potatoes being some of the most common ones I came across. I even got a go at making some of my own during a cooking class!

Other typical Georgian foods include khachapuri which is bread filled with something (usually cheese)l, but also beans (Lobi) and other foods.

You may have seen adjaruli khachapuri if you’ve previously looked up Georgian foods. This is boat-shaped bread filled to the brim with cheese. It’s then baked and an egg cracked on top of it. To eat it, you should mix the egg up with the cheese to cook the egg and then tear off bits of the bread and dip in to the cheese. Almost like you’re eating a baked brie. I definitely recommend sharing one of these as they’re a lot and will leave you feeling stuffed!

There’s also the Megrelian khachapuri which is a bit more like a very cheesey pizza and worth trying if you’re visiting the country of Georgia.

Other dishes I enjoyed include the Georgia tomato, cucumber and walnut dressing salad and Pkhali which is a minced vegetable dip combined with ground walnuts and herbs and comes in different flavours – a bit like a veggie pate.

We also ate some delicious fish, chicken and garlic sauce and the bread was super tasty.

Trust me when I say you definitely won’t go hungry in Georgia!

…Or the wine in Georgia

Did you know Georgia (the country) is the birthplace of wine?

Georgia has been making wine for centuries and it’s all pretty good. And the best part? Even though I definitely drank more than my fair share of wine, I never seemed to have a hangover from it!

Georgian has thousands of different grape varieties; many you likely won’t have heard of before if you’re not used to drinking Georgian wine. Much of it is also skin-contact wine, where the wine stays with the grape skin while it’s being produced in large clay containers called Qvevri. This gives it an orange colour when you see it in the glass.

I highly recommend taking a wine tour or tasting to get to experience some of Georgia’s wine, I’ve recommended a couple below.

• Tbilisi food and wine tour: Try at least 10 Georgian foods and drinks with this tour through old taverns, organic bars, and hip hangouts in Tbilisi.
• Tbilisi Private Old City Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: Learn more about the city of Tbilisi and its fascinating and extensive history and finish up the trip by trying some Georgian wines.

Look where you’re walking

When walking around Tbilisi, be sure to look where you’re walking. The pavements aren’t always the easiest to navigate as there’ll randomly be some steps right in the otherwise flat path, or you might walk into one of the city’s many street trees.

And, while the dogs were one of my favourite things about Georiga, their #2s were not.

So take this as a friendly word of advice and look where you’re walking!

Look for underground crossings to cross over busy roads 

Another downside to Tbilisi is that it’s not the most pedestrian-friendly city.

if you’re staying near Shota Rustevili Avenue – the main road in the city – and need to cross to the other side you might be wondering how to go about it. There are few crossings across the road so you’ll need to look for the signs indicating an underpass.

The underpasses are the best way to navigate the busy roads and some of them have interesting souvenir stores or bakeries in them too.

I felt safe when using the underpasses during the day and they were a much easier way to cross the roads.

Georgian drivers are kinda terrifying

When it comes to roads and driving, Georgian drivers are kinda terrifying.

While we were safe on all the trips I took around Tbilisi and to other cities and destinations around Georgia there were a few hairy moments.

Georgian drivers tend not to stick to road lanes strictly and they drive quite fast too. On mountain roads, it’s not uncommon for your driver to overtake on a blind bend.

However, the drivers we hired through GoTrip.ge were better than the standard Bolt driver we used and I’m sure there’s a method to the madness we experienced elsewhere.

The dogs are friendly

There are SO many dogs throughout Georgia and loads living freely in Tbilisi.

I LOVE dogs (I ran my own dog-walking company for 3 years while living in Vancouver) so this was a pleasant surprise for me. All the dogs we came across were incredibly friendly and loving and all seemed well looked after.

It turns out the government has put into place a vaccination program to protect the dogs from things like rabies and tried to ensure they’re sterilised to reduce the number of street puppies.

We didn’t see any sick-looking dogs. In fact, most of them were pretty chunky and were clearly very well-fed.

I made it my goal to say hello to as many as possible, and we ended up with a group of 4 following us through the streets at one point.

Getting to and from the airport

If you’re coming from the UK or elsewhere in Europe then you’ll likely find that most flights arrive and leave Tbilisi very early in the morning.

We ended up arriving at 4.50 am and our flight left at 5:50 am. While there is a public bus in Tbilisi that goes to the airport, it doesn’t start until later in the morning and therefore cannot be used to get to and from the airport for early morning flights.

For our arrival when I wasn’t sure what the situation with Bolt was, I’d arrange a transfer through GoTrip. This was great since the driver was there waiting for us as we came through the arrival gates, helped us load our (many) bags into his van and dropped us off right outside our Airbnb. I used the same service on the way to the airport and again the driver was super helpful, on-time and friendly. We paid 60-80 GEL for this service and there are cash machines in the terminal so you can get cash out to pay your driver.

However, if you don’t have skis and multiple large bags, you could also just use Bolt for quite a bit less money.

Whatever you do, don’t use the taxis touting for business when you step into the arrival halls. They’ll massively overcharge you (e.g. 200 GEL) and it’s easier to just arrange for a Bolt taxi or a transfer.

Georgia has a lot to offer besides Tbilisi

If you’re visiting Georiga be sure to check out some of the other cities and destinations other than Tbilisi.

Tbilisi is the largest city and where 1/3 of the population of Georgia lives, but there’s loads more to see.

I took a couple of day trips from Tbilisi to Mshekta, and Uplistsikhe (a cool cave town), and spent a week skiing in Gudauri.

There are lots more trips you can do too like taking a train to Kutaisi or Batumi to chill at the beach by the Black Sea, or head off into the mountains on a summer hiking trip.

Is Georgia safe? Yes!

This was what my Mum asked me when I told her where I was going and I get it.

Georgia’s geographical location (sharing a border with Russia) and its history of international conflicts with 20% of Georgia still Russian-occupied, may make it seem like a dangerous place to visit. While you should always check your country’s Georgia travel advice, most don’t currently recommend against visiting.

I also wasn’t sure what it would be like walking around Tbilisi solo but it was totally fine. Again, this is my experience and you should always take precautions and use common sense, but I never felt in danger while exploring Tbilisi solo.

Getting around Tbilisi is easy

Part of the reason why I felt safe getting around Tbilisi was that it was so easy to get around.

If you stay fairly central (near the Old Town, Liberty Square or along Shota Rustaveli to the Wine Factory), then you can walk most places you’ll want to go. There’s also the metro station and loads of buses. The buses can be used by just tapping your card on the payment machines and are cheap too (1.50 GEL).

Take some cash out

While pretty much everywhere accepts cards (we found that Visa seemed to be preferred over Mastercard or Amex), it’s a good idea to have a bit of cash for smaller purchases or to use a transfer service from the airport.

If you have a Wise card like I do then you can take cash out at any machine for a small fee.

The currency in Georgia is Lari – GEL. You can also use USD to pay for larger amounts such as at many hotels, or in cash to your GoTrip driver.

Esims are great for staying connected

Since realising that my old iPhone SE can accept e-sims after thinking it couldn’t e-sims are my new favourite thing.

I used Airalo in Georgia and have since used it in Sweden too. It’s super easy to set up if you’ve got the app and way more convenient than having to track down a shop when you travel.

It worked for me both in the cities and in the mountains. If you have any issues with the data connection, my top tip is to manually select the internet provider rather than letting your phone do it automatically – this is what worked for me anyway.

The Tbilisi baths are a must

Tbilisi was a major city on the Silk Road merchant route and the baths were one of the reasons why. They offered an area for merchants to freshen up and relax after weeks or months of travelling and they’re still super popular today.

All the baths are in one area of the city – Abanotubani – and there are lots of different ones to choose from. Some are more set up for tourists with more luxurious-looking facilities and private rooms, whereas others are cheaper and more authentic.

A lot of them are open for pretty much 24 hours a day too so there’s never a bad time to visit!

The Orbeliani Baths have the most impressive exterior, but Gulo’s Thermal Spa baths come highly recommended by people I was visiting Tbilisi with.

A top Tbilisi Georgia travel tip is to add on the kisi (kisa) exfoliation scrub – it’ll make your skin super soft and smooth!

The best time to visit Tbilisi is in spring or autumn

I visited in January and was treated to some pretty nice weather with blue skies and chilly temperatures. As a winter lover, the cold didn’t bother me and it was never that bad (low minus and plus degrees).

However, if you want something a bit warmer then I recommend planning your trip for spring or autumn rather than summer.

In summer Tbilisi gets really hot, especially in July and August. If you’re planning to go hiking or walk around the city a lot then chances are it might just be too hot for much of that. Plus, spring and fall in Tbilisi are best for crowd numbers and beautiful foliage colours.

Summing up my top travel tips for visiting Tbilisi Georgia

If you’re visiting Tbilisi Georgia hopefully this travel guide has shown you a little bit of what to expect. From enjoying Georgian food and wine, to relaxing in the Tbilisi sulphur baths, meeting the friendly four-legged locals and ensuring you spend some time out of the city. I hope you have fun checking out Georgia!

Have you got travel insurance? I’ve been using SafetyWing for a while and it’s incredibly easy, affordable and overall hassle-free! Make sure you check them out before your trip (or after, you can subscribe even if the trip has already started!). They offer subscription-based travel insurance which is great for digital nomads. It allows you to claim medical expenses, and you can add travel coverage to cover your for lost or stolen belongings or additional expenses due to delayed travel.

Last Updated on April 17, 2025 by Hannah