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Tbilisi
თბილისი
Best of Tbilisi you say? Well, you can’t have the best of a city without mentioning the country first. So yeah, we in Georgia! Now that that’s clear, let’s deal with defining the deafening domain of this city!
I visited Tbilisi back in 2020 before Covid clapped the world’s cheeks (metaphorically). So, keep that in mind and speak this post in hushed tones as Tbilisi could be totally different now. Maybe it’s overrun by furries. Maybe the squirrels have finally seized the means of production. Well, if they still haven’t by some miracle, let’s get our zest on with the best of Tbilisi!
Georgia is only recently raising its tourist profile on the world stage. I’d venture to say a lot of Westerners, particularly Americans, don’t even know there is a country called Georgia. So, to clear things up, Georgia is a small country in the Caucasus near Turkey, Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Tbilisi is its capital and biggest city so it’s fasho worth a visit. With that out the way with, even the dummies can read this post too!
Hence, if you are in Tbilisi on a short trip, like a weekend or three-night trilogy, these are the places you’ve gotta make it to at all costs!
Erti
ერთი
Old Tbilisi
ძველი თბილისი
Here’s a travel cheat code for the ages: If you’re visiting any city that possesses a specific area known as the old town, chances are that’s the most bomb place to visit. Europe, Asia, Africa, North America; it really doesn’t matter. Old is sometimes just better. Therefore, when discussing the best of Tbilisi, we gotta start with Old Tbilisi, the tippity top of Tbilisi’s districts. Even if you’re not a culture cretin (idk what that means but i sold my soul for the alliteration), there’s plenty of appealing sights. These include baths, shops, restaurants and people scamming you out of money to see birds. You know who you are!
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Tbilisi’s Old Town is immensely walkable and that’s the best way to enjoy the area. Trek up Mount Mtatsminda to visit Narikala Fortress for enchanting views over the city. It’s a perfect spot to watch a sunset across the river to Rike Park, the governmental buildings, and the city’s heart. Photographers will love the chance to get extravagant panoramas from Narikala. If you have time, be sure to take a cable car across the city, maneuvering from the mountaintop and back for the cheap. For the cheap is basically synonymous with the best of Tbilisi btw, everything is cheap here!
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Sticking with the top of the city, be sure to check out Kartlis Deda or ‘Mother Georgian’, a massive statue looking down on Tbilisi. It’s a slightly different area and will require some walking but worth it nonetheless. Just think that now you get the cityscape panorama from another angle. Kartlis Deda wields a sword and may just well slit your throat with it if you ignore her. So, it’s basically visit or DIE! I’d even recommend visiting at night as I did for a specially lit monument.
The Best of Tbilisi
The best of Tbilisi Old Town is down from Mt Mtatsminda though. Walking through the dense old streets, you’ll encounter old churches, mosques, and wonderful architecture dating back to the 19th century. It’s hard to totally encapsulate it in words. To me, it invoked images of the American west, Ottoman, and Persian motifs with a heavy sprinkling of Russian flavors as well. Follow the Mtkvari River for a scenic route to the tourist heart by the water with bazaars and bars galore.
Ori
ორი
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi
თბილისის წმინდა სამების საკათედრო ტაძარი
What’s that you say? Best of Tbilisi? What about best of Jesus? I mean, if you’re looking for something about the best of Jesus this probably is not the blog for you… but we do have some pretty fire churches to talk about! And look it’s shiny and gold, two things guaranteed to fill that dark void at the center of your soul! Note soul saving is not ensured 100% but uh back to the church… Once again, as the pics suggest visit it at night for strategic photography goals.
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One of the obvious things to consider when considering the best of Tbilisi for consideration is its considerable geographic spoils. Tbilisi is blessed with opposing hills flanking the city. We mentioned how the majestic Narikala Fortress sits atop Mt Mtatsminda. Well, this cathedral sits on uh the other hill too! It probably has a name but I guess we’ll never know it. Mysteries are cool. Anyways, point is, visiting the cathedral you get illuminating 360-degree views over the whole of Tbilisi’s waterfront, facing Narikala Fortress in a head-to-head duel for iconicness.
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The appeal of the Holy Trinity Cathedral is of course partially dependent on your religious views. However, from an architectural standpoint, it’s hard to ignore the beauty it emanates. Its scope and the grandeur of its grounds make even a secular visit worthwhile. There are a lot of churches in Tbilisi as you could imagine but this one is by far the largest and most elaborate. It can house like a lot of people, like a number over 3 for sure. Maybe even over 4. 5 too? Mysteries are cool!
The Best of Tbilisi
The grounds around the cathedral are wholly spacious, romantic, and picturesque as well. They’re not just wholly those three things but holy those three things. See what I did there? And I saw this couple kissing near the edge of the hill. That’s right, watching strangers kiss is what I do for fun. That means it is romantic. Just like love is. And you know what I love? The best of Tbilisi.
Sami
სამი
Rike Park
რიყის პარკი
Remember that life-changing moment when I revealed that there is a cable car going up to Narikala Fortress? Well, if you’ve been losing sleep since wondering where exactly such a thing could connect to, fear no more! It connects to Rike Park. Unlike the rest of this list so far, it’s flat and not reliant on mountains for its clout. The park is across the river from the old town and under the hill upon which the Holy Trinity Cathedral is perched. Thus, if you be looking over the city as I’ve suggested multiple times, it’s Rike Park you’ll be seeing unless you close your eyes I guess.
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It’s inevitable to compare the area constituting Rike Park with Tbilisi’s Old Town. After all, this section of the city features the most obvious examples of modern and futuristic architecture. I’m not sure if futuristic is the proper term but it’s weird so call it what you want. The two sights which bring this into focus the most are undoubtedly the curving, arching Bridge of Peace, which is the entrance to the park from one side of town, and the Rike Concert Hall. The latter is that big, strangely tubey building which is Rike Park’s centerpiece.
The Best of Tbilisi
When I visited in 2020 however, Rike Concert Hall was not open but that may have changed by the time you read this. Even if it’s not, the grounds are still lovely to explore on their own, especially in the morning. Attributes like that make Rike Park all the more inviting as a departure from the rest of the city. Come here to enjoy a quaint morning walk with gardens, benches, playgrounds, and paths. Don’t stress about getting here either as its centralized location makes it easily accessible.
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A little disclaimer: it is debatable if this area, Rike Park, really is part of the Best of Tbilisi. When I visited, I was told the unique architecture is not the most popular with the Georgians themselves. I will say on behalf of dumb tourists, it does make for a more interesting cityscape so yeah. But, the architectural choices can be a bit jarring so the best way to decide is just to come close and see for yourself.
The Best of Tbilisi
Just putting that out there to say that if you hate Rike Park as well as the kinda futuristic White House-looking government building above it, you’re not the only one. Nevertheless, if buildings don’t tickle your fancy there are other attractions at Rike Park. In doing research for my Biology class, I learned that there is a cultural festival every October called Tbilisoba held in the park too. You can get food, drink, and all other Georgian goodies. Meanwhile, I got an F in Biology.
Otkhi
ოთხი
Gabriadze Theater Clock Tower
გაბრიაძის თეატრის საათის კოშკი
You can’t have the best of Tbilisi or any city for that matter without local input. As much as I rep solo travel, having natives to guide you can often bring the most splendorous rewards. This is pretty obvious but eh I wanted to say it. Best of Tbilisi ya heard me? I never would have found this unique spot without a local friend. This tower is not the biggest, clockiest one you will see but is the leaningest one for my money. While a popular tourist attraction in its own right, the Tower is tucked away in a pretty pretty part of Tbilisi’s Old Town, and just sorta attached to the end of a block, looking suspect like it’s hiding a dark secret. Stalin was from Georgia you know.
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This clock tower is located right next to the Gabriadze Theater, which is why it has that name. Twist! When the clock strikes… uh Idk some time I guess wtf I look like a clock boy, an angel comes out the top. I mean a puppet angel btw, not a real one. But uh back to the info. Architect Rezo Gabriadze built it in the 19th century. It be leaning. It’s on that clock shit. Best of Tbilisi y’all.
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For me, spots like this generally stand out more than they should. It’s the weird little niche areas with their lovable quirks that really grab the attention. And that’s a contribution of having a local help you, getting a dive into the little details of a city’s culture and history. The clock also has an opening below it showing puppets representing the circles of life. This includes love, marriage, childbirth and so on but in Orthodox puppety goodness. Just what all the kool kids want these days!
If you’ve got a day or 0.7 to spare…
Kakheti
კახეთი
Kakheti is a nice rural region in Eastern Georgia. In my time there I stayed specifically in Pona and explored a bit nearby during a Workaway stay. It’s famous for its wine production and features beautiful rolling hills, little creeks, and the odd Orthodox Church. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Tbilisi, go here.
Kakheti will take about an hour and a half to reach by car from Tbilisi. If you’re so inclined, you can take one of the local marshrutkas from a station in Tbilisi. Marshrutkas are minivans transformed into minibusses that leave when full from certain areas. They’re cramped and uncomfortable but they’re cheap. Additionally, Marshrutkas can reach far-off areas that cars and bigger buses don’t feel like taking fools to.
Unfortunately, it was pretty tricky to reach Kakheti from Tbilisi using this method for someone not speaking Georgian. I was with a friend who spoke Russian, which is still spoken by a sizable percentage of the population there, but even then, things were incredibly difficult to figure out. Keep that in mind, as Kakheti’s rural nature makes it somewhat less accessible by marshrutka than other parts of Georgia.
Nevertheless, Kakheti is great for a day trip. Enjoy the quaint landscape which will take you back in time! Take a wine tour or something like that! Take a hike or something like that! Drown in the creek! Okay maybe not but the point is it’s rural fun, kinda near Azerbaijan and they had a really good kebab there which threw me for a loop. A loop like what? a loop like Fruit!
In Conclusion
Post done! Oh, what fun! Anyways, this is a new little series I kinda do, unless I don’t, about cities that either don’t necessarily require a long time stay or cities you may just happen to visit for a short period of time, such as a weekend or week beginning. We’re making sure whatever introduction you get into the city in question won’t be a weak beginning! This is the second so far. Check out my Makassar, Indonesia piece aqui:
Tbilisi is a very underrated city in my opinion! Yeah, as European capitals go, it’s not really able to compete with Paris, Rome, or London but for what it is, it’s a city. This blog is really deep. So, like Pullitzer now?
