Tbilisi

TBILISI- A HIDDEN JEWEL IN THE END OF EUROPE

Georgia is a small country to the North-East of Black Sea and Tbilisi is its capital. Despite the fact that it is not part of EU and it is geographically far from the heart of Europe, it has made a huge progress over the last years. It is still unexplored travel destination both suitable for long weekends or long vacation- it has nice beach resorts and is also famous for its wines.

After travelling to more than 60 countries, we realized that maybe it is worth keeping all the records in one place and also to share our learnings with more people than our FB family and friends. We dedicate one of the first posts to a country in Europe whose beauty and potential is still not exploited enough. Georgia- I bet it has never been on your radar for a weekend trip, isn’t it? Well, over the last one year we tried to visit as much countries as possible. As mentioned in the intro part, we have full time jobs and as you all experience it- the holiday days are limited. For this reason we used all the public holidays in order to go to destinations which take more than 2 hours flight.

Lili’s 5 good-to-know tips when travelling to Tbilisi

• Although it is generally quite cheap in the country, the restaurants in the central part of Tbilisi can be as expensive as those in Vienna
• Barely no one speaks English, but if you know some Russian words, this would help a lot
• Be careful with the alcohol there- like in many Eastern-European countries the quality might not be good (even in the renown bars/ restaurants)
• The roads and sidewalks can be a bit rough and it is quite dusty– maybe you shouldn’t take your newest pair of shoes
• The food is really amazing there- be prepared to eat a lot :).

Georgia is a small country to the North-East of Black Sea. Being born and living on the other side of Black Sea, we were really curious to see whether there is a big difference. Although being still in Europe, it is not that easy to reach Georgia.

Transportation

Flights

It is actually not that easy to reach Georgia, or at least not that cheap. There are low cost flights, but not to the capital- Tbilisi. Wizzair is flying to Kutaisi, but this is a small town- we even didn’t even see it on the sightseeing routes they offered in Tbilisi. We flew to Tbilisi via Istanbul (VIE-IST-TBS) and the flight was not that long at all. Moreover the flying times were really good as we managed to visit the city only within the long weekend that we had.

The country is still very authentic and unexploited as there aren’t many flights which can take you there (while waiting at the airport on our way back, there were around 10 flights for the whole second part of the day).

Within the city

When it comes to transport within the city, it is very straight forward. We ordered a taxi from the airport directly from the hotel and it was a good idea- firstly because we landed at 5 in the morning and secondly- because we found that barely anyone speaks English there. The taxi costs 10 Eur in one direction, so it was really a good deal.

Although Tbilisi has a subway network, we did not find it necessary to take it. All the main attractions are accessible by foot (of course you have to be prepared to take long walks, but they are manageable).

I cannot give advice on the transportation and roads in the country as we stayed only in Tbilisi (this time ;).

The hotels in general are not expensive. But be careful as not everything is what it looks. We have chosen a hotel which had good reviews and amazing pictures on booking.com. The hotel had an amazing rooftop terrace overlooking the city and this was one of the main reasons we book it. Although the hotel was not bad in the end, it was far from what was promised (I do not find it appropriate to share the hotel name with you). The most important thing is that you chose something which is close to the center, so that you do not lose time for transportation.

Best attractions in Tbilisi which you can see in 2 days:

• Narikala fortress

Located on one of the hills above the city, it offers amazing view to the city.

You have two possibilities to get there- either taking the lift from the other side of the river (I find it really amazing that they had built it) or go on foot. The lift costs around 2 Eur. You can as well go on foot – it is not that far, but the road is quite steep. We took the walk and it is really not long. On the way up (as we walked to there) you can see the old town with its nice architecture and style.

We started from the left side of the hill, firstly visited the waterfall, then up the hill to the fortress, after that via the Statue of Mother of Georgia and finally we took the stairs from the other side to go down.

• The waterfall

It is not very common to see a waterfall (which was quite high by ) in a city center. Well, it is 500 m away, but I still consider this as the center. It is one of the main attractions, so it can be very crowded sometimes.

• Kartlis Deda or the Mother of Georgia

A big statue of a woman, located at the top of Sololaki Hill. The statue is holding a glass of wine in one hand to welcome guests and a sword to scare away the enemies in the other hand. If you are at Narikala fortress, just walk towards it- it takes 10 mins. There are street sellers and musicians in the area. Next to it there are stairs which you can take for going back to the Old Town.

• The funicular and the view from the highest hill around Tbilisi- Mount Mtatsminda. This is really a must-see attraction. There is an amusement park located on the top of the hill and you can get there mainly via the funicular (the ticket for both ways costs around 5-6 Eur).

  

  The view from the top is really amazing. What we highly recommend is to have dinner on the second floor of the building- most people are just having some sweets in the cafe on the first floor from where the view is not that good, Maybe because they think that the restaurant is too posh.

  

  We were surprised that the prices were definitely not that high (they were more or less the same as in the restaurants in the old town).

  

• Tsminda Sameba Cathedral

It is located on the other side of the river and you need to walk 15 mins.

It is a big complex, but at least when we visited it, it was not crowded (there were just a few people). The area around is not very nice (as is the rest of the old town), but it was safe.

• Monument of Characters of Movie Mimino

It is a metal statue which you find on the way to Tsaminda Sameba Cathedral, so it is worth just stopping by. For the curious ones  Mimino is a 1977 comedy film by Soviet director Georgiy Daneliya. The Soviet era comedy won the 1977 Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.

• The park around the river (Rike park) and the Bridge of Peace.

  

  The area is nicely renovated and it is very pleasant to have a walk. This is also the place where the lift to Narikala Fortress departs from.

  

  There are a couple of cafes where you can sit and enjoy the view to Mount Mtatsminda especially at night.

  

• Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater

We did not enter inside, but there are marionette shows which might be interesting. The area around is very cute and reminds a bit of Italy – small, cute streets with nice restaurants and art boutiques.

• The sulphur baths

This is the only place in Europe where you can find sulphur in the city. Unfortunately we didn’t visit them, but I really find this very interesting and something which is worth doing.

I can write a couple of other places (as we had 3 days in total and we could see them all), but in our opinion they are nothing extraordinary.

Georgian cuisine and what to taste

In general we are not such gastrofans and food does not take central place in our lives. However Georgia really impressed us. Everything we tried was extremely delicious.

To name a few Georgian dishes you have to taste:

• Bread. My favourite is Khachapuri boat– this is dough in the form of a boat and it is filled in with egg and cheese.
• Cheese. Georgia is famous for the cheese they produce- it is different types, but the most traditional one is the fresh goat cheese.
• Khinkali. Dumplings made of boiled dough and filled with different products- cheese, meat, mushrooms.
• Sweets made of nuts (churchkhela), surrounded by grape and stuffed in eatable wax (at least is looks like wax, but it is made out of grape). These are the long hanging things they sell on every street corner which look like salami or other type of meat.

  

• Wine. Georgia is famous for its wines, so you will miss if you don’t try.
• Wine bars in the Old Town in Tbilisi

Where to eat in Tbilisi:

• Grilisi

  It a small restaurant located beneath Narikala Fortress. Even if you are not hungry, just take a lemonade and enjoy the amazing view.

  

• Barbarestan

  We met local friends there and they brought us to this restaurant. We tried so many dishes and all of them were amazing. The place is a bit posh, so the prices are higher than the rest of the restaurants.

• There is restaurant whose name I couldn’t find, but it is located at the beginning of Abano Street. It has a nice terrace overlooking Metekhi Cathedral on the opposite shore of the river. They offer good service and also delicious food at very affordable prices.

• Cafe Pavilion

  Located in an art tiny street close to Rezo Theather, the place is extremely romantic. There is a live piano performance which makes the experience really amazing.

  

• Stelzen haus

  Coming from Austria, we did not want to taste Austrian/ German food, so at first we were skeptical about the place, but then it turn out to be a good choice. Big portions and huge variety of different dishes- both Western and Eastern European ones. The place is big and it also has TV stations for the sports lovers.

  

• Funicular Restaurant Complex

  This is definitely my highlight of the whole trip. Usually restaurants located at main tourist points are expensive and they do not offer good food. Most of the tourists/visitors were going to the first floor of the building which looked more as a cafeteria and the view from there was not spectacular. I had a mission- to watch the sunset in a quieter place with nicer atmosphere.

  

  That is why I decide to go to the restaurant on the second floor (back then I did not know whether it will be expensive or not). As it was May, I could sit outside on the terrace. There were not many visitors and it was definitely not expensive. The view to the whole Tbilisi. is simply amazing You will not regret going there.

Souvenirs you can buy from the old town- there are a lot of shops selling traditional products. The prices vary, so you must make a quick walk. Bargaining also works there.

My final words will be- if you haven’t put Tbilisi on you list for weekend escapes, you better do so asap before it has become popular and it loses its charm. More inspirations for weekend escapes you can find here.