How the Republic of Georgia Stole Our Hearts

A country oozing with so much cool, we debated skipping our flight to Thailand. The Republic of Georgia is the kind of place that gets under your skin, into your heart, and makes you wonder why the hell more people aren’t fleeing here in droves. And if you lack self control like we do, it will plant itself firmly on your hips.

We spent just under a month in the Republic of Georgia but easily could’ve ended our journey there. Maybe it was the hearty carbo-loaded cuisine that paired perfectly with the chilly autumn air. Or maybe it was the age-old wines that intrigued both our minds and our palates. Perhaps it was the seemingly never ending alleys with an air of mystery to explore. Whatever it was, for the first time in months, we found ourselves in a place that felt like “home”.

Arriving to Tbilisi

Most people will arrive to the Republic of Georgia via plane in its capital city, Tbilisi. The bad news is that most of those flights land in the wee morning hours. The good news is that the airport is easy to navigate, the luggage shows up quickly (on a casino themed belt no less), and there is no visa required! At the time of writing, US citizens are allowed to stay in the country for up to a year without a visa.

Grabbing a Taxi

The Tbilisi airport is situated about 30 minutes outside of the city center so you will most likely need to grab a taxi to get to your hotel. Stepping outside of the arrivals terminal you will find a queue of drivers ready to offer you a ride. Do be ready to haggle. In your disoriented 3am state-of-being, some drivers will try to extort you. But hold your ground, and don’t agree to paying any more than $15 USD.

If you want to use a mobile app to call your ride, Bolt and Yandex are the most widely used in the Republic of Georgia. We were never able to set up our accounts and as such have no experience using them.

Budget Friendly Transportation

If you’re on a tight budget, there is a bus that runs between the airport and the city center for a fraction of the cost. Bus #37 will take you to Freedom Square for only 50 tetri. That is the equivalent of $.20 USD. We were exhausted and hoping to be in bed before the sun came up, so we opted for the taxi.

Speaking of transportation – driving here is on a whole new level of crazy. Renting a car is for the brave of heart only. We mostly walked around the city, but maybe next time we are in town we will step up to the challenge of driving.

Where We Stayed

Tbilisi is comprised of several different neighborhoods. There are many hotel options located around Liberty Square and along the river. If you stay here, you will be conveniently situated near most attractions, restaurants, and bars.

We, however, opted to stay in the Vake district. Our Airbnb was in a quiet location just a 20 minute walk from downtown. It was far enough removed from the busyness of the city, but still everything we needed was within steps. Mini marts, purveyors of fresh-baked bread, an ATM, and several small restaurants. We frequented our local produce man (and supplier of red wine) so often that he questioned whether or not we were tourists. When we would tell locals we were staying in Vake, they always responded with, “oh, the posh district!” And so it was.

As always, we highly recommend renting an Airbnb for longer stays. If it is your first time, use this link for a discount on your initial stay.

What We Did in The Republic of Georgia

Watering Holes

It was the wine that drew us to The Republic of Georgia in the first place. So there was no question that we would be drinking plenty of it while we were in town. The vast quantity of wine on display left us with hearts in our eyes. But spending a month here, some nights we needed to break up the grape flow with a few beers and local spirits.

There is definitely no shortage of small bars in Tbilisi, so the ones listed below are just those that became our favorites.

Dive Bar

You can’t read many lists or blogs about Tbilisi without coming across this bar. With good reason though! It’s a great place to come chill with your friends or to make some new ones. It’s where we had our first (of many) shots of chacha – the local spirit of choice.

There are no frills at Dive Bar; just cheap drinks, beer pong, and rock-n-roll playing on the sound system. Beware, there is a cat that may look friendly, but as my wife can attest to, it does not like being touched.

Mari Brose Street, Tbilisi, Georgia

8000 Vintages

We tried several wine shops while in Tbilisi and this one stood out as our clear favorite. The first time we stumbled in here we were offered a tasting with one of their sommeliers. For just under $25 we spent about an hour and a half tasting through 6 wines, learning everything there is to know about the wine and the region in which it is grown. The tasting came with a large platter of meat, cheese, and dried fruits. Their newest location is behind the opera house where you can sit and have a bottle of sparkling wine before the show for around $3.

26 Sulkhan Tsintsadze St, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia

Woland’s Speakeasy

This speakeasy can be found underneath an American-style diner. The diner is located just off of Freedom Square. When you enter the diner you will go through the bookcase in the back and down a flight of stairs. Here, you will mostly find expats but it is a fun place to go to meet new people and have a craft cocktail or two. The food which comes from the upstairs diner isn’t bad either. Follow them on Facebook to see upcoming events such as trivia and beer pong nights.

2 Ivane Machabeli St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Sitio Wine Bar

This cozy neighborhood wine bar offers up a good selection of wine from boutique wineries in a warm atmosphere. The staff is friendly and helped us to select the perfect bottle each time we visited. They do have a few snacks to order, but we used this as a pre or post dinner wine spot.

11 Mikheil Zandukeli St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Wine Garage

This small off-the-beaten-path bar is worth a visit. This former garage turned bar (hence the name) makes its own house wine and chacha. You can get both for under $2 a pour. It is located near one of the trail heads for Mt. Mtatsminda. Stop by after returning from a hike and treat yourself to a glass of wine. In the colder months, opt for a shot of chacha to warm you up.

32 Kote Makashvili Street Tbilisi City, 0108, Georgia

Craft Brew Bars

There are a number of bars around the city where we enjoyed grabbing a local craft beer. Check out our full write up on them here. At least once, you must order a draft beer to-go from a walk up window while in Tbilisi.

Acting Cultured

Opera

Neither of us have been to an opera in the past and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. In the States, a night at the opera will set you back hundreds of dollars. For just over $10 a ticket in Tbilisi, you can sit center stage second mezzanine to watch the dramatic story unfold. The opera house itself is a beautiful building with high archways, marble floors, and glowing chandlers. Like most operas they are not in English and you will just have to feel the emotion of the show. The one we saw was in Italian with Georgian subtitles on the screen above the stage.

If you are a long-term backpacker then this is a great chance to get dressed up again with plenty of second hand shops around town.

25 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia

Georgian National Museum

When we visited this three story museum it had a mosaic exhibit dating back as far as the first century. The tiles from Caesar’s Palace were especially intricate. There were other exhibits such as the history of military clothing, the evolution of man, interactive Italian art, and information about the Georgian Holocaust. You could spend hours wandering the halls and soaking in all it has to offer.

After you leave, stroll along Rustaveli Ave and try to find all of the small and quirky bronze statues of Georgian characters. This guy was our favorite.

3/10 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia

Soccer Match

You won’t find many tourists or even locals here, but if you want to see a live sporting event you can watch the Dinamo Tbilisi professional soccer team. Upon arrival you can choose between $2 or $4 tickets. The price difference is supposed to determine whether your seat is in the lower level or upper level. However, it seems the turnout is usually so small that everyone ends up sitting field side in just a few sections. When we were there none of the concessions were open so be sure to bring anything you might want from the outside.

2 Akaki Tsereteli Ave, Tbilisi 0112, Georgia

Puppet Show

At Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater you will be able to catch a performance most nights of the week. The marionettists are incredibly talented and will put on a performance that will have you riding an emotional roller coaster of anguish and laughter. The performances are done in Georgian with English subtitles and the option to get a headset that will translate to your language of choice. The theater is quite small and tends to sell out quickly. We stopped by the box office a few days prior to our preferred show time to ensure we could buy tickets. They are a bit pricey but absolutely worth it.

13 Ioane Shavteli St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Being a Tourist

Mother of Georgia

The Kartlis Deda monument – also known as Mother Georgia – sits high on the hilltop overlooking Tbilisi. She symbolizes The Republic of Georgia’s character and beliefs. In one hand, she carries a bowl of wine for those that arrive as friends and in the other hand, a sword to ward off her enemies. You can visit her by either gondola ride or small hike. If you wish to take the gondola you will need to use the same card as the metros and you will pick it up on the far side of the river. If you choose to walk, you will just need to zigzag through the old city to find the path to the top. Once on top you can visit other things such as the Narikala Fortress and the National Botanical Garden.

Sololaki St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Explore the Old City

On our days with no real agenda, we headed in the direction of the old city. We wandered up and down the back alleys, looking at the old buildings where the daily laundry was hung to dry and the locals went about their business. If you are looking for a tour group while you are in town, head to the main street and there will also be no shortage of people trying to entice you.

Dezerters Bazaar

A large and varied outdoor market! Here you will be able to find anything that you are looking for from electronics to home wine making equipment, household items, and traditional food. The never ending rows of stalls will be an enjoyment to your senses. In the back dark corners of the market alleyways you will even be able to have some drinks with the locals.

5 Abastumani St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Wine Tour

There is no shortage of wine tours available in Georgia but choosing a price range can help you greatly narrow it down as there seems to be no middle ground. We spent all day with Gamarjoba Georgia Tours led by our tour guide Georgi. The tour was on the budget end of the spectrum but was a great way to get out of the city and see a bit more of the Republic of Georgia. The winery stops themselves were not that impressive as they were macro producers capable of hosting larger groups, but the energy from our guide made the trip memorable for us.

We stopped at 3 wineries with additional breaks to see bread being baked in a traditional tone oven and to have lunch. Sampling the freshly baked bread still hot from the oven was a highlight of the day. As for lunch, I was presently surprised at the quality of the food at our stop. We have taken other tours in the past where it was like eating at a truck stop so we were prepared for the worst.

14 Vladimer Meskhishvili St, Tbilisi 0103, Georgia

Sulfur Baths

There is nothing like a spa day to alleviate the aches every backpacker is familiar with. In Tbilisi, we treated ourselves to a soak in the sulfur baths on two occasions. There are over a handful of sulfur bathhouses in the city to choose from. The options range from a budget-friendly public bath to more indulgent private multi-room baths. At the time of this writing there were only two houses left offering public baths and those cost about $1 to soak.

We settled for one of the more popular mid-range options at the Orbeliani Baths (pictured below). It was a very relaxing experience after a long day of exploring and we could feel the healing properties. At least we convinced ourselves we could. We recommend skipping the cheapest room for 1-2 people at this bath house as it was prone to serious echoing. We couldn’t have a conversation. The larger room for 1-4 people was much more comfortable for the equivalent of only a few more dollars.

31 Abano St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Time to Eat

Our First Georgian Meal at Mapshalia

The bar was set high right off the bat for our expectations about Georgian food. This unassuming little restaurant is below street level and serves up some tasty traditional fare at a very affordable price. I would highly recommend the roasted eggplant stuffed with a walnut paste and topped with fresh parsley.

137 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia

Katchapuri / Lobiani

Remember that part about The Republic of Georgia planting itself on our hips? Well, we have katchapuri and lobiani to blame for that. These two delicious baked goods were our late breakfast or lunch most days. Katchapuri is a flaky dough filled with salty cheese and lobiani is either the same flaky dough or a baguette stuffed with a spiced bean spread. For a cheap but filling meal, these are the way to go.

Khinkhali from Shemomechana

Khinkhali is a popular food you will see all over the city, but Shemomechana was our favorite place to order them. This traditional dumpling has many fillings – such as meat, potato, mushroom, or cheese. We tried them all, but the ones we kept coming back to were the ground beef/pork mixture.

The trick to eating these little treats is to grab the dumpling by the knot and take a small bite from the side. After the steam has escaped you slurp down down the broth and take a bite of the filling. We learned early on that khinkhali takes a long time to come out of the kitchen. So don’t order these if you are in a hurry. If you arrive in a famished state of being, order a salad to keep you satisfied until the dumplings are ready.

8 Mtskheta St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Cheese House

We walked into this small shop and were greeted by a young lady offering us several samples. We went in searching for some specific styles of cheese that we were familiar with but left with their Georgian counterparts. The Cheese House is a one-stop-shop if you are hoping to prepare a cheese board. In addition to the cheese itself, you will also find accouterments such as local honey and jams. Don’t forget the wine!

7 Zakaria Paliashvili Street, Tbilisi, Georgia

The Wine Factory

The Wine Factory is a compilation of several different restaurants and shops set in a brilliantly designed pocket of the city. When we first arrived in the evening, it was lit up in a way that made us want to make a few laps just to admire the scenery. Here you will find BBQ, tacos, and craft beer among other things.

We grabbed a few bottles to share with friends from Wine Factory #1. The collection here is mighty impressive. Replace the books with bottles of wine and you have a real-life Beauty and the Beast floor-to-ceiling library awaiting you. The food here is a bit pricey by backpacker standards, so we just had our wine then moved on to find dinner elsewhere. But if you have more cash than us, this would be a great place to spend it.

Vasil Petriashvili 1, Tbilisi, Georgia 0179

Nikolozi

Our very last meal in Georgia very well could have been our best. This restaurant is so small and unnoticeable that we actually walked by it a few times (with our Google directions in hand) before we discovered the entrance. The space is small, and judging by its decor, also doubles as the family living room for the husband and wife duo who own Nikolozi.

The food was so good we were kicking ourselves for waiting so long to eat here. Wine pours are generous and everything is very fairly priced. No cards are accepted here, so bring cash.

32-34 Anton Katalikosi St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Honorable Mentions

Fabrika

This place is worth mentioning because of what they were able to do with an old soviet era sewing factory. The brains behind the project were able to take a large run down building and breathe new life into an otherwise barren part of the city. The property is full of trendy shops and bars patronized by expats and backpackers. Come to snap a few photos and stay for a round of beers.

8 Egnate Ninoshvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Rock Climbing

When I found a small climbing gym at the University, that I could use for just a few dollars I jumped at the chance. The gentlemen that owns it converted part of the school’s gymnasium into climbing walls offering top rope, lead, and bouldering sections. The routes are changed weekly and the gym supplies any equipment you might need. If you would like to do some top rope climbing the friendly staff will be happy to belay for you.

6 University St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Make sure you are protected by travel insurance anytime you hit the road, but especially when you are engaging in dangerous activities! We use World Nomads to cover our butts in case of any incidents.

Mtatsminda Amusement Park

After scampering over the crest of the hill with twigs in our hair we stumbled upon a mysterious wonderland. On top of the city sits Mtatsminda Amusement Park. A Tbilisi attraction offering up carnival games, rides for the children, and even a wax museum. If you enjoy ferris wheels, take a ride and enjoy a new view of the city.

We took the very long and unusual route up to the top, without the destination of this park in mind (we didn’t even know of its existence!) The hike was a nice ascent into a bit of nature and included an outdoor gym halfway up the hill.

If you just want to visit the park without the challenge of the climb, there is a road so you can take a bus or a taxi. Additionally, there is even a funicular option to get to the top. We used the funicular as our return option instead of hiking in the dark.

9 Kakutsa Cholokashvili Street,Tbilisi Georgia

Final Thoughts

It would be impossible to sum up our stay in Georgia in a way that feels even close to sufficient. It stole our hearts in a way no other country has come close to doing. I like to think it was a mixture of the grit of the people and the never ending fresh baked bread smells wafting through the air. Georgia was a carb lover’s paradise and a wine fiends dream. There were realities of the country (like its failing sidewalks – watch your step) that were less pleasant, but the abundance of wine made us cheery enough to overlook that aspect. And where the wine failed, the street dogs of the city wagged their tails to brighten our days. If we had it our way, we would’ve adopted each and every one of them.

Despite the visible level of poverty in the country that often tugged at our hearts, the people of Georgia were of beautiful spirit. Any English speaking natives were more than happy to oblige us with our relentless questions. And the ones who didn’t – like our local produce guy – welcomed us with a smile and the occasional free gift of fruit.

Our month flew by much too quickly leaving us regretful that we didn’t make time to see more of the beautiful countryside and other cities. Especially considering travel throughout the country is so inexpensive! For that we will have to return.

Have you been to Georgia? We’d love to know what you enjoyed most about your visit.

Cheers friends,

Megan + Matt