Georgia Travel Guide: Essential Tips for Planning Your Trip

Actually, when I say I am from Georgia, most people usually think of the US, look at me suspiciously and respond: “but you don’t sound American”. Then I have to start explaining that I am not one 😀 I was born and raised in Tbilisi and I developed this detailed guide to make your visit easier. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer.

Interesting fact: Georgia in Georgian language is called Sakartvelo (საქართველო) while Georgians are called Kartvelebi (ქართველები).

How Long to Spend in Georgia

The main reasons to visit Georgia include its amazing mountainous areas (you can hike or visit to admire these regions without doing any hikes), long history and culture (you find cave cities, churches on top of hills and mountains, fortresses, Tbilisi balcony houses and much more), wine and food. Some people do visit for the seaside as well, but in my opinion, Georgia is not the right destination, if you would like a beach vacation. Yes, it does have beaches, but they can’t compare to the Mediterranean for example. Below I will give suggested itineraries, which will show you where the major attractions of the country lie.

If you wish to experience some of the best areas of the country, 2 weeks would be a good amount of time to explore Georgia. You could also get highlights within one week – if you only have a week, I suggest basing yourself in Tbilisi and doing day trips from there.

When to Visit Georgia?

There are distinct four seasons all around Georgia:

• Winter brings some freezing temperatures in Tbilisi, while it is very cold in the mountains. If you want to go skiing, then you will find relevant spots in Gudauri and Bakuriani. In winter most mountaneous regions are a no-go though. You still can visit Kazbegi even in winter, unless the roads are blocked. You can also access Mestia (in Svaneti) for skiing.
• Spring and Autumn can be unpredictable, as anywhere. If you visit during these times, you may or may not be able to go to some mountainous regions, like Svaneti.
• May, June and September are the best times to visit all areas, not too hot in Tbilisi and other cities and not too cold to visit mountains and hike.
• July and August are overly hot in the lowlands, while they make a nice time to visit mountainous areas and do the hikes. They are also the most popular months for tourism, particularly to the seaside and mountains, as basically anywhere in the world.

You can choose the right time for you depending on your preferences. My advice would be to aim for June or September, maybe even October for milder temperatures.

Visa Policy of Georgia

Georgia has visa free regime for 95 countries – all of Europe, Canada, US, Australia, many South American countries, Balkan countries, etc.. Citizens of most of these countries can visit without a visa for a year – just check your country on the official list.

If you are not from any of the countries having visa free, there is an electronic visa process for almost 70 countries – check out the official website for the details. The rest need to obtain the usual visa from the respective embassies.

Important note: Keep in mind that according to Georgian law, entering Abkhazia and South Ossetia is forbidden from elsewhere other than crossing points in Georgia. So, if you ever visited these regions from Russia, you may not be able to enter Georgia after that.

How to Travel to Georgia

There are 3 international airports in Georgia – Tbilisi, Kutaisi and least used Batumi.

• Kutaisi airport serves mainly Wizzair flights, which can be relatively cheaper option to travel from Europe and a couple of Middle Eastern areas. Flights are quite cheap outside the popular tourist seasons.
• Tbilisi airport serves a wider range of airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airlines, LOT, Aegean airlines, FlyDubai, Lufthansa, AirBaltic, etc.
• Batumi airport is smaller and serves only a few airlines (getting there is not cheap either usually).

If you are travelling on land, you could get to Georgia from either Turkey, Armenia or Azerbaijan (currently not available):

How to Travel From Turkey to Georgia on Land

Istanbul to Tbilisi: Traveling from Istanbul on land to Tbilisi via Batumi is a very exhausting journey. It usually takes about 27 hours by bus. The buses run from/to Tbilisi Ortachala bus station. Generally, the company Luxe Karadeniz is more favored, while Metro has very bad reviews (I haven’t taken either so can’t provide personal experience). You can find Luxe Karadeniz tickets online via 12Go, while this Turkish website has both Metro and Luxe Karadeniz tickets.

Rize to Batumi and Tbilisi: This route is relatively easier. You can first take a cheaper internal flight from Istanbul to Rize and then go on land.

• You can either take one of the same buses running from Istanbul on this leg of the journey
• You can also take a minibus to the Sarpi border and get a taxi to Batumi after crossing. From Batumi you can continue your journey by train. See my article on public transport in Georgia for details.

How to Travel from Armenia to Georgia on Land

The minibuses from Yerevan to Tbilisi run from Avlabari, Station square, Isani and Ortachala bus stations. Taking them from Avlabari is the best option for tourists though – the minibus stop is just across the station in front of the Armenian church (when you get out of the metro, turn left and you will see the Armenian church and the minibus stop).

The minibuses run from Avlabari to Kilikia bus station from 9am to 5pm every 2 hours, while from Yerevan Kilikia bus station to Tbilisi Avlabari 8.30am to 5pm every 2 hours. The journey takes about 5-6 hours, depending how much time you would need to cross the border and traffic. Tickets cost 50 GEL or 7,000 AMD.

You can buy the tickets of the minibuses online using 12Go website. Although usually you should be able to just turn up and purchase the ticket on the spot.

Keep in mind that this road is not that great for comfortable travel. The roads are windy. Plus, you can get pretty shaken up on the journey, as the drivers are not slow and careful. This minibus ride is definitely not one of my favourites.

The second option is the train from Yerevan to Tbilisi: You can buy the tickets on the Southern Railway website. The train is very slow and takes about 11-12 hours. It’s usually an overnight train.

How to Travel from Azerbaijan to Georgia on Land

During the pre-COVID times an overnight train was running from Baku to Tbilisi and was a very convenient option. Since 2020 however, Georgia-Azerbaijan land border is closed and won’t reopen at least until the end of 2025. Hopefully it will restart operation in the near future.

The train took somewhere between 10 to 12 hours (depending on the land border crossing) and had open carriage and compartments for 2 and 4 people, which were quite clean and convenient. We did one way in a 4 person compartment (as 2 person ones were no longer available). It was a bit crowded for such a long journey, the space is not too big. On the other hand, we loved the 2 person compartment on our way back. It was very convenient and we slept well.

You can purchase tickets online on the Azerbaijan railway website. It’s also possible to purchase in person – we did at the Tbilisi Train Station.

Transport in Georgia

See the dedicated article about taking trains, buses and minibuses in Georgia.

What to Wear in Georgia?

You can wear basically anything you like. Especially in Tbilisi, the guys no longer gape at women. When I was a teenager, the situation was far more unpleasant. One had to deal with catcalling and gaping.

As for some remote regions and villages, you will still find more traditional people. You probably won’t hike in revealing clothing anyway, but still avoid them especially in mountainous regions, where people are more conservative. This is just to avoid discomfort; it’s highly unlikely that anyone would tell you anything.

For visiting churches, as a woman the rules include that you have shoulders covered, wear a dress and wear a headscarf. I know it sounds funny, but in some churches, you may need to put a scarf around your trousers. So do carry a scarf to cover up if you really want to visit something and they indicate you should cover up. Some churches even have something available for this. Honestly, I never follow these rules myself, as I consider them discriminatory, and believe that as a Georgian I have a duty to change the restrictive culture. However, if I was a tourist I wouldn’t mind covering up, if they don’t let me inside a historical building just because of that.

Money Matters for Your Trip to Georgia

In the last years you can pay by card almost everywhere, unless you decide to buy something in the bazaars (even they sometimes have card payment options). I no longer carry cash.

That said, you may want to have cash, if you go out of Tbilisi and would like to buy local food, pay drivers, etc.

You can exchange money in a lot of locations in the major cities. Obviously at the airport the rate is bad, so exchange only very little to get you to your hotel before you exchange money in the city.

Exchange offices on Rustaveli avenue in Tbilisi usually have non competitive exchange rates. Try the ones next to Marjanishvili metro, as well as a couple in the old town and Avlabari, which offer good rates. Be sure to look around and check before changing. Also usually there should be no commission but inquire just in case.

Using any card in ATMs to get cash is rather easy. There are no restrictions on using foreign cards, like in some countries. So you should have no problems using any bank’s ATMs.

Safety Tips for Traveling in Georgia

Many people asked me about safety. Overall, unlike in the 90s, the country is safer. Of course, there are cases of theft and other crimes, as anywhere, but nothing outstanding for tourists. Just be aware of any pickpockets and take the usual precautions you would anywhere else.

Of course, there are still conflict regions, which are and basically inaccessible for Georgians. If you plan to travel to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, you should keep in mind that you should not do this from the Russian side, as this is forbidden according to Georgian law. So if you do this, You won’t be able to enter other parts of Georgia, as they won’t let you in. Actually, accessing the Tskhinvali region is basically impossible for most people, while going to Abkhazia still might be possible, but if you want to travel there, you should cross the checkpoints on Enguri river. You would have to go through the three checkpoints there and you may or may not be let through. Overall, unless you have something essential to do or are an adventurous traveler, travelling to these regions is not advisable.

There are no vaccinations required that are not in the general guidelines (such as MMP). Hepatitis A and Thyphoid still exist in some regions, although already rarely (I haven’t heard of any cases in big cities for a while). So be aware and try to be careful when buying street food, or get vaccinated for them.

The street dogs in Tbilisi are usually vaccinated, they have a sign of this on the ear. So normally they shouldn’t cause you any problems. The vaccination levels are not as high in the villages though. Either way, rabies cases still exist in Tbilisi and other areas and if you get bitten or scratched by a dog or a cat, seek medical advice.

Accommodation Guide in Georgia

In the past years, the country has developed infrastructure to accommodate tourists in all major areas. Therefore, you have numerous choices of hotels, hostels and homes. Because of this competition, the prices of accommodation are much cheaper than they used to be years ago.

While I will give more detailed information on accommodation options in relevant city and region guides, I will provide a short overview of the major locations here as well.

Accommodation in Tbilisi. It would be the most convenient to stay near Rustaveli Avenue, Avlabari, the old city and Marjanishvili areas. If you are on a strict budget, you can also look near other metro stations, like Isani, 300 Aragveli, Tsereteli, as well as near metro stations of line 2 – Saburtalo line. However, exclude some areas – I would avoid staying near the Railway station, Nadzaladevi or Didube. Being near metro will make getting around the city much easier, as it’s cheap and quick (although more complicated during rush hour).

In other smaller cities, it’s best to arrange accommodation, where everything would be in a walking distance, as getting around will be more complicated (unless you have a car hired, in which case, that doesn’t matter).

Accommodation in Kutaisi: Try to find accommodation near the Central Square. You can walk here to the main attractions of the city (except Gelati Monastery).

Accommodation in Svaneti (Mestia): This is a small town, therefore practially try to stay as close to the Seti square as possible, as you will have to get around the town on food.

Accommodation in Akhaltsikhe: Simply stay as close to the Rabati Fortress as possible.

Accommodation in Batumi: While I don’t suggest visiting Batumi on a short visit to Georgia, if you do stay there, best area is the old town near the Europe Square. My best tip regarding Batumi: Don’t stay in Orbi Towers in the south part of the city. All other issues aside, you will have to queue for the elevators for ages.

Accommodation in Zugdidi: Best option would be to stay between/around the Dadiani Palace and the Railway Station.

Getting a SIM Card

Buying a SIM card is a very easy and cheap task in Georgia, unless you buy at the airport, where they are always far more expensive than normal.

Magti has offices in many parts of Georgia. Here is the list of all offices. Most of them are closed on Sundays and national holidays though. You can just buy the cheapest available sim card and then top it up with mobile data or whatever else you prefer via Mymagti app.

Similarly, buying Geocell sim card at the airport would be more expensive than elsewhere. Here are the Silknet/Geocell offices. You can also order a sim card online and get it delivered to any address in Tbilisi for free.

Alternatively, if your phone allows, you can save yourself time and use an E-sim card. You can choose any of the numerous options, including Airalo or Saily.

Apps You will Need in Georgia

Maps: Let’s start with the most important app – maps. Google maps usually works pretty well and provides relevant destinations. It has a pretty good public transport information for Tbilisi, especially for buses. If you are driving, however, Google doesn’t always know which roads are one way or where the turn is allowed. So don’t blindly follow it, rather be sure to double check the signs. There really is no navigation app, which is better though in this sense. That said Google is pretty good at telling you where the traffic is heaviest by showing you the red line for the most congested areas and yellow, for more or less congested ones.

Translate app: Google translate offline is ok. It does make a lot of mistakes with Georgian, however it’s pretty fine for basic phrases that you will be needing.

For taxis, download Bolt application. Bolt works really well in Tbilisi and most other cities, like Batumi, Kutaisi and Zugdidi, although it’s pretty useless in more remote areas. I and most people around me always use it, when we need a taxi.

Tkt.ge app: this may come handy, if you would like to prebook train and bus tickets. It also offers tickets for concerts, theatre and concerts, but I doubt you would be needing those during your short visit.

Other than these, none of the apps you will be needing are country specific. For the rest of the apps that are must haves for travel, check out my thorough list. 

Food in Georgia

Georgian food is widely liked. This is a short selection of main types of food Georgians eat.

• Meat dishes – Khinkali (dumplings), Chakapuli (beef stew), Mtsvadi (shish).
• Cheese dishes – various types of Khachapuri (cheese pastries), mushrooms with cheese, Gebzhalia, Elarji – we love cheese.
• Vegan food – aubergines with walnuts, spinach with walnuts, Lobio (beans with walnuts), Ajapsandali (auberjine dish). You even get khinkali with mushrooms, as well as Lobiani (pastry with beans) and Pkhlovana (pastry with greens)

Sauces are also widely loved, like Baje (walnut sauce), Tkemali (plum sauce), Ajika (hot spicy dip). Spices are widely used in dishes.

While I don’t like big Georgian restaurants, there are some nicer ones where you can try Georgia food. I will provide lists in my city guide.

If you however want to experience food with a guide, this popular tour has a great selection.

Best 2-Week Itinerary Tips for Your Trip to Georgia

There are several versions of itineraries depending on your interests and wishes. Here is the most optimal itinerary for your 2-week trip, if you are relying on public transport or short tours:

Day 1 – Tbilisi

Day 2 – Mtskheta – day trip from Tbilisi

Day 3 – Uplistsikhe – half day trip, explore Tbilisi during the second half

You can combine visit to Uplistsikhe with your visit to Mtskheta, if you have enough time on day 2.

Day 4 – Kazbegi – day trip from Tbilisi

If you prefer, you may decide to stay overnight here and visit Juta next morning before returning to Tbilisi

Day 5 – Kakheti – day trip to Sighnaghi (and other areas in Kakheti if you do a tour) from Tbilisi

Day 6 – Akhaltsikhe – head to Akhaltsikhe and visit Rabat fortress

Overnight in Akhaltsikhe

Day 7 – Sapara Monastery, Khertvisi fortress, Vardzia and travel to Kutaisi

Day 8 – Kutaisi and Tskaltubo

Overnight in Kutaisi

Day 9 – Mestia – travel to Mestia, explore Mestia

Day 10 – Hatsvali and Tetnuldi – day trip from Mestia

Day 11 – Ushguli – day trip from Mestia

Day 12 – Koruldi lakes – day trip from Mestia

Day 13 – Zugdidi or Tbilisi

Fly to Tbilisi or alternatively take minibus to Zugdidi to stay overnight and then travel to Tbilisi next morning.

Day 14 – Tbilisi and departure

If You Have more Time in Georgia

Day trip to David Gareji monastery from Tbilisi: this trip takes over 2 hours from Tbilisi and on a 2-week itinerary it’s not really worth it. However, if you do have more time, you can explore it. There is no public transport going there. The Gareji line bus (minibus) makes a roundtrip leaving at 11am from Tbilisi, waiting for you to explore and getting you back to Tbilisi at about 6-6.30. there are also a number of tours.

Visit Batumi and spend 2 days in the mountainous areas of Adjara: To add this to your itinerary, you will need at least 3 days: day 1 to arrive to Batumi and explore it; day 2 to travel to Khulo and Skhalta Monastery, day 3 to explore Keda and other sights on the way and get back to Batumi.

Day trip from Kutaisi to Okatse and Martvili canyons: Doing this is difficult without a car or a tour. If you do it with public transport, choose one of the canyons – Martvili is easier to get to by minibus from Kutaisi minibus station.

Day trip to Chiatura and Katskhi column from Kutaisi

Visit to Racha: Oni, Utsera and Shovi – for this you will need to add at least 3 days to your itinerary that will give you 2 days on the spot. You can get to Oni by minibus from Tbilisi Didube station or from Kutaisi.

Visit to Tusheti: You will need to add at least 4 days to your itinerary for this, unless you wish to track, in which case it will take even more. This is the most difficult thing suggested on these pages and certainly not unless you are an avid traveler and nature lover. I myself haven’t been there, simply because the road is scary. You will need to hire a 4×4 experienced driver to get you there. Do not attempt this yourself, even if you are an experienced driver, as you don’t know the road.

Visit to Khevsureti: This is another thing difficult to achieve by public transport. There are minibuses running from Didube station at 9am twice a week. However, it’s preferable to hire a driver with 4×4.

Other Tips for Travelling Independently in Georgia

• Expect Tbilisi and other major cities to have well-developed infrastructure, but if you venture to more remote areas, you will find quite poor places. If I do the excursions, I keep the toilet paper and hand sanitizer with me at all times.
• Most travelers choose not to drink tap water just in case. Most of the locals do drink it though, but if I was visiting for a short time, I wouldn’t either, as you don’t need to lose precious travel time, if for some reason it upsets your tummy.
• English is spoken more by younger generation, so if you need help on the streets, try to find people under 40. Certainly, you will have more problems finding anyone speaking English outside Tbilisi and Batumi, except at some particularly touristy spots, however, Google translate will help with this. In Tbilisi and some of the other touristy areas, like center of Mtskheta, Batumi, Kutaisi, Mestia – most restaurants and cafes, as well as most shops, will have English speaking staff.