As usual, work trips leave me little time to explore the cities I visit. But I make it work as often as I can. In September, I was on a short work trip that gave me about two half days (a total of one full day) to explore and eat my way through Tbilisi and I made the most out of it. Tbilisi is the capital of the Republic of Georgia — a country slightly to the north east of Turkey.
As always, before I go travel anywhere, I do my fair share of research. I look online, ask friends, and read lots and lots of reviews. I’m a big reviewer myself, and not just when things go wrong. I love to give positive reviews on Google and TripAdvisor as often as I can. All my reviews are honest and up front. Well, because that’s what I want when I read reviews. I always have a pre-planned idea for what I want to see, do and eat everywhere I go. It’s usually more of an outline because things change once I get to my destination. So, list in hand, I was ready to take on Tbilisi.
I got into Tbilisi around 11am. By the time I got to my hotel and got in about an hour of relaxation and a shower, it was 3pm and I was ready to start exploring the city… on foot. Tbilisi is very easily navigated by walking, if the weather is nice. Early September meant I was wearing a sweater and jeans comfortably. The evenings, however, required a light jacket.
Day 1. Walk through Liberty Square
I stayed at a hotel a short walk and slightly North of Freedom square. I had to start somewhere! Freedom Square, formerly known as Erivansky or Paskevich-Erivansky Square under Imperial Russia and Beria Square and Lenin Square while part of the Soviet Union, is in the central part of Tblisi just across from the Courtyard Marriott. The square has been through many historical events and was either reconstructed or renamed many times. The center of the square is adorned with a white column with a golden statue on top depicting St George, the patron saint of Georgia, also known as the Freedom Monument,
Location: ул. Пушкина №11 0105, თავისუფლების მოედანი, Tbilisi, Georgia
The Leaning Tower of Tbilisi
After taking in the Freedom monument, I walked down to the center of Tbilisi to find the Leaning Tower of Tbilisi, also known as The Clock Tower. This leaning clock tower looks like something straight out of Wonderland. Created by Georgian puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze, the tower is located in the center of Tbilisi, right next to the famous puppet theatre. Every hour, on the hour, people gather to watch a window open up and a small angel come out to ring the bell. it’s worth the wait.
I was already hungry so I took a stroll down the picturesque brick streets lined with shops and restaurants. With so many to choose from, I found myself at Pavillion Cafe.
Location: 13 Ioane Shavteli St, T’bilisi, Georgia
Lunch Break at Pavillion
Lunch! The perfect time to try everything. I wish I could have eaten everything, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to. I chose a seat right outside the cafe facing the passers by. After looking through the menu 3 times over, I went with an assortment of Georgian Dips and Khinkali. When the dip platter arrived with a basket of bread, it looked like it could easily feed 4 people. Yes, I ate them all myself.
I wouldn’t be able to tell you what each of the dips were, but they were all very delicious. There was a tomato dip, eggplant dip, something deliciously cheesy, a walnut dip and a beet dip. It was a colorful platter of deliciousness.
Khinkali is a meat-stuffed Georgian dumpling. I wish I had known how to properly eat Kinkhali before digging in and making the biggest mess. Mess aside, it was worth every bite. To properly eat Khinkali, you hold the Khinkali by the knot, take a small bite out of the side, and suck all the juice out. Then you continue to eat the dumpling mess-free.
Location: 3 Ioane Shavteli St, Tbilisi, Georgia
Bridge of Peace to Rike Park
After filling my belly with delicious Georgian cuisine, I was ready to continue my walking tour to The Bridge of Peace. One of the most beautiful structures in downtown Tblisi is the modern glass and steel walking bridge over the Kura River. The view from the walking bridge is breathtaking. A short walk across the Bridge leads you right to Rike Park.
Location: Downtown Tbilisi between Rike Park and Shangri-La.
Rike Park Location: 2 min walk from Bridge of Peace
Cable Car to The best views (The Narikala Fortress)
The Cable car is really easy to take. It’s inexpensive and gives you an amazing view of the valley. Once you get off, you’ll be right at the Narikala Fortress, an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi.
There you’ll find one of the best panoramic views of the city. When I got off at the Fortress, there were a few options. 1) walk towards Lady Georgia or 2) walk to the top of the fortress. I’ll be honest, I wanted to do option 2, but even though I’m not particularly afraid of heights, this looked a little high for me. Instead, I walked down a path sprinkled with little shops selling souvenirs until I found Kartlis Deda.
Kartlis Deda, also known as Mother of Georgia is a statue that looks over the city of Tbilisi. The statue was built on top of Sololaki hill the year Tbilisi celebrated its 1500th anniversary in 1958. Mother of Georgia symbolizes the Georgian national character she holds a bowl of wine in her left hand, to greet friends and a sword in her right hand to ward off enemies.
Wine Shopping for Georgian Wines
It was getting dark shortly and I knew I had a pretty long walk back to the hotel. But first, Wine! I walked down the steep cobble stone hill from the Fortress to the Sulfur Baths. I so wanted to do the Sulfur bath thing, but I was just running out of time. Instead, I walked past the Sulfur Baths to the street just across from it where there was a wine shop selling local Georgian wines.
Georgian wines are one of the best wines. It’s also inexpensive. So, naturally, I bought some to take home. Saperavi is the most popular red grape variety used in Georgian wine production. In addition to Saperavi, Tsulukidzis and Tetra are popular grape varieties as well. The wine shop is very quaint, and even allows for wine tasting so you can decide what to buy. I went for one Tetra, white semi-sweet wine, and one Saperavi Rose.
Location: 21 Abano Street, Tbilisi, Georgia
Ending the Night with A Traditional Georgian Dinner
Later that night, I met with my coworkers and they Georgians treated us to traditional Georgian cuisine with a show at Ethno Tsiskvili. The table dressings were beautiful — not to worry, the next chance I had, I went searching for similar tablecloths around town.. And found one. We ate so much food. Georgian cuisine is delicious. It’s similar to middle eastern food in some ways, but also very different. The cuisine used lots of spices, walnuts and eggplant. Some of the dishes we had were walnut salad, Kubdari (a Georgian flatbread stuffed with meat and onions), Shashlik, Lentil Salad, Saperavi Braised beef, and so much more.
Have the Khachapuri, a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread with a raw egg on top. The cheese filled bread is very hot. So you use your fork to mix the egg with the cheese until it cooks through and mixes into the cheese to create a smooth creamy texture.
Location: 99 Akaki Beliashvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia
Day 2. AM Relaxation at the Sulfur Baths
After a few days of work, it was time to get some relaxation in. And what better place than the Tbilisi Sulfur Baths?! Bright and early, my coworker and I took a Bolt (see notes below) to the Orbeliani Bathhouse to get in some much needed me time.
There are several options to choose from since all the baths are in the same area. I chose the Orbeliani Bathhouse — that’s the big blue mosaic-style building. You can’t miss it. Come prepared. While some of the sulfur bathhouses only have common rooms, Orbeliani has private rooms that you can use. With English-speaking staff, it made the experience slightly easier. he prices start from 50 lari (18USD) for an hour in a private bath room, 70 lari (26USD) for a private bathroom with additional rest room and 120 lari (44USD) for a private bath room with your own sauna. You can also rent robes, flip flops and towels for an additional fee, or if you prefer to bring your own, do so. They do not provide any dressing attire. So if you plan to go with friends, pack a swimsuit. The sulfur baths are hot. Think jacuzzi. The room I rented had a cold water bath right next to the sulfur bath to cool off when it got too hot.
Location: 31 Abano St, Tbilisi, Georgia
Refreshments and The Dry Bridge Market
You know that feeling after a spa morning, when you’re relaxed, just need something light, cool and refreshing and want to put in as little effort as possible? My feelings exactly. We stopped at a small stand filled with fruits and treats and each got an orange-pomegranate juice. We then sipped our fresh juices and made our way to the Dry Bridge Market.
The Dry Bridge Market is an extraordinary flea market that could take hours to completely explore. We spent a good hour browsing around everything from the silvers and metal items, to the paintings to the clothes and accessories. I got myself a really warm pair of wool house slipper socks. I was anticipating winter hitting Jordan early. So why is it called the dry bridge market? Well, because there’s no water under the bridge.
Going to Tbilisi? Here are a few of my tips:
- Uber is non-existent in Tbilisi. There is, however, an app called Bolt. It’s similar to Uber, but it’s very local to Georgia and they accept cash payments, as well as payment visa credit card through the app. It’s inexpensive and a good way to get around.
- Learn the basics. Hello {gamarjoba} and Thank You {Madloba} are probably the most helpful. Otherwise, there’s bound to be someone who understands a smidge of English if you’re stuck.
- If you have time, try to do a Sulfur bath. Allow for about an hour and a half.
- Tblisi is a walkable city. Try to get in as much walking as possible if the weather is nice.
