Planning your first trip to Tbilisi, Georgia?
As someone who lives here and has spent years helping international visitors explore my city, I know that the questions travelers have before arriving are often very different from the questions they have once they’re here.
How do I get from Tbilisi Airport to the city? Do I need cash? Which area should I stay in? Is public transport easy? How many days do I need? And what are the little mistakes first-time visitors make?
This guide covers the things I would tell a friend before their first trip to Tbilisi.
Tbilisi isn’t a perfectly polished European capital — and that’s part of its charm.
One minute you’ll be walking past beautifully restored balconies, and a few streets later you’ll discover crumbling courtyards, tiny bakeries, modern architecture and Soviet-era buildings.
Don’t judge Tbilisi from your first taxi ride from the airport.
Give the city a day.
Walk through Old Tbilisi, sit in a local café, taste your first khinkali and watch the city from above at sunset.
That’s when Tbilisi starts making sense.
This is one of the first things I recommend organizing.
After a long flight, the last thing you want is to stand outside the airport trying to understand transportation and negotiate with drivers.
Depending on your arrival time and budget, you can use public transport, an app-based taxi or arrange a transfer in advance.
If you’re arriving very late, travelling with children or carrying several suitcases, having your transfer organized beforehand can make your arrival much easier.
👉 [Pre-book your Tbilisi airport transfer]
A few apps make travelling around Tbilisi much easier.
I recommend having:
Having mobile internet immediately after landing is also extremely useful.
Instead of searching for Wi-Fi every time you need directions, an eSIM can give you internet access as soon as you arrive.
Cards are widely useful in Tbilisi, particularly in hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and modern cafés.
However, I still recommend keeping some Georgian lari (GEL) with you.
Cash can be useful for markets, small businesses and situations where card payment isn’t convenient.
Compare rates first.
Where you stay can completely change your Tbilisi experience.
Great for first-time visitors who want atmosphere, historic streets and major sights nearby.
One of my favorites for beautiful architecture, cafés and a more local feeling while remaining central.
Convenient if you want to be close to museums, shops and major transport connections.
Good for cafés, restaurants and a more contemporary Tbilisi atmosphere.
Convenient for Old Tbilisi and often worth considering if you’re looking for different accommodation price points.
Don’t choose a hotel based only on how many kilometers it is from the center.
Tbilisi is hilly.
A property that looks very close on a map might involve a surprisingly steep walk!
I cannot emphasize this enough.
Old Tbilisi is best discovered on foot, but you’ll encounter cobblestones, hills, stairs and uneven pavements.
This is not the city for spending every sightseeing day in uncomfortable shoes.
Comfort wins.
Yes, you should see:
Narikala, Abanotubani, the Bridge of Peace, Rike Park and the historic streets.
But Tbilisi becomes much more interesting when you go beyond the postcard attractions.
Explore residential neighborhoods.
Visit a local market.
Sit in a bakery.
Discover small courtyards.
Walk around areas such as Sololaki and the Betlemi Quarter.
Some of my favorite parts of Tbilisi aren’t major tourist attractions at all.
You absolutely should try both.
But please don’t stop there!
Depending on where you eat, look for dishes such as:
One of my favorite things about introducing visitors to Georgian food is seeing them discover dishes they had never heard about before arriving.
👉 [ Book a Georgian food tour or cooking experience]
You don’t need to speak Georgian to visit Tbilisi.
But even a few words can create an instant connection with locals.
Try:
Gamarjoba — Hello
Madloba — Thank you
Ki — Yes
Ara — No
Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation.
The effort itself is appreciated.
Tbilisi’s sulfur baths aren’t simply a tourist attraction.
They are connected to the history and identity of the city itself.
You’ll find the famous bath district in Abanotubani, recognizable by its brick domes.
If you’d like a private room or a particular bath experience, booking ahead can be worthwhile, especially during busy periods.
👉 [: Tbilisi sulfur bath experience]
This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I give travelers.
Don’t plan:
9:00 museum
10:15 church
11:00 market
12:00 lunch
13:00 Old Town
14:00 cable car…
Georgia rewards slower travel.
You might discover a beautiful courtyard.
Someone might recommend a bakery.
Lunch might last two hours.
You might decide to sit overlooking the city instead of visiting another museum.
Leave room for those moments.
Tbilisi is a fantastic base for discovering other parts of Georgia.
For a first visit, consider:
For dramatic Caucasus mountain scenery and Gergeti Trinity Church.
For vineyards, Georgian wine traditions, countryside and towns such as Sighnaghi.
Georgia’s ancient capital and one of the easiest excursions from Tbilisi.
A combination of modern Georgian/Soviet history and an extraordinary ancient cave settlement.
If you don’t want to organize transportation yourself, joining a day tour can be one of the easiest ways to see more of Georgia.
👉 [Compare the best day trips from Tbilisi]
This is one of the itinerary mistakes I see repeatedly.
Georgia looks small on a map.
But mountain roads, traffic, weather and driving times mean that travelling between regions can take longer than expected.
If you have five days, don’t try to squeeze Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti, Kutaisi, Batumi and Svaneti into one trip.
You’ll spend your holiday looking through a car window.
Choose fewer destinations and experience them properly.
This is something I’m now offering specifically for travelers who prefer to plan independently.
You create your own Georgia itinerary and then send it to me before you book everything.
I’ll personally review:
You’ll receive my personalized written recommendations within 72 hours.
👉 Have Teona Check Your Georgia Itinerary — $19
This is ideal if you’ve already done most of the planning but simply want a local professional to look over it.
Your first day shouldn’t be spent researching ATMs, transportation, SIM cards and basic logistics.
That’s why I created my Tbilisi Arrival Survival Pack 2026.
It’s designed to help first-time visitors understand the practical side of arriving in Tbilisi so you can spend less time searching and more time enjoying Georgia.
👉 Get My Tbilisi Arrival Pack — from $5.40
Tbilisi isn’t a city you need to “complete.”
You don’t win anything by visiting 25 attractions in three days.
The experiences travelers often remember most are surprisingly simple: their first warm Georgian bread, an unexpected conversation with a local, discovering a courtyard they weren’t looking for, eating too many khinkali or watching the lights come on across the Old Town.
Prepare for the practical things before you arrive.
Then give yourself enough freedom to enjoy the unexpected ones.
Welcome to Tbilisi. 🇬🇪
— Teona
Tbilisi Local Guide