One Week in the Democratic Republic of Georgia
View from the Radisson Tsinandali rooftop
I was so lucky to return to the country of Georgia this May for a dear friend’s wedding! I was last there in August 2012 and it felt like quite a lot had changed -- notably for me, there was more readily available vegan food and shared rides, and I had to be careful about speaking to people in my rusty Russian given the current political climate.
We spent 3 nights in Tbilisi and 3 nights in Kakheti, the wine producing region about 2 hours’ drive east of Tbilisi. My friend generously organized the entire trip for her international wedding guests, so I did less research than I normally would, and most of the experiences described in this post were curated by a native Georgian.
TBILISI
Overall, if you like cities and eating/drinking well, Tbilisi can be a great place to spend time. We are more countryside/hiking/resort people, so we think 1 day in Tbilisi is good before venturing out to the more scenic parts of Georgia (ask us about Greece and we’ll say the same of Athens!).
View of Tbilisi at night, from the top of the funicular
Attractions
Our friend organized a half-day guided tour of Tbilisi with a focus on the Old Town area. I don’t know the details of the tour company or how much anything costs, but I appreciated not having to plan the logistics myself!
Aerial Tramway (Cable Car) + Walk Around Old Town: Takes you up to a beautiful viewpoint over the city, especially stunning at night when the city is all lit up. From here you can walk to the historic Narikala Fortress, through the cute cobbled streets of Old Town, to a pretty waterfall, and to the city’s bath houses. Taking the cable car at night and seeing the jaw-dropping view at the top was one of my favorite experiences in Tbilisi last time I visited. This time we went up during the daytime and it was also really awesome, especially since we got to walk to explore the other nearby sights.
View of Tbilisi from the top of the cable car
Walking in Old Town
Market in Old Town
Bath house in Old Town
Funicular: Is it really necessary to do both the cable car and the funicular? Probably not, but you’ll get fantastic views of the city from the funicular as well, and we really enjoyed our meal at the Funicular Restaurant. Everything was delicious, and in particular as a vegetarian the walnut-filled eggplant rolls and the khachapuri were scrumptious! If you have a chance to do both, it could be nice to do the cable car + Old Town during the day and the funicular + dinner at night.
View of the area at the top of the funicular (it’s by the country’s largest TV tower and a ferris wheel)
National History Museum: We didn’t have a chance to do this given our jetlag, but we heard it is great IF you get a guided tour (apparently nothing is labeled so it’s not the most interesting without a guide). We were told you can request a guide directly at the museum at the time you buy an entrance ticket.
Mtskheta: This is the old capital of Georgia. Our friend also organized a guided tour for this, with a bus that drove us the ~hour from Tbilisi to Mtskheta each way. The tour stopped at a famous monastery with stunning views of the Caucasus (it was very windy up there; take a jacket!) and a historic church surrounded by a cobbled lane of Georgian treats (like wine-flavored ice cream, churchkhela, etc.) and souvenirs. We ate dinner at a touristy restaurant nearby. We’re not big religion buffs and think this can be skipped; the food is better in Tbilisi and you’ll find incredibly beautiful scenery all over Georgia. Logistical Notes: For women entering religious sites, it is best to cover your head with a headscarf or even the hood of a jacket. Also, the restroom by the church was a hole in the ground and the cost was $0.50 GEL (Georgian lari), so take change and maybe your own toilet paper as they don’t give much. Or ideally, try to use the restroom elsewhere!
View from the monastery
The church
Vegetarian Food & Drink
From doing just a bit of Googling, it seems like there are tons of places to get great vegetarian or vegan food in Tbilisi (for vegans: if you have any dietary flexibility, the cheese in Georgia is really special). We were super jetlagged so didn’t do much exploring, but we were lucky to stumble on some fantastic food regardless. For an excellent explainer of Georgian vegetarian food, check out this brief blog post by Jack and Jill Travel.
Cafe Stamba (in the Stamba Hotel): We ate lunch here twice and LOVED it. We loved the ekala appetizer (spinach and walnut dish with cornbread waffles) and everything else we tried was also delicious and inexpensive (like US$10 pp for a very nice lunch). They have both indoor and outdoor seating and it can get pretty busy at lunchtime even on a random weekday, which can make it hard to get a table and slow for food to be served.
Pumpkin Pesto at Stamba Cafe
Funicular Restaurant: The food and views outside on the patio were both phenomenal! Our friend ordered a feast for the table so we didn’t know what everything was, but the khachapuri was really memorable. We were glad to have jackets as it got a bit chilly at night (like 50F-ish in early May). You can walk around the area for lovely nighttime views of Tbilisi after the meal, then take the funicular back down.
Khachapuri at the Funicular Restaurant
Vegetable appetizers at the Funicular Restaurant
Fabrika: Hipster space that our group visited for drinks on a Thursday night. Apparently Fabrika is also a hostel, but we spent our time enjoying food and drinks the cozy couches in what looked like a large living room / co-working space. The french fries, onion rings, and pizza were delicious, and we heard the cocktails were excellent too (I can only speak to the passion fruit lemonade, which was great). We overheard someone in the street saying Fabrika was outmoded, and someone else in an airport lounge saying it’s the place to be, so presumably it is now too mainstream for the real hipsters :) In any case, it was only a 20-30 minute walk across the river from our hotel, and it was neat to see the city on the walk over.
Where to Stay
Rooms Hotel: We stayed at the Rooms Hotel along with many of the wedding guests and it was comfortable, with all the amenities we needed. It seemed comparable to a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel, maybe just slightly less upscale. The room rate was reasonable -- we booked directly on the Rooms Hotel website, and a friend later told us you can book through the Design Hotels website and get a discount. It was a 20-25 minute drive from the Tbilisi airport when we got into a car around 3:30am, probably longer in the daytime due to traffic.
Stamba Hotel - Our understanding is this is one of the most upscale hotels in Tbilisi. The aesthetic is very fashionable and the food is terrific both for vegetarians and omnivores, according to our non-vegetarian friends (I ate there twice and would have eaten there a third time if I hadn’t slept through lunch on our last day in Tbilisi :) ). Stamba is right around the corner from the Rooms Hotel and both are very close to the Rustaveli Metro Station (if you are planning to take public transit). It was nearly 2x the price of Rooms Hotel, and when I visited a friend staying at Stamba, it seemed like the room size was also about 2x.
Airbnb - We had initially booked an Airbnb in the area and it was much cheaper than the hotels, but the host cancelled and we couldn’t find another highly rated Airbnb close enough to the pre-wedding events and cheap enough to supersede the Rooms Hotel. However, we saw cheap and very highly rated Airbnbs in other parts of the city, so this could be a great option if you have location flexibility and want more space.
KAKHETI
Radisson Tsinandali facade
We stayed at the Radisson Tsinandali, and it was an absolute dream. This is a top-tier luxury hotel that, in our opinion, was nicer than the Ritz Carlton Laguna Beach (our most recent U.S. luxury stay) and 1/4 - 1/3 of the price. We can highly recommend spending 2-3 nights (or more, if you have time!) to relax here. Apart from the wedding, obviously, our highlights of the stay included:
Walking around the Tsinandali Estate. The views of the surrounding area are incredible; it felt a bit like being in the Swiss Alps. The gardens behind the hotel are beautiful, with cute walking paths and surprises like a maze! There are also a couple of other hotels on the Estate. We did not visit them, but our friend told us they were not as nice as the Radisson.
The rooftop outdoor pool (mildly heated for cool days), with attached indoor steam room and sauna. Pro tip: Try the pool, then steam room, then sauna; the sauna is unbearable if you go in there first!
The penthouse fitness center. The exercise equipment is top-of-the-line and the views are stunning.
The tennis courts. You can borrow tennis rackets and balls from the hotel. Pro tip: We found the courts a bit slippery after it rained, so give it a few hours to dry before heading out there.
A massage. A 60-minute de-stress massage is about US $50 + 18% VAT, and it was absolutely relaxing! There is a relaxation room where you can go afterwards to enjoy a cup of tea and a healthy snack.
Breakfast. The breakfast buffet in the Prince Alexander Restaurant (on the hotel’s lower level) was super nice, with an omelet bar, tons of delicious pastries, yogurts, cheeses, granola/cereal/nuts, juices, and other treats (and it was included in our room rate)! We also loved that it was open until 11:30am on weekdays and 12pm on weekends. I will be dreaming about this breakfast for a while.
Food at the hotel’s Georgian restaurant. So mouth-watering and affordable! We loved the mushroom khinkali (dumplings; 5 for GEL $11 / US ~$4) and eggplant with walnut paste (GEL $19), and the borscht with smetana (Eastern European sour cream) was also pretty good if you’re in the mood for soup.
Eggplant with walnut paste
Cocktails & pool at the library bar. The bar aesthetic is super cute and people seemed to love the cocktails; the espresso martini was a huge hit with our group. There is also a pool table!
Wine tasting. Kakheti is known for its wine and while we didn’t have time for a wine tasting, this could be a great thing to do while in the area. Or try chacha, seemingly the Georgian version of Everclear...
This chacha came highly recommended to us
GENERAL TIPS
When to Visit: Early May was a bit chilly (50s F) and rainy most of the days (although not as rainy as the weather forecast had predicted). June-Sept are a good time to avoid the May rains and to be able to hike in some of the most beautiful parts of the Caucasus (Svaneti and Kazbegi) once the snow has melted. I hiked in Kazbegi when I visited previously in August and the views were incomparable, although it was very hot as well.
Currency: US $1 = GEL (Georgian Lari) $3 as of early May 2022.
Vegetarian Food: We really thoroughly enjoyed Georgian food, and found that it was possible to eat healthy. While the cuisine is known for its bread and cheese (think khachapuri, or Georgian pizza, and khinkali, or Georgian dumplings), we also loved all the grilled vegetables, very fresh and tasty tomatoes and cucumbers (way better than what you get in the U.S.), and dried fruit and nuts (apricots, figs, hazelnuts, and walnuts abounded!).
Khinkali
Roasted vegetables
Food Safety: The CDC recommends drinking bottled water and avoiding ice in Georgia, though our Georgian friends and Emily of Wander Lush (a trusted Georgian travel blog) both said tap water is fine to drink in Tbilisi. We stuck with bottled water anyways to be safe. The CDC also recommends avoiding raw vegetables and unpeeled fruits, but since we ate at reputable places/luxury hotels this trip, we took our chances with this and it worked out fine. We would probably stick to only cooked foods and peeled fruits if we were traveling in more rural parts of Georgia, though.
Vaccines: Make sure you are up to date with all the CDC’s recommended vaccines for travel to Georgia! We were unsure about the rabies vaccine, which is optional, and decided not to get it; this worked out fine for us. We saw lots of stray dogs in Tbilisi and Kakheti (even a few in Tsinandali Estate, and one that crashed the wedding at the Radisson before it was shooed away), but all the strays in Tbilisi were tagged (indicating they have been vaccinated against rabies) and the ones in Kakheti didn’t approach us. If we were traveling to rural areas of Georgia, we might have wanted this vaccine; our friend who visited Kutaisi said she was stalked by a pack of stray dogs (which ultimately seemed harmless, thankfully) and we read online that strays like to follow around tourists in Kazbegi, although they also tend to be harmless.
Language: Russian is less accepted in Georgia now than it was the last time I visited, and I noticed that most signs were in Georgian. Lots of people didn’t speak much English, even around Tbilisi. I really like being able to decipher a bit of what’s going on around me, so I found it worthwhile to learn the Georgian alphabet. I couldn’t find an easily accessible Georgian language course on time and also didn’t want to spend a ton of time on this, so cobbled together some resources for self-study in the 2 weeks before the trip. If you are interested in doing this, I highly recommend the following resources: (1) 8-min Youtube video pronouncing the Georgian alphabet, (2) 7-min Youtube video showing how to write each letter, (3) $6 workbook on Amazon to practice writing each letter, (4) free online exercises to practice reading Georgian words. These resources didn’t really teach me how to understand what I was reading (though sometimes you can figure it out where the words sound similar to English) or to speak Georgian, but combined with a few words in Russian (like “vegetarian”) it was enough to help me feel a little less clueless.
Georgia’s current general sentiment about Russia
Getting Around: We were warned not to drive in Georgia, and after seeing the condition of the roads and some crazy drivers, we are glad we didn’t try.
There is no Uber in Georgia, but we used the comparable Bolt app to call a car from the airport to our hotel; it was quick and easy to get a car at 3:30AM and cost about US $7 for a 20-25 minute drive. Just download the Bolt app in advance, create an account, validate your mobile number, and add a payment method. If you don’t want to/can’t use Bolt, it’s also possible to get an official taxi at the airport; just don’t go with some rando in a non-taxi ride.
For longer trips, GoTrip is a great option. We used it to get from Kakheti to Tbilisi (~2 hours / US $50) and had a very nice experience. You will need to book on the GoTrip website in advance; you can choose your driver based off their ratings. You can make unlimited stops along the way if you’d like, within a 24-hour period, so for example you could have your driver stop for lunch or to see a sight along the drive.
Bonus - Music: We discovered this song by a Georgian band that has a great piano riff! Check it out here: World in My Eyes by LOUDspeakers
Hiking: In general, we were warned not to hike alone and only to go in large groups or with a tour guide for any hikes outside of Tbilisi.
Tbilisi: Our friend recommended the Botanical Gardens hike, which we didn’t have time to try.
Kazbegi aka Stepantsminda (~3 hour drive north of Tbilisi, 12km from border with Russia): Juta Hike (multi-day, looks epic) and Gergeti Trinity Church Hike (~2 hours roundtrip). I did the church hike 10 years ago and it was AWESOME. We were advised not to hike here in May because the snow will be melting in the mountains and it’s very muddy.
Svaneti (~9 hr drive from Tbilisi, or can fly): We read that the Mestia to Ushguli Trail is the most popular multi-day hike in Georgia, with spectacular views in the Caucasus Mountains. We would really love to do this someday when we have more time + the weather is good for hiking.
Lagodekhi National Park (2-3 hr drive from Tbilisi): We read that the Black Rock Lake hike is beautiful, but also not good for hiking in May. This national park borders Azerbaijan and Russia, so you need to carry identification and be careful not to accidentally cross into Russia.
We also considered going to Borjomi National Park but it didn’t look that scenic and our friend confirmed this. Pro Tip: In general, we found it helpful to email with the Georgian National Parks organization to get more information on hikes we were considering. Some hikes require permits from this organization, and they also seemed able to connect us with local tour guides (as tours we were finding on Viator were sparse and looked very expensive).
Visiting Other Parts of Georgia: A few friends highly recommended visiting the Vardzia Caves, which is a few hours’ drive from Tbilisi. We also considered visiting Kutaisi, the 3rd largest city in Georgia, but it didn’t look that exciting, and another wedding guest who visited there for a few days did not recommend it. Another friend paid a Georgian travel blogger, Emily of Wanderlush, to curate a 2-week itinerary for her family and absolutely loved it. We didn’t try this, but we did find the Wanderlush blog very helpful in general with our travel planning!
