Things to do in Tbilisi

Tbilisi was founded in the fifth century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, and the name comes from the word for warm. The warmth is literal. Sulphur springs run under the old town, and the brick domes of the Abanotubani bathhouses sit directly over them.

The city fills a narrow valley along the Mtkvari river, so it is read by climbing. Narikala fortress holds the ridge above the baths, reached by cable car from Rike Park. Metekhi church stands on the opposite cliff. The Mother Georgia statue looks down from the same ridge, holding a bowl of wine and a sword.

Below the fortress the quarters each do something different.

• Old Town and Abanotubani — carved wooden balconies, the baths, and the small mosque that survived every clearance.
• Sololaki — nineteenth-century apartment houses with painted stairwells, worth ringing the bell for.
• Rustaveli Avenue — the opera, the parliament and the national museum along one street.
• Chugureti and Fabrika — a Soviet sewing factory turned courtyard of bars and studios.
• Dry Bridge — the flea market for Soviet cameras, medals and porcelain.

Tbilisi is also the base for the country, and most visitors use it that way. Mtskheta and the Jvari church are twenty minutes out. Kakheti wine tours run east and back in a day. Gori and the cave town of Uplistsikhe lie west, Kazbegi and Gudauri north up the Military Highway.

In the city itself the offer is walking tours, wine bars and the table. A supra has structure, not a set menu. Cooking classes teach khinkali and khachapuri, which are simpler to eat well than to make well.

Practical

• Heat. July and August pass 35C in a valley that holds it. Spring and autumn are the walking seasons.
• The baths. Private rooms are hired by the hour and the water smells of sulphur throughout. A scrub from an attendant is separate and worth it.
• Getting around. Two metro lines and Bolt cover most of it. The old town is cobbled and steep in places.
• Money. Cards work almost everywhere in the city. Keep small lari for the flea market and for church candles.
• Eating times. Bakeries sell shoti bread from early morning. Restaurants fill late and a supra runs for hours.
• Day trips. Shared minibuses leave from Didube station. A hired driver costs more and lets you stop where you like.