5 Days in Tbilisi, Georgia
Tbilisi St. Trinity Cathedral, Georgia
Tbilisi and Kazbegi in Georgia
Reasons For Visiting Tbilisi
On another recommendation from Emma and Simon, we made the journey to Georgia, the second former Soviet country on this leg of our travels. We decided to spend five nights in the capital city, Tbilisi, and planned day trips to Kazbegi and Armenia.
Tbilisi and The Mtkvari River in Georgia
Hotel Rasta, Maidan Square
The cab driver at the airport quoted us above the going rate so we bailed and hopped on a bus instead of 1/60 of the cost. It was a short walk from the bus stop to our hotel in the Old Town at Maidan Square. Hotel Rasta was modern, comfortable, and had a very friendly and courteous staff.
We paid just over $75.00 per night. We would certainly recommend this location in Old Town Tbilisi, which is quaint and in close proximity to attractions.
Watermelons in Tbilisi
Tbilisi, Self Guided
On the first morning, I ventured out for a walk before the city woke. This is something I have neglected and vow to do more often.
Dogs roam freely in the city and for a brief moment, I thought I was being followed by a group of barking dogs. As it happens they had no interest in me and were merely chasing each other.
Later in the morning, we took the gondola to the ancient fortress Narikala, which provides great views of Tbilisi.
The amazing view of Tbilisi from teh Narikala Fortress
After coffee, we moved on to Tbilisi St. Trinity Cathedral, a Georgian Orthodox cathedral, that opened in 2004, and can house up to 15,000 worshippers. The feature photo above is from St. Trinity Cathedral.
It was burning hot but we enjoyed wandering around this enchanting city. Georgia is where Europe meets Asia. Mix that up with impressions from the Middle East and you have an exciting cocktail of impressions.
Tbilisi St. Trinity Cathedral, Georgia
Restaurants in Tbilisi
We enjoyed traditional Georgian cuisine at Culinarium Khasheria at the cost of $11.00 per person. We sampled coffees, croissants, and breakfast buffets at various Cafés at Maidan Square. Prices were reasonable at about $7.00 per person for breakfast.
We often share our main course for dinners. Not only do we save on the travel budget but we often find two main courses that leave us completely stuffed. A favorite in Tbilisi is Khinkali, a Georgian dumpling that originated in the Georgian mountain regions. On our day trip to Kazbegi, we tried making our own.
Maidan Square in Tbilisi
Day Trip to Kazbegi From Tbilisi
We decided on a day trip to the Kazbegi District north of Tbilisi. Heading into the Caucasus Mountains we had hoped to see unspoiled nature and perhaps even see the peak of Mount Kazbek, with an elevation of 5033 meters, 16,512 feet.
Emma and Simon had forewarned us about the drivers in Georgia. They are in a hurry and will use every trick in the book to get where they are going as fast as possible.
The mountain town of Kazbegi in Georgia
It did take away from the enjoyment of this tour but our driver was not the only one in a hurry. In a peculiar way, traffic has a different pattern in Georgia with cars constantly driving in the middle of the road passing other cars with impeccable precision.
On this old military two-lane highway, the road was much busier than we had anticipated with a steady stream of tourist buses, vans, cabs, and heavy trucks from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
This is a major route and a new four-lane highway is under construction to make the journey easier (safer?) and lighten the load on the old road.
Di learned how to make Khinkali in Kazbegi
The highlight of the day was a wonderful Georgian lunch enjoyed at a small guest house in Kazbegi. Di especially enjoyed the Khinkali cooking lesson, a new favorite of ours.
Final Thoughts
You cannot go wrong with Tbilisi. Diverse cultures meet in this city on the borders of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We loved the hospitality, the sights, and the food. If you have been hesitating about traveling to this part of the world, we’d say, just go for it.
For our next move, we were heading to Turkey for a quick one-night stay in Bodrum before moving onto the island paradise of Symi in Greece.
The Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia
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Photos in this article are captured using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Lightroom. I have made use of Fujifilm’s film simulations in this article.
