We have continued to work our way through our goal of visiting all 51 European countries which led to a post anniversary break to Georgia in April. Georgia was our 47th country and somewhere we had wanted to visit for some time; it just seemed quite difficult to get there from the UK. Flights were somewhat expensive and a struggle to find affordable direct flights so instead we decided to fly via Antalya in Turkiye and spend a couple of days visiting a friend. The highlights of our trip were yet to come when we jetted from Antalya for the 2 hour flight to Tbilisi.
We arrived early in the morning and as usual we organised for an airport pick up booked through our accommodation. Our driver was waiting for us and took us to our lovely accommodation Piano Borracho. Generally driven by reviews rather than star ratings we picked this place because of the reviews complimenting the hospitality but also the ambience and themes of the rooms. We weren’t disappointed, we were given a welcome drink and had great hospitality throughout our time there. Our room was ‘Victorian‘ themed however there were other rooms such as ‘hippie‘, ‘Japanese‘, ‘disco‘ and ‘industrial‘ . It was a great place to stay, just a short walk from everything and they even had cats!
Around Tbilisi
River Boat Ride
There’s a lot to see a do in Tbilisi in the Spring and our first stop was was a boat trip on the Kura river. We were approached by a vendor and at £12 each including an alcoholic drink it wasn’t bad value. It was also a great way to get our bearings and figure out what things we might want to go back and see.
Mother of Georgia
Situated on Sololaki Hill is a 20 metre high statue called Mother of Georgia or more locally Kartlis Deda. The statue was built in 1958 by a Georgian sculptor called Elguja Amashukeli, and is made out of aluminium. She symbolizes the Georgian national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies.
She is an imposing site across the city and the views from Sololaki Hill all across Tbilisi are stunning. It was well worth the visit up here and there are restaurants and souvenir vendors here as well.
In order to reach the top of the hill, you can either try the steep walk or the cable car to get there. The cable car station is situated in the Old Town side of the river behind the tram and next to the hot air balloon. The video below highlights Georgia’s (and Nigel’s) love for Boney M as well as the location of the cable car station.
Rustaveli Avenue & Liberty Square
Perhaps the most lively place in Tbilisi to visit is Rustaveli Avenue which is lined with shops, bars, restaurants, museums and galleries. The avenue leads to Liberty Square right in the heart of Georgia’s capital. When we visited there were protests occurring outside of the Parliament Building and so we kept an eye on the news mainly avoiding this area if riots looked likely. There has been unrest in respect of the Law on the Transparency of Foreign Influence.
As the above pictures show, Liberty Square is overlooked by the pillared Golden Statue of St George called the Freedom Monument. Prior to St George there was a statue of Lenin which was symbolically removed in August 1991 along with Communist Governance.
Giant Bicycle Monument
One of the most unique things to visit in Tbilisi is a Giant Bicycle. There isnt much information about the bicycle but according to this site, it was in 2011, that the giant bicycle sculpture appeared in Tbilisi. The metal structure, 8 meters long and 4 meters high, installed on the Rose Revolution Square. The monument is dedicated to people who maintain a healthy lifestyle and prefer a bicycle as the most convenient means of transportation. Whether you’re a keen cyclist or not it’s a good photo opportunity!
Peace Bridge
The eagle eyed readers may have already spotted this bridge from the pictures of our boat tour. The Peace Bridge is a steel and glass structured pedestrian bridge which is unusual for its bow shaped design. The bridge links the Old Town from Rike Park with the new and at night it is lit with 1000’s of leds. It was opened in 2010 and is one of the most well recognised landmarks in the city. For all visitors to Tbilisi crossing the bridge is a must!
Night Visit to Mount Mtatsminda
It appears if there is a funicular we will surely find it and Tbilisi was no exception. A short ride up the Mountain and we found ourselves just past sunset with stunning views across Tbilisi! We planned to go on the Big Wheel but unfortunately it closed just as we arrived; nevertheless it was definitely worth the trip up just to take in the city at night. If amusement parks are your thing there are rides including a roller coaster and water slides. For more information please read here. The big TV tower at the top of the Mount can be seen for miles around.
Air Balloon Tbilisi
In Rike Park is a hot air balloon you can pay to ride, similar to ones in other countries including the UK and in Hungary. The one in Tbilisi climbs to a height of 150 metres and so is not for those with a fear of heights; however we had a go at night. The views were great – If you’re feeling brave go for it! Ticket information can be found here.
Artwork and Sculptures around Tbilisi
We saw so many pieces of art, statues and monuments it is clear how much history Tbilisi holds. Below are some of our favourites from around the city:
Dinamo Tbilisi
I would be in trouble if I didn’t mention Nigel’s trip to the Dinamo Arena which is the largest stadium in Georgia and built in 1976. Dinamo Tbilisi were founded in 1925 and were very high up in Soviet League football. These days they are top of Georgian football and their biggest claim to fame was winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1981. It remains the only club in Georgia ever to have lifted a European trophy.
Food and Drink
One thing we were not aware of before visiting was how well Georgia is known for wine and is one of the world’s oldest wine producing countries. It would be very rude therefore if we didn’t try some whilst we were there. Georgia is particularly known for its amber wines and they also have a variety of growing methods. It seemed that everyone we spoke with in Tbilisi made their own wine and at our hotel we were given some homemade wine to try which was really nice. We had some wine tasting planned also on our Tour to the Caucasus Mountains which you can read more about in the linked post.
Georgian cuisine is very similar to many other Eastern European countries in terms of quite high carb specialities. We tried a few dishes including Khinkali, which is the Georgian version of filled dumplings, and Khachapuri which is cheese filled bread. Both were very tasty! They also do Lobio which is a kidney bean and walnut stew but I didn’t find that to try. Fear not if the cuisine does not sound for you as there are plenty of western menus. We did managed to find a version of an English Breakfast and a Turkish breakfast.
Final thoughts on our April Visit to Tbilisi
We loved it! there was so much to do and we hardly touched the surface, for example we didn’t take in any of the operas or visit any of the museums. We also didn’t participate in a traditional sulphur spa and unfortunately the Narikala Fortress was closed when we visited so there is definitely scope for a future visit. We did two day trips from Tbilisi including a trip to Armenia and a Trip to the Caucasus Mountains. Please click the links to read more about those. All in all a lovely place and highly recommended. April really is a lovely time to visit Tbilisi as it wasn’t too hot nor too cold and not too crowded with other tourists.
Linked posts:
Carol & Nigel x
April 2024
