50 Best Things to Do in Tbilisi in 2026

The complete local guide: Old Town fortresses, sulfur baths, natural wine, and day trips into the Caucasus.

Old Town, landmarks & views

1. 01Sololaki and Kala — wander the Old Town's painted entryways and hidden courtyards.
2. 02Narikala Fortress — a 4th-century fortress reachable by cable car, with the best skyline views.
3. 03Mother of Georgia (Kartlis Deda) — a 20-meter statue beside Narikala holding a sword and a cup of wine.
4. 04Abanotubani sulfur baths — book a private domed bathhouse room for a proper soak.
5. 05Bridge of Peace — a glass-and-steel footbridge over the Mtkvari, lit up at night.
6. 06Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) — Georgia's largest Orthodox cathedral, visible from most of the city.
7. 07Rustaveli Avenue and Freedom Square — the main boulevard for theatres and museums.
8. 08Betlemi Street stairs — one of Old Town's steepest, most photogenic climbs.
9. 09Mtatsminda Pantheon — the hillside cemetery for Georgia's writers and artists, reached by funicular.
10. 10Tabor Monastery — a quieter climb with arguably the best view over the whole city.
11. 11Metekhi Church — a clifftop church overlooking the river and Old Town.
12. 12Rike Park — modern architecture on the river's east bank, best at night.

Food, wine & drink

1. 13Khinkali and khachapuri crawl — the two dishes worth eating at every stop.
2. 14Qvevri wine tasting — 8,000 years of wine fermented in buried clay vessels.
3. 15Natural wine bars in Vera and Old Town — amber and orange wines rarely found outside Georgia.
4. 16Dezerter Bazaar — the main market for spices, cheese, and churchkhela.
5. 17A Georgian cooking class — learn to fold khinkali or bake khachapuri yourself.
6. 18Fresh shotis puri — bread pulled straight from a clay tone oven.
7. 19Specialty coffee in Chugureti — the neighborhood's former colony streets are now full of roasteries.
8. 20A sasadilo canteen lunch — cheap, no-frills Georgian home cooking.
9. 21Lagidze Water — old-school flavored soda from an Old Town fountain.
10. 22Chacha cocktails — Georgian grape brandy, often served in a converted historic pharmacy.
11. 23A wine-bar crawl — pick one Old Town street and work your way down it.
12. 24A full Georgian supra — a feast with a toastmaster leading rounds of toasts.

Culture & history

1. 25Anchiskhati Basilica — Tbilisi's oldest surviving church, with Georgian polyphonic chanting services.
2. 26Gabriadze Marionette Theatre — an adults-only evening puppet show, with a clock tower that performs on the hour.
3. 27Opera and Ballet Theatre — dress up for a show inside the 1851 building.
4. 28A Soviet-occupation history museum — context most visitors don't get anywhere else.
5. 29Stalin's underground printing press — a hidden press built during his early revolutionary years.
6. 30Soviet-era mosaics and sculptures — scattered murals and monuments around the city.
7. 31The old Soviet ropeway — a retro cable car with sweeping views on the ascent.
8. 32Georgian National Museum — the country's history and archaeology under one roof.
9. 33Georgian National Gallery — home to painter Niko Pirosmani's work.
10. 34A street-art walk — through Chugureti and Marjanishvili.

Neighborhoods, parks & outdoors

1. 35Avlabari — the historic Armenian quarter, quieter and more local.
2. 36Chugureti — former German-colony streets turned café district.
3. 37Vera — central and walkable, with the city's newest wine bars and restaurants.
4. 38Fabrika — a former sewing factory turned hostel, coworking space, and courtyard of bars.
5. 39Dry Bridge flea market — Soviet kitsch, antiques, and old photographs.
6. 40An urban hike — in the hills ringing the city.
7. 41Turtle Lake (Kus Tba) — reachable by cable car, popular for an afternoon by the water.
8. 42Mtatsminda Park — funicular, ferris wheel, and city views from the top of the mountain.
9. 43Vake Park — a local, unhurried park away from the tourist track.
10. 44Ride the Tbilisi Metro — cheap, and the Soviet-era stations are worth a look on their own.

Day trips

1. 45Mtskheta — Georgia's ancient capital, a UNESCO town 30 minutes away.
2. 46Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) — a 3-hour drive to Gergeti Trinity Church below Mount Kazbek.
3. 47Sighnaghi and Kakheti — Georgia's wine region and a walled hilltop town.
4. 48Davit Gareja — a remote cave monastery complex on the Azerbaijan border.
5. 49Chronicles of Georgia — a monumental hilltop column complex overlooking a reservoir.
6. 50Uplistsikhe — an ancient cave town carved into rock, near Gori.

Practical tips

• Best time to visit. September and October, or May and early June — you avoid the summer heat and the biggest crowds.
• Getting around. The metro is cheap and covers most of the center. Bolt is the standard ride-hailing app. Skip unmetered taxis waiting outside the airport.
• What to bring. Comfortable shoes for cobblestones, and a scarf for visiting churches, where women are expected to cover their heads.
• Where to stay. Sololaki, Vera, and Avlabari are the most walkable base neighborhoods for a first visit.

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