![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI256086345-516a.jpg\")
\n\t\tGeorgia\u2019s ancient capital is a feast for the eyes and mind (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tGeorgia\u2019s ancient capital is a feast for the eyes and mind (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve cooked for men I should have poisoned,\u2019 reads the neon green scrawl on one of Tbilisi<\/a>\u2019s graffiti-covered buildings. <\/p>\n Gutsy, ambitious and colourful at every turn, my first glimpse of Georgia<\/a>\u2019s ancient capital is a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n Founded over 1,500 years ago, this hidden gem in the South Caucasus is the perfect antidote to Europe<\/a>\u2019s crowded cities, with world-leading wine, a spunky underground scene and a dark but fascinating history.<\/p>\n In a 2016 episode of Parts Unknown, the late Anthony Bourdain<\/a> observed that few people can place Georgia on a map. <\/p>\n Almost ten years later, as I explore Tbilisi\u2019s enchanting Old Town and the dramatic valley that cradles it, there are moments when I still get the sense of going where no tourist has gone before.<\/p>\n A feast for the eyes and mind<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway newsletter\t\t\t<\/p>\n Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tbilisi has never been a popular city break for UK travellers, largely because getting there was, historically, a headache \u2014 up to 10 hours of flying time and an irritating stop in Istanbul<\/a> or Kyiv,<\/a> before the Ukraine war<\/a>.<\/p>\n But reaching the Georgian capital is now a breeze, after easyJet<\/a> and British Airways<\/a> launched direct flights earlier this year. Non-stop routes from London<\/a>, which take around five hours, run Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In July, return fares start at \u00a3465. From Tbilisi airport, the city centre is about 20 minutes by taxi, depending on traffic.<\/p>\n Leaving my digs at the Wyndham Grand<\/a> near Freedom Square on the first morning of my four-day visit, it\u2019s immediately clear that Tbilisi is many things at once.<\/p>\n Brownstone buildings have been allowed to dilapidate, but they are still used as everything from pharmacies to second-hand clothing boutiques.<\/p>\n Inside derelict warehouses with crumbling balconies are trendy restaurants and hipster wine bars. Under wide tiled domes are historic (and reputedly healing) sulfur baths. Hidden in overgrown courtyards are aesthetic cafes full of remote workers, a nod to Georgia\u2019s rising star as a top choice for digital nomads. Lonely Planet<\/a> recently ranked it 8th in the world.<\/p>\n It\u2019s affordable, by Western standards, and people from over 90 countries can stay visa-free for up to a year.<\/p>\n The city feels both small and large; the best way to explore is on foot, weaving in and out of 10 main districts, all with distinct personalities. Like the people who come here to work remotely, I feel I could easily live here.<\/p>\n Lela, a local guide with BTL Travel, shows me the best Tbilisi has to offer,starting with a short hike to Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia, a monument erected in 1958 that watches over the city, holding a bowl of wine for friends and a sword for her enemies.<\/p>\n The Georgian belief in \u2018Motherland\u2019 is strong.<\/p>\n \t\t We take photos in the Old Town, of the leaning clock tower and tiny puppet theatre, and rummage through antiques at the Drybridge market. We marvel at the Holy Trinity Church that towers over the city, and scrub our skin soft at the mosque-like Orbeliani Baths.<\/p>\n We drink amber wine at the Instagrammable Stamba Hotel<\/a> and the unparalleled Dadi Wine Bar<\/a>, and chat over classic Georgian favourites like khinkali (Georgia\u2019s giant dumplings) and khachapuri (cheese-filled boats of bread) at Shavi Lomi<\/a>.<\/p>\n English is widely spoken in hotels and restaurants, particularly in the Kala, Mtatsminda, Vera and Chughureti districts. But if you\u2019re looking for a locals\u2019 only haunt, head to Abastumani Street for the Dezerter Bazaar. <\/p>\n The market, named after the Czar\u2019s military deserters who sold their belongings there, is a time-warp to years gone by. Raw and teeming with life, I imagine this was what Berlin<\/a> was like just as the Wall came down.<\/p>\n Mountains and molecules<\/p>\n Size-wise, Georgia is comparable to Ireland<\/a>, but it is astonishingly diverse: a land of lakes, vineyards, mountains and monasteries, where you can be lounging on the tropical Black Sea shore and skiing atop snowcapped peaks in the same two hours.<\/p>\n Tbilisi has enough to keep you overstimulated in the best way possible for a solid three days. After that, it\u2019s time to explore the regions around it.<\/p>\n Whizzing past verdant valleys and remote monasteries, we reach Mtskheta, a Silk Road<\/a> outpost that was once Georgia\u2019s holy capital. <\/p>\n Today, it\u2019s a UNESCO World Heritage site, with three impressive churches and riverside restaurants that serve excellent lobio (kidney bean and walnut stew).<\/p>\n \t\t Further along the road to Tbilisi, we branch off down a dirt road to Ch\u00e2teau Mukhrani, a vineyard and former royal estate that once hosted the Romanov family.<\/p>\n In the cobbled halls of the vaulted cellar, we are guided through the ancient art of Qvevri wine-making, where clay vessels of grapes are planted in the \u2018belly of the earth\u2019. This is world-first stuff \u2014 no other country can trace its wine-making history so far into the past.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never tried Georgian wine before. Why do people know so little about it? \u2018We drink it all, that\u2019s how the saying goes,\u2019 sommelier Mariam says.<\/p>\n Sipping qvevri-aged red beneath the glittering chandeliers of the orangerie, it\u2019s hard to believe such a place exists at the end of an unpaved track.<\/p>\n As the sun edges near golden hour, we head for the city with a detour to the Tbilisi Sea (really, a large reservoir) and the Chronicle of Georgia, a bizarre monument open 24 hours that commemorates key figures from the country\u2019s 3,000-year history.<\/p>\n \t\t From its perch on a hillside overlooking Tbilisi, I see sprawling estates of Soviet apartment blocks and snowcapped peaks in the distance. The scale of Georgia\u2019s mountains makes me feel like a molecule.<\/p>\n Water and oil<\/p>\n On my way down Rustaveli Avenue, a leafy boulevard that is the city\u2019s main thoroughfare, I walk past cultural institutions like the Tbilisi Opera and National Ballet Theatre and the imposing high-arched parliament.<\/p>\n Its golden walls have seen many momentous events, including the deaths of 19 Georgian hunger strikers at the hands of Soviet troops as the USSR started to disintegrate in 1989. Since November, it has been the site of nightly protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party\u2019s decision to suspend\u00a0talks aimed at joining the European Union until 2028.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I chat to demonstrators who are unequivocal about their views: they want EU membership, and ties cut with Russia.<\/p>\n Sandwiched between Turkey<\/a>, Armenia, Azerbaijan<\/a> and Russia<\/a>, this is a place where east meets west in the truest sense. Georgia has been ruled by almost every empire you can think of, from Arabs and Persians to Ottomans and Soviets, but its people have never forgotten who they are \u2014 or who they want to be.<\/p>\n \t\t In the capital of Sakartvelo, the Georgian name for Georgia, there is a more full-throated embrace of the EU than I have seen in any EU country. <\/p>\n Along Rustaveli Avenue, there are blue flags with golden stars and street art declaring \u2018we are Europe\u2019. Down alleyways, but still in plain view, are tags that read \u2018f**k Putin<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018Ruzkis go home\u2019.<\/p>\n After Putin\u2019s \u2018partial mobilisation\u2019 order in September 2022, many Russians fled to Georgia to dodge the draft. While organisations such as Idite Lesom (Go by the Forest) have helped young Russians to escape, the people I spoke to in Tbilisi were unimpressed with their presence, largely due to the impact it has had on the cost of living.<\/p>\n \u2018They came all at once, 10 kilometres of people lining up at the border, it was so long you couldn\u2019t believe it,\u2019 a barman, who asks not to be named, tells me. <\/p>\n \u2018Rent is much more expensive now. We live like water and oil, we are rarely mixing.\u2019<\/p>\n A double-edged sword<\/p>\n The world is waking up to the treasure that Georgia has to offer.<\/p>\n The country welcomed a record number of tourists in 2024, and insiders are already predicting that 2025 will be its biggest year yet, with millions expected to visit Tbilisi and support acts like Batumi and Kutaisi.<\/p>\n Tourist spending helps to build much-needed infrastructure and community spaces. But the further I veer off Tbilisi\u2019s main track, the more I worry that this is not a place equipped for anything remotely approaching large-scale tourism.<\/p>\n \t\t On one occasion, my taxi driver mutters profanities after we almost plough into a giant hole spanning the width of a side street next to the Holy Trinity Cathedral. On another, we are forced to reverse half a mile up a dual carriageway to make way for a convoy of trucks coming from Armenia.<\/p>\n I ask Lela if she thinks they are ready for an influx of visitors.<\/p>\n \u2018Absolutely not,\u2019 she laughs without hesitation. \u2018We are vulnerable. We\u2019re not like Turkey, they have resorts. We can\u2019t deal with huge numbers.\u2019<\/p>\n A 10-year development plan aims to help travellers navigate the country solo, without joining a tour group, by improving public transport, international sign-posting and building new roads.<\/p>\n Georgia wants tourists, but Lela is adamant that it only suits a specific type. \u2018This country is for seasoned travellers. People come here after they\u2019ve been everywhere else.<\/p>\n \u2018It has so much to tell, but it reveals itself slowly. If you don\u2019t have the patience or the attitude to receive it, then it\u2019s a waste of time.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTbilisi: What to do and where to eat\t\t\t<\/p>\n Day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Walk or take a cable car to the Mother of Georgia and Narikala Fortress<\/p>\n Expore the Old Town, stopping for photos at the Meidan Bazaar, the clock tower and puppet theatre<\/p>\n Have lunch at Prospero Bookshop cafe, and grab a second hit from Kvarts Coffee (if you\u2019re willing to queue, they\u2019ll draw your face on the cup)<\/p>\n Stroll down Rustaveli Avenue, stopping at the parliament (not open to the public) and the Georgian National Museum<\/p>\n Grab dinner at Craft<\/a> followed by a glass of wine on the balcony at Snob\u2019s Wine Bar<\/a><\/p>\n Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n Grab a coffee at BNKR<\/a><\/strong> and rummage through antiques at the Drybridge market<\/p>\n Take a taxi to the Holy Trinity Cathedral followed by the Dezerter market, for a taste of authentic Tbilisi<\/p>\n Have lunch at the Stamba Hotel and relax in the courtyard<\/p>\n Unwind at the Orbeliani Baths<\/a> (sulfur hot springs)<\/p>\n Dinner and drinks at Dadi Wine Bar (make sure to grab a table outside)<\/p>\n Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n Go on a day-trip to Mtskheta, taking in the Jvari Monastery and a wine-tasting at Ch\u00e2teau Mukhrani<\/p>\n Have dinner at Lasamani<\/a> and an early night<\/p>\n Day 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a taxi to the Chronicle of Georgia and swim in the Tbilisi Sea<\/p>\n Explore the trendy Vera and Chugureti neighbourhoods, stopping at Vintage Hub (for second-hand designer clothes)<\/p>\n Eat at Shavi Lomi<\/a> followed by sunset drinks in the courtyard behind Fabrika hostel and Zevit-Kvevit, a speakeasy and gastro bar<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"Kartlis](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI_256086408-5c1e.jpg\")
\n\t\tKartlis Deda, the Mother of Georgia, stands watch over Tbilisi with a bowl of wine in one hand and a sword in the other (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1571-1-9e21.jpg\")
\n\t\tMtskheta sits at the meeting point of the Kura and Aragvi rivers (Picture: Alice Murphy)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_1615-0195.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Chronicle of Georgia was created by sculptor Zurab Tsereteli\u00a0in 1985\u00a0(Picture: Alice Murphy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEI256085634-f71b.jpg\")
\n\t\tAnthony Bourdain once said that few people can place Goergia on a map (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SEC_256198862-ceca.jpg\")
\n\t\tGutsy and character-filled, Tbilisi is Europe\u2019s last hidden gem (Picture: Alice Murphy)<\/p>\n
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