Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, can be a bit intimidating at first. Tbilisi is a large, sprawling city with a mixture of ancient sites, ruined architecture, colors, both muted and vibrant, and modern new structures that appear among the old. The city is long, like a horn, as it is located in a canyon. Most streets wind and curve, sometimes becoming alleys and sometimes even turn into flights of stairs. The main streets are wide and the traffic flow is endless. Tbilisi has a palpable heartbeat and is buzzing with energy. But once you become familiar with Tbilisi, it becomes easy and feels familiar, and there is so much to see and do in Tbilisi for busy travelers for days.
Metekhi Assumption Church and King Vakhtang I Gorgasali Statue
The Tbilisi story begins with King Vakhtang I Gorgasali , also known as Chief Vakhtang wolf because he had a wolf head on his helmet. The head of Vakhtang Loup was king of Iberia (Eastern Georgia) from the middle of the fifth century to the early sixth century. There are different versions, but, basically, the story goes that the head of Vakhtang Loup was hunting pheasants. He shot one and sent his eagle to look. When his eagle did not return, he went after to find that the two had been boiled in hot springs. He was so impressed with the hot springs, he decided to build a city around them. The Tbilisi name means "hot spot." Overlooking the Kura river running through the middle of Tbilisi's Metekhi Church and an imposing statue of King Vakhtang I Gorgasali.
Narikala Fortress
Just a few steps from the church Metekhi is a cable car that climbs to the top of the hill across the river. On this hill is the Narikala fortress. Its name means "small fortress." This fortress was built in the fourth century. However, he, with Tbilisi, was destroyed and restored several times. The final blow was in 1827 when it exploded from the powder stored inside.
Kartvlis Deda (Mother Georgia) Monument
Also at the top of the hill near the fortress is Kartvlis Deda, a statue of Mother Georgia. It is a symbol of Tbilisi. This high aluminum statue is dressed in traditional Georgian dress. She holds a bowl of wine in his left hand for friends and a sword in his right hand enemies.
National Botanical Garden Georgia
Behind the Narikala Fortress is the National Botanical Garden of Georgia. The botanical garden offers a natural respite from the bustle of the city. We visited in March, so there was not much in the way of flowers, but he Botanical Garden two waterfalls.
Tbilisi Mosque
Georgia is an Orthodox Christian country. Georgia was the third country to accept Christianity as its official religion. However, Georgia is proud of its religious diversity, and while its population is predominantly Christian, it also includes Muslims and Jews. The Tbilisi mosque is an example of this religious diversity and acceptance that Shia and Sunni Muslims worship together in the same mosque. One side is for the Shiites and the other side is for the Sunnis, and the two sides are separated by a couple columns.
Sulfur Spring Baths
In the Abanotubani ( "bath district") neighborhood across the river from the statue's head Vakhtang Loup are the sulfur baths spring. The hill above Tbilisi is known for its hot sulfur springs, which operate at 20 to 50 degrees Celsius. These are the springs that pushed the head of Vakhtang Loup to build the city. sulfur baths are still an important part of the culture of Tbilisi. Baths are easy to spot because they are low buildings with red brick domes.
You can either go to a public bath or you can hire a private bathroom on time. Some private bathrooms are very nice, with a cold pool, a heated pool, a sauna, and a place to rest and get an additional service a massage or scrub. Bains open early and stay open late into the night.
Art Old Tbilisi Nouveau
A highlight of our time in Tbilisi took a walking tour of Old Tbilisi and take a look in the old Art Nouveau buildings. Who knows how long some of these buildings continue to stand. Many were private homes that have since been converted into apartment buildings, so that entries can be entered by walking around age Tbilisi.
Caravanserai
An an important part of the history of Tbilisi is its location along the Silk Road . A piece of the silk route that remains today in Tbilisi is the caravanserai. When you are up to the Narikala fortress, below you can see some buildings that are large rectangles with an open courtyard. These are remaining caravansaries. A caravanserai was like a B & B for traders. Traders move along the Silk Road with their camels and their property. They would stop and stay in these caravanserais that had ramps in courses that go underground where camels remain. The goods they had brought for trade were stored on the ground floor in the storage rooms, as well as traders who travel remained in what was essentially a hotel room in the top floor of the same building that their goods and camels. These caravanserais were in business until the 1800s, when the railroad came through. We got to look in one of those buildings that now acts as a building on the first floor of the apartment and a bar called KGB Still Watching You down.
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral is named after Mount Zion in Jerusalem and was the largest church in Tbilisi at the end of the 5th century. This church was destroyed by the Persians and David the Builder built the present church in the early 12th century. The Russian iconography was painted in the mid 1800. The church holds a cross of vine, symbol of Saint Nino, a Cappadocian woman who converted the Georgian King Vakhtang III Christianity.
Meidan Bazaar
Another relic of the Silk Road is Meidan Bazaar. This may be one of the oldest business centers in Georgia. He may have been in use from the 4th and 5th centuries and was a commercial market on the Silk Road. A staircase leads down into the underground shopping area. The market has been redesigned and now offers wine tasting and the opportunity to buy Georgian wine, Georgian cheese churchkhela, jewelry and other Georgian souvenirs.
Related: Georgian Kitchen: 30 traditional foods to try Georgia
Related: Georgian Kitchen: 30 traditional foods to try Georgia
Bridge of Peace
Some people call the bridge of peace buffer Georgia. While I can see what they say, I rather like the juxtaposition of the modern bridge of peace and new theater buildings among the old. At night, the Peace Bridge is lit with white dance lights.
Holy Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (Sameba)
The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, commonly known as Sameba is the largest cathedral in the Caucasus and the towers on Tbilisi. The cathedral can be seen from many points around the city. The architecture of the cathedral is inspired by the traditional Orthodox architecture, but it is also the first of its kind. The head of the church wanted Sameba lasts forever and ordered the excavation until the rock was found on which lay the foundation. Roche was found 30 meters, so that the Cathedral has a 30 meters foundation.
Sameba is done by churches in a church. As expected, there is a church on the main floor, but we followed the stairs to an underground church lasts. There are a number of interesting items available in the main church, including a copy of the Panagia Portaitissa or Iviron icon. According to legend, the icon was placed in the Black Sea to save it from destruction by iconoclasts Byzantine and floated right in Greece, where it was recovered from the sea by a Georgian monk and taken to the Georgian monastery Iviron on Mount Athos. The icon will remain on Mount Athos until the Apocalypse. Another item to note is the altarpiece which tells the story of Georgia. Jesus' cloak in the altarpiece is covered in diamonds.
Anchiskhati Basilica of St. Mary
Sheltered behind a fence and a bell tower is Anchiskhati Basilica of Saint Mary, the oldest church in Tbilisi. Anchiskhati basilica was built by King Dachi, son of Vakhtang Gorgasali, in the 6th century. The church's name comes from the Ancha icon that has been moved from Ancha monastery in what is now Turkey in the basilica to protect against the Ottomans. The icon is now on display at the Georgian Museum of Art.
Rezo Gabriadze Theatre
The Rezo Gabriadze Theatre staged his first puppet show in 1981. The theater was founded by Revaz "Rezo" Gabriadze, an artist, writer and director. These puppet shows are not for children. The first show in the theater was a combination of La Dame aux Camelias and La Traviata performed by puppets. The Gabriadze Theater Company has toured in places like New York, Washington, Edinburgh, Toronto and Paris. The theater is easily recognizable by the great clock tower was added in 2011 for the 30th anniversary. Gabriadze built the tower, covering it with whimsically decorated tiles. Every time an angel rings the bell with a hammer. At noon and 19:00, an additional puppet show called "The Circle of Life" plays.
Georgian national Museum
The Georgian National Museum has many exhibits related to the history of Georgia. An exhibition that should not be missed is the exhibition of archaeological treasure. This exhibition of gold and silver artifacts from 3000 BC through 400 AD that were discovered in Georgia. The treasure of Georgia is available for public viewing because of the actions of Ekvtime Takaishvili , a Georgian archaeologist and national hero. When the Soviets invaded in 1921 Tbilisi, the Georgian government was evacuated to France and the treasures of Georgia. Takaishvili accompanied the treasure to France and kept the treasure of Georgia, protecting it from being divvied between museums of the world. Although he lived in poor conditions in France, he did all he could to protect the treasure of Georgia, including from a Nazi research during World War II. In 1945, at the end of the war, the treasure of Takaishvili and returned to Georgia Georgia.
The Soviet occupation Museum
The Soviet Occupation Museum is currently in the same building as the National Museum of Georgia, but moves to its own building in the near future. The Soviet Occupation Museum tells the Soviet occupation of Georgia from 1921 to 1991. The occupation is obviously a big part of the history of Georgia. The exhibition is cleverly put together with objects, photos and documents and tells the stories of personally affected by the Georgians occupation.
Kashveti Church
Kashveti Church is another Georgian Orthodox Church in Tbilisi. Kashveti translates roughly to give birth to a stone. Its name comes from a 6th century monk who was accused by a woman to make her pregnant. The monk said that if she was lying, she would give birth to a stone, it did.
A Kashveti striking detail of the church frescoes Lado Gudiashvili . Lado Gudiashvili was a Georgian painter of the early 100s his paintings have a signature style, with people with eyes in very distinct and unique almond. This style can be seen in Mary and baby Jesus. This is a very different presentation of Jesus and Mary that we see in other churches. They seem very human and this world, rather than spiritual and ethereal. Our guide Anna said Georgians paint gods like humans and humans as gods.
Georgian National Opera Theater
One emblematic buildings of Georgia is the Georgian Theatre of the National Opera. The opera house has recently reopened after a long renovation to heal the scars left by the Soviet occupation and civil war in Georgia. The opera house is part of The art nouveau collection and has even been the inspiration for one of the buildings that were once a mansion Tbilisi. Even if you can not get inside for a performance, you can see the architecture, the peak in the windows and enjoy the unique statues that can be found around the building outside.
Tbilisi wine factory #1
Georgia Wine for thousands of years. Of course, you can taste Georgian wine in a restaurant in Tbilisi, but a single introduction of Georgian wine in Tbilisi is offered by Tbilisi wine factory # 1. The historic factory was financed by David Sarajishvili, cognac King of Georgia, designed by Alexander Ozerov, the Georgian architect and built in 1896. the basement houses a museum of wine, 40,000 bottles of wine, including private collections of Napoleon, Stalin, and Romanov, all locked by order of the government. The basement also contains ginormous wine barrels in the Soviet time and enamelled wine tanks.
In In addition to wine museum, Tbilisi wine factory # 1 offers wine tastings, workshops to make dumplings or sweets, a selection of restaurants and a boutique hotel, Art Hotel Winery 1896.
Getting Around Tbilisi
A many things to do in Tbilisi are within walking distance, especially in old Tbilisi. Crossing the street can be difficult. Georgians are very aggressive drivers, and they do not like to stop someone or something. Across the street be sure to make eye contact and even put a hand to let them know that you will cross. Major streets like Avenue Rustavali have tunnels every few blocks to get from one side to the other, otherwise you would never cross the street. Fun fact, drivers turn left in Tbilisi. They must drive for blocks and blocks until they came to a built in a U-turn or roundabout.
Walking around Tbilisi feels safe, even at night. We walked a night of old Tbilisi all the way back to our hotel in Tbilisi news. However, taxis are easy to find in Liberty Square and they are inexpensive, just be sure to get where you want to go in Georgian written by someone at the hotel if the driver does not speak English . Tbilisi also has a metro station system.
Where to stay in Tbilisi
We stayed at Rooms Hotel Tbilisi and absolutely loved it. Rooms Hotel Tbilisi is right next to Shota Rustaveli Avenue and less than two kilometers from Freedom Square and Old Tbilisi. The hotel offers all the comfort and amenities of a modern hotel with the comfort and individuality of a boutique hotel.
While Tbilisi can be daunting when you arrive, we are sure you will fall in love with Tbilisi and the rest of Georgia, as we have done. Just get out of there, walking around the city, meet people, eat food, and visiting the physical parts of the history of Tbilisi, both old and new.
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This article contains affiliate links. If you book through these links, it costs you nothing more and earn us a small commission which goes towards running this site and bring you more Travel stories.
Thank you to State Administration of Georgian Tourism for hosting our trip to Georgia and making it possible position. As always, all opinions are my own.
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