| Tbilisi and Kutaisi. 13:20 - Jun 10 with 590 views | StochesStotasBlewe |
Visiting Georgia for a week early October with my globe trotting son. Splitting the time between the two aforementioned cities. Been on our radar for a while now and wondering what advice anyone who’s been recently might have for places to see, do’s and don’ts etc, etc.
Thanks in advance. |  |
| We have no village green, or a shop.
It's very, very quiet.
I can walk to the pub. |
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| Tbilisi and Kutaisi. on 17:05 - Jun 10 with 438 views | Wacko |
Tbilisi is a nice small very civilised city. The old town is fun but it can be a bit of a tourist trap with typical trashy Arab shisha bars etc. I would still check it out (everywhere is walkable) but not stay there, better areas to stay are either side of the river by Rustaveli and Marjanishvili metros - where there are still nice bars and restaurants. If you like jazz then 1984 jazz bar is great. Food in the city is good but mainly limited to khachapuri (bread and melted cheese) or khinkali (dumplings) - you’ll find loads of options, from cheap to high end. Chacha is the very strong local spirit and if you befriend locals and they invite you to a supra, go for it! Though you may not come out alive as it’s a kind of drinking ceremony with lots of shots and speeches. There’s a nice park / botanical garden but other than eating and drinking there’s not lots of stuff to do there. Tbilisi is less than 2 hours from the Kakheti wine region - you can hire a car for $20 a day (full insurance) and visit there if you have time. A very beautiful area.
Kutaisi is even smaller than Tbilisi and I don’t know it as well. Not a lot there that you can’t do in Tbilisi, however just outside the city is an abandoned sanatorium: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y4ooYYTZxkSCh3SQ6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Also near there is Tetra cave: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZJiEpM4JnJvT9CXQ8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
And a few other interesting abandoned places. For me, Georgia is more about the countryside than the cities so if you can get yourself out of town for a day or two it should be worth it
Edit: 20 dollars car hire [Post edited 10 Jun 19:28]
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| Tbilisi and Kutaisi. on 21:40 - Jun 10 with 330 views | StochesStotasBlewe |
| Tbilisi and Kutaisi. on 17:05 - Jun 10 by Wacko |
Tbilisi is a nice small very civilised city. The old town is fun but it can be a bit of a tourist trap with typical trashy Arab shisha bars etc. I would still check it out (everywhere is walkable) but not stay there, better areas to stay are either side of the river by Rustaveli and Marjanishvili metros - where there are still nice bars and restaurants. If you like jazz then 1984 jazz bar is great. Food in the city is good but mainly limited to khachapuri (bread and melted cheese) or khinkali (dumplings) - you’ll find loads of options, from cheap to high end. Chacha is the very strong local spirit and if you befriend locals and they invite you to a supra, go for it! Though you may not come out alive as it’s a kind of drinking ceremony with lots of shots and speeches. There’s a nice park / botanical garden but other than eating and drinking there’s not lots of stuff to do there. Tbilisi is less than 2 hours from the Kakheti wine region - you can hire a car for $20 a day (full insurance) and visit there if you have time. A very beautiful area.
Kutaisi is even smaller than Tbilisi and I don’t know it as well. Not a lot there that you can’t do in Tbilisi, however just outside the city is an abandoned sanatorium: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y4ooYYTZxkSCh3SQ6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Also near there is Tetra cave: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZJiEpM4JnJvT9CXQ8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
And a few other interesting abandoned places. For me, Georgia is more about the countryside than the cities so if you can get yourself out of town for a day or two it should be worth it
Edit: 20 dollars car hire [Post edited 10 Jun 19:28]
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Cheers. Some great advice and pointers. Will be travelling about a fair bit and using the cities as a base. | |
| We have no village green, or a shop.
It's very, very quiet.
I can walk to the pub. |
| |
| Tbilisi and Kutaisi. on 10:37 - Jun 11 with 193 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
I've never been to Georgia, but if you drink, then you will be able to enjoy the best Quality/Price ratio wines in the world at local prices.
Georgia is believed to have the longest continuous wine production, going back thousands of years, and their vineyards utilise production methods which are quite different to the majority of the world, with large clay amphorae, known as Qvevris locally, buried in earth used for fermentation with wild yeasts.
They were making organic Orange wine (skin contact White wine) millennia before it "became a thing".
Our Ukrainian friends rate Georgian food very highly- look out for Khachapuri- boat shaped raised bread with cheesy toppings. They look a bit like a cross between a pizza and a cornish pasty that's had the top taken off! | | | |
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