We arrived in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, in the night train from Baku. The time spent on the rails was an experience itself, and you can read about it in this post.
Spoiler alert: we didn’t love Tbilisi, but we consider there are a few things in Georgia that might deserve a visit.
Our first day in Tbilisi
Upon arriving, we went to our accomodation by bus, which can be paid with coins in a machine that is close to the door in the center of the bus. We stayed in a hostel named Budget Hostel Zodiac, close to the University. While facilities were good (nice kitchen, decent internet, good shared bathroooms), getting to the Hostel, due to the location in small streets was kind of difficult. Just ensure you know how to get there if you book it. Feel free to contact us if any questions.
We left our luggage in the room and took the bus to the Old Town. We got off the bus at Liberty Square, which is kind of the edge of the Old Town. We stopped for a kebab, and headed to Narikala Fort, which is uphill and overlooks the city. It is free to visit the ruins and the old church up there. Regarding churches in Georgia, it is important to say that these are Georgian Orthodox Churches, belonging to Georgia’s most trusted institution, and there are a lot (really a lot) of churches all around the country.
After visiting the fort and checking the view, we headed to the statue known as Mother of Georgia, a twenty metre figure representing 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. Truth is the view of the statue from behind, as we saw it, is not great, and there is not a really good view point either, or at least we couldn’t find one.
After that we headed down to the Old Town again to see the sulphur baths and the Leaning clock tower, which as you can imagine, is a clock tower that seems to be falling down.
Our second day in Tbilisi
Our second day started super early to catch a tour that would take us around some of the most interesting points outside of Tbilsi. We hired the tour the day before in a hostel at the Old Town that a colleague had recommended (Envoy Hostel). Tour was nice, and included the following:
Jvari: an Ancient monastery in the top of a mountain, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a landmark of Georgia.
Mtskheta, the Holy City for the Georgian Orthodox Church, holding the very nice Svetitskhoveli Cathedral from the 11th Century.
Gori, known as the birthplace of the famous soviet leader Joseph Stalin, where we visited a museum dedicated to his life.
Uplistsikhe, a city caved in rock, very intestersting and with amazing views.
The tour also took us to have lunch in a traditional house in the countryside, with a big variety of traditional meals and georgian wine, very tasty.
If you are after something sweet in your tour or anywhere in Georgia, you can always try the Churchkhela, a candy made of grape must, nuts and flour. They are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage.
After the tour, we returned to Tbilisi and walked around the Old Town by nigth, but most importantly, we ate our favorite georgian traditional dish, the Khachapuri, a bread filled with egg and cheese that we still dream about! Do not miss it!
Our third day in Tbilisi
On our last day in Tblisi, we went to walk around Rike Park, which is a modern yet abandoned looking space next to the river. The park is next to Tbilisi’s iconic Peace Bridge, also super modern but not looking well mantained.
After that, we headed to the biggest Church in Tblisi, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, also known as Sameba, which is one of the biggest religious temples in the world, and certainly worth seeing. As it was a Sunday, there was a service taking place, so we were able to see the pilgrims in there.
With that visit, we finished our time in Tbilisi. A destination we didn’t love, however we found some things worth checking. If you are in the area, we recommend including it in your trip!