Tbilisi Botanical Garden (National Botanical Garden of Georgia)

The Tbilisi Botanical Garden, officially the National Botanical Garden of Georgia, occupies a green gorge behind Narikala Fortress at 1 Botanikuri Street in Tbilisi, Georgia. Founded in the 17th century as a royal garden and later developed as a scientific institution, it covers roughly 100 hectares and holds thousands of plant species from the Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia and North America. It is one of the few places in the old part of the city where visitors can leave the stone streets for shaded paths. The garden is entered from Botanikuri Street near the Jumah Mosque, and an admission of about GEL 4 is charged. It opens roughly 9:00AM to 7:00PM, with longer hours in summer. A network of paths and steps leads along the Tsavkisistskali stream and up to a waterfall in the gorge, with lawns, a rose garden, collections of conifers, a Japanese-style area, rock gardens and greenhouses. A suspension bridge and small lookouts give views over the gorge, and the Mother of Georgia statue and Narikala walls rise above the tree line. A visit takes 1.5 to 2 hours, and walking the longer routes to the top and the waterfall can take longer. The garden is calm for most of the year, with the best colour in spring blossom and autumn foliage; summer afternoons are hotter but shaded. Weekends and fine spring days are busiest, while weekday mornings are very quiet and suit photographers. Paths are a mix of paved sections, dirt trails and many steps, and slopes become slippery after rain. Visitors often combine the garden with Narikala Fortress, entering one way and leaving the other, a walk that links the garden with the ridge. Cafes near the entrance offer drinks, and picnicking on the lawns is common. Dogs are not usually permitted in the cultivated areas, and plants should not be picked.