Tbilisi is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a 1,500-year-old city strung along the Mtkvari River between steep hills in the South Caucasus. Its crooked Old Town of carved wooden balconies, sulfur bathhouses, Orthodox churches and hillside fortress sits beside Art Nouveau boulevards, Soviet-era landmarks and a fast-growing café, wine-bar and club scene. Visitors come for Georgian food and natural wine, easy day trips to monasteries and mountains, and some of the lowest prices of any European capital.
- Public
- Tbilisi runs a two-line metro, a large network of municipal buses and yellow minibuses (marshrutkas), and several cable cars, all on one flat 1 GEL / approx $0.38 fare that is valid for 90 minutes when paid with a Metromoney card or a contactless bank card
- Taxi
- Ride-hailing is cheap and reliable: Bolt and Yandex Go both operate across the city, with most urban rides costing 6-15 GEL / approx $2.30-5.70 and fares fixed in the app before the ride
- Rental
- Useful only for the Kakheti wine region, the Georgian Military Road, and other trips out of the city; central Tbilisi has steep one-way streets, aggressive driving, and scarce parking, so a car is a liability in town
- Walking
- The Old Town, Sololaki, Rustaveli Avenue, and Vera are compact and walkable, though pavements are uneven, hills are steep, and summer afternoons are hot
Transport at a glance
- Public
- 4/5
- Taxi
- 5/5
- Rental
- 2/5
- Walking
- 4/5
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Tbilisi is a long, narrow city stretched along the Mtkvari River, and its transport is cheap and straightforward: a two-line metro, buses, marshrutkas, and cable cars on one flat 1 GEL fare, plus very affordable Bolt and Yandex Go rides. Most visitors base themselves in the Old Town, Sololaki, or Rustaveli area and walk between the main sights. Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport sits about 17 km east of the center. Long-distance travel uses Tbilisi Central railway station for the Stadler trains to Batumi and Kutaisi and the Didube, Samgori, and Ortachala bus stations for marshrutkas and coaches. Since January 2026, foreign visitors also need valid health and accident insurance for the whole stay.
Airports
Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport
Kutaisi International Airport - David the Builder
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Buy a Metromoney card (2 GEL / approx $0.76) at any metro station ticket office or a Bank of Georgia express branch, load it with credit, and keep the purchase receipt, which is the only way to recover a lost or damaged card
Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard on the validator instead of buying a card if staying only a few days; the 1 GEL / approx $0.38 fare gives 90 minutes of free transfers between metro and bus
Install Bolt and Yandex Go before arrival: the price is shown in advance, cash or card payment is available, and the drivers avoid the meter-and-detour problem common with unmarked cabs at the airport
Cash payments and mobile-app payments on buses do not get the 90-minute transfer window; only a Metromoney card or a bank card does
Take bus 337 from the airport for 1 GEL / approx $0.38 to Station Square, or a Bolt for around 20-30 GEL / approx $7.60-11.50 to the Old Town
Long-distance marshrutkas leave from Didube (north and west: Kazbegi, Mtskheta, Kutaisi, Batumi) and Samgori (Kakheti), and Ortachala serves international coaches; they leave when full and mostly take cash only
For the Tbilisi-Batumi run, the Stadler double-decker train (around 35 GEL / approx $13.40 second class) is the most comfortable option; book early at railway.ge or tkt.ge for summer weekends
The Rike-Narikala cable car costs 2.5 GEL / approx $0.95 one way and is not covered by the 90-minute metro and bus fare