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.
Tbilisi sits in a sheltered basin along the Mtkvari River between the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus, giving it a transitional climate between humid subtropical and continental. Summers are hot and fairly dry (July and August highs of about 32 C / 90 F), winters are cold but short (January averages about 2 C / 36 F, with occasional snow and frost), and spring and autumn are the mild, green seasons. Annual rainfall is about 500-550 mm, with the wettest period from April to June and a drier late summer. Sources vary slightly on monthly figures, so the numbers below are rounded averages.
Best time to visit
Best: Year-round
Avoid: None
Month-by-month weather
Typical conditions throughout the year.
January
2°C/36°F
Coldest month with frosty nights and occasional snow; Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, empty streets, lowest hotel prices, and good ski conditions at Gudauri
February
4°C/39°F
Cold and dry with bright days; quiet Old Town, bargain accommodation, and peak skiing in the nearby mountains
March
8°C/46°F
Winter loosens; almond and plum blossoms appear, though showers and cold snaps remain likely
April
13°C/55°F
Green hills, blossoming gardens, and pleasant walking weather; Georgian Easter brings church services and family gatherings
May
18°C/64°F
Warm and lush with the highest rainfall of the year in short bursts; New Wine festival and Independence Day on 26 May
June
22°C/72°F
Warm to hot with long evenings and open-air terraces; occasional thunderstorms; tourist numbers rise
July
25°C/77°F
Hot and dry with highs around 32 C / 90 F; best for evenings and mountain escapes, less comfortable for midday sightseeing
August
25°C/77°F
Hottest and driest month, with heat waves above 35 C / 95 F; the city empties during the middle of the day
September
21°C/70°F
Warm days, cooler nights, and the start of the Kakheti grape harvest; ideal for wine tours and sightseeing
October
15°C/59°F
Golden foliage, comfortable temperatures, the harvest in full swing, and the Tbilisoba city festival
November
8°C/46°F
Gray, cool, and damp; the tourist season ends and prices drop
December
3°C/37°F
Cold with Christmas lights, New Year celebrations, and ski season opening in the mountains
The seasons
What to expect in each part of the year.
Spring
Months: Mar-May
Mild and green, with temperatures rising from about 8 C / 46 F in March to 18 C / 64 F in May. Blossoms fill the parks, the Old Town terraces open, and May is the wettest month with short showers and thunderstorms. Georgian Independence Day on 26 May and the New Wine festival fall in this season.
Summer
Months: Jun-Aug
Hot, sunny, and dry, with July and August highs around 32 C / 90 F and occasional heat spikes above 35 C / 95 F. City life moves to the evenings, and the nights stay warm. Day trips to the Caucasus mountains and Kakheti are popular, though thunderstorms are possible in June.
Fall
Months: Sep-Nov
September and October are warm and golden, with comfortable highs of 20-27 C / 68-81 F, the Kakheti grape harvest (rtveli), and the Tbilisoba city festival in October. November cools to about 8 C / 46 F and turns gray and damp.
Winter
Months: Dec-Feb
Cold but usually dry and sunny, with daytime highs of 6-9 C / 43-48 F and nights near or below freezing. Snow falls a few days a year in the city, and the Gudauri and Bakuriani ski resorts are the main winter attraction. The Old Town is quiet and prices are lowest.
Crowds & peak times
When to expect tourists and when to avoid them.
- High Season
- Jul-Aug and the Kakheti harvest weeks in late Sep-Oct, plus New Year
- Shoulder Season
- Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (ideal for sightseeing and wine country)
- Low Season
- Nov-Mar (quiet, cold, lowest prices, excluding Christmas and New Year)
Major events & festivals
Time your visit around what matters.
Orthodox Christmas
Georgia celebrates Christmas on 7 January with church services, a procession called Alilo through the streets of Tbilisi, and family gatherings
Georgian Orthodox Easter
Easter night services at Sioni Cathedral and Holy Trinity (Sameba) draw large crowds, with red-egg and paska traditions
New Wine Festival
Winemakers from Kakheti and other regions present their young wines and qvevri vintages in Tbilisi, with tastings, food, and live music
Independence Day
National holiday marking Georgia's 1918 independence, with parades, flags, and events along Rustaveli Avenue
Rtveli (Kakheti grape harvest)
Traditional grape harvest in the Kakheti villages, with qvevri wine-making demonstrations, feasts, and chacha (grape spirit) tastings that day-trippers can join
Tbilisoba
Annual city festival celebrating Tbilisi's food, wine, crafts, music, and folklore, with stalls in the Old Town and across the city
Svetitskhovloba (Mtskheta)
Religious holiday at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, 20 km from Tbilisi, with services and a large pilgrimage
Tbilisi International Film Festival
Annual film festival presenting Georgian and international cinema at theaters including Amirani and Rustaveli Cinema