Two Days in Tbilisi

One day in the city, one day looking at what it sits in

In XTOUR's editorial view, a second day in Tbilisi is best spent partly outside it. Day one goes to the old quarters around Narikala, Sioni and Metekhi, and the second day is a good moment to look at what surrounds the city. For orientation on the city itself, including districts, food and getting around, see the Tbilisi destination guide for that. Distances below are straight lines between the places' coordinates, not routes or journey times; for those, see XTOUR's Tbilisi and Mtskheta pages.

Day one: the gorge and the old quarters

Start at the top and come down. According to XTOUR's place page for the fortress, a cable car from Rike Park climbs to Narikala Fortress, where most of what stands is sixteenth and seventeenth century although a fortress held the height by the fourth. The Church of St Nicholas in the lower court is a 1997 reconstruction on the proportions of a thirteenth-century church that was destroyed in 1818, when it was in use as a munitions store and the store exploded. From there the old quarters lead on to Sioni Cathedral, and across the river to Metekhi Church on its rock above the water.

Holy Trinity Cathedral, on Elia hill above Avlabari, is the modern counterpart to the older churches. Then finish in the National Botanical Garden, which lies in the gorge below Narikala, 0.2 km from the fortress in a straight line. XTOUR has not confirmed its opening hours, so check them before planning it as the last stop. The path follows a stream to a waterfall with an 1898 bridge looking onto it, and the garden holds more than 3,500 plant species.

If you only have two days

This guide assumes you have two days. XTOUR's Tbilisi destination page suggests 3–5 days for the city itself, so two days means choosing, and the split below is one way to choose. How many days the city deserves is a different question, and it belongs to the destination guide rather than to an itinerary. If you do have three, the second day below can be split: the hillside museum in the morning, and Mtskheta the following day instead of the same afternoon.

Day two: the hills and Mtskheta

Start at the Open Air Museum of Ethnography on the western hills, 5.7 km from Narikala in a straight line. Houses brought from different parts of Georgia stand over 52 hectares of hillside west of Turtle Lake, among more than 8,000 objects of everyday and craft use, according to the Georgian National Museum.

From there, Mtskheta lies 18.8 km from Narikala Fortress in a straight line, measured to the Mtskheta destination's coordinate, and about 15.8 km from the museum. Whether the two fit into one day depends on your pace and transport, which XTOUR cannot confirm. Mtskheta was the capital before Tbilisi, and it holds Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Samtavro Monastery and Jvari Monastery, the last of the three 1.1 km from the cathedral in a straight line, on a hill above the confluence of the two rivers. XTOUR's Mtskheta page says half a day covers Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro and Jvari.

For how the three monuments fit together, how to get between them and what else stands on the edges of the town, see our Mtskheta day-trip guide, and the Mtskheta pilgrimage guide covers the religious calendar. If you would rather not leave the city, a second day can go to the old quarters and the botanical garden.

Why that order and not the reverse

Day one is the city itself: a gorge with a fortress over it and quarters stacked on the sides. Day two looks beyond it, first at houses from different parts of the country gathered on one hillside, then at Mtskheta, the capital before Tbilisi. The order is XTOUR's suggestion, not a rule.

What to check before you go

Visa rules, opening hours, ticket prices and cable-car operating times all change, and XTOUR does not verify them. Check them close to travel, with the operator or the relevant authority. The order in this guide follows the map, not a walking route: XTOUR has not confirmed the routes, hills or stairs between the places, or how long any leg takes.