Tbilisi Activities by Time of Day

October 29, 2026

Advisory as of October 2026. The UK FCDO recommends against any travel to the Russian-occupied areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and against all but essential travel to land beside their boundary lines. In central Tbilisi, anti-government protests have carried on for well over a year, mostly around the Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue. They have at times turned violent and flare most on Saturday evenings and political anniversaries, so stay away from them. Check the UK FCDO page for Georgia and travel.state.gov before you book.

Tbilisi rewards visitors who match each activity to the right time of day. Mornings are quiet for markets, afternoons suit the hills, and evenings belong to hot baths, wine and long dinners. The outline below follows that rhythm. Prices are in lari (GEL), come from secondary guides and may have moved, so check before you go.

Morning: flea market and fortress ridge

The Dry Bridge market opens daily and fills up at weekends, so a weekday morning is calmer. Stalls carry Soviet badges, old cameras, paintings and assorted antiques. Take cash and haggle politely.

From Rike Park, a cable car rises to the Narikala ridge for about 2.50 GEL each way, paid with a Metromoney card or a bank card. The fortress grounds are free, but the old masonry is steep and has no handrails in places. Walking down the Betlemi Street stairs makes an easy return.

Afternoon: up Mount Mtatsminda

Two lifts serve the park on the summit. The funicular leaves from Chonkadze Street and has run since 1905. A cableway from Rustaveli Avenue opened on 18 October 2024, covers 845 m and takes about 4 minutes. Neither accepts the city transit card. Buy a Mtatsminda Park card for about 2 GEL, then load roughly 10 to 12 GEL for each one-way ride; leftover credit is not refunded. Walking around the grounds is free and rides are paid from the same card.

Because the Rustaveli cableway starts on the avenue where protests gather, the Chonkadze funicular is the calmer choice on a Saturday evening.

Evening: sulphur baths

The brick-domed bathhouses of Abanotubani charge by the private room and the hour, so a couple shares one bill. Chreli Abano, which is the same bathhouse as the Orbeliani Baths, runs from about 130 to 600 GEL and takes online bookings. Gulo’s Thermal Spa asks about 150 to 300 GEL, takes bookings by phone or Messenger and stays open until 03:00. Bath No. 5 has private rooms for about 120 to 200 GEL and the only walk-in public hall, at about 6 to 10 GEL, split by gender and bathed without swimwear. A kisa scrub adds about 15 to 30 GEL, usually in cash. The Queen’s Bath is closed for refurbishment. The Georgian Guide bath overview has further detail.

Late: a supra

A supra is the long Georgian table run by a toastmaster, with dishes arriving for hours and polyphonic songs between the toasts. Qvevri wine, made in buried clay vessels, is the traditional pour. Restaurants and guesthouses can set one up for a group, so ask in advance instead of turning up.

Moving between stops

The metro and city buses cost 1 GEL and give a 90-minute transfer window, but you must tap on every vehicle, and riding without a tap risks a 20 GEL fine. Cash is not taken on board. A Metromoney card costs 2 GEL, and bank cards also work at the validators. Cards are fine in the centre; keep lari for the flea market, minibuses and small rural stops. The Wander-Lush transit guide explains the system.

To compare guided options, a GetYourGuide search for Tbilisi tours lists what operators offer.