Tbilisi needed less than 2 days to convince us that it deserves to be in our top cities in Europe to come back to and explore more. We had the same connection with this place as we have been having with Belgrade for the last couple of years. Still not very touristic, super easy to walk around, lots of cool places to eat out and drink, very decent prices, excellent vibe.

We planned our whole Georgia trip as to have the last one day and a half in Tbilisi, coming back from the Kutaisi area. We decided to leave our rented car in the airport on our way to the city mainly because we had heard a lot of stories about the hectic driving style in the city (which proved a bit to be true, but not very different from what we have in Bucharest) and also because we had our accommodation in the city center (plus Uber and Bolt both work fine for longer distances).

Sightseeing

A bit unfortunate for us was the fact that during the full day we had for sightseeing it rained quite a lot which led to not sightseeing too much actually. We took a touristic bus, something we don’t do too much while traveling, but since it was raining it seemed like a very good option to actually see a bit of the city and not get soaked-wet.

When the rain stopped a bit, we also got off the touristic bus and walked around the streets of the old town for a couple of hours, where you would get all these beautiful Georgian houses, colorful and with their characteristic balconies crafted in so much detail.

When the rain started again, we quickly ran inside the Illusion Museum and spend a couple of hours there playing around with the artifacts. This kind of museum can be found in many cities around Europe, but it’s the first time we try it out. It’s a playful experience, very suitable for kids, but also grown-ups.

Places to go out

We had a full list of places to check out while in the city, both for food and drinks, but as our stay was rather short, we only got the chance to check out a couple of them. Here’s our list.

Chef’s Grandma

We discovered this place by pure coincidence as it was right across the street from our accommodation. But it was that kind of pleasant surprise to bump into this place. A small and cozy place, with a small outside terrace, a small, but super delicious menu. And an amazing grandma as a chef, cooking everything in front of us.

Azarpesha

Azarpesha is the ideal place for an amazing modern culinary experience. With a twist of fine dining, here you will find Georgia’s traditional dishes, reinterpreted by a talented chef to give them a modern appearance. Everything we had was excellently cooked, from starters to main dishes and perfectly paired with the wine recommended by the friendly waiter.

PurPur

Purpur was recommended to us as having very good Kinghali and we said to ourselves that we cannot leave the country before trying for the last time these delicious dumplings. Indeed, it’s a very good place to try them out, super delicious, as also the other dishes we had – soup and a lamb stew, perfectly cooked.

The restaurant also has a very unique look, set in an old house in the city center, with lots of old art objects and decorations.

Ezo

Ezo is also a restaurant, but we only went there for some drinks in their beautiful summer garden. They have a very good selection of Georgian wines that go so well with the laid back atmosphere inside.

1 – 3 Vasil Petraishvili Street

This area is the perfect place to go our during the weekends, especially for a late drink. There’s plenty of places to chose from and there’s a huge garden to relax and enjoy your drinks while there.

Photo Gallery:

Map of the trip:

Read also:
Road trip in Georgia
Day 1: Wine Route – Sighnaghi
Day 2: Road to the mountains
Day 3: Uplistsikhe and dinner with the locals in the Imereti Region 
Day 4: Kutaisi and dinner in Kursebi
Day 5: Caves, canyons and waterfalls