Tbilisi is one of Europe's most extraordinary cities — a jumble of wooden balconied houses, Orthodox churches, Persian-era fortresses, Soviet modernism and cutting-edge wine bars, all piled up on the cliffs above the Mtkvari River. Here are the 10 best things to do in 2026.
✔ Old Tbilisi (Kala) — the wooden balconies, sulfur bath district, Narikala
✔ Sulfur baths — bathe where kings bathed, from €6
✔ Narikala Fortress — 4th-century citadel with panoramic city views
✔ Natural wine — Georgia invented wine 8,000 years ago — taste the originals
Top 10 Things To Do in Tbilisi
🏘️ Old Tbilisi (Kala)
The ancient core of the city — wooden balconied houses overhanging the streets, the Metekhi Church on its cliff, sulfur bath domes, narrow alleys and the extraordinary mixture of Christian churches, a synagogue and a mosque side by side. Walk from Meidan Square down to Abanotubani (the bath district) and up through the Narikala slopes. Entirely free and endlessly fascinating.
Book Walking Tour →🛁 Sulfur Baths (Abanotubani)
The sulfur bath district beneath Narikala Fortress has operated since at least the 5th century — King Vakhtang Gorgasali supposedly founded Tbilisi here because of the hot sulfur springs. The domed bathhouses offer private and public rooms — a private 1-hour session costs €6–12 and includes a mercilessly vigorous scrub from the attendant. Extraordinary, very local and not to be missed.
Check Availability →🏰 Narikala Fortress
A 4th-century citadel perched on the cliffs above Old Tbilisi — free to visit, reached on foot or by cable car from Rike Park. The views over the old city, the Mtkvari River and the Kura Valley are among the finest urban panoramas in the Caucasus. The Church of St Nicholas is inside the fortress walls. Go at sunset for the best light.
Check Availability →🍷 Natural Wine Tasting
Georgia is the birthplace of wine — 8,000 years of winemaking in the world's oldest wine region. The amber/orange wines made in clay qvevri pots have no equivalent anywhere. Tbilisi's natural wine bars (Vino Underground, Wine Factory No.1, G.Vino) serve extraordinary wines by the glass from small producers. A wine tasting evening in Tbilisi is one of the best food experiences in Europe.
Book Wine Tour →🚡 Mtatsminda Cable Car & Park
The Mtatsminda funicular climbs to the top of Mount Mtatsminda (770m) — with views across the entire city, the Mtkvari River, and on clear days the Caucasus peaks. The Pantheon at the top contains the graves of Georgian national heroes including the poet Nikoloz Baratashvili. The park has restaurants, an observation tower and the extraordinary city panorama at sunset.
Check Availability →🕍 Mtskheta Day Trip
30 minutes north of Tbilisi — the ancient capital of Georgia and one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the Caucasus. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century, UNESCO) is where the robe of Christ is supposedly buried. The Jvari Monastery on the cliff above watches over the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers — one of Georgia's great views. Essential half-day trip from Tbilisi.
Book Mtskheta Tour →🎨 National Museum of Georgia
Georgia's pre-eminent museum — the Treasury (dzveli saundje) holds the extraordinary gold and jewellery collections from the Bronze Age through medieval Georgia, including objects of breathtaking artistry from cultures most visitors have never heard of. The Soviet occupation exhibit is one of the most powerful museum presentations of modern history in the Caucasus.
Check Availability →🏛️ Rustaveli Avenue
Tbilisi's grand 19th-century boulevard — opera house, parliament building, Marriott Hotel (the Majestic, built 1915) and the National Gallery. The avenue connects the Rustaveli Metro station to Freedom Square — about 1km of handsome European-style architecture that feels entirely out of place with the wooden-balconied old city, and is all the more fascinating for it.
Check Availability →🍽️ Eat Georgian Food
Georgian cuisine is one of the world's great undiscovered food cultures — khinkali (giant soup dumplings), khachapuri (cheese-stuffed bread, especially the Adjaran boat-shaped version with an egg), churchkhela (walnut-filled grape-juice sweets), mtsvadi (grilled meat on a sword) and lobiani (bean-filled bread). Eating in Tbilisi at local prices is one of Europe's great food experiences. Budget: €6–12 for a full meal.
Book Food Tour →🌃 Fabrika & Nightlife
Fabrika — a former Soviet sewing factory converted into a creative hub with bars, restaurants, a hostel, studios and a lively courtyard. The centre of Tbilisi's extraordinary nightlife scene, which is centred on electronic music and the famous Bassiani club (in a Soviet-era swimming pool). Tbilisi's nightlife has a strong international reputation — a genuinely world-class scene by any measure.
Check Availability →FAQs
What is Tbilisi famous for?
Old Tbilisi's wooden balconied houses, the sulfur bath district (Abanotubani), Narikala Fortress, Georgian natural wine (the country invented wine 8,000 years ago), extraordinary food (khinkali, khachapuri) and one of Europe's best electronic music nightlife scenes.
How many days do you need in Tbilisi?
3–4 days covers the city thoroughly. Add 1–2 days for Mtskheta and/or the Kazbegi mountain town (3 hours north — one of the most dramatic settings in the Caucasus). A week allows Kakheti wine region too.
Is Tbilisi safe for tourists?
Yes — Georgia is one of the safer countries in the region for tourists. The old city has some uneven pavements and steep alleys but crime against tourists is rare. The usual urban caution applies.