Tbilisi Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Tbilisi walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the carved balconies of the Old Town to the Ferris wheel on top of Mtatsminda. The notes below turn those stops into practical day plans, with walking order, timing, transport, etiquette and the free sights worth knowing before you go. For official visitor information and events, also check Georgia Travel, the official tourism site of Georgia.

Route 1, the Old Town and the fortress (stops 1, 2 and 5). Start in the Old Town, the district called Kala on the right bank of the Mtkvari, where churches, mosques and synagogues stand a few streets apart. Visit Sioni Cathedral and the Anchiskhati Basilica, the oldest surviving church in the city, and find the leaning clock tower of the Gabriadze puppet theatre. Climb up to Narikala Fortress on the ridge, with the restored Church of St Nicholas and the Mother of Georgia statue nearby, then walk down to the domed Sulfur Baths of Abanotubani and the small waterfall in the gorge behind them.

Route 2, across the river (stops 7, 8 and 3). Cross the Bridge of Peace, the curving glass-and-steel footbridge designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, into Rike Park on the left bank, with its lawns, fountains and the cable car up to Narikala. From there, climb the streets of Avlabari to Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sameba, on Elia Hill, the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church, finished in 2004.

Route 3, the avenue and the mountain (stops 6, 4 and 10). Walk along Rustaveli Avenue from Freedom Square, past the Georgian National Museum, the Parliament building, the Opera and Ballet Theatre and the National Gallery. Then ride the Mtatsminda funicular, running since 1905, up the Holy Mountain. Halfway up, stop at the Pantheon of Mtatsminda beside St David’s Church, where writers and national figures are buried, and finish at the top in Mtatsminda Park, with its Ferris wheel, rides and lookouts.

Stop 9, the Chronicle of Georgia. The Chronicle of Georgia is a huge monument by Zurab Tsereteli on a hill above the Tbilisi Sea, a reservoir north of the centre, with tall carved pillars showing Georgian history and scenes from the life of Christ. It is several kilometres from the Old Town, so take a taxi there and back.

Between the stops of Route 1, take time for the lanes around Meidan, the old market square at the foot of the fortress, and Shardeni Street, a pedestrian street of cafés, galleries and wine bars. They are the liveliest part of the Old Town in the evening, and a good place to rest before the climb to Narikala or after the baths.

If you only have one day, Routes 1 and 2 give the best Tbilisi walking tour on foot, because the Old Town, Narikala, the baths, the Bridge of Peace and Rike Park sit close together around the river. A two-day Tbilisi walking tour works well as Routes 1 and 2 on day one, and Rustaveli Avenue, Mtatsminda and the Chronicle of Georgia on day two.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Tbilisi walking tour are the walls of Narikala Fortress at sunset, the Bridge of Peace after dark, when its canopy is lit by LEDs, and the terraces of Mtatsminda looking down over the whole valley. The cable car from Rike Park is a short ride with a view over the rooftops of the Old Town.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for a long Tbilisi walking tour, with mild weather and green hills. Summer can be very hot in the valley, so walk early, rest in the afternoon and head up to Mtatsminda for cooler evening air. Autumn is also the harvest season, when the city celebrates Tbilisoba, its annual festival of food, wine and music, in October. Winters are cold but usually dry.

Opening hours change by season, and the funicular, the cable car and Mtatsminda Park can close for maintenance or bad weather, so check the official websites before your Tbilisi walking tour. The bathhouses rent private rooms by the hour, and it is worth booking ahead at weekends.

The centre is compact but hilly. The Tbilisi Metro has two lines and links Freedom Square, Rustaveli and Avlabari, and buses cover the rest of the city. You can pay on the metro and buses with a contactless bank card or a rechargeable travel card. Ride-hailing apps are cheap and easy for longer trips such as the Chronicle of Georgia.

Use the Map button at each stop to check walking time. The streets are steep and the river splits the city in two, so plan your Tbilisi walking tour one bank at a time, and use the cable car or the funicular to save the hardest climbs.

Georgian churches are active places of worship. Women are expected to cover their heads and wear a skirt, and men should avoid shorts; wraps are often provided at the door. Keep your voice low, don't take photos during services, and never turn your back on the altar to take a selfie.

For food, try khinkali, juicy dumplings eaten by hand, khachapuri, the cheese bread, including the boat-shaped Adjarian kind with an egg on top, and churchkhela, strings of nuts dipped in grape juice. Georgia has one of the oldest wine traditions in the world, and wine made in clay vessels called qvevri is on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. At a traditional feast, the supra, a toastmaster called the tamada leads long toasts.

Tbilisi is generally safe for visitors. The main risk is traffic: cars drive fast, so cross at lights or use the underpasses on Rustaveli Avenue. Watch your bag in crowded places, and agree a price before you take an unofficial taxi on a Tbilisi walking tour.

Wear comfortable shoes with a good grip, because the Old Town has steep, uneven cobbles and stairs, and the path up to Narikala is rough in places. Carry water in summer, as the climbs are hot.

Many stops cost nothing at all. The Old Town, Narikala Fortress, the outside of the Sulfur Baths, Rustaveli Avenue, the Bridge of Peace, Rike Park, Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Chronicle of Georgia are free to visit. The bathhouses, the funicular, the cable car, the rides in Mtatsminda Park and the museums on Rustaveli Avenue need tickets. That is why this free walking tour Tbilisi visitors can start at any hour works well: the 50 videos are free, and you only pay for what you choose to enter.

The Dry Bridge market is another free extra. Near the river, sellers lay out Soviet-era badges, cameras, old coins, paintings and household objects on the bridge and in the park beside it. Browsing costs nothing, and it gives a lively picture of the city's recent past. Always confirm current prices and opening hours on each official website before your Tbilisi walking tour.

A little history helps the stops make sense. Legend says King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded Tbilisi in the 5th century beside the hot springs that gave the city its name, from the Georgian word for warm. Over the centuries it was ruled or raided by Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Ottomans and Russians, which is why domed bathhouses, mosques, Orthodox churches and European boulevards all stand within a short walk of each other.

For accessibility, Rustaveli Avenue and Rike Park are the easiest stops for wheelchair users and strollers. The Old Town, Narikala and the path to Sameba are steep, with cobbles and steps, and some metro stations have long escalators and no lifts. The cable car and the funicular help with the climbs, though access to the cabins can involve steps.

When you finish this Tbilisi walking tour, carry on with more free walks: the Istanbul walking tour, the Athens walking tour and the Dubai walking tour. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.