What to do in Tbilisi and how to get around by metro

Two lines, one interchange and a very narrow valley

The metro opened in 1966 — the fourth in the former USSR — and it is two lines: 1 (red), Akhmeteli–Varketili, running north to south through the centre, and 2 (green), branching off towards Saburtalo. They cross at exactly one point: Station Square.

Twenty-three stations and about 27 kilometres for half a million passengers a day. It is small, but it is laid out exactly where it needs to be, because Tbilisi is a long narrow valley between mountains and practically everything happens along the Kura river.

The stations are very deep — the terrain forces it — and some escalators take over two minutes to descend. That is not a fun fact: build the time into your journeys.

For the old town, on the other hand, the metro is not much use: you walk and you climb. The good news is that the historic centre is small and everything is within reach of Liberty Square station.

Part of the team of GoRandom in Tbilisi, in November 2024 — **Part of the team in Tbilisi**, November 2024.

Seven things to do, and how to reach each one

Tbilisi is enjoyed by wandering and eating. These seven are the ones we think explain it.

The sulphur baths of Abanotubani

Brick domes poking out of the ground, sulphurous water at 40 degrees and a tradition centuries old. You hire a private room for an hour and it comes cheap. The smell is strong and part of the deal; the city was founded because of these waters.

Liberty Square — Fifteen minutes downhill on foot, through the old town.

Narikala and the cable car over the river

The fortress that has commanded the city since the fourth century. You go up by cable car from Rike Park for a little over one lari and walk down through the botanical garden. The view at sunset is the postcard of Tbilisi.

Avlabari — Ten minutes to Rike Park, where the cable car starts.

Rustaveli Avenue end to end

The axis of nineteenth-century Tbilisi: opera house, parliament, national museum and theatres, with plane trees and stone facades. Half an hour on foot, and along the way you get most of modern Georgian history, almost all of which has passed down this street.

Rustaveli — The station is halfway along the avenue. Long escalator.

The Dry Bridge market

A permanent flea market selling everything the Soviet Union left behind: medals, cameras, china, paintings. It is half market and half accidental museum, and haggling is part of the game.

Rustaveli — Ten minutes on foot towards the river from the station.

Fabrika and the Marjanishvili district

A Soviet textile factory turned into a hostel, a courtyard and a cluster of bars and studios. It is where the young city gathers, and around it is a district of art nouveau buildings almost nobody looks at.

Marjanishvili — Five minutes on foot. You leave the metro and you are in it.

Up Mtatsminda on the funicular

A funicular from 1905 climbs the mountain above the city, where there is an old amusement park, a pantheon with the graves of Georgian writers and the best panorama going. At night is when it is best.

Rustaveli — Twenty minutes on foot to the lower funicular station.

Mtskheta, the old capital

Twenty kilometres away, where two rivers meet, is the town where Georgia became Christian in the fourth century. Svetitskhoveli cathedral and the Jvari monastery above it are World Heritage. Half a day, and the best complement to the city.

sin metro

By marshrutka from Didube station, which is on line 1. Half an hour on the road.

And the adventure we run here

Everything above you can do on your own with this page open. This other thing we build for you: the same idea as always — you do not know what you got until the day before — applied to Tbilisi.

GO RED

Into the Caucasus, with no idea where you end up

The Go Red version of Tbilisi leaves the city for the mountains. We pick you up at a metro station and from there we open the plan: it could be a high route under Kazbek, it could be rafting on the Aragvi, it could be horses through the Khevsureti valleys. You find out the day before.

The activity, booked and set up
Transfer from the city
Kit and insurance
A meeting point with a metro stop

Flights and accommodation are not included — you book those. When you pick your departure city we send you a rough estimate of what they cost. We are not a travel agency. How the process works, step by step.

You choose where you fly from and where you are going, and we tell you what the adventure costs and roughly what getting there would cost. Flights and accommodation you book yourself: we are not a travel agency and we do not want to be.

How the transport works, in four numbers

Flat fare and a generous transfer window: 90 minutes to chain metro and bus on a single fare.

Single ride

1 ₾

With the Metromoney card, whatever the distance. Within the next 90 minutes you can switch to a bus or back to the metro without paying again.

Metromoney card

2 ₾ once

Bought at the kiosk in any station and topped up with credit. Without it you do not get in: there is no paper ticket.

Hours

06:00 – 00:00 every day

The same hours Monday to Sunday, public holidays included.

Frequency

2.5–3 min at rush hour

From 07:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 20:00. The rest of the day, between 4 and 8 minutes, and up to 12 late on.

Source: Tbilisi Transport Company, via our Tbilisi metro guide. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Buy the Metromoney as soon as you arrive and put ten or fifteen lari on it: that covers the whole trip, buses included, and removes the only real friction in the system.

If you want it line by line — which stations each one has, what is around every stop and how to work out a specific journey — we have all of it at our guide to the Tbilisi metro. It is one of the sites we publish ourselves, and it is free.

From the airport to the centre

Tbilisi international airport is seventeen kilometres east and has no metro, but it does have a very cheap direct bus.

Bus 337

1 ₾ with Metromoney

40–50 min

Runs from the airport to Liberty Square station via Avlabari. The obvious option if you arrive in daylight and are not loaded down.

Taxi or Bolt

variable

25–35 min

Bolt works well in Tbilisi and is cheap by European standards. Book it in the app: at the arrivals door the price multiplies.

If you land in the small hours — and many flights to Tbilisi do — the bus does not always fit: check the 337 timetable first and if it does not work, Bolt.

Source: Tbilisi Transport Company. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Four things you will be glad you knew

The escalators are enormously long

Some stations are more than sixty metres down and the ride takes over two minutes. Count it when you are working out whether you will make something.

Georgian wine is in another league

They have been making wine here for eight thousand years, in buried clay amphorae called qvevri. It is Unesco Intangible Heritage and a tasting costs what a glass costs in western Europe.

The alphabet is like nothing else

Georgian has its own writing system, unrelated to Latin or Cyrillic. Many signs are transliterated, but download the map before you go.

The mountains are a day trip

Kazbegi is three hours away on the Georgian Military Highway and is one of the most spectacular excursions in the Caucasus. Give it a whole day.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Tbilisi?

Two full days cover the old town, the baths, Narikala and Rustaveli. With three or four you fit Mtskheta and a trip into the mountains, which is what turns it into a different journey.

How much does the Tbilisi metro cost?

One lari a ride with the Metromoney card, whatever the distance, with 90 minutes of free transfer between metro and bus. The card costs 2 ₾ once.

Can you pay for the metro with a bank card?

The system is built around the Metromoney, bought at the kiosk in any station. It is the first thing to do on arrival, because without it the gates will not open.

Is Georgia cheap to travel in?

Very, by European standards: eating, drinking, sleeping and getting around cost a fraction of western Europe. The flight is usually the main expense of the trip.

Do you need a visa for Georgia?

Citizens of the European Union can enter without a visa and stay for a year, which is one of the most generous policies anywhere. Confirm the current conditions for your nationality before travelling.