Tucked between Europe and Asia, Georgia is a country of dramatic mountain monasteries and some of the warmest hospitality on earth. Enjoy people watching in the cobbled streets of Tbilisi or sip wine overlooking the vine-covered hills of Kakheti. Think amazing food, incredible hiking and a fascinating history.
Flights: From overseas, you can fly into either Tbilisi, Kutaisi or Batumi international airports. Kutaisi is a popular option with budget airlines such as Wizz Air, and they have a bus timed to pick people up from those flights to take them directly to Tbilisi.
Train: Georgia is well-connected by train, including routes to neighbouring countries such as Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Bus: Long-distance coaches in Georgia are generally regular, clean and well-organised.
Hire car: Renting a car in Georgia is a fantastic way to get out of the main cities and explore the mountainous regions. Just be aware that the driving style may be slightly more hectic than what you’re maybe used to.
Bolt: In cities like Tbilisi you can use the rideshare app Bolt.
Georgia has a surprisingly varied climate for such a small country, shaped by the towering Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea coast. Summers are generally hot and sunny, especially in lowland areas and in Tbilisi (I was there in August and it was pretty hot!), while winters can be cold with snow in the mountains, making it a year-round destination for both hiking and skiing. Spring and autumn are particularly beautiful, with mild temperatures and colourful landscapes.
Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi is a very sociable place, and many of the accommodation options reflect that. I stayed at Fabrika, which is basically a huge hostel combined with a coworking space and a bar. If you’re after somewhere quieter, there are also plenty of cute guesthouses and airbnbs available. Outside of the main cities, there are lots of charming guesthouses in mountain villages. I always book my accommodation through trusted providers like booking.com and Hostelworld, but always read the reviews carefully.
I always recommend checking the official government advice from your own country of citizenship. For example, I’m from the UK so I use the UK Government’s Foreign travel advice website, and navigate to the “Entry requirements” section of the country I wish to visit. That will show me the most up-to-date advice and the correct links to use to apply for a visa officially, without being scammed. E.g. “Georgia: Entry requirements”.
Be aware that if you just google “Georgia visa”, you’ll find lots of 3rd party websites offering to do the application for you, which at best will charge you quite a lot of money and at worst may scam you completely.
If you would rather someone else take care of the application for you to save you time and hassle, I can recommend iVisa. iVisa offer an end-to-end visa application service where they take care of the entire application for you. You just need to sign up via their website and fill out the information they need from you for the application. Note that they charge a fee for this service, so it will be more expensive than applying directly yourself.
Here are some of the resources I’ve found particularly useful for travelling in Georgia. Download the apps before you go to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience! Check out my Useful Travel Resources page for my complete go-to list of websites and apps.
Currency:
Georgian Lari (GEL)
Capital City:
Tbilisi
Languages:
Georgian
