Skip to content
MASA
Itineraries

The Perfect 48 Hours in Tbilisi, Hour by Hour

Tbilisi, GeorgiaMay 12, 20262 min read
By MASA Editors
ShareWhatsAppXFacebook
Sunset panorama over Tbilisi's rooftops with a church dome in the foreground and the curved glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace by the river01
Sunset panorama over Tbilisi's rooftops with a church dome in the foreground and the curved glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace by the river

Two days in Georgia's capital: sulfur baths, khinkali, a fortress at sunset and a flea market morning — planned hour by hour.

Tbilisi rewards wanderers. The Georgian capital folds a crooked Old Town, domed sulfur baths and a cliff-top fortress into a river valley, then adds supra feasting, amber wine and a café scene that has made it one of Europe-meets-Asia's most talked-about cities. Two days is enough for a deep first taste.

  • Where: Eastern Georgia, on the Mtkvari (Kura) river
  • Best months: May–June and September–October
  • What it costs: One of the best-value capitals in the region
  • Don't miss: khinkali, a sulfur bath, sunset from Narikala
The ramparts of Narikala Fortress above Tbilisi in spring, crenellated brick walls and a round tower running along a ridge of bright green grass and yellow wildflowers, two walkers on the footpath and the city spreading to the mountains beyond
The ramparts of Narikala Fortress above Tbilisi in spring, crenellated brick walls and a round tower running along a ridge of bright green grass and yellow wildflowers, two walkers on the footpath and the city spreading to the mountains beyondPhoto: Alex Slav / Unsplash

Day one: Old Town and the fortress

09:00 — Breakfast and the Old Town. Start with coffee and fresh khachapuri — molten cheese bread, Georgia's calling card — then drift into the Old Town's lanes of leaning houses and carved wooden balconies.

11:00 — Abanotubani. The brick-domed sulfur baths gave Tbilisi its name ("tbili" means warm). Book a private room for a soak and an optional, gloriously rough scrub. An hour in, you will understand the city's founding myth.

13:00 — Khinkali lunch. Order the soup dumplings by the handful: twist off the top, sip the broth, never use a knife. Wash them down with Georgian lemonade or a cold local beer.

15:00 — Cable car to Narikala. Ride from Rike Park up to Narikala Fortress, the ancient citadel above the Old Town, and walk the ridge past the Mother of Georgia statue. The panorama over the river valley is the city's best.

18:00 — Bridge of Peace and Rike Park. Cross the wave-shaped glass Bridge of Peace as the lights come on.

20:00 — Supra dinner. Go long: pkhali walnut spreads, badrijani (eggplant with walnut paste), mtsvadi grilled meat, and a bottle of qvevri-fermented amber wine — Georgia has been making wine for some 8,000 years.

Narikala fortress floodlit along its ridge above Tbilisi at night, the lit houses, balconies and church dome of the old town spilling down the hillside beneath it under a deep blue sky.
Narikala fortress floodlit along its ridge above Tbilisi at night, the lit houses, balconies and church dome of the old town spilling down the hillside beneath it under a deep blue sky.Photo: Viktor SOLOMONIK / Unsplash

Day two: markets, museums and Mtatsminda

09:30 — Dry Bridge flea market. Soviet cameras, medals, enamel bowls, hand-painted tiles: Tbilisi's open-air attic, best browsed with unhurried curiosity.

11:30 — Rustaveli Avenue. Walk the grand boulevard past the opera house and parliament, ducking into the Georgian National Museum for the astonishing pre-Christian goldwork of the Archaeological Treasury.

14:00 — Lunch and courtyard cafés. The streets around Rustaveli and Vera hide leafy courtyard cafés — try lobio (bean stew) with cornbread, or another round of khinkali, purely for research.

16:00 — Funicular to Mtatsminda. The century-old funicular climbs to Mtatsminda Park, the amusement park on the ridge above the city. Come for the view, stay for chacha-laced cocktails or hot ponchiki doughnuts.

19:00 — Wine bar crawl. Finish in the Old Town or Vera district, tasting your way through saperavi reds and amber rkatsiteli by the glass.

Tip: Book the sulfur baths a day ahead — the atmospheric private rooms in Abanotubani fill quickly — and go before lunch, when the domes are quietest.

In pictures
Dezerter Bazaar, TbilisiPhoto: Viktor SOLOMONIK / Unsplash
Still wandering?

Scroll the world one photograph at a time

Sixty places, each with the one fact worth knowing before you go

Open the feed
Same place, another angle

More from Tbilisi

The blue-and-terracotta tiled Persian facade of the Orbeliani sulphur bathhouse in Tbilisi's Abanotubani quarter, above brick vaults and a walkway, with the bare hillside rising behind
01
The List

The essential Tbilisi bucket list, ranked

Ten essential Tbilisi experiences ranked, with the neighbourhoods, fares, seasons and named tables that turn a wish list into a workable three-day plan.

Georgia · 13 min
A cobbled backstreet climbing through Tbilisi's old town in warm morning light, a carved wooden balcony overhanging on the right and a cable car cabin crossing the sky towards Narikala above
02
Hidden Gems

The backstreets and local markets of Tbilisi

Leave the renovated lanes around the fortress and Tbilisi opens into stairwells, gorges and markets where the city still shops for itself — here is how to walk it, in what order, and at what hour.

Georgia · 11 min
Keep exploring

More in Itineraries

The wooded promontory of Villa del Balbianello reaching into Lake Como, its terraced villa buildings and clipped trees above the blue water, with the lake's steep mountains behind
01
Itineraries

A Rainy Day on Lake Como: The All-Indoor Route

Low cloud on the lake is atmospheric rather than tragic. A day of silk, a duomo, a villa museum and a covered ferry deck — built entirely from things that work better in bad weather.

Italy · 2 min
Florence Cathedral: Brunelleschi's red-tiled dome and Giotto's bell tower rising above the rooftops of the city
02
Itineraries

Florence in Three Days: The Perfect Route Through the Heart of Tuscany

Three days genuinely cover Florence's classics, but only if you book the timed tickets before you fly and walk the city in the right order — here is that order, with what to skip and what it costs.

Italy · 10 min
A temple complex in Bangkok on a clear day: the gilded Loha Prasat and traditional Thai temple roofs
03
Itineraries

48 Hours in Bangkok: The Route That Makes Every Hour Count

Two days is enough for Bangkok if you stop fighting its geography: this route gives the old river city and the modern rail city half a day each, and uses the Chao Phraya as the seam between them.

Thailand · 13 min
A wooden abra crossing the Burj Lake at night in Downtown Dubai, the towers of the promenade reflected in the water around it
04
Itineraries

Dubai with Kids: Water Parks and Air Conditioning

A city that has built its family attractions on an industrial scale — and a climate that decides your timetable for you, whether you like it or not.

United Arab Emirates · 4 min
A traditional Zanzibari dhow under full sail silhouetted against a pink and grey sunset off Nungwi, the sun sitting on the horizon and its light running across flat water towards the camera.
05
Itineraries

Eight Days in Zanzibar: Three Bases, One Tide Table, No Backtracking

Zanzibar rewards just over a week if you split it into three bases and let the tide table, rather than the map, decide what you do each morning.

Tanzania · 10 min
Aerial view of the Midtown Manhattan skyline at sunset, with the Empire State Building rising at the centre
06
Itineraries

3 Days in New York for First-Timers

A momentum-first itinerary through Midtown icons, downtown history and Brooklyn's waterfront — with the queues, subways and pastrami handled.

United States · 3 min