Here are several compelling reasons to book your trip and visit Georgia to discover the exciting things to see in Tbilisi.
Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, which is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, nestled between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and is bounded to the north by Russia, to the east by Azerbaijan, and to the south by Turkey and Armenia.
Famous for its rugged setting, with the Caucasus Mountains dominating the landscape, Georgia is also well-known for its wine, rich cultural legacy, and national pride, which has never been shattered despite being conquered, integrated, and dominated by other nations on and off over centuries.
Tbilisi, in the country’s southeast, is the vibrant capital of this complex country, rich in history and tradition and teeming with tourist attractions while being almost barren of them. This might be owing to the fact that getting to Tbilisi from abroad is tough.
For the shortest connections from the United States, you’ll need to change planes at Frankfurt, Germany, or Istanbul, Turkey. However, the region is misunderstood in the rest of the world, and visitors are hesitant to visit. This shouldn’t be the case. Georgia is safe, and the Georgian people are really kind.
Tbilisi was love at first sight for me: the city is a fantastic blend of old history and current life, with architecture ranging from a 4th century fortress to medieval sulfur springs and hyper-modern examples. There are innumerable little streets to stroll through, a passion for coffee, wine, and cuisine can be found everywhere, art can be found, and natural beauty can be found. Basically, I couldn’t figure out why I’d never been there before.
1. Georgian people
Let’s begin with a country’s most valuable resource: its people. I didn’t meet a single cranky or threatening person; instead, everyone was friendly, helpful, and delighted to see me, a rare visitor.
The street dogs, however, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that these individuals are nice people. That may seem strange to you, but everywhere you walk in Tbilisi, there are these massive dogs living on the streets. The majority have tags in their ears, indicating that they have been vaccinated, and they are all friendly and eager to be pet. And they are permitted to sleep anywhere they want: there was a giant hairy lump in the center of the airport, fast sleeping, and people simply walked right by him.
If a dog sleeps in the entrance of a restaurant, he sleeps there, and in the middle of the street? It’s not an issue at all. All of them were well fed, sociable, and more than tolerated. Because they are considered as part of the city’s tapestry, none of the dogs appeared sad or hostile. And you can’t go wrong with individuals that treat pets like that.
2. Silk Road
The fantastic Silk Roads, the ancient trade routes that connected China to the Mediterranean Sea, bringing principally silks but also other rich commodities between 100 B.C. and A.D. and by the mid-1400s, with routes passing via Georgia and Tbilisi.
Tbilisi, which connected the big cities of Istanbul and Baku, was a minor hub, but it was nonetheless a part of these famous routes. My personal goal is to travel along the Silk Roads, and I’m working on connecting the dots, so seeing Tbilisi’s portion of it was important to me.
There is a Silk Museum here, as well as a few old caravanserais, one of which has been converted into the intriguing Tbilisi History Museum, and the famed hot springs, which have relieved the aches and pains of many a weary traveler. Don’t miss to visit them when you visit Georgia for things to see in Tbilisi.
3. Hot Springs
Tbilisi means “warm spot,” alluding to the city’s numerous hot sulfur springs. According to mythology, in the 5th century, King Vakhtang Gorgasali, whose monument sits overlooking the Mtkvari River in Tbilisi, discovered several hot springs in the countryside and constructed Tbilisi around them.
There were reputedly 60 bathhouses in the city at its heyday, during the 1200s. Only a dozen or so survive now. These are all in the old portion, almost immediately opposite King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s statue, some with medieval brick domes, and the most beautiful and popular on Instagram.
The Chreli-Abano baths has a turquoise tiled façade that resembles an Iranian mosque. A canyon has developed next to this bathhouse as a result of the water trickling along, discoloring the rocks and imparting a fragrance, not an odor, of sulfur to the air.
4. Georgian Cuisine
When you first go into a souvenir shop, you’ll wonder what all these humorous images on socks, fridge magnets, salt and pepper shakers — anything, actually. They resemble garlic bulbs, but they are Khinkali, the native dumplings. There are also images of Khachapuri, a bread dish filled with cheese and an egg that cooks in the hot cheese.
The bizarre items hanging from booths resemble candles, according to my spouse, and lumpy salamis, according to me. Instead, they’re Churchkhela, which are grape-juice-soaked nuts strung on cord and coated in a waxy grape residue. Food is omnipresent, and national pride in the more unusual cuisines is strong. Forget about the diet and just have fun.
The Georgian food is not only one of the most exciting things to see in Tbilisi but also the most exciting thing to try and taste!
5. Amazing Architecture
I’m constantly staring up at structures, old and modern, which is why I hurt my ankle in Tbilisi. Looking up and medieval paving stones are not a good combination. Still, there is much to see and do in this city, from the seemingly lovely residential dwellings with stunning elaborate balconies to the historic hot spring springs and the great structures along Rustaveli Avenue.
There are also hyper-modern monuments such as the Bridge of Peace and the mushroom-like House of Justice, as well as the Music Hall, which resembles two rolled sheets of steel. It everything fits together well and functions properly. A fantastic city for architectural buffs.
Tourism in Georgia to surge in 2022
Georgia’s tourist revenues in 2021 were $1.2 billion, up from $542 million in 2020, a 129.8% rise, according to Trend through the Galt & Taggart tourism recovery analysis.
According to the study, the same amount fell by 62.5 percent from 2019 ($3.2 billion), accounting for 38.1 percent of the previous year’s total (before the COVID-19 pandemic).
Georgia’s foreign travel income in December 2021 was $126.1 million, a 9-fold increase over the previous year ($15 million). At the same time, Georgia’s tourist receipts in the reporting period of 2021 were 58 percent higher ($217 million) than in the previous year.
With a 14 percent share of overall sales in 2021, EU nations accounted for the majority of Georgia’s tourism income. Ukraine comes in second with a 13 percent share of overall sales, followed by Russia (12 percent), Turkey (10 percent), and Israel (10 percent) (9 percent share).
Tourism revenues in Georgia accounted for 6.4 percent of GDP in 2021, compared to 3.4 percent in 2020 and 18.7 percent in 2019, according to Galt & Taggart.
In the basic case, Galt & Taggart forecasts that Georgia’s tourist revenues would rebound to 80-85 percent of 2019 levels in 2022, totaling $2.8 billion (123.2-percent year-on-year increase). According to the research, the estimated amount will account for 13% of GDP.
Meanwhile, from January to December 2021, the total number of international visitors to Georgia reached 1.8 million, up 7.7% from 1.7 million in the same period of 2020.
2022 is the best time to fly to Georgia and discover the amazing things to See in Tbilisi.
