Tbilisi - A few questions

Hello, I%26#39;m a guy from Sweden coming to Tbilisi in a few weeks with friends for holiday. I have a few questions that would be great if I could get some answers to.

Is dollars and Euro generally accepted?

Is is best to exchange money before we got there or is VISA generally accepted?

Are the people at the hostels used to people coming early in the morning since Tbilisi generally is the last stop?

Any tips on what we could do in Tblisi would be greatly appreciated.

Anything else we should think about?

Regards,

Sam

Tbilisi - A few questions

hello Sam

You are welcome, I%26#39;ll try to answer your questions

i would advise to keep local currency in pocket, as it%26#39;s prohibited (by georgian law) to make transactions in foreign currency, maybe just few people you can find which agrees them. changing money is very easy, you can do it almost in every 30 metres at the central streets. exchange rates you can see at the website www.nbg.gov.ge

Visa is generally accepted, ATM-s are a lot, and most of cafes or bars accept visa also

at the hotels you can get anytime of day and night, as you wish

general information about tbilisi you can see at http://www.tbilisi.gov.ge/

if you tell me how many days you are doing to stay here, are you interested only tbilisi or rest of Georgia, or what is your interests at all, maybe i will be able to help you better

and one more thing you must think about - it%26#39;s hot summer, 27-35 grades, especially August is usually very hot in Tbilisi, but at any rate, now it%26#39;s raining cats and dogs :)

wish you the good trip

Tbilisi - A few questions

Hi, thanks for the reply, helps a lot.

We are staying in Georgia for about 6 days, 2 days in Tblisi and then we were planning to go to some of the nearby cities/locations, any tips?

/Sam

Hi Sam,

I agree, but I think you should keep in mind that actually many restaurants do NOT accept credit cards for payment, they require cash (Lari).

You can warn the hostel folks what time you will be coming. Many flights arrive in the early morning (2-4am) and they know this.

I definitely HIGHLY recommend a trip to Kazbegi from Tbilisi. Actually, I would say this is a MUST SEE. :) It is beautiful, lovely, amazing. You can take a marshutka from Didube station for 10 Lari, and stay the night at one of the hostels there for 10-20 Lari. You COULD just make it a long day trip too, as the ride is 3 hours long. The walk to the church is about 1.5 hours, and it is GORGEOUS. (Google Kazbegi photos and you%26#39;ll see how exquisitely placed the church is :) ) You can walk a little higher to get more views, or you can just picnic on the slopes by the church, enjoying the mountain views, and then return to the village and go home/stay the night. If you are going higher, there is a path that is relatively easy to follow (but uphill) which is about 5 hours long, to the glacier of Mount Kazbegi. You can go as far as you wish on that, if you would like. It is gorgeous, beautiful, lovely. If you are doing the full walk bring hiking shoes and it gets colder as you go above the church. Bring water also of course.

Other pretty places include the town of Sighnaghi, about 2 hours away by Marshutka (but from another station, Isani, I think). It is perched on a mountain top and has been renovated under Saakashvili. There is not much to do once you enjoy the beauty of the town, so it can definitely be a day trip.

There is also the potential for a day trip to Mtskheta, which is about 30 minutes outside of Tbilisi, and which is one of Georgia%26#39;s old capitals. It has some lovely old churches, one of them perched on a hill you will see from the road (and all of Mtskheta). The best khinkali in Georgia are to be had at a local restaurant called Lobio House (I believe).

Tbilisi%26#39;s Old Town is pretty, it is lovely to just wander it. If you take the metro to Tavisuplebis Moedani (or Freedom Square) you can walk through the Old City from that point. There is a restaurant known for good Georgian (and South Ossetian) food and live music, located near the Turkish baths. I believe it is called Alani...or something similar. The church at Mtekhi Bridge is pretty and you can walk uphill from there to Sameba, the largest church which stands on a hill overlooking this part of Tbilisi. Nice views from there. If you take a taxi, please don%26#39;t let them rip you off. I would not under any circumstances pay more than 3 Lari... Although once I paid 5 because I didn%26#39;t realize how close the church was. There are some lovely cute cafes/bars/restaurants in the Old Town by Mtekhi Bridge, near Leselidze Street.

I%26#39;m sure you will love it :) Happy to answer any questions :)

~ R

Happy to answer any other questions :)

Thanks for all your replies, much appreciated. I have one more question, I am a vegetarian and wanna try out some of the local vegetarian dishes. Is there anyting you guys can recommened? Any good restaurants?

Georgian cuisine is delicious. They use a lot of nuts and fresh herbs, and their food is rich and unique. Among the dishes you can eat as a vegetarian are:

* eggplant with walnuts

* spinach with walnuts

* mushrooms

* salad with nuts (it%26#39;ll have tomatoes, cucumber etc also)

* khachapuri (warm cheese bread)

* lobiani (warm bread with beans inside)

* lobio (bean dish)

* adjapsandali (more homy, may not be in restaurants)

* khinkali with mushrooms or potatoes (specify you do NOT want meat since they are dumplings usually made with meat)

Khachapuri sold at bazaars or on the street can be cheap and lacking real cheese, so avoid that, though.

As for restaurants, there is Alani near the Turkish baths, known for good food, reasonable prices, large servings, live music. Khinklis Sakhli off Rustaveli near Tavisuplebis Moedani (Freedom Square) is popular and cheap. For a pricier option with a lovely view, there%26#39;s Kopala (I will check the name).

Just order a bunch of appetizers for your meal.

Enjoy

~ R

Okay, it is Kopala restaurant, linked to the hotel of the same name.

Okay, it is Kopala restaurant, linked to the hotel of the same name.

Alright, I have one more question.

I just called my local exchange bureau and they couldn%26#39;t help me with the lari currency. Their recommendation was to bring dollars to Georgia, but if it%26#39;s illegal to exchange foreign currancy there how do I go about this?

/Sam

It%26#39;s not illegal to exchange currency, don%26#39;t worry. There%26#39;s lots of exchange places all over Tbilisi that will exchange Euro or $ to the Lari. If you%26#39;re European and use the Euro, just bring those. If you%26#39;re American or the $ is easier, bring that. Just remember the $ is plummeting. I think it%26#39;s about 1.4 Lari to the dollar now.

:) We have friends visiting all the time and it%26#39;s never a problem, Euro or dollar, to find an exchange place.

Thanks!

How far is it from Tblisi to Batumi? What is the recommend drive going there, any must-see cities on the way?

/Sam