A pastor rings the church bells over the city of Tbilisi.
There is no country that we have travelled to that we knew as little about before arriving as Georgia.
When we crossed the border from Azerbaijan we had no idea what to expect, and we took that blissful ignorance as a way to keep an open mind about what we would find.
We never expected to absolutely fall in love with Georgia.
The Caucasian nation is famous for its Orthodox Christian history, friendly hospitality, delectable cuisine, tasty wine and unique language. It is also home to some of Europe’s biggest mountains, ancient monasteries and lush forests.
All this we knew nothing about before travelling there.
So it’s quite obvious to see why it was so pleasantly surprising for us, and after a week of exploring the countryside we entered Tbilisi, the nation’s capital, bounding with excitement.
Tbilisi is slightly dilapidated and seems to be crumbling in the most unusual places. A walk through the historic neighbourhoods and down back alleys has you stepping over loose cobblestones and brushing against cracked bricks, while grape vines string between houses above.
There are a lot of things to do in Tbilisi, and a lot of day trips that can be taken from there. But our favourite thing to do after so many years in Asia was simply wander the streets and soak up the fascinating energy on the streets.
Here are some of our favourite snapshots from walking the streets of Tbilisi, to give an idea of just how raw and beautiful it really is.
Georgian cuisine is famous for being delicious, filling and often cheesy. Khachapuri is a thick bread coated in cheese and can be bought all around the country. We used to walk past this small bakery every morning and loved the simple, rustic and intriguing design.
Many properties around the city are frail and dilapidated, giving the feeling that they may collapse at any moment.
Views over the city from the Sioni Church.
Every single morning we walked down a street down the road from our AirBnB apartment and saw this beautiful dog relaxing on his sofa chair. Alesha couldn’t help herself and had to get a photo of him.
Steam rising from the Royal Bath Houses in the centre of the city.
Georgia has some of the oldest Orthodox churches in the world, and most of them are adorned with fantastic facades and paintings.
Balconies and lattice work on an old house in the city.
Locked doors to an old church in Tbilisi.
Looking out towards the Metekhi Church on the east side of the Kura River.
Old piano waiting to be played on the streets of Tbilisi.
Statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali and the Metekhi Church, sitting on the banks of the Kura River.
Graffiti and street art isn’t as prominent in Georgia as it is in the rest of Europe, but there are still some powerful pieces to be found.
The city has a growing number of funky cafes and bars, and is even on the brink of having a hipster movement.
A man walks into his apartment building.
Looking over the Royal Baths.
The interior of another church in Tbilisi.
Narrow streets and funky, misshaped buildings.
Tbilisi really captured our hearts.
About the Author - Alesha and Jarryd
Hey! We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Through our stories and images we promote exciting off-the-beaten-path destinations and fascinating cultures as we go. As one of the world's leading travel journalists, our content and adventures have been featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, CNN, BBC, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, Channel 7, Channel 10, ABC, The Guardian, and plenty other publications. Follow our journey in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
11 thoughts on “Wandering The Streets Of Tbilisi, Georgia”
We were in Tbilisi recently and loved the city too (wish we had longer)!
Travelling from Armenia, it was a fascinatingly more European city (then Yerevan). Our favourite part was the ongoing feud Armenia and Georgia have over who is the ‘oldest’ wine producing country in the world.
Hopefully we will make it back one day!
Thank you for sharing Ashlea. Sounds like you had an amazing trip. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, love your story and photos. Planning for a trip this April 2018.
So amazing Kathy. You will have a blast. It is a gorgeous city. We hope you love wine and the food is delicious.
Im going to Georgia on the 28th of thus month …
Awesome Gilroy. Hope you have an amazing trip 🙂
not Catholic but Orthodox.
We plan on visiting Georgia is 2017. Thanks gor sharing your photos and story!
ah, one of my top 5 favorite cities! I’ve been twice to Tbilisi and even if it’s changing and not in the best way (esp. its old part) I still adore it! So much I’m hoping to go back there this year again!
I’ve only been once, but I adored Georgia! The people were so nice, and oh that food. You’re making me want to go back again now, ahhh.
Georgia is so high on our list. Just have not gotten there yet. The photos look fantastic.
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We were in Tbilisi recently and loved the city too (wish we had longer)!
Travelling from Armenia, it was a fascinatingly more European city (then Yerevan). Our favourite part was the ongoing feud Armenia and Georgia have over who is the ‘oldest’ wine producing country in the world.
Hopefully we will make it back one day!
Thank you for sharing Ashlea. Sounds like you had an amazing trip. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, love your story and photos. Planning for a trip this April 2018.
So amazing Kathy. You will have a blast. It is a gorgeous city. We hope you love wine and the food is delicious.
Im going to Georgia on the 28th of thus month …
Awesome Gilroy. Hope you have an amazing trip 🙂
not Catholic but Orthodox.
We plan on visiting Georgia is 2017. Thanks gor sharing your photos and story!
ah, one of my top 5 favorite cities! I’ve been twice to Tbilisi and even if it’s changing and not in the best way (esp. its old part) I still adore it! So much I’m hoping to go back there this year again!
I’ve only been once, but I adored Georgia! The people were so nice, and oh that food. You’re making me want to go back again now, ahhh.
Georgia is so high on our list. Just have not gotten there yet. The photos look fantastic.