One day in Tbilisi is an introduction. Three days is a relationship. By the third day you'll have a favourite café, a favourite courtyard, a favourite view — and the feeling that this city belongs to you.
Day 1: Postcard Tbilisi
A detailed version of this day is covered in our Tbilisi in one day guide. The short version:
- Morning: Abanotubani (sulphur baths district) → Legvtakhevi gorge → courtyard passages
- Afternoon: Narikala fortress (cable car or on foot) → lunch in the Old Town → Bridge of Peace → Rustaveli Avenue
- Evening: Dry Bridge market → dinner on Agmashenebeli → night stroll
After day one you know the "tourist" Tbilisi. Now for the real thing.
Day 2: Behind the Scenes
09:00 — Sololaki Neighbourhood
Sololaki was once Tbilisi's aristocratic quarter. Princes, industrialists, and diplomats lived here. The entrance halls are lined with stucco, stained glass, and cast-iron banisters. Everything is crumbling, everything is beautiful. This is the Tbilisi that is disappearing — within ten years half of it will be restored, and the magic will be gone.
11:00 — Botanical Garden
Entry: 1 GEL. One. Lari. For a botanical garden right in the city centre, complete with waterfalls and views of Narikala. You can enter from the sulphur baths (lower entrance) or from the fortress (upper entrance). Even in high season it stays quiet here.
13:00 — Lunch at Dezertirka Market
The covered market where Georgians actually shop. Mountains of spices, towers of churchkhela, wheels of cheese. Lunch for 10–15 GEL: lobiani bread, matsoni yogurt, fresh lavash straight from the tandoor. Also the best prices for svan salt and tkemali sauce.
15:00 — Vera Neighbourhood
A quiet, non-touristy district. Narrow streets, cafés with three tables, bookshops, graffiti. Artists and expats who want to stay away from Leselidze live here. Find Prospero's Books — a bookshop and café in one.
17:00 — Fabrika
A former Soviet textile factory turned hostel, co-working space, bar, and design shops. Digital nomads, expats, young Georgians. This is a different Tbilisi — not ancient, but being created right now.
19:30 — Dinner at a Local Place
Skip Shardeni Street. Head to Marjanishvili or further along Agmashenebeli. Order pkhali, ajapsandali, and — if you're feeling adventurous — kuchmachi (fried offal with pomegranate seeds). Kuchmachi is the test for whether you're ready for Georgian cuisine without the tourist filter.
Day 3: Tbilisi Is Yours
You already have your favourite spots. Day three is for freedom.
Morning — Sulphur Baths (if you haven't been yet)
Private room, 50–150 GEL per hour. Hot sulphurous water. Pure bliss. Best in the morning — fewer people, more quiet.
Afternoon — What You Missed
- National Museum (the Gold of Colchis collection)
- Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre (book tickets in advance if you can)
- Mtatsminda (funicular up, amusement park, panoramic view of the whole city)
- Chugureti neighbourhood (Armenian quarter, old churches)
Evening — Farewell Dinner
Order everything you fell in love with. Khachapuri. Khinkali. Wine. A toast to Georgia. And start planning your return.
"Three days in Tbilisi turned out to be exactly enough time to fall in love without quite getting your fill. Sololaki in the morning, Dezertirka market at lunch, a courtyard bar in Vera at night — each day felt like a story of its own. Already booking for next year."
Where to Stay in Tbilisi for 3 Days
Your choice of neighbourhood shapes your entire experience of the city. Three days is enough to feel the difference in atmosphere — if you pick the right base.
Old Town (Abanotubani / Kala)
Walking distance to Narikala, the sulphur baths, the Bridge of Peace, and Rustaveli. Noisy, especially at weekends. Apartments here cost 80–150 GEL per night; 3-star hotels from 120 GEL. Ideal for a first visit.
Sololaki
Ten minutes on foot from the Old Town, quieter and more atmospheric. The best apartments in historic buildings are here — grand staircases, stained glass, high ceilings. 60–130 GEL per night. For those who value character.
Vera
A non-touristy neighbourhood loved by expats and long-term residents. Pedestrian streets, cafés, greenery. A little further from the main sights, but three times fewer tourists. 50–100 GEL for an apartment.
Add Mtskheta: Half a Day That Changes Everything
If you have three days and even one free morning, go to Mtskheta. It's 20 km from Tbilisi — a minibus for 1 GEL, 1.5–2 hours to see the sights, and you're back in time for lunch.
Mtskheta was Georgia's first capital and the place where the country adopted Christianity in 337 AD. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the Jvari Monastery perched on a cliff above the confluence of two rivers, ancient city walls. A guided tour to Mtskheta takes about three hours and reveals things you'd never find on your own.
Best plan: start Day 3 in Mtskheta, return by lunch, and spend the afternoon at the sulphur baths.
Practical Tips
Getting Around Tbilisi
Metro: 2 lines, 0.5 GEL per ride — you need a "Metromani" card (buy at station entrances, 2 GEL deposit). Bus: 0.5 GEL. Bolt and Yandex Go: 5–12 GEL for a city ride, reliable. On foot: the Old Town, Sololaki, and Vera are all genuinely walkable from each other.
Money and Payments
Georgian Lari (GEL) — cash is needed at small cafés and markets. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia ATMs accept most international cards. Exchange offices in the city centre give a better rate than the airport.
Food and Drinking Water
Tap water in Tbilisi is safe to drink. For local-style cafés, look for places with no English menu in the window and no tourist food photos on display. These are typically 2–3 times cheaper: khinkali for 0.8 GEL instead of 2.5 GEL in tourist zones.
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes (Old Town has cobblestones and hills). Cash in GEL. A phone charger. If you're visiting May–September, bring a light jacket for the evenings.
Budget for 3 Days
| Budget | Comfortable | |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (3 nights) | 150–210 ₾ | 300–600 ₾ |
| Food (3 days) | 150–210 ₾ | 250–400 ₾ |
| Activities | 30–50 ₾ | 100–200 ₾ |
| Sulphur baths | 50 ₾ | 100–150 ₾ |
| Total | 380–520 ₾ (115–155€) | 750–1350 ₾ (225–405€) |
Want to See the Hidden Side of Tbilisi?
My "Hidden Tbilisi" tour — 5–6 hours, courtyards and food known to fewer than 200 people. From ₾100.