Handpicked experience · Tblisi
Tblisi, Georgia
A square renamed with every regime, the 1907 robbery staged on it, a cathedral finished in 2004, and a bridge that spells the human body in Morse code.
Metekhi church and monument to Vakhtang Gorgasali, the legendary founder of Tbilisi. Take cable car to Narikala Fortress to enjoy breathtaking panoramic view of the city.
Visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the clock tower of famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre.
A fortress viewpoint over the whole river valley
Old lanes and balconies covered at walking pace
The civic square at the centre of every modern Georgian upheaval
A map and recommendations to keep exploring once the guide leaves
A five-hour guided walk through central Tbilisi taking in the fortress viewpoint, the old town lanes, the main square, the riverfront and the modern cathedral on the hill opposite, with a guide and a route map to carry on with afterwards.
Steady walking on cobbles with a few short climbs, at a pace that allows for stopping. Church interiors depend on opening hours and services, and the cable car up to the fortress is bought at the station rather than included, so the ascent can be walked or ridden as you prefer.
The open space at the centre has been renamed with every change of power: after a Russian imperial viceroy, then after the head of Stalin's secret police, then after Lenin, and finally, since independence, Freedom Square. A statue of Lenin stood at its centre until 1991, and the gilded figure of St George on a column that replaced it went up in 2006. The square is a record of who was in charge, rewritten each time.
In June 1907 a bank stagecoach crossing that same square was ambushed with bombs and gunfire by a Bolshevik group, in an operation organised to fund the party. Around forty people were killed. The money proved almost unusable — the notes were in large denominations with recorded serial numbers, and those who tried to change them abroad were arrested. It remains one of the most notorious things ever to happen in the middle of this city.
The vast church on the hill across the river looks old and is not: it was built between 1995 and 2004, largely on public donations, and is among the tallest Orthodox cathedrals anywhere. Soil brought from Jerusalem and from each region of Georgia was placed in its foundations. This walk sees it from the approach rather than going inside.
The glass and steel footbridge over the river was completed in 2010 to an Italian design, and its canopy carries tens of thousands of small lights. Every hour they run a sequence which is not decorative: it spells out, in Morse, the names of the chemical elements that make up the human body. Almost nobody standing on it knows this.
Church entry, museums and the cable car are settled locally. The old town is cobbled throughout and there are unavoidable slopes. Shoulders and knees must be covered inside the churches. Cancellation is free up to a day ahead.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Five hours at a steady pace, on cobbles with a few short climbs. Stops are frequent enough that it suits most levels of fitness.
Because each regime renamed it — after a Russian imperial viceroy, then Stalin's secret police chief, then Lenin, and since independence Freedom Square. A Lenin statue stood there until 1991.
A bank stagecoach was ambushed with bombs and gunfire by a Bolshevik group raising funds for the party, killing around forty people. The stolen notes had recorded serial numbers and proved almost impossible to spend.
No — it was completed in 2004 after nine years of construction funded largely by donations, and is among the tallest Orthodox cathedrals anywhere. Soil from Jerusalem and from every Georgian region lies in its foundations.
They run an hourly sequence in Morse code spelling the names of the chemical elements that make up the human body. It looks like decoration and is not.
No — it is bought at the station if you want it. The fortress can also be reached on foot, and the guide will explain both options on the day.
Usually, but interiors depend on opening hours and on services in progress. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and women are given a headscarf at the door.