7. Sightsee the city and its picturesque architecture
Out of all the cities I’ve visited, Tbilisi is the one I walked in. I would clock up an average of 5 kilometres daily during the week, and 30 kilometres during the weekend – according to my phone. The transportation system is practical and easy to use you can traverse the city by metro in a matter of minutes.
I felt safe walking everywhere, locals are considerably friendly in general, it’s safe for female travellers as well. If you travel with a partner, I would recommend meeting some standards, public display of affection doesn’t come across well and can even get you in trouble.
Russian is broadly spread in the community, particularly among older people; you can only speak English with younger people. Elders will feed you with Georgian like there’s no tomorrow – and they don’t care if you don’t understand, don’t expect them to make any effort. This was the first time I experienced such a wide language barrier, it was very challenging for daily life (Buying groceries, taking a bus, etc.), but if you do your homework, you can quickly learn basic sentences, which will be helpful, trust me.
Hoping that the previous information will be helpful to explore the city, I’ll now share the main routes to cross the city and admire its gorgeous architecture.
Between Rustaveli Avenue and Liberty Square:
- Opera and Ballet Theatre of Tbilisi
- Georgian Museum of Fine Arts
- Parliament of Georgia
- Georgian National Museum
- Vorontsov’s Palace
Across Vakhtang Gorgasali Street:
- The Sioni Cathedral
- The Bridge of Peace
- Public Service Hall
- Queen Darejan Palace
- Presidential Palace
- St. Trinity Cathedral