Georgia Travel Guide: God’s Garden is More Charming Than You Imagine

I was inspired by a travelogue about Georgia I saw earlier. The article said: Georgia’s scenery is beautiful, there are few tourists, and the prices are not high. You can buy a house for tens of thousands of yuan, and you can settle down, even settle down permanently without changing your nationality.
Coupled with the fact that I changed jobs and couldn’t travel spontaneously, I wanted to make good use of the National Day holiday. Europe is too expensive, and Southeast Asia has too many tourists, so I set my sights on Georgia.

Georgia is known as God’s Garden, located in the Caucasus region on the boundary line of Asia and Europe. Geographically, it is close to Asia, but its political system and urban construction are typical of European countries. It is also the birthplace of Stalin and was once part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, local people speak Georgian as well as Russian, and most locals also speak some basic English, so English communication is basically no problem.

Pre-Trip Packing List

Before going out, I made a simple packing list and did pre-trip work other than booking flights and hotels, so it’s not easy to miss anything. I checked the weather in Georgia in October, which is similar to China, also autumn. But I later found that there is a big temperature difference between day and night in Georgia. It was so cold at night that I needed to wear a light down jacket. Especially at the top of Mount Kazbegi, the wind was so strong that I doubted life. The weather in Batumi was like summer with autumn temperatures for me. In short, prepare your clothes according to the weather.

About Visas

Georgia is an e-visa, and you can apply for it at https://www.evisa.gov.ge/GeoVisa/. You basically only need a recent passport photo and flight and hotel reservation orders. After applying, you will receive the e-visa in your email in about 5 to 7 working days. You can print it out and use it then.

About Flights

Outbound: Beijing-Novosibirsk Airport, Russia (2 hours transit, baggage checked through)-Tbilisi
Return: Tbilisi-Doha Hamad Airport (6 hours transit)-Beijing
Two round-trip tickets with tax were 10,002 yuan.
Tip: If you are transiting at Hamad Airport, you can check for flights with a transit time of more than 6 hours. Hamad Airport has a free city tour service, with several departures a day. It starts at 8 am, the whole trip is 2 hours and 45 minutes, you can participate for free with your passport and ticket. We arrived at 5 am and took off at 11 am, so we didn’t have enough time to participate.

About Time Difference, Currency Exchange, and Phone Cards

Time Difference

Georgia is 4 hours behind China, so it is 6 am in Georgia when it is 10 am in China.

Currency Exchange

You can’t exchange yuan for lari in Georgia. You need to exchange US dollars or euros in China and bring them to Georgia to exchange. The exchange rate is generally 1 US dollar = 2.58-2.61 lari. You can use a visa card for consumption in restaurants or specialty stores. UnionPay cards are rarely used, almost unusable. Anyway, my UnionPay card never worked.

Phone Card

It is recommended to buy one when you arrive in Georgia. After comparing several options, I bought a Magti phone card. This card has a better signal and a 5G data package, no calls. One card is 15 lari (about 39 yuan). You can buy it at the airport and in the city.

About Transportation

You can take bus No. 37 from Tbilisi Airport to the city, which is right outside the airport, for 0.5 lari per person. Get a metro card at the metro station in the city, which can be used for buses, metro, and cable cars, with a handling fee of 2 lari, the money in the card is non-refundable. No matter how many stations you take the metro, it’s 0.5 lari per trip. You can also use one card for multiple people, so one is enough.
If you take a taxi, it’s basically 5 lari within 5 kilometers, no more. Taxis in Georgia don’t use meters, so it’s best to negotiate the price before getting in. You will find that taxi drivers often take their hands off the steering wheel while driving, or talk on the phone while driving, or don’t slow down on turns and uphill. Don’t worry, this is normal in Georgia.
Be extra careful when crossing the road in Georgia, don’t take chances, the driving in the country of warriors is still very fierce. But one thing is the same as Hangzhou, they will give way to pedestrians, which was a pleasant surprise. There are very few sidewalks on the roads, so you basically have to take underground passages.

Itinerary

September 28th – October 5th Itinerary

I took the high-speed rail from Hangzhou to Beijing South Station, arriving at around 9 am. Then I took the airport express to the Capital Airport, and took a flight of the country of warriors at 2:50 am on the 29th to Novosibirsk, transiting for 2 hours, baggage checked through, and arrived in Tbilisi at 11 am.

DAY1: Tbilisi

DAY2: Tbilisi-Kazbegi

DAY3: Kazbegi-Tbilisi

DAY4: Tbilisi-Batumi

DAY 5: Batumi

DAY6: Batumi-Tbilisi

DAY7: Tbilisi

Although I made a daily itinerary before departure, and even got a visa to Armenia. But later I felt it was too rushed, so I decided to give the few days in Armenia to Batumi, so as not to be too rushed. It later proved that our decision was wise. Although Georgia is not big, transportation between cities takes a long time, 3-5 hours, several round trips take a day or two, and it also takes a lot of energy.

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, our first stop, and the transfer point for the next few stops. The city is not big, and you can see it all in a day or two. You can see the whole city at a glance from the top of the mountain. The city is very inclusive, with a mix of old and new. One second you’re passing by a vintage wooden door, the next you’re looking up to see European architecture across the street, while the graffiti in the underground passage has a communist feel. The past war experiences make the city look conservative and traditional, but the nightlife by the Kura River at night has the leisurely and prosperous nature of Europe.

We stayed at the Tres Hotel in Tbilisi on the first day we arrived. Since Tbilisi is a mountain city, the hotel is on a hillside and overlooks the whole city. This hotel almost made me dislike Tbilisi. Tbilisi has many slopes, we took the bus from the airport, got off at the stop about 700 meters from the hotel, and walked according to the navigation. As a result, there were slopes all the way, and they got steeper and steeper. We were dragging our luggage, we asked locals, they couldn’t give us a definite route. Finally, one of us stayed put, and the other continued to search, and finally found it! It turned out the hotel was right on the road, but it would take a detour to walk, and the optimal route given by the map was all slopes.

Fortunately, the hotel was in a good location. The next day, we ate breakfast while overlooking the whole city from the top floor, which was a great feeling. It was the view that made me book this hotel.

After we settled in, we went out for a walk. We would always take a second look at the beautiful wooden doors and buildings. Especially the dappled shadows of the trees reflected on the colored doors and windows, it was really beautiful enough to cry!

On the first and last days, I ran into local political leaders giving election speeches. This luck was invincible. Political leaders gathered the masses for impassioned speeches, with police watching, but not very seriously, it could be said to be a little loose, as if it were not a big deal. The second time I encountered a speech in a park, the leader was candidate number 2, he finished his speech and received cheers from the crowd, it seemed he was very popular.

Mtatsminda Park – A Theme Park Overlooking the Entire City of Tbilisi

This park is located at the top of the mountain, and the view is better than the fortress. You can easily see the whole city of Tbilisi at a glance.

It’s called a park, but it’s more like a theme park, with great value for money. There is also a restaurant with an unbeatable view. Most importantly, there are very few tourists. The roller coaster needs at least 4 people to play, when we bought tickets, there were 2 foreign girls already sitting waiting for people to make up the numbers, we could play the roller coaster just right. When we reached the top, the whole person was upside down and their butt was off the seat, it was thrilling and made me scream.

Later I found out that there was a small train to ride, it goes straight up and down the mountain at a 45-degree angle, which was also a special experience.

Tips

(1) You can take bus No. 124 from the free market, the terminus is the park. You can also take the park’s dedicated small train to get there.

(2) The park does not require a ticket, you only need to pay when you play entertainment items. You need to recharge the card at the park and pay by swiping the card.

Dry Bridge Flea Market

It is said to be the largest flea market in Europe, with locals setting up stalls in the open air to sell all sorts of old things, many of which are from World War II. There is a wide variety of items, including medals, vintage cameras, silverware, vinyl records, etc., it’s dazzling and heart-fluttering. I saw a vinyl record player, considering that it might be difficult to repair if it broke down in China and the problem of shipping, I didn’t buy it. Because we arrived a little late, most of the stall owners started packing up, so we didn’t spend time to rummage through the goods, which was a bit of a regret.
Tip: It’s said that the stalls are open until 7 pm, but they may end earlier. They started packing up around 6:30 pm and stopped selling. So it’s better to go early. Just navigate to dry bridge on Google Maps.

Puppet Clock Tower

We were looking for a restaurant to eat dinner and found the clock tower next door, right next to it. The puppet clock tower was built from a pile of discarded materials, it looks crooked and tilted, but it’s also interesting, it feels like something out of a fairy tale. At every hour, the small wooden house above the clock tower will automatically open, a puppet angel will come out and strike the clock, then turn around and go back into the house. Every tourist will wait in advance for the puppet to appear, this scene is so romantic and fairytale-like.

Narikala Castle

Narikala Castle is also known as the Mother Fortress of Tbilisi, and is the oldest defensive structure in the city. We walked up there after dinner. The road was very steep, it was hard even to walk, local people just drove up, steadily. Once again, I witnessed the incredible driving skills of the country of warriors.
When you climb to the top of the fortress, you are met with a flourishing scene of Tbilisi. Singing fills the old city, and the nightlife by the Kura River is leisurely and comfortable.
Tip: You can take the cable car up, 2.5 lari one-way, you can swipe your bus card.

The next day’s itinerary was Tbilisi chartered car to Kazbegi, the sights along the way were worth stopping for. Along the way, the terrain kept rising, and the temperature dropped noticeably. Accompanied by Georgian songs, out of the window flashed endless grasslands, mountains comparable to Kanas, and rivers like green ribbons, the 3-hour drive was actually very exciting.

Tip:

There are two ways to get from Tbilisi to Georgia. One is to take a minibus from the Didube metro station, 10 lari per person, the whole trip is more than 3 hours, no stops at attractions. The other is also from the Didube metro station to charter or share a car, sharing a car costs 20-35 lari per person (negotiate according to the size and age of the car), you will stop at attractions along the way.

Ananuri Fortress

This is the Lonely Planet cover of the Caucasus version, and it is also a must-see on the way from Tbilisi to Kazbegi. Ananuri is a 13th-century castle and military fortress, with two churches inside the castle, set against the backdrop of the lake and forest, it is beautiful beyond words.

Georgian-Russian Friendship Monument

This monument was erected to commemorate the friendship between Georgia and Russia, however, the two countries erupted in war on August 8, 2008, the existence of this monument is ironic.
Leaving aside the meaning behind the monument, the murals on the monument are very exquisite. Standing on the monument, there are horses grazing on the grasslands, mountains stretch endlessly in the distance, and there are paragliders flying, the view is extremely wide.

Tip:

I later met a group of Chinese tourists who shared a car and went paragliding, it cost 250 lari for less than 15 minutes, about 96 US dollars.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

The cathedral is located in Mtskheta, a small town. This cathedral is the second largest in Georgia, and it is also the burial place of the robe of Jesus. It is located in the center of the town. You can see it from afar, surrounded by walls, it looks more like a grand castle. Outside the walls is a commercial street selling tourist souvenirs, the fridge magnets and cutting boards are all nice.

Kazbegi is a quiet and peaceful town, with an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, it is a hiking paradise known for its snow-capped mountain and the highest church in Europe. The whole town is isolated from the world, cows walk leisurely on the road, sheep graze on the vast green grassland, Mount Kazbegi has perpetual snow, and the church closest to the sky is sacred and awe-inspiring.
The Eastern Orthodox Church
I found the Eastern Orthodox Church on Google Maps, about 700 meters from the hotel. I asked the hotel staff to confirm the directions, and they said it was behind the hotel, just keep going up up up and you’ll see it.

There were few tourists, only the two of us on the way. The scenery on the road was very similar to the photos of Switzerland I had seen, a large expanse of rolling grassland, I couldn’t wait to roll around on the grassland. From time to time, you can see a forest, occasionally local people riding horses, and cows grazing on their own. I saw a tree with yellow leaves, it was very autumnal in the green forest, I kept taking pictures with my tripod, no one disturbed me.

As you go further up, you will see the church, which is the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was around 4 or 5 pm, the setting sun was shining on the church, it was beautiful beyond words. The church has a priest living there, later I saw six or seven foreign tourists, besides them, there was no one else.

Holy Trinity Church and Mount Kazbegi

We had breakfast and went hiking, the church and Mount Kazbegi are opposite each other, and you can see them from the foot of the mountain. The sky was so blue that it didn’t need a filter, the sunshine was warm on your skin. The hiking path was not easy, which proved Lu Xun’s famous saying: There were no roads in the world, but as more people walked, there were roads. A path was carved out of the rocky hillside. I met other Chinese tourists on the way, and we encouraged each other to take photos all the way, it didn’t feel too tiring.

It took about an hour and a half to climb up and stop to take pictures. When we arrived at the church, we were facing Mount Kazbegi, overlooking the town of Kazbegi, the nearby mountains had the charm of Kanas, the vast sky under the pure blue sky was full of awe.

Georgian churches are built on top of mountains, at an altitude of over 2,100 meters. It is said to be the highest church in Europe, and it has attracted countless couples to take wedding photos here, letting the blue sky and snow mountains witness their love.

Photography is not allowed inside the church, and women must cover their lower body with cloth from the entrance of the church before entering.
Thinking of the snow-capped mountains and churches, I bought a white dress before I left. As a result, the logistics were delayed, and it didn’t arrive before I left, I even bought a veil. In the end, I had to wear trousers and a white shirt and take pictures with my boyfriend next to the church. The wind was super strong on the mountain, I was about to freeze to death. I found a Chinese tourist to take pictures for us, and there were many foreigners singing and cheering, I was a little embarrassed, haha. But now when I think back, the memory is still beautiful.

Tip:

You can charter or share a car up and down the mountain. I suggest hiking up the mountain and chartering or sharing a car down. I hiked up and down the mountain, and the way down was especially difficult. Looking at the steep road, I saw cliffs and cliffs next to me, I was scared to death, and my feet were rubbed raw and hurt for days.

Batumi is a city located on the Black Sea. The whole city is distributed along the Black Sea with a long coastline. There were too many surprises when we decided to visit this city on a whim. Walking aimlessly along the Black Sea, feeling the seaside atmosphere is very relaxing. And there are always rich entertainment activities by the sea to keep you from getting bored.

Tip:

You can take the train from Tbilisi to Batumi, the journey is 5 hours, you can buy tickets at the train station or download the GR railway APP to buy tickets, the APP needs to be bound to a credit card. But when I used the APP to buy tickets, I paid countless times and it didn’t work, so I had to go to the train station to buy tickets. The friends I met on the way said that they also tried several times before they succeeded in buying tickets using the APP, so both methods are provided for reference.

The Seaside Promenade

If you don’t know where to go, walking along the Black Sea is always a good idea. There are always countless possibilities by the sea. Take a Ferris wheel to the top to overlook the Black Sea coast, rent a small scooter to ride along the coast, there are also seaplanes, jet skis, kayaks, and other entertainment activities, or jump into the Black Sea to swim, which is also a special experience.

Ali & Nino Sculpture

Batumi’s most famous attraction, about a romantic love story. Ali, an Azerbaijani boy, and Nino, a Georgian princess, could not be together because of their race and religion. To commemorate them, Georgia made this sculpture. It takes 8 minutes for one cycle, the two sculptures meet, kiss, pass through each other’s bodies until they separate, and then repeat over and over again.

Cable Car

The cable car in Batumi is quite long, and it takes several minutes for a one-way trip. From a high vantage point, you can see low red roofs interspersed with green trees, and the long coastline of the Black Sea in the distance. The view from the top of the mountain is excellent, it seems to take in the whole of Batumi. There are also restaurants on the mountain, even if you just order a cup of coffee, it’s enough.

Europe Square

There is a Europe Square across the Black Sea road, with European buildings of various styles, it’s dazzling. Sitting on an outdoor table and chairs for a European afternoon tea, all fatigue disappears.

UP & DOWN Restaurant

This upside-down white house is actually a restaurant, with the roof of the house facing down, and even the interior is completely upside-down in design. What I remember most is the meal I had at this restaurant. The restaurant is spacious, with live music. When we were in the mood, we saw local people having dinner at the restaurant who spontaneously started dancing, the scene was lively.

I finally took a picture of Georgian food. Local dishes are mainly beef, mutton, and chicken, and the meat is very substantial. Common vegetables are potatoes and mushrooms. That eye-like thing is a common kind of naan in the area, you should eat it while it’s hot, break it off and dip it in egg yolk and cheese, it tastes pretty good.

In 7 days, I experienced the climate of Georgia, which is like four seasons, and I saw churches, snow mountains, grasslands, and high mountains with my own eyes. This country, with its history and scenery, is worth exploring.