- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment?
- Transport subtleties
- Best travel to Georgia
The Alazani Valley and Borjomi mineral springs, the Black Sea coast of Batumi and the Gergeti Church of the Holy Trinity in Kazbegi against the background of the gray hats of the majestic Caucasian peaks … And there is also khachapuri and "Kindzmarauli", tea with thyme in the sulfur baths of old Tiflis and ornate toasts right behind the neighboring table any small cafe. In short, traveling to Georgia is not a simple vacation trip. This is the road to a hospitable and generous land, where people who are beautiful in every way live.
Important points
- Russian citizens do not need a visa to visit Georgia for a period of less than 90 days.
- The absolute majority of the population speaks Russian in the country, and therefore there is no need to worry about knowing foreign languages.
- Carrying for exchange for Georgian lari is more profitable than dollars or euros. Banks accept rubles, but the exchange rate is not very attractive.
- Credit cards are available in restaurants and large stores. In souvenir shops and small cafes, even in the capital, you may be asked to pay in cash. Credit cards are even less popular in the provinces, but ATMs are ubiquitous.
- For communication, it is most profitable to purchase a SIM card from a local operator right at the airport. They are often sold in exchange offices and even souvenir shops.
Choosing wings
Traveling to Georgia by plane will not only save time, but also allow you to enjoy the amazing scenery outside the window. The air corridors of most airlines are laid over the Greater Caucasus and the view of the mountain peaks will not leave any passenger indifferent.
It is best to buy air tickets to Georgia in advance in order to "catch" the best prices:
- S7, Aeroflot and Georgian Airwais fly directly to Tbilisi from Moscow. Travel time is a little more than 3.5 hours, and the ticket price starts from 19,000 rubles.
- The offers of transit carriers Turkish Airlines and Azerbaijan Airlines may turn out to be much more profitable. A flight with a stopover in Istanbul and Baku will cost 16,000 rubles.
With transit flights from Moscow to Tbilisi, you can not only save on the ticket price, but also see the city where the stopover takes place. To do this, it is enough to deliberately choose a long docking and go for a walk along the streets of Baku or to the Blue Mosque of Istanbul. In such cases, many airlines organize free sightseeing tours of the cities where you have to make a connection. There are counters with offers in the airport transit hall, and details on the carriers' websites.
Arriving in Tbilisi in the afternoon, do not rush to spend money on a taxi. Bus route 37 runs between the airport and the city from 7 am to 11 pm, which will take you to the center in about 40 minutes. The ticket costs only half a lari. At night you will need a taxi, which will cost 25 GEL. Bargaining is possible, but the price is unlikely to be dropped below 20 lari.
Hotel or apartment?
There are plenty of options for budget accommodation in Georgia, because the tourist infrastructure is established here on a grand scale. Hotels for every taste and budget are easily booked on specialized sites, and the prices for rooms on such resources are often more profitable than "live" at the reception:
- A bed in a hostel dormitory room in the historic center of Tbilisi can be easily booked for $ 6, and guests can count on air conditioning, free wifi and a kitchen.
- A night in a 3 * hotel in Tbilisi will cost $ 20-30. The hotel will be located within walking distance from the metro, will have its own parking, and guests will be offered breakfast.
The second option for living is renting an apartment or room. On specialized sites, this can be done absolutely safely, and prices for a one-room apartment with all amenities in the old city start at $ 20 per day. Housing is also rented in the regions, and in every city you can rent an affordable apartment.
Transport subtleties
You can choose one of three ways to travel around Georgia and sightseeing. The first is car rental. This will require an international license and cash or credit card. "For" this way of movement - complete freedom of action and the ability not to depend on the public transport schedule. "Cons" - the relative high cost of renting, not too correct behavior of other drivers in cities, dangerous mountain roads outside them and, finally, the complete impossibility of tasting delicious wines and enjoying a feast.
Georgian taxi drivers are helping to solve the problem. If you choose a driver of a respectable age, you can not only be confident in your own safety, but also get a lot of interesting impressions from communication. They will tell you the history of the country, tell you old urban legends, advise you where to taste the best khinkali, and provide you with homemade khachapuri on the way back. The price of the issue is about $ 100 for a full day on intercity routes. Renting a car with gasoline and insurance will be more expensive.
Public transport is represented by the metro in the capital, city buses and minibuses, trains and flights. The usual price for a trip by city public transport is 0.5 GEL. You can get to Batumi from the capital in 40 minutes by plane of local airlines.
Best travel to Georgia
The ideal time to travel to Georgia, perhaps, does not exist, because in each season there is something to see and do.
In winter, the slopes of the ski resorts Bakuriani and Gudauri open and in November the first athletes appear on the steep bends of the Caucasian slopes.
In May, the season begins on the beaches of Batumi, and the Black Sea coast of Georgia until the end of September becomes a place of pilgrimage for fans of the sun and bronze tanning.
In the midst of autumn, Rtveli, a harvest festival, is held in the vineyards of Georgia. Sweet fruits are first cut in the east of the country, and by mid-October in the west. You can come to Kakheti to participate in the most sacred ritual for Georgians just before the frost: late varieties are cultivated here.
The mineral springs of Borjomi are beating all year round, the water of which heals both body and soul. In the homeland of medicinal drinks, it is cool in summer and warm in winter, but the spa park becomes especially picturesque in May, when the fruit trees are blooming.
