Georgia – a country that, at many times, doesn’t make much sense. With a complicated past and a geography wedged between its Soviet counterparts and Europe, you get the feeling the country is still searching for a place of comfort on the world stage.
This tug-of-war between the West and East has created uniqueness and fantastic confusion, nowhere more evident than in two of its most iconic cities: Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Tbilisi, a weird but wonderful capital city, feels a bit like a bag of Revels.
You can walk down one street that reminds you of the cobbled streets of Lisbon, only to turn left to a post-apocalyptic neighbourhood surrounded by stray dogs and bins.
Kutaisi, a much older city – dating back more than 3,500 years, was once the capital of Georgia.
However, with a population of a mere 145,000 compared to Tbilisi’s 1.3 million, Kutaisi isn’t the land of opportunity that Tbilisi is, nor does it want to be. It’s a sleeper city, where everyone seems to sing the same tune.
Attractions
It’s no shock that Tbilisi has more things to do and see. Most tourists base themselves in Tbilisi’s very big Old Town. Here, all within walking distance, you’ve got Narikala Fortress, cable cars up Mount Mtatsminda (we opted to climb it), the Mother of Georgia, and the botanical gardens, to name a few.
Tbilisi takes on a different feel once you cross the river, you quickly move away from the tourist trail and into the local way of life, often described as the “real” Tbilisi, which definitely explains the character our first accommodation had.
The start of this journey from touristville to the streets begins at Dry Bridge Market, an open-air flea market that was nearly impossible to drag Georgina out of. From there, you can hop on Tbilisi’s metro and head toward the Chronicles of Georgia – one of the most impressive structures I’ve ever seen. It was built to commemorate Georgia’s 3,000-year-old existence.
Kutaisi may not have the same pull of attractions as its big sister, but place yourself around Colchis Fountain and you’ll find the city in full flow. When we first arrived, it was pissing it down, so we ran for cover in Green Bazaar, Kutaisi’s main market – a market that felt different from the start.
Not a single vendor spoke English, but each of them stopped us – not to sell their produce, but to practice their English. Unfortunately, none of them have ever heard of Leeds or Cornwall, so we had to begrudgingly say we were from London. From the market, you can head uphill to Bagrati Cathedral for a view over the whole city.
Food
Made with heart, Georgian cuisine is a mouthful. Both of us found it difficult not to over-order, especially when we were reacquainted with khinkali (soup-filled dumplings), which we’d first tried back in London.
In Tbilisi, you’ll find more hidden, hip restaurants tweaking tradition, often adapting dishes to appeal to the many. To avoid falling into a tourist trap, I turned to Reddit to find the cheapest restaurant in the city.
That’s how we ended up at Mafshalia – cheap, yes, but very local. We spent a total of 32 GEL for four dishes and two drinks. You might assume that means low quality, but after queueing for 30 minutes just to get in, we quickly realised this was a real Georgian spot, where workers go to eat well without spending much.
Kutaisi, by contrast, is grounded in tradition. Littered around the main square, the best traditional Georgian food was shouted from blackboard to blackboard. For us though, we went to eat in the cafe/restaurant Bread and Wine in the Green Bazaar market.
After ordering Kupati, Georgia’s answer to a Richmond sausage – but nice – I had to leave Georgina and dash for the toilet.
Three minutes later, I came back to carnage, with Georgina sat with two Georgian men who had bought us both beers and a full bottle of chacha (which is lethal). The generosity didn’t stop there – they then gifted us two salads and some grapes, probably to soak up the alcohol.
The sense of community and kindness the city had to offer was most prominent in its proud market hall.
In terms of sweet treats, we both bought churchkhela in Tbilisi and in Kutaisi. These candle-shaped snacks are strange in appearance but rather addictive. Unfairly, we bought the Tbilisi churchkhela in a metro station, and the Kutaisi one in the Green Bazaar market. The result is what you’d expect.
Nightlife
Now, me and Georgina have struggled to stay awake past 11:00 p.m., so we probably aren’t the best to judge both cities’ nightlife. But we did go to two great expat bars in both Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Warszawa in Tbilisi (another find from Reddit) was a tiny bar located just off Liberty Square. A place kind to the wallet, beer was 5 GEL and wine was 4 GEL.
Looking to make friends, we plotted ourselves at the bar and quickly chatted to a young chap from Brighton. He offered great advice on places to go, and why not to hitchhike. The bar was a great place for anyone looking to speak to a fellow traveller or expat who also struggles to say hello in Georgian.
We only had one night out in Kutaisi: Mary’s Irish Pub, a five-minute walk from Colchis Fountain. My mission was to watch the Leeds game, and they very kindly put it on. A surprising victory and goal-fest resulted in locals coming over to join us (me) to watch the game.
After several drinks, Georgina and I bravely challenged the locals to a game of doubles pool, with the losers having to get the next round in. I would recommend against this – despite us winning, the two we challenged brought their friends over, and I got the feeling that if we lost, we’d be buying the whole group a beer.
Luck of the Irish was on our side. Sadly, no sign of anyone called Mary.
How to get to either city?
Both cities have international airports. We chose Tbilisi as we were able to get a direct flight from Luton Airport, which took less than 5 hours. On arrival, a short 45-minute bus ride on the 337 will take you to the centre for a lovely 1.5 GEL.
Getting between the cities by land is very easy as well. You can bounce from either city via coach, with the journey taking around 3 hours. Bus tickets can be purchased via Citybus Georgia.
