Georgia
Tbilisi
Away-day guide
unverified draftTbilisi is the cheapest and most characterful away trip in this part of Europe — sulphur baths in the old town, wine at £2 a glass, and a nightlife scene that runs until breakfast. It is a long flight from the UK, but Wizz and Ryanair fly in and once you are there a weekend costs next to nothing.
🚺 To Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
The ground lies west of the city centre, away from the metro lines — the practical approach is a Bolt from Rustaveli or Freedom Square, which takes 15–20 minutes and costs 10–15 GEL. Book the return trip before the final whistle.
- Parking
- Informal free parking on the streets around the ground; it is rarely a problem given qualifier crowds.
Public transport
The two-line metro runs north–south and out to the suburbs, and everything else is buses and the surviving marshrutka minibuses. Tap a contactless bank card or a Metromoney card at the gate or on board: it is 1 GEL a ride, with free transfers for 90 minutes, which makes bus-plus-metro journeys effectively a single fare. Realistically, though, most visitors just use Bolt — a cross-town taxi is 8–15 GEL and the app removes any argument about the fare. Don't get in an unbooked car, and don't expect a meter. The old town is steep, cobbled and best walked.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- GEL 7
- Coffee
- GEL 8
- Meal, mid-range
- GEL 45
- Taxi from airport
- GEL 30
- Single transit ticket
- GEL 1
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Tbilisi International Airport TBS primary 17 km City bus 337 runs from outside arrivals to Freedom Square in the centre for the standard 1 GEL fare, taking 40–50 minutes. A Bolt is 25–35 GEL and 25 minutes. There is also a twice-daily shuttle train to Tbilisi Central. Direct low-cost flights from the UK are limited and often overnight; the transfer into town is cheap and easy at any hour.
- Kutaisi International Airport KUT alternative 220 km Shuttle buses (Georgian Bus and others) meet the flights and run to Tbilisi in about four hours for 25–30 GEL; book online when you book the flight. Wizz Air's Georgian base and usually much cheaper than flying into Tbilisi — at the price of most of a day in each direction. Worth it if the fare gap is large; not if you are only there for 48 hours.
- Batumi International Airport BUS alternative 370 km Night train or a long bus to Tbilisi (5–6 hours). Only sensible if you are making a trip of it along the Black Sea coast. Occasionally cheap in summer, but the transfer is too long for a weekend.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Dinamo Tbilisi
Home fans: Dinamo's support is city-wide and drinks in the centre rather than at any one pub — the bars around Marjanishvili and Fabrika in Chugureti, and the courtyard bars off Rustaveli. Their own Dinamo Arena, near Rustaveli, has bars and grills on the approach roads even when they are playing elsewhere.
Away fans: Anywhere in the centre is neutral and welcoming; Fabrika, Dedaena Bar and the wine bars in the old town all take visiting fans in their stride. There is no hostility to away support here.
The historic club of Georgia and 1981 Cup Winners' Cup winners. Their European home tie this season is listed at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium rather than the Dinamo Arena.
Iberia 1999
Home fans: A young club with a small following and no pub scene to speak of — supporters travel to the ground rather than gather beforehand.
Away fans: Drink in the centre before heading out; expect a small crowd and an easy afternoon.
Tbilisi-based and a recent force in the Georgian league, playing European home ties at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Tbilisi's club scene has an outsized reputation. Bassiani, in the swimming pool beneath the Dinamo Arena, is one of Europe's serious techno clubs (strict door, no phones); Khidi under the bridge is its counterpart. For something more relaxed, Fabrika is a converted Soviet sewing factory in Chugureti whose courtyard is ringed with bars and full every night, and Dedaena Bar by the river is the cheap, friendly standby. Wine bars — Vino Underground, 8000 Vintages — are where to spend an evening if the techno is not for you.
Food & drink
Georgian food is the reason a lot of people come back. Khinkali are fat soup dumplings you eat by hand, holding the topknot and leaving it on the plate; khachapuri is cheese bread, and the Adjarian version arrives as a boat with an egg and butter dropped in. Add mtsvadi (skewered pork), lobio (bean pot), badrijani (walnut-stuffed aubergine) and a jug of house wine. Georgia has been making wine in clay qvevri for 8,000 years and even the cheap stuff is good; chacha, the grape spirit, is not for the inexperienced.
Cheap eats & beer
Khinkali cost around 1–1.5 GEL each and five is a meal; a full spread with wine for two comes to 60–80 GEL in an ordinary place. The 24-hour Georgian canteens around Meidan and Marjanishvili — Machakhela and Samikitno among them — will feed you at any hour for pocket money. Bakeries sell hot shoti bread and lobiani for a lari or two. A half-litre of local beer (Natakhtari, Argo) is 5–8 GEL in a bar, less in the courtyard bars at Fabrika, and a bottle from a shop is around 3 GEL. House wine by the jug is usually cheaper than beer.
Staying safe
Street crime is very low and Tbilisi is comfortable to walk around late; the main hazards are traffic and pavements. Drivers do not stop at crossings, so treat every road as your problem. Large political demonstrations have been a regular feature on Rustaveli Avenue since 2024 — they are not aimed at visitors, but the avenue and the metro stations along it can close at short notice, so keep an eye on the news and don't wander into one out of curiosity. Take official or app-booked taxis only. Cash in lari is still handy in the markets, though cards work almost everywhere in the centre.
On matchday
Both Tbilisi clubs in Europe this season are listed at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, west of the centre — not the bigger Dinamo Arena, which is the one you can see from Rustaveli. Crowds for qualifiers are small and the atmosphere is relaxed; tickets are cheap and usually available on the day. There is no metro station at the ground, so allow for a Bolt in each direction (10–15 GEL from the centre) and book the return before you leave the ground, as cars thin out afterwards. Kick-offs in July and August are late for a reason — it is still 30°C at nine in the evening.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.