Getting Around Tbilisi: Complete Transportation Guide

Tbilisi doesn't play by European transport rules — and that's exactly what makes it so interesting to navigate. The city sprawls across both banks of the Mtkvari River, with a medieval old town on one side, a Soviet-grid city center on the other, and a scattering of hip neighborhoods tucked between hills. Getting around is cheap, surprisingly easy once you know the system, and occasionally an adventure in its own right.

Here's everything you need to know before your first trip.

The Tbilisi Metro

The metro is your fastest and cheapest option for covering the city's main corridor. Two lines — Akhmeteli-Varketili (Line 1, red) and Saburtalo (Line 2, green) — connect most tourist-heavy areas with a single interchange at Station Square/Freedom Square.

Key stops for travelers:

• Rustaveli — central avenue, hotels, restaurants
• Liberty Square — gateway to the Old Town (Altstadt)
• Avlabari — Narikala Fortress and the Armenian quarter
• Isani — Eastern Bus Terminal, marshrutkas to Kakheti wine region

Cost: A single ride costs 0.50 GEL (~$0.19 USD) using a Metromoney card. The card itself costs 2 GEL (~$0.75). Top it up at machines in any station or at kiosks labeled Metromoney. Without the card, you can't board — there are no cash tickets.

Hours: 6:00 AM – midnight, with trains every 3–5 minutes during peak hours.

Pro tip: The metro doesn't reach Vake Park, Vera, or the wine-country neighborhoods of Mtatsminda — you'll need a bus or taxi for those.

Buses and Minibuses

Tbilisi's bus network is more extensive than most visitors realize. The city runs both full-size buses and older minibuses (called marshrutkas), all accessible with the same Metromoney card.

Route Type	Cost	Coverage
City bus	1 GEL (~$0.37)	Most neighborhoods
Minibus (marshrutka)	1 GEL (~$0.37)	Outer districts
Cable car (Rike–Narikala)	2.50 GEL (~$0.93)	Old Town access

Useful bus lines:

• Bus 50 — Rustaveli to Vake Park
• Bus 98 — Old Town loop (Sioni Church, Abanotubani sulfur baths)
• Bus 51 — City center to Mtatsminda Funicular lower station

The cable car between Rike Park and Narikala is worth taking just for the view — it runs 10 AM to 10 PM daily and costs 2.50 GEL each way.

Taxis and Rideshare

Tbilisi taxis deserve their own chapter. Street hailing still exists, but rideshare apps have transformed the experience from an exhausting negotiation exercise into a simple point-and-click.

Apps to Use

Bolt is the dominant rideshare app in Tbilisi. Download it before you land — it's faster and significantly cheaper than hailing off the street, and you can pay by card. Prices are about 1.20–1.50 GEL per kilometer (~$0.45–$0.55/km), with a base fare around 2.50 GEL.

Yandex Go (now called Yango in some markets) is the other major player. Slightly cheaper in some zones, but Bolt usually has better availability near the Old Town.

Maxim is local and tends to be cheapest of all, though English-language support is limited.

Typical Taxi Costs in Tbilisi

Route	Bolt Estimate	Street Taxi (negotiated)
Airport to Old Town	25–35 GEL (~$9–13)	50–70 GEL if you don't negotiate
Old Town to Rustaveli	4–6 GEL	10–15 GEL
City center to Mtatsminda	5–8 GEL	12–20 GEL
Tbilisi to Mtskheta (day trip)	25–30 GEL one-way	40–60 GEL

Street taxi rule of thumb: Never accept the first price. A ride that costs 6 GEL on Bolt shouldn't cost more than 10–12 GEL negotiated by hand. Always agree on price before getting in.

The Funicular

One of Tbilisi's most underrated transport options, the Mtatsminda Funicular climbs from the Vera neighborhood up to Mtatsminda Park, an amusement park and viewpoint 770 meters above the city. It's more tourist attraction than commuter route, but if you're heading up for sunset, it's the way to go.

• Cost: 3 GEL up, 2 GEL down (paid with Metromoney or GEL cash)
• Hours: 11 AM – midnight (until 1 AM on weekends)
• Lower station: Walking distance from Rustaveli Metro

Getting to and from the Airport

Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) is about 18 km from the Old Town — roughly 30–40 minutes without traffic, longer during rush hour (7–9 AM, 5–7 PM).

Your options:

Express Bus 37 — The cheapest option at 0.50 GEL with your Metromoney card. Runs from the airport to Liberty Square and takes 40–60 minutes. Luggage fits overhead or in the aisle. Not glamorous, but it works.

Bolt or Yango — Most travelers use rideshare. Expect 25–35 GEL ($9–13) from the terminal to the Old Town. Significantly less than the unofficial cabs waiting outside arrivals.

Official taxi — Look for the licensed taxi stand inside arrivals. Fixed rates are posted: typically 40 GEL to the city center. More expensive than rideshare but useful if your phone dies.

Tip: Ignore any drivers approaching you before the exit. Walk through arrivals and out the main doors to find the legitimate taxi stand or step aside to open Bolt.

Getting Around the Old Town (On Foot)

Honest advice: the Old Town (Kalaki) is best explored on foot. The lanes are too narrow and steep for cars in many areas, and half the charm is stumbling down cobblestone alleyways you didn't plan to take. The main grid from Metekhi Church down to Abanotubani (the sulfur bath district) is about 1.5 km and walkable in 20 minutes — but budget an hour if you stop, which you will.

The hilly terrain means stairs are everywhere. Wear shoes you can actually walk in.

Day Trips from Tbilisi

Tbilisi is a natural base for exploring Georgia's surroundings. Here's how to reach the most popular day trips:

Destination	Transport	Duration	Cost
Mtskheta (ancient capital)	Marshrutka from Didube station	30 min	1 GEL
Gori (Stalin Museum)	Train or marshrutka from Didube	1.5 hrs	3–5 GEL
Kazbegi (Gergeti Trinity)	Marshrutka from Didube	3 hrs	10 GEL
Sighnaghi (wine country)	Marshrutka from Isani Metro	2 hrs	5 GEL
Kakheti wine tour (private)	Bolt/taxi or tour agency	Flexible	80–150 GEL/day

Marshrutka tip: For long-distance routes, arrive 15–20 minutes early. They leave when full, not on schedule.

Transport Cards and Costs Summary

Card	Cost	Where to Buy
Metromoney card	2 GEL (deposit)	Metro stations, kiosks
Top-up (cash/card)	Any amount	Station machines, mini-markets
Return at trip end	Get 2 GEL back	Ticket windows

If you're in Tbilisi for 3+ days, a Metromoney card pays for itself in the first few metro rides. Get one immediately after clearing customs.

Planning Your Tbilisi Transport

Most travelers use a combination: metro for city-center hops, Bolt for late nights or luggage-heavy moves, and walking in the Old Town. Once you load up Bolt and grab a Metromoney card, you're essentially set for the whole trip.

For a trip this tactical, having your full route pre-planned saves a lot of friction. Faroway builds day-by-day itineraries that include transport logistics — which areas to base yourself in, how to sequence sights across the city, and what to factor in for day trips. It takes about 2 minutes to generate and saves hours of piecing things together manually.

Whether you're spending 3 days or 3 weeks in Tbilisi, knowing how to move through the city efficiently means more time on the cobblestones and less time staring at Google Maps. Load up your apps, grab your card, and go.