Understanding Georgia goes beyond reading about its culture and customs. It’s about exploring it, breathing the fresh Caucasus air, tasting local delicacies, and enjoying the company and hospitality offered by Georgians.
In short, you cannot know Georgia without embarking on a life-changing journey to the Land of the Golden Fleece.
However, spontaneous trips are not everyone’s cup of tea. Knowledge is power, and having access to all the Georgia tourist information available could be the difference between a smooth vacation and a bumpy ride.
But where to start? Our Georgia travel guide is a good beginner’s instruction book, providing all the Georgia travel tips you need to ensure your visit is a picture-perfect experience you’ll never forget.
Seasons come and go each year without fail, but the weather remains a whimsical thing. If you are averse to extreme temperatures or certain climatic events, visiting some countries becomes an unbearable task at some points throughout the year.
Thus, the million-dollar question: When it’s the best time to visit Georgia?
Luckily, the answer is easy. A quintessential Georgia travel tip is to keep in mind you can visit whenever you want—any season, at any point through the year!!
Due to the country’s unparalleled geographical positioning, Georgia’s climate is mild and diverse. The Black Sea and the Great Caucasus range protect the country from extreme temperature shifts, ensuring all-year-round pleasant weather that is suited for most tastes.
Subsequently, you can visit in any season, with each having their particular highlights and benefits. Just make sure to consult Tour Guide Georgia travel advisors to know the prime events taking place each month.
Summers are hot and dry, particularly in Tbilisi. However, early June usually has enjoyable warm weather, preceding the heat waves that regularly sweep across Europe during summer.
Regardless, most of the country features mild and pleasant weather, mostly in mountainous areas or the cities by the Black Sea, such as Batumi.
Keep in mind that mid-to-late August is the perfect time to explore the natural beauty in the country of Georgia, take a dip and relax by the Black Sea, engage in paragliding, or enjoy a plethora of outdoor festivals and concerts.
Georgia travel guide tip: Summer is the busiest season for tourism in Georgia. Subsequently, scheduling your trip from June to August may not be ideal if you are not a fan of crowds or busy hotels.
Autumn is harvest season in Georgia, and you know what that means—Georgian wine, of course. Late September is the perfect month to visit Kakheti and partake in the annual vintage season by harvesting grapes yourself.
The weather during autumn is mild and pleasant, growing colder but not necessarily humid, making it ideal for mountain climbing or hiking. As the leaves change color, the landscape displays a plethora of bright shades that will be the delight of anyone glancing upon them.
Georgia travel guide tip: If you visit Tbilisi during October, you can experience Tbilisoba—a festival dedicated to celebrating the capital city, its history, and diversity.
For those who enjoy winter sports, Georgia remains an unparalleled destination during the snowy season. Skiing in Georgia, particularly, is a life-changing experience you must experience.
Thanks to the Black Sea and the Greater Caucasus, winters in Georgia never reach extreme temperatures. On average, the country remains within 2-4°C (35-40°F), but it drops below zero in some cities and remains pleasantly snowy on the mountain area.
Georgia travel guide tip: Keep in mind Georgia is Orthodox. Instead of celebrating Christmas in December, the festivities take place on January 7, and needless to say, it’s a spectacle worth beholding. Similarly, read our blog to keep an eye out for any tourist information in Georgia, as they may provide details on the events for the season.
If allergies are not a problem for you, and spring is your favorite season, make sure to visit the country in late April and May.
The days through these months are sunny and breezy, making it ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers alike. However, keep humidity in mind—spring is a rainy season, particularly near the end. On the bright side, most flowers bloom through May, making the countryside a spectacle of colors and scents.
Georgia travel guide tip: If you decide to remain until late May, you will get to celebrate alongside Georgians their Independence Day on May 26, and hopefully, get invited to a supra feast.
The country of Georgia is known for having one of the most permissive and liberal visa regimes in the world, which means visiting is a relatively hassle-free issue.
In fact, over 98 countries are allowed to visit and remain without a visa for a whole year. The list includes the United States, the European Union, most of Latin America, Australia, amongst others.
But if you do not live within these privileged countries, don’t despair—Georgia offers the e-Visa as a viable alternative. Another group of 66 countries is eligible to apply for an online visa process that only requires filing an application and paying the corresponding fee, without the need to visit the Georgian embassy. However, this option is restricted to short stays.
If your home country does not figure out on either of these lists, you will need to apply for the corresponding visa through the closest Georgian embassy and follow the regular procedures.
Similarly, make sure to apply for the correct visa, according to your needs and interests. The Georgian government provides five (5) types of visas: Diplomatic (A), Special (B), Ordinary (C), Immigration (D), and Transit (T). These visas can also be either short-term or long-term, according to your stay.
However, be warned. While Georgian customs are relatively easygoing and straightforward, keep in mind the tense situation between Georgia and Russia regarding Abkhazia and South Ossetia. According to Georgian law, entering these two territories from Russia is a punishable crime. Therefore, you must avoid this route through your schedule.
Georgia travel guide tip: Tourist info in Georgia is widely available, so make sure to check your country’s circumstances. The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides all you need to know about visa requirements in English, including a test to help you figure out what your situation is.
Georgia’s currency is named Lari (GEL), and it’s composed of 100 tetri.
Both the lari and the tetri show up in the form of banknotes and coins. You can find banknotes for 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 lari, while coins range from 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 tetri, to 1 and 2 lari.
However, you should not be concerned about this beyond understanding the currency and its forms—Georgia has a free exchange rate. As such, it has plenty of ATMs that accept most international cards without issues. Similarly, there is an overabundance of money exchange offices that can guarantee you access to all the lari you might need.
Another essential tourist travel tip in Georgia involves understanding the country’s bargaining culture. While it is not polite to negotiate prices on restaurants or formal establishments, feel free to discuss your way to a better cost on marketplaces, street businesses, guest houses, and other similar establishments.
With taxi drivers, however, bargaining is not a possibility as much as a mandatory course of action—make sure to establish a fair price beforehand, lest you get scammed.
Georgia travel guide tip: Unlike many other countries, tipping for services is not mandatory, yet it’s expected as a polite gesture of gratitude. In most cases, it’s up to you to establish the proper amount, although 10% is a safe standard to follow.
Discussing traveling insurance before visiting the country of Georgia typically involves two prevalent issues: how mandatory it is and whether or not it is a good investment.
According to Georgian legislation, health insurance is a mandatory requirement within Georgian territory, and it must be valid all across the country. The law dictates that anyone, regardless of their visa status or stay length, must follow this requirement, lest they risk being denied entry.
This policy is not arbitrary. Within Georgia, public healthcare is widely available, yet it’s only accessible for citizens. Foreigners and non-citizens must rely upon medical insurance or individual payment to be granted access to high-quality medical services.
If you plan on skiing in Georgia, engage in diving, or go mountain climbing, it’d be wise to be careful while looking for medical insurance. Some policies actively exclude coverage on injuries caused by these activities, so make sure to pick an insurance that suits your interests and potential risks while visiting the country.
Georgia travel guide tip: To find your ideal insurance deal, make sure to visit Georgia’s E-Insurance portal, as it offers a plethora of companies for you to explore and analyze. Likewise, World Nomads is well-known for its services.
Depending on where you live, Georgia could be an hour’s trip away, or halfway around the world. Regardless, arriving at the Land of the Golden Fleece is approachable and even affordable, irrespective of your preferred transportation method.
Undoubtedly, arriving in Georgia by air is the fastest and most cost-efficient approach.
A large number of airlines offer direct flights to the capital city Tbilisi from most European, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian countries. In certain states, some airlines also provide direct flights to the Batumi International Airport and the David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport, although the Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport remains the principal international arrival center.
Most flights to and from Georgia are carried by Georgian Airways, the country’s flag carrier. Still, you can find plenty of affordable flights from Turkish Airlines and many other European and Asian airlines.
Georgia travel guide tip: To assist you in your travel to Georgia, Tour Guide Georgia has an efficient flight finder that allows you to compare costs and schedules. With this method, you can guarantee your flight to Georgia is precisely the dream trip you always envisioned.
Thanks to the Black Sea, getting to Georgia through boat is approachable and even affordable. The countries that share a direct ferry service with Georgia are Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Russia, possessing a somewhat regular schedule on multiple companies.
Most of these ferry routes arrive in the cities of Batumi and Poti, the principal ports within Georgia. After coming to the country through the sea, you can make use of trains, cars, or plains to get to the rest of Georgia according to your goals.
Navibulgar has a ferry schedule that connects Ukraine, Georgia, and Bulgaria through its routes, particularly the cities of Chernomorsk (Ukraine), Varna (Bulgaria), Batumi, and Poti (Georgia). According to the number of stops and how direct the journeys are, they can take 2-4 days to complete.
Another company offering ferry services to and from Georgia is the Bulgarian PB Management, connecting Poti with the Bulgarian city of Burgas.
Russia and Georgia have a direct ferry line between the cities of Sochi and Batumi, through a hydrofoil. While the length of the journey is highly variable, it usually should take only five hours to arrive at the destination. However, be warned, as in some cases its use is restricted to citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Georgia travel guide tip: While highly scenic, traveling by sea is usually restricted to the summer season. As such, it is in high demand, more expensive than other options, and quite unpredictable thanks to the weather.
If you wish to enter Georgian soil through neighboring European or Asian roads, lucky you—there is a large variety of alternatives to choose from. However, bear in mind that you will need to fulfill the visa requirements of each country you cross through.
The most efficient method of arriving in Georgia through land is via the railways. The national railway company of Georgia is named Georgia Railway LLC. Through its extensive network system, it establishes direct contact with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey.
While the railway infrastructure also connects the country with Russia through Abkhazia to the North Caucasus Railway, the fallout of the war in the area has closed transit to the general public.
The Tbilisi-Baku route runs on a nightly basis, taking around 13 hours to complete. Overnight train 37 covers the Tbilisi-Baku journey, while overnight train 38 is in charge of the Baku-Tbilisi route. The route makes multiple stops across each country, particularly Gachiani and Rustavi, within Georgia.
Both trains connecting the two cities depart once daily at 20:00, covers approximately 550 km, and costs $14-$35, according to the type of ticket you purchase.
The route connecting Georgia to Armenia is the Tbilisi-Yerevan one, and it’s also an overnight sleeper train, covering a journey that lasts an average of 10 hours.
During the low season, ranging from October to June, the route is handled by a single train in each direction. Specifically, the Tbilisi-Yerevan train leaves every odd night of the month, and the Yerevan-Tbilisi route happens once every even night.
When the high tourism season arrives, from June to September, the number of trains involved in the route increases. During these months, each train departs nightly and adds an extra stop to cover most touristic spots available within the route.
The costs for the journey ranges from $20 to $50, according to the season and the class purchased.
Georgia travel guide tip: While traveling by train is still the most effective road journey, buses are more widespread. They cover an ample variety of routes that are not easily approachable through railways. For example, there are bus routes that connect Erzurum and Kars on Eastern Turkey to Batumi, covering the journey in about five hours.
After arriving in the country, Georgia provides many different ways for you to explore each city and corner. Since they vary in costs, range, and practicality, having the right tourist information in Georgia is essential to choose the perfect transportation method according to your needs.
Using the municipal transport system is quite easy within Georgia, and you can do so with exact change or the purchase of regular tickets according to your needs. However, the most cost-efficient way of moving around the capital is through the purchase of a MetroMoney card.
Meant to be a universal transportation payment system, the MetroMoney card can be used to pay the metro, bus, or minibus all across Tbilisi. Purchasing the card costs 2 GEL, it’s rechargeable, can be done in every Metro station, and you enjoy subsequent discounts through each use.
A leftover of the Soviet days, the Marshrutka is a type of minibus that remains the most preferred transportation method of Georgians all across the country.
These minibuses are usually bright yellow and slightly differ from regular buses. For starters, you can call them at any point in the street by waving your hand as you would for a taxi, and they can also drop you at any location you want them to. While most of them have an established route, they don’t follow a strict schedule, and you will need to get familiar with the particular marshrutka you need.
However, the benefits outweigh the cons—they are comfortable, widespread, and efficient.
Georgia travel guide tip: The prices vary according to your destination, but usually, a cross-city journey costs approximately 80 tetri. In contrast, costs spike up if you are traveling cross-country. You can also pay with the MetroMoney card.
Displaying a bright yellow shade similar to that of the marshrutka, the bus system in Georgia is both widespread and quite efficient in its punctuality, particularly within Tbilisi.
In the capital city, you can get almost anywhere by bus. Each of the yellow buses, as well as some of the more modern blue ones, cover a particular route and stop by correctly identified bus stops. In them, you can check the scheduled journey of a specific bus, as well as the waiting time.
However, everything has a downside. Plenty of buses within Tbilisi still remain outdated, don’t have a fully functional A/C system, and are often overcrowded. For these reasons, many people prefer using the marshrutka system.
Outside of the capital city and in more rural areas, buses are considerably old, and payment is mostly restricted to cash only. However, tourist cities such as Batumi feature a similar system to that of Tbilisi, although not identical.
Georgia travel guide tip: Buses are quite cheap in Georgia, with a 90-minute ticket costing around 50 tetri. However, the MetroMoney card remains the preferred payment method.
Beyond an efficient bus system, Tbilisi is also connected through a simple and straightforward subterranean metro system. It’s easy to understand, efficient, and provides information in both Georgian and English.
It consists of two interconnected lines that go through the entire city, making it ideal for getting around the most critical hotspots of the capital. However, be mindful and avoid peak hours, as it tends to be overcrowded, and the A/C system may not work.
Georgia travel guide tip: The only way to pay for the metro is through the MetroMoney card, the journey costs 0.5 GEL, and it’s valid for an hour and a half.
Three words can describe taxis in Georgia: cheap, abundant, and unregulated.
Finding a taxi is an easy task—there are always plenty of them on every street, at all times. Calling one of them is as easy as lifting a hand, or as organized as done through regular taxi apps.
However, don’t be fooled by the low prices. Since taxi services lack strict pricing control, it’s common for taxi drivers to charge more than required to unsuspecting tourists.
In these cases, you must put your bargaining and negotiation skills to good use. Make sure to agree on the price to pay before boarding the car, keep the exact change in hand in case the driver claims not to have change, and be aware of the general price range of your route.
Georgia travel guide tip: While you are free to bargain to your heart’s content, you must make room for an exception. Luckily for those arriving at the country, the Tbilisi Airport route towards the city has a fixed price of $15.
Public transportation is not for everyone. If you prefer to take full control of your destination and journey, then car rental services are your best option.
Particularly appealing if you plan on exploring the countryside of Georgia and engage in long journeys, car rental services can replace the often precarious public transportation system of many small towns within Georgia.
However, be warned. According to the rental service you choose, you may need to fulfill specific requirements.
Georgia travel guide tip: The simplest and most cost-efficient way of getting around in Georgia is through car rental. Luckily, Tour Guide Georgia offers car rental services that come with a designated driver and do not have any age or requirement restriction. By picking the right car rental service for your journey, you can assume complete control of your experience as a tourist in Georgia.
Long gone are the days where you relied on hotels when engaging in tourism.
Nowadays, there are endless options for travelers and their wanderlust, and Georgia is not excluded from this current trend. From luxurious hotels and villages to family-run homes and modern hostels, Georgia offers everything you might need.
However, we know that with a wide variety of options, it may be complicated to find the one meant for you. It’s because of this that Tour Guide Georgia provides you with the tools you need to find your dream accommodation with minimal effort.
If you are in dire need of a hotel that suits your budget and specifications, take a look at our selection of hotels in Georgia. Some of them are owned or managed by Tour Guide Georgia, guaranteeing an efficient service with the comfort and luxury you require. Our search engine is highly specialized and allows you to specify your needs, making the process much more comfortable.
If you prefer vacation homes or holiday properties, rest assured—Georgia has dreamy luxury villages or rural countryside locations waiting for you. Make use of Tour Guide Georgia’s vacation rental search engine to discover our featured properties, alongside seasonal discounts.
Georgia travel guide tip: Winter is a skiing season, and Georgia is a destination growing in popularity for fans of this sport. If your vacations in the country are focused on sliding down snowy mountains, make sure to check the best ski resorts in Georgia for an exciting winter wonderland experience.
Three companies offer SIM cards within the country of Georgia—Geocell, Beeline, and Magti. All of them provide their services in rural areas, and you can purchase them in almost every city or town. On average, SIM cards cost 2-5 GEL, and you only require your passport to complete the purchase.
Calls, both in and outside Georgia, are incredibly affordable, and many packages can suit your needs. Similarly, internet services are efficient and virtually inexpensive, costing an average of $1 per GB. However, it ultimately depends on the mobile operator you choose.
Georgia travel guide tip: Remaining communicated while overseas is an ongoing concern for most of us in the digital era. However, Georgia offers a highly efficient and relatively inexpensive service, with affordable mobile operators and navigation plans. Subsequently, it’s always preferred for you to purchase a local number instead of using an international one.
