Tbilisi International Airport sits on the eastern edge of the city, on the road that leads to Kakheti, and that location is a gift for anyone who collects a rental car at the arrivals hall: you are already out of the traffic and pointed at the countryside. The ten destinations near Tbilisi Airport below are all within two hours of the terminal in normal conditions, so each one works as a day trip from a Tbilisi hotel, as a first stop on the way to the regions, or as the last stop before an evening flight. Distances are from the airport, not the city centre, and the times assume daylight and dry roads.
1. Chronicle of Georgia and the Tbilisi Sea (10 km, 15 minutes)
The closest sight to the airport is one most visitors never find: a set of sixteen 30-metre columns carved with scenes from Georgian history and the life of Christ, standing on a hill above the Tbilisi Sea reservoir. Free, never crowded, best in the late afternoon light. From the airport take the ring road north; you are there before the hotel check-in time. Any car in the fleet, including the Toyota Prius at $35 a day.
2. Tbilisi old town and Narikala fortress (17 km, 30 minutes)
Obvious, but worth planning: the sulphur baths of Abanotubani, the Narikala walls, the Peace Bridge and the cafés of Shardeni Street are 30 minutes from the terminal. Park low, at the Gorgasali Square or Metekhi car parks, and walk; the lanes of the old town are not for cars. Our Tbilisi by car post has the parking details and the best half-day loops.
3. Mtskheta: Svetitskhoveli and Jvari (35 km, 40 minutes)
The old capital of Georgia, the most visited of all destinations near Tbilisi Airport and the one trip almost everyone makes. Svetitskhoveli cathedral stands in the middle of the town; Jvari monastery looks down on it from the hill where the Aragvi meets the Mtkvari, and the view from the car park is the most photographed in the country. Two hours is enough for both, three if you add lunch by the river. The Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe guide turns it into a full day.
4. Sighnaghi and Bodbe (110 km, 1 hour 45)
Drive east through Sagarejo and climb to the walled town on the ridge above the Alazani valley, with the Caucasus as a backdrop on clear days. Sighnaghi is restored, pretty and small: the walls, a wine bar, a late lunch. Bodbe convent, with the tomb of St Nino, is five minutes away. The road is paved the whole way and a sedan is perfect; this is the easiest Kakheti day from the airport, and the start of the Kakheti wine route if you have two days.
5. Telavi and Tsinandali (85 km, 1 hour 45)
The capital of Kakheti, reached over the Gombori pass, a beautiful forest road with a few hairpins. Telavi has a bazaar, the Batonis Tsikhe palace and, ten minutes away, the Tsinandali estate where Georgian bottled wine began. We also hand cars over in Telavi itself, so a one-way from the airport to the Telavi pickup point is possible for travellers staying in the wine region. The tasting rooms around Telavi are the reason the driver stays on water until the evening.
6. Davit Gareja monastery (75 km, 1 hour 45)
A cave monastery from the 6th century in a semi-desert of striped hills on the Azerbaijani border, as far from the green Georgia of the postcards as you can get in an afternoon. The road is paved to the village of Udabno and rough for the last stretch, and there is no fuel or shade out there, so fill up at the airport road and take water. The Lavra, the main monastery, is open; the cave chapels on the ridge above have been closed to visitors on and off because of the border line, so check with us the day before. Take the Renault Duster or another car from the 4x4 list rather than a low sedan.
7. Ananuri fortress and the Zhinvali reservoir (80 km, 1 hour 30)
North on the Georgian Military Highway, past Mtskheta, the road runs along a turquoise reservoir to a 17th-century fortress with two churches inside its walls. It is the classic photo stop on the way to Kazbegi and a fine destination on its own for a half day with a swim or a boat trip in summer. Keep going for 40 minutes and you reach Gudauri; Kazbegi itself is just beyond the two-hour line, three hours from the airport, and has its own guide and car page.
8. Gori and Uplistsikhe (100 km, 1 hour 30)
West on the motorway: Gori for the fortress and the controversial Stalin museum, then 15 minutes further to Uplistsikhe, a cave town carved into a sandstone cliff over the Mtkvari river and inhabited since the Iron Age. Allow two hours on site, with sturdy shoes; the rock is polished smooth by three thousand years of feet. The motorway makes this a comfortable sedan trip, and it is the first leg of the drive to Batumi if you are heading west.
9. Kojori and the Birtvisi canyon (35 km, 50 minutes)
South-west of the city, above the summer-house villages of Kojori and Manglisi, the Birtvisi fortress sits inside a maze of rock towers and narrow gorges. The hike from the road takes about an hour each way and is the best short walk near Tbilisi. The access track is unpaved; a Toyota RAV4 or a Duster handles it without drama. Cool air in summer, early snow in late autumn.
10. Dashbashi canyon (105 km, 2 hours)
The newest of the destinations near Tbilisi Airport: a canyon near Tsalka with waterfalls dropping over moss-covered walls and a glass-floored bridge with a café hanging in the middle of it. Paved all the way, through the high plateau of Kvemo Kartli, with Armenian and Greek villages on the way. Two hours each way makes it a full day; combine it with the Birtvisi area on the return, or stay the night in Tsalka. Note that the plateau is often ten degrees colder than Tbilisi, so take a jacket even in summer.
All ten destinations near Tbilisi Airport at a glance
| Destination | From the airport | Time | Road | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronicle of Georgia | 10 km | 15 min | Paved | Any |
| Tbilisi old town | 17 km | 30 min | Paved, park low | Any |
| Mtskheta and Jvari | 35 km | 40 min | Paved | Any |
| Kojori and Birtvisi | 35 km | 50 min | Last part gravel | SUV or 4x4 |
| Davit Gareja | 75 km | 1 h 45 | Rough last stretch | SUV or 4x4 |
| Ananuri | 80 km | 1 h 30 | Paved | Any |
| Telavi and Tsinandali | 85 km | 1 h 45 | Paved, mountain pass | Any |
| Gori and Uplistsikhe | 100 km | 1 h 30 | Motorway | Any |
| Dashbashi canyon | 105 km | 2 h | Paved | Any |
| Sighnaghi and Bodbe | 110 km | 1 h 45 | Paved | Any |
How the airport pickup works
Our colleague waits at the exit of the arrivals hall with a sign, 24 hours a day, including the 3 a.m. flights from Europe and the Gulf. The handover takes about ten minutes: a walk around the car, the contract, the refundable deposit of about $200, the keys. The airport handover fee of $30 per end and the $20 service fee are shown next to the daily rate on the booking page before you pay the 15% that confirms the reservation; see the prices page for every fee. If you plan to return the car in Kutaisi or Batumi, the locations page has the one-way options.
Different plan? Perhaps you want to combine several destinations near Tbilisi Airport in one loop, say Kazbegi and Kakheti, or you are landing in Tbilisi and leaving from Kutaisi. Message us on WhatsApp (+995 591 89 60 60) and we will plan a custom route with you: the right car for the roads, pickup and drop-off in different cities, and honest advice on driving times.
Which car for the list
Eight of the ten destinations near Tbilisi Airport are fine in an economy car; the Prius at $35 a day is the one our customers take most for Mtskheta, Kakheti and Gori. For Davit Gareja and Birtvisi, or if you like the idea of leaving the paved road at all, book a Duster, a RAV4 or one of the Comfort SUVs. Families of five or more have the Mercedes Vito and the minivans. Whatever you choose, enter your flight number at booking so we can track a delay.