Tbilisi is the delightful capital of Georgia, which offers visitors a rich history, easy to explore by foot. As an architecture fan I loved the variety from neo-classical to ultra modern civic buildings, often only a few streets away from each other. Some more detailed posts will follow but here’s a taster of what to expect…
A stunning location on the Mtkvari River, surrounded by hills, offering numerous vantage points from which to enjoy the view. The citadel was my favourite, looking down from above the Old Town.
A surprising amount of high quality modern architecture, including the mushroom covered Justice House, a half completed concert hall, and the Peace Bridge.
A delightfully maze like Old Town, including Sulphur Baths.
A smattering of funky street art.
Religious buildings everywhere, mainly Georgian orthodox churches, but also Catholic churches, a synagogue and a mosque.
The metro system is very Soviet in design, deep judging by the length of the escalators, and seemingly super efficient, having had to wait less than 30 seconds for a train each time I used it.
There is also a handy funicular railway, providing yet more vantage points over the city.
And a cable car from the river up to the citadel and Mother Georgia statue.
The highlight of the National Museum was the powerful top floor on the near seventy year Soviet Occupation of Georgia.
And a huge number of grand civic buildings, including the Moorish style Opera House, Soviet Science Centre, and the former Parliament lit up at night.
Taster of Tbilisi, Georgia
10 responses to “Taster of Tbilisi, Georgia”
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[…] spent my first day in Tbilisi exploring the left bank of the Mtkvari river, which according to the guidebooks (Lonely Planet and […]
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[…] of the highlights of exploring Tbilisi, Georgia‘s wonderful capital, was the street art. The vast majority of which I found on one […]
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[…] Tbilisi, historic capital city of Georgia, with an Old Town and filled with churches. Not exactly where I expected to find stylish modern architecture. So it was a surprise when I first looked out along the Mtkvari River to see this.The tubular building was designed as a concert hall but only the exterior is finished. A change of government and priorities has prevented it from being finished, and there is talk of removing it due to a perceived lack of fit with the nearby Old Town across the river. […]
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[…] avoiding the numerous cows on the road (pretty typical experience in Georgia).The road runs from Tbilisi to Vladikavkaz, Russia, where the trucks were bound for, but due to congestion at the border the […]
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[…] second largest city lacks much of the charm of Tbilisi but is a handy stopover heading west. The city itself was worth a quick wander around, primarily […]
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[…] The Soviets loved a good monument, either of a significant person, or symbols promoting the socialist cause. Georgia, part of the Soviet Union for nearly seventy years, was full of them. Here are some of the more notable ones I came across on my travels, along with some more recent Georgian statues, including the huge Mother Georgia statue looking over Tbilisi. […]
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[…] to some of the holiest sites in Georgia and the less ancient civic and police station buildings.The Tbilisi concert hall remains incomplete, with an empty interior, but the exterior is an impressive site […]
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[…] to the main road, and a couple of security guards not looking too impressed with me… Tbilisi gets bonus points for having almost no strays dogs (had a few bad experiences in the past while […]
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[…] my photos. Thankfully some cows were more observant when crossing roads… The main city of Tbilisi provided a number of sights including some cunning car storage, the steepest wheelchair ramps […]
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[…] my photos. Thankfully some cows were more observant when crossing roads… The main city of Tbilisi provided a number of sights including some cunning car storage, the steepest wheelchair ramps […]
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