Tbilisi in One Day: Private Walking Tour
A private walk through the heart of old Tbilisi with your own guide, from the domed sulphur baths to Narikala fortress and the painted hallways of Sololaki, in a full day or a four-hour version, with an optional private bath room and a wine supper to finish.
Metekhi ChurchPhoto: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0Tbilisi rewards walking more than almost any capital in the region. Its old centre is compact, built on slopes along the Mtkvari, and full of lanes too narrow for cars: carved wooden balconies hanging over courtyards, brick domes of the bathhouses steaming in winter, churches of four faiths within a few hundred metres of each other. With one day, or a long layover, the trick is to see the essentials without wasting time on taxis and queues. This tour does exactly that, with a local guide who sets the pace to suit you and knows where to find a quiet courtyard or a good khachapuri.
The full day covers the Old Town, the cable car up to Narikala, the sulphur bath quarter and the waterfall in the gorge behind it, then the 19th-century merchant streets of Sololaki and the cathedrals of Sioni and Anchiskhati. The half-day version keeps the core loop and drops the slower stops. Two extras turn the day into a proper Tbilisi experience: an hour in a private room of a sulphur bathhouse, and a supper of Georgian dishes paired with natural and qvevri wines in a small wine bar. If you are in transit, we collect you from the airport, keep your luggage in the car and drop you back with time to spare.
Highlights
- The brick domes of Abanotubani and the hidden waterfall in Leghvtakhevi gorge
- Narikala's walls and the Kartlis Deda statue, reached by cable car
- Old Town lanes with carved balconies, from Sioni to Anchiskhati
- Sololaki's grand 19th-century entrance halls and painted staircases
- An optional private room in a sulphur bathhouse
- An optional wine-tasting supper with Georgian dishes
Tour facts
Steep cobbled lanes and stairs make parts of the route hard for wheelchairs. With a car we can cover Metekhi, the cable car to Narikala, Rustaveli Avenue and the Bridge of Peace on level or step-free routes; tell us your needs.
Places on this tour
10 places · tap any place to read its guide
- 1Old Tbilisi on foot: baths, fortress, Sololaki and the cathedrals
Day by day
01Old Tbilisi on foot: baths, fortress, Sololaki and the cathedrals
Your guide meets you at 10 am at your hotel or the airport. Start at Metekhi church on its cliff above the river for the classic view of the old town, then cross to Abanotubani, where the bathhouses sit half underground beneath brick domes and the air smells faintly of sulphur. Follow the stream behind them into Leghvtakhevi gorge to a small waterfall, a surprise in the middle of the city. A gondola lifts you from Rike Park to Narikala, a fortress first raised in the 4th century and rebuilt over and over, and walk along the ridge to the aluminium Mother of Georgia, who greets guests with wine in one hand and holds a blade for foes in the other. Walk down by the stairs into Sololaki, the 19th-century district of merchants' mansions, where your guide opens doors to entrance halls with painted ceilings and cast-iron staircases. Lunch is in a local restaurant. In the afternoon wander the lanes to Sioni Cathedral, home of St Nino's grapevine cross, and to Anchiskhati, the oldest surviving church in the city, from the 6th century. Finish at the Bridge of Peace and the start of Rustaveli Avenue around 5 pm. The half-day version runs from 10 am to 2 pm and covers Metekhi, the baths, Narikala and Sololaki. Optional: an hour in a private bath room, and a wine supper from about 7 pm.
Prices
Price per person for a private tour, by the size of your group. Sample prices
| Group size | Per person | Whole group | Half-day option pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo traveller | $190 | $190 | $120 |
| 2 travellers | $110 | $220 | $70 |
| 3-4 travellers | $80 | from $240 | $50 |
| 5-8 travellers | $60 | from $300 | $38 |
| 9-15 travellers | $45 | from $405 | $28 |
Room and children
- Children under 6 free; ages 6-11 pay 50%.
- Prices change with hotel level and season; your quote is final.
Popular add-ons
- Airport pickup and return with luggage kept in the car (1-3 people)$60
- Private sulphur bath room, about 1 hour (per room, up to 4 people)$75
- Wine-tasting supper with five wines and dishes (per person)$55
What's included
- Private guide in your language for the full day (about 7 h) or half day (about 4 h)
- Pickup and drop-off at your central Tbilisi hotel, by car or on foot
- Cable car ticket from Rike Park to Narikala
- Lunch in a local restaurant on the full-day tour
- Bottled water
- Airport pickup and return with luggage storage in the car (add-on)
- Private sulphur bath room (add-on)
- Wine-tasting supper (add-on)
- Drinks at lunch
- Tips for your guide
- Travel insurance with health cover, which every visitor to Georgia must have from 1 January 2026
Good to know
Who it's for
- Travellers with one day in Tbilisi, or a long layover between flights
- Cruise and business visitors who want the essentials with a local, at their own pace
- First-time visitors who want orientation on day one of a longer trip
- Couples and families who prefer a private guide to a big group walk
If you have three days, our Tbilisi City Break covers the city in more depth with food and day-trip time.
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes with good grip for steep, polished cobbles
- A scarf or shawl and clothing that covers knees and shoulders for the churches
- Swimwear only if your bathhouse requires it; private rooms usually do not
- A light layer for the windy ridge at Narikala
- Some lari for snacks and small purchases; cards are widely accepted
- Sioni and other churches may be busy during services; the guide adjusts the order.
- In July and August we start earlier and save the hottest hours for lunch and indoor stops.
- Layover guests need time to pass immigration twice; we plan the day around your flight times.
- Bath rooms and the wine supper are booked ahead, so tell us when you reserve the walk.
Guest reviews
Questions about this tour
Is this tour good for a layover?
Yes, if you have at least 8 hours between flights and can leave the airport. The airport is about 30 minutes from the old town by car. We meet you in arrivals, keep your bags in the car and drop you back about 2.5 hours before your next flight. Check your own visa or entry rules before you book.
How much walking is there?
About 8 km over the day at an easy pace, with many stops. Some Old Town lanes are steep and cobbled, and the walk down from Narikala uses stairs. The cable car saves the steepest climb.
What is a private sulphur bath like?
You rent a room with a hot pool of natural sulphur water, a shower and a changing area, usually for an hour. You can add a traditional scrub. Rooms cost from about 70 GEL (about $26) to over 200 GEL (about $75) an hour in 2026, depending on the bathhouse and room size, and we book it for you.
What happens at the wine supper?
You taste about five Georgian wines, often including amber qvevri wines and a Saperavi, with a spread of dishes such as pkhali, badrijani, khachapuri and mtsvadi. The guide or the bar's sommelier explains each wine.
Can we visit museums too?
Swap Sololaki for the Georgian National Museum's treasury of gold, or add it after the walk. Tell us your interests and we will shape the day.
