​Researching for places to go while in Tbilisi? Wondering if its worth it to take a day trip to Mtskheta? Day tripping from Tbilisi is easy enough. You can either book/take a group tour, which we think is budget friendly or hire a private driver/taxi. The key is bargaining when hiring private drivers. 

Mtskheta is considered to be one of the holiest Christian sites for the Orthodox Church and is also known to be Georgia's capital. To get the best view, we drove up to Jvari Monastery. Sweeping views of the Caucasus Mountains, the river and the old town dotted by the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral will take your breath away. 

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the main attraction while visiting Mtskheta. One interesting fact, Georgians claim that the robe that Jesus wore during crucifixion was buried underneath the Cathedral. It is believed that the robe was brought to Mtskheta from Jerusalem. Our tour guide also mentioned that it is also a burial place for Georgian kings. 

Before going to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, you will pass by the Georgian Yard. It's a place wherein you can buy souvenirs, get Georgian crafts, eat Georgian cuisine, drink wine and buy it from a wine shop. It is built solely to attract tourist. Sadly, you have to pass by this tourist trap to see the enormous and impressive Cathedral. ​

On the left, view of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral from Jvari Monastery.

Jvari Monastery

On the right, is the Georgian Yard

​Our verdict: if you have more days to spare in Georgia, by all means, visit Mtskheta. Since we only planned to be in Georgia for a few days, in our opinion, we could have skipped this place. Instead, we could have visited other rural and small villages of Georgia. 

Social media, cheaper flights, traveling millennials, digital nomads paved the way for the rise in global tourism. In the past few years, global tourism has been steadily growing. Let's face it; nowadays tourism is a big business! The economics of supply and demand is playing a significant role in the Tourism Industry. Yes, one can argue that tourism is good for the country and local businesses, but in doing so, there's a potential risk and to what extent does a country/city have to endure to preserve the genuineness and authenticity of a place? 

The Caucasus Region, its unheard of to some, but for adventure seekers looking for the next great destination, it's the new "it" thing. Georgia, yes the country and not the state in America. Georgia, a small nation located on the cusp of Europe and Asia. It has a rich history and culture dating back to 4th century BC: from alluring monasteries to fairytale-like villages, from cave settlements to natural wonders. The country has landscapes catering to adventure seekers, hikers, photographers and travelers of any kind. Beautiful is an understatement, cliche, but true. On the other hand, Tbilisi, the capital, is in with the new and out with the old. Tbilisi has undergone a tremendous change in gentrifying the city, especially the Old Town. Around the city, new construction and ultra modern architecture dotted the city's emerging skyline. That being said, has Tbilisi truly lost its soul? 

For us, we think we are a little too late in seeing this "off the beaten path" destination. The undiscovered has now been discovered. As you meander through the streets, you are inundated with money exchange booths, tour companies, souvenir shops, taxi drivers promoting their services. Left and right, restaurants advertise traditional food but obviously catering to tourists. Restaurants hosts approach tourists to entice them to eat at their restaurant. Taxi drivers and tour agencies have nudged us more than three times with business cards and flyers. Some of the old buildings are completely renovated to cater to new shops, restaurants, hotels and modern style architecture. On the other hand, other buildings are even completely neglected. The city has remnants of decay, rubble and deterioration. The surrounding neighborhoods is slowly being transformed to cater the demand and needs of tourists, not the local population. Truth be told, as hard as it is to hear, Tbilisi is now a tourist trap. The once not so well-known gem is gone. The city is now a poster child of a soul-less town and has joined the ranks of Cancun, Taj Mahal, and the like. 

Before visiting, we have seen a lot more favorable and glaring reviews from travelers about this city. After days of research, we decided to go with huge expectations, but sadly, it did not live up to the hype. Even if Tbilisi is not as crowded as Italy's Cinque Terre or New York's Times Square, it's not as satisfying as the articles painted. At the end of the day, we are happy we went and experienced it first-hand. Undoubtedly, Georgia is breathtaking but only spend a day in Tbilisi and get out of town. You can also skip Mtskheta, a complete reconstruction of an old town solely targeting tourists. Instead, we advice you to visit the other more rural and remote villages of the country. 

It's heartbreaking when cities give in to capitalism and lose its quintessence. Arguably Tbilisi needs tourists to boost their economy, but we hope that the government and private owners do its due diligence in preserving the essence of the Old Town. Perhaps five years from now, Tbilisi will entirely succumb to this change and turn to a fully gentrified town. You would think, a less known city would not be as romanticized as Paris, but you have to approach Tbilisi with your glass half full. ​

​Since we are living in Israel, we wanted to find a location that was less than a 3 three hour flight, so the Caucasus Region was a natural choice. Georgia is just a 2 hour and a half flight from Tel Aviv (Note: El Al and Georgian Airways fly directly to and from Ben Gurion International Airport). The gateway to Georgia is its capital, Tbilisi.

​Here are some tips when you want to visit Georgia. 

​From the airport, you can catch a taxi to your hotel. It is important to know to NOT use the green and white airport taxi. This limousine/airport taxi will charge you a ton of money for your airport transfer. Typically, taxi drivers will charge you anywhere from 15 to 25 GEL to get in and out of the airport. Learn from our mistake! Overpaying for taxi ruined our first day of vacation. 

​The city is easily navigable by foot. We did not try to use public transportation except for the city taxis. Taxi in Tbilisi is relatively cheap. Georgia is also named to be the 6th safest country in the world, so no need to worry about your safety.

Georgia is visa free for citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and other European countries. For more information, see here and you can check if you need visa to enter the country here.

We stayed at Shota Rustaveli Boutique Hotel. The hotel's central location is just a short walk to Freedom Square and the Old Town. The hotel is newly constructed and affordable. This modern and stylish hotel is more than what you can ask for with its price tag, from cleanliness, comfort, down to warm and excellent customer service by the hotel staff.  (Note: This is not a paid ad for Shota Rustaveli Boutique Hotel)

Georgia offers free sim card to tourists. We are so happy about this, and we were able to use the internet while traveling around Georgia (even on top of the mountains). You can get your free sim card at the airport as soon as you exit the claim area. You can also get your sim card at any Tour Company in Tbilisi. You have to load money on the sim card to be able to access the internet. You can purchase this at any PayBox around Tbilisi. Just follow the instructions on your sim card to activate it. For 5-7 GEL, you can get 500mb worth of internet. For a small amount of money, we were able to use Google Maps and research quickly where we want to eat. The price we paid was worth it since the signal the entire time (they have 4G) we were in Georgia was great, and the internet speed is good. 

​The best view of the city is just a cable ride away! You can find the cable car opposite the Old Town, near the Bridge of Peace. We were able to see sweeping views of the city, Narikala Fortress and Mother of Georgia at the top. We had fun taking photos of the city's remarkable buildings.

On the other hand, you can also go to Mtatsminda Park to see a more spectacular view of the city. We were able to find our way to the funicular railway that takes you up to the park. Sadly, the funicular did not work while we were there. We waited for a good 45 minutes so we can catch the golden hour at the amusement park, but unfortunately, we weren't able to do it. 

​As pictured above, this is Tbilisi's famous Sulphur Baths. The name Tbilisi comes from the Georgian word - warm "თბილი—tbili." It reminded us of the Turkish Bath or hammam. If you are jet lagged or tired from day trips, you can relax here. You can easily book this experience for 40 GEL. (Note: The water is very very HOT so be prepared.)

As you walk around the city, you can see that Tbilisi is modernizing and stepping into the future by building contemporary styled architecture, Bridge of Peace and Tbilisi Public Service Hall as an example. Soviet-era architecture, Art Noveau style apartments, paired with old style wooden buildings with nicely built verandas dotted the city. This contrast makes the city interesting and appealing to visitors. ​The Old Town is your typical Old Town, but its facade is also changing. 

​Of course, we travel to taste good food. When in Georgia, you must try Khinkali and Khachapuri. Khinkali is basically like a soup dumpling with ground meat inside. Khachapuri is the equivalent of a loaded cheese pizza. The cheese, of course, is made in Georgia. Also, try to taste Churchkhela. Churchkhela (pictured on the right-hand side) is a dessert made with nuts, sugar or honey, flour and some grape juice. They usually dry it under the sun for a few days.  

Georgia is well known for its wine and is also one of the oldest wine regions in the world. If you want to visit the wine region in this country, it is located in Kakheti, about 1 hour and a half drive from Tbilisi. 

A lot of travelers are recommended to eat at Tsiskvilli, known to serve the best food in Tbilisi. Us, on the other hand, we ate at Kakhelebi. The restaurant is full of locals, and it's your typical no-frill, just plain and simple joint that will serve you delicious comfort food that will certainly hit the spot. Not to mention this restaurant has very attentive and customer friendly waiters (even if the majority of them don't speak English). It is a 15-minute ride from Tbilisi, about 5-10 GEL taxi ride. Trust us; it's worth it! 

If you have a knack for photography, you will enjoy taking night shots of the city. We certainly did! Even at night, Tbilisi is still bursting with character and bright colors, most especially the stretch of Shota Rustaveli Avenue.

We think 24 hours is enough to see and enjoy Georgia's capital. ​​If you want to take it slow, 48 hours gives you plenty of time to discover what tickles your fancy. 
​
To know more about what we think of Tbilisi, click here. 

DID YOU KNOW? That the Georgian alphabet is one of the world’s remaining unique alphabets.