"Only I close my eyes - before me you get up ... Only I'll open my eyes - I'm swimming over my eyelashes" - so we could confess our love to the ancient, proud, hospitable, free Georgia .It is difficult to determine unambiguously how the Sakartvelo land is so nice to us: hospitality and toasts, the harsh beauty of mountain temples or taverns of old Tbilisi, "Kindzmarauli" or "Suliko", lezginka or simple-minded art Pirosmani .Here we come to drink "Borzhom" and walk around the year-round blooming Batumi, bask in the Black Sea beaches and breathe the eternal beauty of the Caucasian mountains, in the end - just live in Georgian .And when they ask where we've been so long, we'll answer classically: "First at the funeral of Prince Kipiani, then at the christening of Prince Vardiani, then at the restaurant, and then in the Dukhan" .

The capital is Tbilisi.

The main cities are Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi, Zugdidi, Gori, Poti.

Therapeutic and balneological resorts - Borjomi, Akhtala, Sairme, Tskhaltubo, Shovi.

Mountain-skiing resorts - Gudauri, Bakuriani.

For a complete list of Georgian cities and resorts, visit the Cities and Resorts page of Georgia.

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How to get to Georgia

From Moscow Domodedovo in Tbilisi daily departures Georgian Airways and S7. Travel time - 2 hours 40 minutes. On Saturdays, S7 flies from Moscow to Kutaisi. The wings of Georgian Airways can also be directly accessed from Moscow to Batumi. "Ural Airlines" fly to Tbilisi from Yekaterinburg, but residents of Petersburg will have to travel to the Georgian capital with a transfer in Kiev (AeroSvit), Moscow (S7), Baku (Azerbaijan Airlines) or Minsk (Belavia).

Flights from Aerosvit and International Airlines of Ukraine directly fly from Kiev to Tbilisi, and from Belavia from Minsk.

Visa to Georgia

Citizens of Russia to visit Georgia, if the period of stay in the country does not exceed 90 days, a visa is not needed.

Customs

Import and export of foreign currency is allowed without restrictions, the declaration is optional, but recommended .You can export the previously imported currency within a year from the date of entry into Georgia .You can import local currency in an amount not exceeding 25000 GEL, and take out - no more than 3000 GEL, with no more than 4 copies of each denomination banknotes .The customs duty does not impose personal jewelry (they must be declared), goods and personal items with a total weight of up to 100 kg .In addition, the country can import up to 200 cigarettes, up to 3 liters of wine or up to 10 liters of beer .It is prohibited to import weapons and explosives, drugs and narcotic drugs, pornography and any materials capable of offending the state system and moral standards .It is forbidden to take out items of historical and cultural value .

• What are the rules for the import and export of foreign currency to Georgia

Money and currency exchange

You can exchange money at bank branches and exchangers .Working hours of banks - from 9 am to 6 pm, from Monday to Friday, exchange offices work on a flexible schedule, often around the clock .The course in the latter is a little more profitable .There are, of course, street sweepers, but as in all countries, it is better not to exchange the currency from the hands in Georgia - the risk of becoming a victim of fraud is high .With the search for ATM machines, there will be no problems - in Tbilisi they are located, besides banks, in shopping centers, post offices and simply in popular "high-priced" places .You can pay with a "credit card" in hotels, large restaurants and shops, but not everywhere, so it's always worth to have cash with you .In case of unforeseen expenses all over the country, you can receive money via Western Union .

Useful phone numbers

Section of Georgia's interests in the embassy of the Swiss Confederation: Maly Rzhevsky per., 6; tel .: (495) 690-46-57

Section of interests of the Russian Federation in Tbilisi (under the Embassy of Switzerland): Ave I. Chavchavadze, 51; tel .: (32) 291-24-06, 291-24-53; Web site

Info-center for tourists (Tbilisi): (32) 43-67-67

Codes of some cities: Tbilisi - 32, Kutaisi - 331, Batumi - 222, Rustavi - 34, Zugdidi - 315, Gori - 370, Poti - 393, Borjomi - 367, Bakuriani - 367.

Rescuers - 011, police - 022, first aid - 033, reference - 08, 09

Monasteries of Georgia

Batumi

Tbilisi Cathedral

Safety of tourists

In Georgia, a high level of tourist safety: in Tbilisi, you can safely go out after sunset, and traveling around the country also does not bother you, of course, if you follow the standard rules: do not carry large sums with you, do not wear jewelry for a walk and always monitor bag and wallet, especially in the bazaars. Documents and valuables are recommended to be left in the hotel safe.

Drink worth of bottled or boiled water, the benefit of a lack of mineral waters (take at least the famous "Borzhom") in stores in Georgia is not observed.

In conversations, it is better not to touch on the events in South Ossetia in 2008 and the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.

Transport

You can move around the country on minibuses, buses, trains and planes .The most popular means of transport are buses and minibuses connecting almost all the populated areas of Georgia .Georgian minibuses are called "samarhutto", the place of their location is near the city railway station or the market .The destination is usually indicated on the windshield (more often in Georgian), so it makes sense to ask drivers to put you in the right car .However, the "samplugchiki" call passengers with a true Kartvelian fervor, so without attention and help, you definitely will not stay .Marshrutka goes to the road when all the places will be filled, therefore it is better to travel in the morning - in the evening there is a risk to wait for the remaining passengers for a long time, or even not to leave at all .

Buses run on schedule, mainly from 8 am to 6 pm, and the fare in them is slightly lower than in fixed-route taxis. A trip from Tbilisi to Batumi, for example, will cost approximately 15 GEL, and in Tsinandali - at 7 GEL.

By train, you can get from the capital to Ozurgeti (10 hours, 6 GEL), Kutaisi (6 hours, 5 GEL), Zugdidi (8, 5 hours, 6 GEL), Gori (1 hour, 4 GEL), Poti (5, 5 h) and other cities in the country.

Georgian Airways daily flies on the route Tbilisi - Batumi. The flight time is 40 minutes, the ticket price is about 40 EUR one way.

City transport Tbilisi is represented by metro, buses and the same shuttles, plying the main streets. The fare is 0, 4-0, 5 GEL. In abundance there are taxis - both official and "private". About payment it is necessary to agree before landing: only in a few taxis there are counters.

Rent a Car

To rent a car you need international rights and a "credit card" .Driver's age must be at least 21 years, driving experience - from 1 year .Traffic rules are standard, most pointers are in Georgian and English .Renting a car is quite expensive: the base model will be asked from 100 USD per day, while insurance is not always included in the price .As an option - you can negotiate with a taxi driver about "buying" his services for a day - it will not only cost less, but will save a lot of effort and nerves on the Georgian roads .

Car rental in Georgia with best price guarantee

The climate of Georgia

In Georgia, there is a subtropical climate in the west and a transition from subtropical to temperate in the east. On the coast of the country, a wet and rather hot summer: the average temperature in July is +24 .. 27 ° C, and mild winter - +4 .. 8 ° C. The farther from the Black Sea, the sharper the climate becomes: to +38 .. 40 ° C in summer and below zero in winter. In January, in a mountainous area, the thermometer can drop to -15 .. 20 ° C. Snow falls here in early November and lasts until the end of March. A significant amount of precipitation is observed throughout the year.

In general, the best time to visit Georgia is May-June and September, when the whole country is warm and sunny, but not too hot. In July-August, you can safely go to the Black Sea coast, where the heat is softened by a breeze and into the mountains.

Before the trip do not forget to get acquainted with the current weather forecast in Georgia.

Hotels in Georgia

Most hotels in Georgia are the so-called "treshki". Many have swimming pools and their own beaches. Prices for accommodation are quite high, from 45 EUR per night. This is slightly higher than in neighboring Armenia, but lower than in Azerbaijan.

Shopping

Shops usually work from 9-10 am to 6-7 pm, many modern Tbilisi shops follow a 12-hour working schedule: from 9 to 21 or from 10 to 22, and supermarkets are often open around the clock. Markets and fairs open from 5-6 am and close shortly after noon.

From Georgia, you can bring national daggers, homespun carpets and rugs, nice gold and silver jewelry with semiprecious stones (both modern and antique), richly decorated wine containers - from glass, clay or horns, national dolls, garments - embroidered shawls , leather shoes, accessories, ceramics and enamel .The most deserving attention deserves delicious souvenirs - Georgian wines and cognacs, grape vodka "chacha", cheeses, spices and aromatic herbs .To fans of naive painting, it makes sense to look into the Tbilisi art galleries - there are a lot of works of "a la Pirosmani", as well as other equally interesting works of contemporary artists .

Kitchen and restaurants

Georgian cuisine is the rare case when one starts not with dishes, but with wine and indispensable toast .As the Georgians say, a fairly decent meal should include at least twenty ornate hymns on a variety of topics - from the health of parents to the notorious coincidence of desires and opportunities .Meals, where the number of toasts does not reach twenty, are not taken seriously and are characterized as "little sat" .Generally speaking, the incredible hospitality and hospitality of the local, the atmosphere of respect and love, reigning at the table - is already half the taste of dishes .The other half - the freshest products and spirits - to the extent that the Georgian feast inevitably comes a time when you can not even cram yourself into a crumb .

All kinds of meat and poultry without exception, a fantastic variety of cheeses and dairy products, vegetables, herbs and aromatic herbs plus sauces and an indispensable bottle of wine for every meal - here is a portrait of Georgian cuisine with rough smears .Deep in the details, we mention soup-kharcho and satsivi, dumplings-khinkali and cheese khachapuri, suluguni, vegetable stew "ajabsandali", kebabs "mivadi" and smoked sausages, lobio, chahokhbili, dolma, kutabs and of course sauces: sharp adzhiku, sweet tkemali and satsebeli based on nuts, fruits and greens .The most popular and beloved bread is "mchadi" corn cakes, and in the western region of Megrelia they eat thick corn "gomi" gruel instead of bread .

Wine in the territory of Sakartvelo began to be produced already in the 5th millennium BC. e., and today more than 500 varieties of grapevine are cultivated in Georgia, thanks to which the wines are numerous: the red Saperavi, Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli, Mukuzani, Akhasheni, Teliani, white Kakheti , "Tsinandali", "Tbilisuri". Of strong drinks, grape vodka "chacha" is known, and from not strong - a lot of varieties of local beer.

And of course, it's worth to try a real Georgian mineral water: Borjomi, Nabeglavi and many less famous but no less tasty brands.

"Tipping" rules generally are not present: for good service it is possible to leave 5-10% from the sum of the account or simply not to take change. In rare institutions tipping is included in the bill.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Georgia

The sights of Georgia are a lot of ancient temples, churches and fortresses, karst caves and rock towns, palaces of Georgian kings and original villages of Upper Svaneti, national parks and monasteries.

The main sights of Tbilisi are majestic cathedrals and churches: the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Metekhi Church, the Narikala Fortress on the banks of the Kura, Anchiskhati - the oldest cathedral of the capital, built in the 6th century, the Jvarismmam Church (16th c.), Zemo Betlomi Cathedral (Christmas), built in 18th c., Kvashveti church, as well as monuments of Catholic architecture: St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Baroque style and the Church of Our Lady .The historical center of Tbilisi - narrow streets with houses of the 18-19th centuries, bathed in an inexpressible and unique Tbilisi atmosphere .And in the vicinity of the capital is worth visiting the ancient city of Mtskheta, formerly the capital of the Georgian kingdom, and the monastery of Jvari .

Among the Georgian castles and fortresses, first of all we will note the magnificent Harzvisi (12th c), the fortified settlement of Sighnaghi hovering over the picturesque Alazani valley, the fortress of Gonio, the monastery of Gelati, the first mention of which can be found in Roman annals, the watchtowers of Mestia, Tmogvi - a miniature fortress , clinging to an almost sheer rock, defensive structures in the town of Dmanisi, the fortified village of Shatili, near the border with Russia.

The cave constructions of Georgia are famous - the rock monastery of Vardzia, founded by Queen Tamara in 12th century to protect against Mongolian raids. Some parts of the ancient irrigation system still operate here. The rock monastery David Garedja was built in the 6th century, it was expanded several times in the 9th and 12th centuries, here you can see unique frescoes. The cave town of Uplistsikhe is one of the first human settlements on the territory of Georgia. It has preserved the remains of religious and secular buildings erected over several millennia.

Fans of speleology and everything mysterious will be interested in the natural karst caves of Sataplia and Tskaltubo, stretching for many tens of kilometers and interspersed by underground rivers, lakes and grottoes.

• What is in Georgia

Photos of Georgia (144)