(Last Updated on Aug 9, 2024)

Our trip to the Caucasus started in Georgia. Since we’ve already covered the brief history, geography and plan of the trip in our previous blog, we’ll get right into the trip of how we travelled and our arrival in Georgia.

There were 6 of us this time – Nam, Parth, me and our friends who also had a 2.5 year old toddler. We had done a couple of trips in our pre-parent days and this was our first one together with our toddlers. We were excited and terrified at the same time.

Flight and immigration

We started from Bangalore at 10 AM and took a domestic flight (Indigo) to Delhi. There was a terminal change at Delhi (we didn’t have to lug around our bags as it was a direct check-in till Tbilisi) and we boarded our Indigo flight to Tbilisi at 8:30 PM. It was really convenient to have such low cost options to travel internationally. Thanks to the Diner’s Club credit cards, we could have our meals of the day in the lounges at both airports.

It was a smooth flight to Tbilisi and we landed at 12:10 AM local time (1:40 AM India time). The immigration was the fastest we’ve ever had, it took hardly 5 minutes and the officers were really nice  – this was in complete contrast to all the horror stories we’d heard of deportation of Indians from Georgia. So, a really good start to the trip!

It was raining heavily when we landed. We collected our luggage and stepped out. As usual, we converted a minimum amount of USD to GEL (Georgian Lari) and used it to buy SIM cards. There were some 0 commission counters outside the airport terminal and we got exchange rates that were similar to the city. We then got SIM cards from Magti (one of the local companies) – 60 GEL for unlimited internet.

While we were getting the SIM cards configured, a couple of cab guys approached us. It was almost 1 AM and they knew we had limited options. I had downloaded the Bolt taxi app beforehand and was opening that. 

Dodging a scam at 1 AM

The taxi guy said, “I’m also a Bolt driver. Look at the rate card – the minimum fare is 30 lari and then 10 lari per km. So, for your destination it will be 150 lari”. But the app showed 36 lari on my phone and we told him that. He justified it saying that was the minimum fare and we would be charged additional anyway. Apparently he was already giving us a discounted rate because we were bypassing the app. All our travel experience told us that something was fishy here. We politely declined and went ahead with the app booking.

We stepped outside and waited for the car as it continued to rain. Our car, a Ssangyong Ventura, picked us up and we headed towards the city. It continued to drizzle throughout our drive.

As we got closer to Old Tbilisi, we could see that the clouds were hanging really low and the TV Tower on Mtatsminda (which was on a hill right in front of us) was lit up but shrouded in mist. There was a shimmering line leading up to it from the city below – the funicular. It was a beautiful sight!

A rainy adventure in the middle of the night

We were 1 km away from our Airbnb when we saw that the road was blocked. The driver took a deviation and looked for other routes. But everything was blocked. The main road which we had to cross was completely barricaded in preparation for Georgia’s Independence Day. Our driver kept trying other routes and drove an extra 5-6 kms but couldn’t find anything. He started grumbling in Georgian. Finally, he took some narrow streets and got closer to Liberty Square. But even that route was blocked!

I checked Maps and saw that we were 750 m away from our apartment. It was still drizzling but given the situation, the best option was to get down and walk. It was already 2 AM and we wanted to reach asap. We asked him to stop, pulled out our luggage, opened up our umbrellas (we were prepared for the rain) and started walking. Oh and how much was the price of the ride? 36 lari! Not 150, but 36! I felt really good that we dodged that scam. It would have felt awful to have a scam as the first experience in Georgia.

There were tanks and rocket launchers parked on Liberty square ready for the next day’s parade. We shared the load with Ashwin holding both kids under an umbrella and the rest of us with bags. Maps claimed that the walk would be on flat ground but it was uphill all the way. Surprisingly, there were quite a few shops open at this time! We continued our uphill climb as water from the rain kept streaming down. The streets were cobbled like in old European cities. I was enjoying our adventurous start to the trip but I’m quite sure the others weren’t.

We reached our street and quickly identified the gate. Our Airbnb host had shared photos of the gate and the route and steps which we needed to take to reach the apartment. We made our way up the narrow stairs, found the keys and got in. It was 2:30 AM and we had reached our Airbnb after a total travel time of 18 hours.

Day 2

We woke up early at 6 AM. I looked outside the window to see where we were. Our Airbnb was in an old building in a really old part of Tbilisi. There were wooden windows and pillars along the balconies in the neighboring houses which were all wedged together. Our place was recently renovated but we got an authentic Georgian stay experience which we wouldn’t have got in a fancy hotel.

Breakfast walk

At 8 AM, we decided to step outside. It was still drizzling. Holding our umbrellas, we walked out looking for the breakfast place. We had eaten an early dinner in Delhi airport the previous day, so everyone had growling tummies after the 16-hour gap! There were only a few places open at this time and as per our research, we were looking for a place called “Breakfast Is”. It opened at 9 AM and we were right there when they opened. It was nice, warm and cozy – perfect for this kind of weather.

We pretty much ordered everything on the menu – Eggs Benedict, a prosciutto and Straciatella sandwich, French toast, Shakshuka, scrambled eggs, pancakes, omelettes and coffee. The kids went crazy when they saw the food and started stuffing themselves! We quickly followed suit.

Satisfied, we decided to take a short walk. We saw some soldiers marching towards Liberty Square. It was Independence Day and soon, there would be celebrations.

We found a grocery shop and we picked up some fruits and yogurt. We got back to the room – our plan for the day was to rest and explore only the nearby areas within walking distance (check out our entire itinerary in the first blog of this series). It was time to take a nap and then check out the Independence Day celebrations!

We woke up to the sound of planes. I looked out through the window and saw a couple of fighter jets zooming past at close range. The celebrations had begun and we stepped out to take part in them!

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You can read all the Georgia blogs here:

• The Georgia Itinerary – your guide to planning the perfect Georgia trip
• A Rainy 2 AM arrival in Georgia – avoiding scams and a rainy adventure
• Celebrating Independence Day in Tbilisi – a unique experience in Georgia
• Tbilisi Travel – Hidden Gems and Local Experiences
• The Georgian Military Highway – A Georgian road trip
• Discovering Kazbegi – A Travel Guide to Georgia’s northern mountain escape
• The Romantic Towns of Sighnaghi and Telavi – exploring the Kakheti region
• A deep-dive into the Wine Culture of Georgia – Saperavis, Rkatsitelis and Chacha
• An Exciting End – Dirt road, petrol scare and upcoming floods