A bit of a mix between Berlin and Belgrade, Tbilisi is home to contradictory buildings that persist from the city's different occupants, eras and ideologies. A day spent wandering the streets of the capital is well rewarded, especially in the city's bohemian districts. Here are the neighborhoods that you must visit if you have the opportunity.
Abanotubani (old town)
The historic center of Georgia is built on a hill, resulting in a multi-level community that boasts both beautiful Persian-influenced carved wooden balconies and excellent sulfur baths. There are several baths clustered at the base of the old town, but having a bath and getting a kisa (an extensive scrub from a bath worker) at Chreli Abano is paradise after a day of walking around the city. You can book a private room for yourself or your friends, soak naked or in a bathing suit, and also order alcohol and snacks in your room.
Shared rooms are available, or private rooms start at about 17 $ per hour for one to two people, with prices increasing depending on the number of people and additional amenities. Because this is the most touristy area of Tbilisi, it makes a good base if you plan to do a lot of sightseeing during your travel Europe It is a meeting place for many group excursions.
Avlabara
Avlabara is the historically Armenian neighborhood of Tbilisi, located along the left bank of the Mtkvari River, and is a great place to spend an afternoon if you want to connect some dots between events in Georgia's complex history. The church of Metekhi, which dates back to between the fifth and thirteenth centuries, was built to look like an extension of the cliff on which it is perched, overlooking the old city.
Legend has it that this is the church of King Vakhtang, who founded the city - if true, he could not have foreseen its later uses as a Russian prison, execution site by the Soviet Union and storage space for the national museum. Art collection. The magnificent Georgian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is also in the neighborhood,
Vera
If you want to see beautiful Tbilisian architecture, head to the leafy, green streets of Vera: a formerly residential neighborhood, its 19th-century facades will keep your phone's camera app constantly raised. It's bohemian and quaint, with characterful cafes and stores, as well as the opportunity to catch some shade in Vera Park.
Rooms Hotel, with its vintage bohemian style, has been a go-to place to stay in this neighborhood since 2014, but Stamba Hotel, connected to Rooms by a shared courtyard, is making waves and was recently named one of the world's greatest places. The same visionary entrepreneur also owns both, and his latest hotspot is a real star, especially if you want a fluid, artsy atmosphere for sleeping, working and playing.
