Tbilisi - the "Rome of the Caucasas"

10 June 2022

Strolling the streets of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, you sense that the pace of change is as rapid as the current of the Mtkvari river that charges through the gorge below the Old Town. Crooked timber town-houses with quaint glazed balconies stand a few streets from glittering shopping malls. In the street market on the Dry Bridge, you can still buy Soviet era lapel badges for a few lari.

The Instagrammable Old Town is made for meandering with its maze of squares and narrow lanes lined with pretty wooden houses, bohemian bars, inviting cafes, ancient stone churches – such as Sioni Cathedral and the sixth-century Anchiskhati Basilica – and shops selling colourful rugs.

It’s all overlooked by the Kartlis Deda (Mother Georgia) monument, erected in 1958 to mark the city’s 1500th anniversary, and the Narikala Fortress, which has kept watch over Tbilisi since the 4th century and can be reached by cable car from Rike Park.

We checked out the eye-catching, love-it-or-hate-it Peace Bridge – a wavy pedestrians-only glass-and-steel structure by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi. It opened in 2010 and stands in stark contrast to the rest of old Tbilisi. The bridge links the west side of the Mtkvari River with flower-filled Rike Park, whose northern end features a concert hall and exhibition centre designed by another Italian, Massmiliano Fukas. Rustaveli – Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare – is home to big names such as Max Mara but we preferred the Flea Market on Dry Bridge (officially called the Saarbruecken Bridge) near Dedaena Park. Locals, many of whom lived under Soviet rule, flog everything from busts of Lenin and military medals to dusty Dean Martin albums.

We couldn’t leave town without a taste of cha cha, the local tipple: a grape brandy produced from winemaking leftovers. Despite containing between 45 and 60 per cent alcohol, the Georgians manage to knock it back like water.

Insider Tip: For a panoramic view from the other side of the city, you can also check out the Tsminda Sameba (holy Trinity) Russian Orthodox Cathedral on the left bank of the river. It is also close to the President of Georgia's white house residence