Things to Do Alone in Tbilisi

Tbilisi is easy to do alone because so much of it is built around hot water, hills and open-air browsing: a bath district, a bridge lined with art and curios, and two ways to ride up to a viewpoint. The Georgian National Tourism Administration even runs a guide for solo travellers. Start with the market, add the baths, then use the evenings for a theatre square, a wine bar or an opera seat.

Start at the Dry Bridge

The Dry Bridge links Saarbruecken Square and 9 April Garden. The Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel) describes the Artists' Garden on the bridge as an open-air art market with modern paintings, graphics, sculpture, pottery, embroidery and felt work, plus a flea market nearby selling antiques, tapes, books, medals and coins. It lists simple paintings from 20 to 30 GEL, and says the garden is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 (georgia.travel on the Painters Market). Another georgia.travel page lists the flea market as open from 12:00 to 17:00, so the hours conflict: arrive after noon and check on the day.

This is the easiest solo outing in the city: nobody expects you to be with anyone, vendors like to talk, and you can walk the whole bridge once before deciding on anything. The tourism site recommends carrying a little cash for the flea markets (travel tips). It also says the Dry Bridge vendors "sell you stories as well as their goodies".

Warm water in Abanotubani

Abanotubani means "bath neighbourhood" and sits on the banks of the Mtkvari River in Old Tbilisi. georgia.travel names Chreli Abano (the Colourful Bath, in place since the 17th century), Bath No. 5 with its mosaics, King Erekle's Bath, the Bohema Bath and Gulo's Bath, as well as several public baths (sulfur baths). Its travel tips call a bath visit a top priority "especially when seeking to warm up in the cooler months". Bath attendants are part of the experience, so you are not on your own for the practical parts.

From the baths, a steep climb leads to the Tbilisi Botanical Garden, whose main gates are at Botanikuri Street 1 and which has been a botanical garden for 180 years (short tour of Old Tbilisi).

Two ways up the hills

Narikala and the Mother of Georgia. Narikala Fortress and the 20-metre aluminium Kartlis Deda statue share Sololaki Hill. You can walk up, or take the cable car from Rike Park for a gentler ascent; on a clear day the view reaches the Caucasus (Kartlis Deda). The Tbilisi Transport Company lists the cable car among its services on its tariffs page (TTC).

Mtatsminda Park. The funicular's lower station is at Daniel Chonkadze Street 22 and the ride takes about three minutes. Up top, georgia.travel says you can lay a blanket on the grassy spots, and a path runs from the park to Turtle Lake (Mtatsminda Park). The Open Air Museum of Ethnography, with houses and craftwork from Georgia's regions, is in the hills near Turtle Lake (things to do in Tbilisi). The Georgian National Museum lists it among its museums (museum.ge).

Museums, theatre and the avenue

Rustaveli Avenue is the 1.5-kilometre main thoroughfare. georgia.travel lists the Opera House, the National Gallery, Rustaveli Theatre, the Modern Art Museum and the National Library along it, with cafes and tree-lined squares in between (Tbilisi). It works as a no-plan afternoon: walk it end to end, step into one building.

The Georgian National Museum says its exhibition halls are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays and official holidays, with the last visitor admitted at 17:30. Tickets are sold at the desk and you do not need to book (hours, tickets). A museum is among the gentlest solo outings; see Solo Era's museum guide.

In the evening, the Tbilisi Zakaria Paliashvili Opera and Ballet State Theatre publishes its programme on its own site (opera.ge). An opera seat is a solo-friendly format: you sit, you listen, nobody needs you to talk.

For something smaller, the square outside Gabriadze's Marionette Theatre in Old Tbilisi has a puppet presentation called The Circle of Life every day at 12:00 and 19:00, with coffee in the air (Tbilisi).

Eating and wine, one at a time

Georgia's tourism site names khachapuri (cheese bread) and khinkali (dumplings) as mainstays and says a supra, the Georgian feast, is an experience in itself (travel tips). Ordering one dish and a glass is a natural solo move; for more tips, read how to eat alone in public.

Wine has an official backstory: georgia.travel says Georgia has an 8,000-year winemaking tradition and that the qvevri, the clay vessel used for it, is on UNESCO's list (Georgian wine). The same travel tips say Tbilisi has "countless excellent wine bars", so a counter seat and a tasting is an easy start.

At a shared table, the tourism site describes a tamada (toastmaster) who leads toasts, and says it is considered impolite to sip before the first one. It also says to ask before taking pictures inside churches (etiquette).

First solo outings

1. Easy: walk the Dry Bridge and Artists' Garden, and talk to one vendor about a piece.
2. Medium: take the Rike Park cable car to Narikala, then walk down through the old streets to Abanotubani.
3. Bold: book a bath visit, then sit at a wine bar counter and order a tasting.

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Try the Solo Era mission "Spend a morning at a flea market on your own and buy one thing." (everyday, level 2): walk the whole market once before you decide, then buy exactly one thing you actually want. The Dry Bridge is a fit. Solo Era is an iPhone app for practising things alone, one small mission at a time. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

Getting around

The tourism site says the metro and buses cover the city, and that Bolt and Yandex are widely used taxi apps; if you hail a cab in the street, agree the fare first (travel tips). The Tbilisi Transport Company's tariffs page lists a Metromoney card (TTC). For other cities in the region, see Yerevan, Istanbul and the full cities hub. Planning a first trip? Read first solo trip tips.

Conditions change. Before you travel, check your government's official advice: UK, Canada or Australia.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)

• georgia.travel: Tbilisi
• georgia.travel: a solo traveller's guide
• georgia.travel: things to do in Tbilisi
• georgia.travel: travel tips for exploring Tbilisi
• georgia.travel: Painters Market
• georgia.travel: Tbilisi sulfur baths
• georgia.travel: Kartlis Deda
• georgia.travel: Mtatsminda Park
• georgia.travel: a short tour through Old Tbilisi
• georgia.travel: Georgian wine
• Georgian National Museum: museums
• Georgian National Museum: opening hours
• Georgian National Museum: tickets
• Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre
• Tbilisi Transport Company: tariffs
• GOV.UK: Georgia travel advice
• Government of Canada: Georgia travel advice
• Smartraveller: Georgia

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.