Tbilisi, Georgia | Private Tour & Local Food
Georgia is the 'hottest' and easiest tourist destination for Filipino passport holders living in the Middle East. If you want to have the European vibe but want to avoid the hassle of applying for a Schengen visa, this is the best place to visit.
If you have a valid residency in any of the GCC and EU countries, or a valid visa of any OECD country,you can enter Georgia with a visa for 90 days. Filipino passport holders who aren't holding any of the above-mentioned, however, may apply online for multiple-entry visa valid up to 4 months with a maximum stay of 90 days. This costs 79USD, for more information click here.
There was no hassle when we arrived at the airport, they just checked our passports and QID. In less than a minute, we passed the immigration.
TRANSPORTATION AND TOURS
My usual planning whenever I am going on a trip is to search for the cheapest way to tour around the country. While I was doing my research in the internet and after asking my friends who'd been to Georgia before, aside from Tbilisi Old Town the other tourist spots are a 2-hr drive from the capital.
There are many options that you can try to travel to different towns, either by train, bus or taxi. This time, I tended to go for the most comfortable way of enjoying the country. I searched for a private car so we could go to different places without struggle. We were a group of four so I thought that booking a private transportation wasn't a bad idea at all. I found David's number online and I read a lot of good reviews about him. The first plan is just to book the 7-seater car with a driver for 120USD per day. I prepared our own itinerary, but eventually we followed the tours that he prepared for us, we trusted that he knew better than us. It was my first time to travel with a guide, as I am a DIY type of traveler, but I had no regrets!
During our stay in Georgia, he took good care of us and made our travel very comfortable. He explained well the history of the places that we visited and he brought us to different restaurants that served authentic local food. There were random restaurants that we passed by during the long drive, some of them were in the center of the town, but he would tell you if the restaurant is too expensive and not worth the price.
If you are looking for a trusted and reliable guide, I highly recommend him. He prefers to do private tours for family & friends rather than the mixed group of traveler. He also has a 3-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartment which is very suitable for family & friends, located in the center of the city.
CONTACT DETAILS
David +995595415167
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DAY 1
On the first day of our trip, our plan is to explore the old town of Tbilisi so I made my own itinerary. We booked David to pick us up in the airport for 25GEL. (Beware of the taxi drivers in the airport, my friends who came before us got scammed and were asked to pay 100GEL.)
We bought a local sim in the airport for 60GEL, that included 24GB of internet and unlimited local calls. But for some reason, we couldn't use the mobile hotspot for this offer. David was kind enough to share his wifihotspot to all of us during the trip.
Transportation in the city is not difficult, to avoid drivers who are taking advantage of the tourist and to conserve your time looking for taxi, you can download Taxifyin your mobile. (minimum rate 4 GEL)
HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL
This is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Tbilisi, which is also the tallest Orthodox Church in all Tbilisi. It took 7 years to build this church and it was recognized as the symbol of "New Georgia." The unique handwritten bible and other sacred items are kept inside the church.
The religion orthodox is very new to me. I've heard about it but I haven't met a person with this religion, so I never had the chance to get to know about their beliefs. They are also Christians, their beliefs are very similar to the Roman Catholic. The only difference is that they don't accept the supremacy of the pope. They also perform the sign of the cross, but we noticed that they do it in a different way. Starting from their forehead, down to the chest then they'll bring it up to their right shoulder crossing to their left shoulder, unlike the Roman Catholics, who do the opposite. It is because they mirror the action of the priest when blessing the people.
BRIDGE OF PEACE
On the top of the hill, you will see the panoramic view of Tbilisi. There are souvenir items here, but the prices are too expensive compared with the old town. If you want to fully enjoy the place, buy one-way ticket for the cable car and you can walk down and enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of nature in Botanical Garden(entrance fee 2GEL). You can take the exit from the garden to the NarikalaFortress, the ancient symbol of Tbilisi's defense. All the way back down to the Tbilisi Old Town, you can pass by or enjoy the Sulfur Bath.
When you enter the Botanical Garden, make sure to ask for the exit to the fortress. Unfortunately, we got exhausted finding the way to Narikalaso we had to climb back up to the entrance of the garden. We ended up taking the cable car going back to the old town.
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| Holy Trinity Cathedral from the Hill top |
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| L-R Botanical Garden, Mother of Georgia Statue, Sulfur Bath |
Our first day was really exhausting as it looks. The sun set at 8:30PM and we had a long day strolling around the city. After the hike and non-stop walking we decided to call it a day, so we cancelled the rest of the plan and agreed to just buy wine and beer from the grocery store, and just chill in the apartment.
WHAT TO EAT IN GEORGIA
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| L-R Beans in the pot, Wine Ice cream with grilled cinnamon cone, Khachapuri Imeruli and Cheburek, Grilled pork, Spinach with Walnut |
There are many good local food to try in Georgia. The price of their food, wine and other alcoholic beverages are very cheap. The average cost of the main course in a good restaurant is 20-40GEL, 10-15GEL for the glass of wine and 5-10GEL for a glass of beer. (1GEL=1.31QAR)
When visiting Georgia, their famous Georgian traditional food is Khachapuri and Khinkali. For me, I didn't find anything special with Khachapuri. The taste is simply bread filled with cheese. The look is better than its taste.
Khinkali is one of my favorite, it is a Georgian dumpling. The taste is similar to Chinese dumpling (Xiao Long Bao). It is filled with meat, either beef or pork with boiled broth inside.
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| Khinkali - 1GEL/piece |
Eggplant roll with Walnut is my most favorite dish in Georgia, a vegan appetizer. It is a simple eggplant with creamy walnut filling. I got addicted to it, I always order it from all the restaurants that we dined in.
Churchkela or most commonly known as Georgian snickers. It is a traditional sausage shaped candy, made of long string of nuts dipped in a concentrated fresh juice. Originally its only grape juice but now they have different flavors like cherry, apple, kiwi, honey etc.
The European vibe is an overwhelming experience for me. All my trips were in Asia, so everything seemed new to me. The locals are also very friendly, not everyone can speak English but they will try their best to accommodate you. This is one of the countries I visited that I'm definitely coming back to and will be exploring more of its places.
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| Top: American Eagle Cuffed Pants: Topshop Slip on: Lacoste Denim Jacket: New Yorker |
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