Georgia is a land filled with magnificent history and unparalleled natural beauty. Archaeologists found the oldest traces of wine production (7000-5000 BC) in Georgia. For those of us in the West, we unfortunately get precious little exposure to this stretch of land between the Black and Caspian seas. However, this is changing drastically.
Georgians are not Russians, Turks or Persians, nor do they have any ethnic connection with other people. However, there are theories which link Georgians to Basque, Corsican and North Caucasian people. Georgia is a multi-ethnic state, the dominant ethnic group are the Kartveli, but other significant Georgian ethnic groups include the Mingreli, Laz, and Svan (all of whom speak Georgian languages distinct from the national language, Kartuli). Georgian language is in its own language group, completely unrelated to Indo-European or Semitic languages. Georgians have been embroiled in struggles against the world_fs biggest empires (Roman, Byzantine, Mongol, Persian, Ottoman, Russian, etc) for centuries. This little country was invaded many times and destroyed as many. However, Georgians have managed to preserve their cultural and traditional identity for 5,000 years. The countryside is covered with ancient towered fortifications, many of which house ancient churches (including one of the oldest in Christendom) and monasteries.
Christianity was introduced into Georgia in the first century, and became the official national state religion in the mid fourth century (Georgia was the second nation to adopt Christianity, after Armenia) with the evangelism of St Nino of Capadoccia. The Georgian cross is recognizable, for it was forged by St Nino with grape vines and her own hair. The grape and the vine thus hold important places in Georgian symbolism.
The conversion to Christianity meant that Georgians would have a historical cultural leaning to the West instead of the with the Muslims in the region (Turkey and Persia to the South). Nonetheless, Georgian culture stands at the cross-roads of civilizations. Its culture and traditions are the product of the influence of its neighbors and of its own unique civilization.
During the Soviet era, Georgia was the "Riviera of the Soviet Union" and was renowned for its cuisine and wine. Russians may love vodka, but the Georgian wines were favoured by the Soviet elite. During Soviet era, Georgia flooded Russian markets with high quality tea, wine and fruits. The Georgian Black Sea coast, in particular (Abkhazia and Adjaria), enjoys sub-tropical conditions and beautiful beaches (imagine pine trees and mountains covering the coast line).
Georgia, on the periphery of the Soviet Union, also contributed greatly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union with nationalist calls for independence (and the Georgians have catalyzed the dissolution of empires before). Georgia stood on one of the key routes of the Silk Road and now plays a significant geopolitical role, being located at the crossroads of Central Asia, Russia, Europe, and the Middle East, and currently contains important oil pipelines leading from Azerbaijan to the Turkish Mediterranean coast.
This proud nation is still in transition after the fall of the Soviet Union. Tense relations with Russia (and deepening friendship with the USA and the EU) has led Russia to close its markets to Georgian exports, devastating the Georgian economy.
Imagine cities with narrow side streets filled with leaning houses, overstretched balconies, mangled and twisted stairways, majestic old churches, heavenly food and warm and welcoming people. All of this with a backdrop of magnificent snow peaked mountains, and the best beaches of the Black Sea.
The Georgians have exceptionally strong traditions of hospitality, chivalry, and codes of personal honour. They believe that guests come from God. Friendship is prized highest among all the virtues. It is celebrated in Shota Rustaveli's 12th century national epic, ''The Knight in the Tiger's Skin'' ("??????????????" or "''Vepkhistqaosani''"), in which a person's worth is judged the depth of his friendships. The Georgians are proud, passionate, and fiercely individualistic, yet deeply connected with each other by a shared sense of belonging to a greater Georgian family. Women are highly esteemed in society and are accorded a chivalric respect. The statue of Mother of Georgia (kartlis deda) that stands in the hills above Tbilisi perhaps best symbolizes the national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine with which she greets her friends and in her right is a sword drawn against her enemies.
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Citizens of some other countries can apply for an "urgent entry visa" upon arrival at Tbilisi airport (35 USD cash).
See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website [http://www.mfa.gov.ge/?sec_id=66&lang_id=ENG] for more information.
May 26, 2007 saw the reopening of the airport in Batumi. Turkish Airlines [http://www.thy.com] flights run every day between Batumi and Istanbul. Other destinations serviced by the Batumi airport include Kharkov and Kiev. The Batumi airport is located about 10km south of the city center and is accessible by marshrutka and taxi.
Georgian Airways resumed flights to Moscow. The flights will be operated daily (at 18:30). (Besides Moscow regular flights will be launched to Saint Petersburg and Sochi).
There are direct bus services from Istanbul, Turkey, which stop at various places on the route and terminate in Tbilisi. There are also several non-stop bus services between Tbilisi and Baku, Azerbaijan.
There are many minibuses (sing. marshrutka; pl. marshrutki) that operate international routes to and from cities and large towns in Georgia. Minibuses run between Georgia and Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Iraq. In Tbilisi, these routes usually originate and terminate at bus stations and the Didube market. Outside Tbilisi, minibus routes may stop at either bus stations or central locations (town squares).
There are train services from Baku, Azerbaijan which stop at various places on the route and terminate in Tbilisi. Note that the "BP train" has been canceled. Construction of railroad linking the Georgian town of Akhalkalaki to the Turkish city of Kars is underway and will be finished sometime in 2009. This will establish a direct link from Tbilisi to Istanbul and farther to Europe.
There are boat services to Batumi and Poti from Istanbul and Odessa. At the time of writing the Turkish Black Sea port of Trabzon was closed to passenger services. Be also aware that Georgian port of Sukhumi is closed for any cargo or passenger boats apart from those with humanitarian purposes. All vessels going to Sukhumi must undergo border check with Georgian coast guard in nearby port of Poti.
Minibuses are locally called marshrutki, and they operate on established routes. After finding out the number of your route, flag down a marshrutka on the street.
There are also minibus lines from city to city. Their routes end usually at bus stations and city markets. Their destination is written in Georgian, on a sign in the front window. Ask marshrutka drivers if you can't find the minibus you are looking for.
There are new Dutch buses operating in Tbilisi. More or less comfortable (they have no air conditioning), they are the cheapest way to go around (for 40 tetri). However, the buses are old and slow in the Georgian countryside and outside Tbilisi.
; '''Alphabet''' : Georgian uses the Mkhedruli alphabet, which is unrelated to both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.
For language fans, Georgian and its related languages are a real treat. For everyone else, they could be a nightmare. Georgian is a Caucasian language which is not in any way related to any languages spoken outside of Georgia. The combination of its formidable consonant clusters and its original alphabet make Georgian a hard language to acquire.
While everyone who visits should attempt to learn at least a few Georgian words, it is possible to get by in most areas with Russian. People most likely to understand Russian include: older generations, non-Georgian citizens (Russians, Armenians, Ossetes, Azeris, etc.), members of the elite (who likely also speak English), and taxi drivers. In rural areas, however, it is often more difficult to find Russian speakers (look for the oldest person around!). The younger generation, largely due to hostility towards Russia, now prefers to study English, but because access to good quality English instruction in province is so low, it is generally not possible to use English to communicate outside of major cities. When in Tbilisi and in need for help, look for younger people; they are more likely to know some English. Finally, signs in Georgia are rarely bilingual (apart from Tbilisi metro) or some stores; however, most road signs are in both the georgian and latin alphabets. Basic knowledge of the Georgian alphabet is very useful to understand road signs, store/restaurant names, and bus destinations. Those traveling without knowledge of Russian or Georgian may have an easier time with a guide.
'''Note:''' Georgian export commodities (especially wine and mineral water) are widely counterfeited in the domestic and CIS market. For example, the Borjomi bottling plant produces roughly one million bottles of Borjomi per year, but there were three million bottles sold in Russia only! To be sure that you are getting the real thing, you will need to buy from the source.
Recent update (Dec 2007): government together with business circles has initiated a wide-scale fight with counterfeit wine and mineral water so the percentage of counterfeit products have almost been eliminated. However when stocking with bottled wine it is best to buy it at large supermarkets which have better control of their procurement compared to smaller stores. Such supermarkets are Goodwill, Big Ben or Populi. Same applies to mineral water.
If you visit Georgia for one week, you would have a great time if you bring $700-$800 USD with you. With this amount you will be able to stay in a good hotel, have wonderful sightseeing tours and eat good food. All other items such as gifts & jewellery might require more. For more details try searching and contacting travel & tourist agencies.
A budget traveler would have little difficulty getting by (and staying very well fed) on less than 150-200$ per week, even in the capital. Allow another 30-50$ for travel and sightseeing. (November 2008)
The cuisine of Georgia is justly famous throughout the region (visitors to Moscow will have noticed the amount of Georgian restaurants). The two "national" dishes are "khachapuri" (A cheese filled bread, it more resembles cheese pie) and khinkali (minced, spiced meat in a dumpling, served in enormous quantities). While the khachapuri comes with every meal (and it's very possible to get tired of this), khinkali is usually reserved for its own separate meal, where Georgian men will down 15 huge dumplings like it's no big deal.
Shashlik, a tasty grilled kebab with onions, is another staple. But this is by no means the end of the list of wonderful dishes, usually flavored with garlic, coriander, walnuts, and dill. A traditional Georgian feast (supra) is truly a sight to behold, with a spread that no group could finish, accompanied by at least 20 toasts set to wine or brandy.
For a quick snack you can try all variety of "pirozhki," pastry stuffed with meat, potatoes, cheese, or other ingredients, usually sold by babushkas in markets and on the side of the street. Be aware of western-style dishes (pizzas, hamburgers etc) though, which are usually a pale copy of their true selves. It is much better to try local food.
The fruit and vegetables here will spoil your taste buds forever—you may not be able to stomach the produce you get at home forever. Whatever it is here—the lack of any processed foods, a special quality to the soil, the fabled tale of God tripping on the Greater Caucasus mountains and dropping his lunch here—the produce is bursting at the seams with flavor. And it's very cheap. Even if you only speak English and stand out as a foreigner like a slug in a spotlight, you can get fruit and vegetables in the market for a mere fraction of what you would pay in, say, Western Europe. Grabbing a quick meal of tomatoes, fresh cheese, puri (bread), and fruit is perhaps the most rewarding meal to be had in the country—and that's saying a lot.
If you can, try and get yourself invited to dinner at someone's home (this is not too difficult in Georgia, owing to their hospitality and general desire to stuff foreign visitors full of all the food they can afford). The food in restaurants is an odd set piece of the same dishes over and over. But Georgian cuisine is far richer, and has an untold number of dishes to try, prepared from scratch with fresh, locally grown products (supermarkets have barely touched this country). Try and get your hands on ajabsandali, a sort of vegetable ratatouille, made differently according to each family's recipe, and which is wonderful.
Imports of Georgian wine and mineral water have been suspended by the Russian government, because of the political tension between the two counties.
Georgian mineral waters have exceptional and interesting tastes - very different from French and Italian varieties. The most famous Georgian mineral waters are Borjomi (??????? bohr-joh-mee) and Nabeglavi (????????? nah-beh-ghlah-vee). But there is a plethora of less well-known springs located in small towns and alongside roads throughout the country that is worth sampling.
Mitrofan Lagidze (?????? lah-ghee-dzeh) is a surname of a very famous Georgian businessman of the 19th century who produced very popular soft drinks in Georgia. Nowadays these waters are called _gthe Lagidze Waters._h Lagidze soft drinks are made only with natural fruit components, without any chemical, artificial sugars or other additives. The most popular flavors are tarragon and cream&chocolate. You can find them bottled in stores.
Outside of Tbilisi (where there are numerous options for 3 star plus accommodation thanks to the NGO presence in the country) western-style hotels have not made much inroads and crumbling Soviet infrastructure remains the mainstays of most hotels. Accordingly, outside the capital private homes are always the cheapest and most enjoyable option. If you can master a little basic Russian, going to the central square or market will probably land you a lovely big bed and some amazingly fresh home-made food for an agreed price.
Update 2008: A number of high-quality luxury hotels have been opened in Batumi. Additionally a popular skiing resort - Gudauri offers trendy accommodation in a Marco Polo hotel.
Georgians are hard-working people in general, but they also like to have enough free time to enjoy life. Work can start at 10AM or 11AM and end at 6-7PM. Georgians like to take an hour lunch break and enjoy their food while socializing with their co-workers. People often take two weeks or a whole month off work to enjoy vacationing with family. It is an attitude in many ways similar to southern Europe and Mediterranean ones. Approaches to punctuality are very relaxed - don't be surprised or offended if your Georgian companions don't show up right on time!
Most of Georgia is safe for travelers. Scammers and thieves do not usually single out tourists, maybe because there are usually not that many tourists in Georgia. Within cities, usual street-smart caution applies.
Corruption, once a big hassle for tourists, has become far less visible since the Rose Revolution. It is now safe and reasonable to trust the Georgian police, as the infamous and corrupt traffic police have been disbanded. (Currently there is no traffic police in Georgia.)
The greatest danger to visitors of Georgia by far is the road traffic. Georgian norms of driving are dominated by a macho, chivalric code that disregards the use of seatbelts and, after dark, headlights. Drivers do not give way to pedestrians, so be very careful when crossing the street.
Things in Tbilisi and the surrounding countryside have calmed down a lot in the last 2 years or so. Although Tbilisi sometimes has been singled out for its (not always deserved) reputation for street crime, mugging is rather a rare phenomenon. However, in the past few years there has been an increase in muggings targeting Westerners in Tbilisi. Usual urban caution should apply -- avoid walking alone after dark while being aware of your surroundings. The safest way to travel around the city after dark is by taxi, which is very affordable. Locals insist that muggings are likely to happen in the suburban, mountainous areas of Tbilisi.
Other crime-related hazards in Tbilisi are the apartment break-ins and carjacking. There is no evidence indicating these crimes would target travelers, but carjackers certainly do target good looking and expensive cars. Pickpocketing and purse-snatching are also a local nuisance that can be avoided by keeping an eye on one's belongings. This type of crime is especially common on the crowded public transportation.
The available evidence indicates that Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia, suffers from crime rates significantly higher than the national average. It is very important to exercise caution in Kutaisi after dark.
Previous worries of instability in the Georgian northeast, near the border with Chechnya, have subsided, and the Pankisi Gorge is certainly not considered as dangerous a region to visit as Abkhazia or South Ossetia.
Svaneti is perhaps the most romantic and mysterious of all Georgian regions, but its inhabitants, the Svans, have a reputation for fierce independence and distrust of outsiders (as well as legendary hospitality for accepted guests). Travelers should exercise special caution when visiting Svaneti, which is best to see with a local guide.
Tusheti is the most secluded part of the Caucasus range in Georgia. The access is only possible from June to October because of the big quantity of snow. Only few families live there all the year. It remains the most authentic place in Georgia.
It is '''not safe''' to travel to '''Abkhazia''' or '''South Ossetia. ''' These regions are not under the control of the national government and are marked by violence between the Georgian military and separatist militant groups, who since Summer 2008 are backed up by Moscow-controlled Russian troops who are considered to be occupiers by the Tblisi government. The area's high rate of crime/lawlessness is facilitated by the absence of the central government's police and legal jurisdiction. Foreign tourists are known to have been kidnapped in the 2 separatist regions, where you'll have no recourse in case your passport is stolen. If traveling to these areas, it is advisable to '''bring an armed escort'''.
In Georgia, especially in Tbilisi you will be able to find many gyms and fitness centers with swimming pools and brand new training equipment, where you will be able to work out. Facilities include:
Giardia is a common threat to foreign visitors. Contraction is most likely via:
If traveling in small towns (and in the quieter parts of Tbilisi) it is customary to greet almost everyone who passes you with a friendly "Gamarjobat" (Hello). After years of isolation followed by war and economic turmoil foreigners are still regarded with undisguised curiosity and a casual greeting in the street could land you in the middle of the best dinner party of your life.
It is a very ingrained and idiosyncratic characteristic of Georgian hospitality that Georgians wish nothing more than to hear that foreigners are enjoying their experience in Georgia. Expect to be asked whether you enjoy Georgia and its cuisine. And it is expected that you respectfully reply in the affirmative. Otherwise your "hosts" will look terribly dejected as if expressing a feeling of collective failure to show visitors enough hospitality.
Dress conservatively when visiting churches. Shorts are not recommended. For women, head covering and dress or skirt are usually required; in some places, these are provided.
DSL is available in Georgia.
Internet cafes are common and cheap. Some places offer free WLAN to their customers. The places I know of are Cafe Nikala on Rustavelis Gamziris, and the Fashion TV Bar, also on Rustaveli.