20 things to know before you travel to Georgia

Georgia, the country which I am from, is still not a widely popular tourist destination. However, I believe that tourism in Georgia will only keep increasing in the years to come. The country is a combination of so many factors that travellers look for: budget friendly, beautiful, and exotic. Yet, it is a country with a lot of strong values and beliefs that every tourist must be aware of before visiting. Therefore, I have compiled a list of 20 things every visitor should know before they travel to Georgia.

1. The origins of the Georgian language

A lot of people are not aware that the spoken language in Georgia is Georgian. It is a very unique language and the Georgian alphabet is one of the 14 unique alphabets in the world. It is good to know this before you go, although most people also speak Russian and English also.

Here are a couple phrases which may be useful to learn:

Hello = გამარჯობა (Gamarjoba)
⁣How are you? = როგორ ხარ? (Rogor xar?)
⁣I am good = კარგად (Kargad)
⁣What is your name? = რა გქვია (Ra gkvia)
⁣Thank you = მადლობა (Madloba)
⁣Please = თუ შეიძლება (Tu Sheidzleba)
⁣Excuse me = უკაცრავად (Ukacravad)
⁣How much is it = რა ღირს? (Ra girs)
⁣Beer = ლუდი (Ludi)
⁣I love you = მიყვარხარ (Mikvarxar)
⁣I don’t speak Georgian well = “ქართული ენა კარგად არ ვიცი” (Qartuli ena kargad ar vici)

2. The currency

The currency in Georgia is called Lari. It is good to know the conversion rates before you travel to Georgia so that you do not get scammed. Here they are below for Pound, Euros and Dollar:

£1 = 4.21 Lari

€1 = 3.80 Lari

$1 = 3.23 Lari

3. The importance of religion

Overall, Georgia is a pretty religious country. If you visit, then you will find many churches all over the country. 83.4% of Georgians are Orthodox Christians, and the remaining 10.7% are Muslim, and a small percentage of 3.9% are Armenian Apostolic.

Ever since Georgia achieved independence in 1991, the church has been a central figure within the Georgian traditions and culture. Today, the older generations are the ones driving the religious core, whereas the younger generations pay less importance to it.

This is good to keep in mind when visiting the local churches. Make sure to bring a headscarf if you are a woman to ensure that you are respecting the local culture.

4. The obsession with food

Georgians love food. In fact we love food so much, that feasts are a part of our culture. But more about the traditions later!

Georgian food is becoming pretty popular around the world. It mostly consists of cheese and meat and tends to be pretty heavy although very delicious.

Here is a basic guide of the main Georgian dishes which you really must try:

Khinkali = these are Georgian dumplings and one of my favourite Georgian foods. They are big dumplings with a mixture of beef and pork mince and delicious soup inside. These are never eaten with a knife and fork, but always with your hands! You first have to drink the soup inside and then proceed with eating the rest.
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Adjarian Khachapuri = this one is the cheeseboat which has been becoming popular everywhere. It is bread shaped like a boat, with cheese and an egg inside. It is eaten by dipping the bread the cheese.
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Imeruli Khachapuri = this is also a type of khachapuri (cheese pizza). It it simply bread with cheese but is made special with the incredible cheese which is found in Georgia.
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Gomi = gomi is another one of my favourites. It is a dish made of corn, and is served hot and usually with cheese. If you like your cheese stretchy, you can put in the cheese when the dish is hot and it will leave you with some cheesy goodness.

And there is so much more!

5. Georgians invented wine

Recently, evidence was found that Georgia was the first ever country in the world to produce wine 8,000 years ago. The tradition of drinking wine is inseparable from our culture and traditions, which involve large gatherings around the table. Is it so ingrained in the culture that I had my first sip of wine at 3 years old!

The Georgian method of making wine involves putting the grape juice into a ‘quevri’ – a huge clay jar, where the wine is kept for 5-6 months before it is drunk. This ferments the wine, making it taste a lot richer. In fact, this method of making wine was added to the UNESCO list of cultural world heritage.

6. The Georgian traditions

Georgia is inseparable from its traditions. If you are planning to travel to Georgia, then you should know a little bit about its traditions.

The one tradition which is integral within the Georgian culture is the ‘supra’. The world ‘supra’ means table, and usually a supra involves a long table with a feast and an assortment of lots of different Georgian foods. And, of course, a lot of wine. The supra always has a ‘tamada’ – the designated person to make toasts. He says a toast every few minutes to anything and everything you can imagine. This keeps everyone on the table drinking! The evening usually also involves the singing of some traditional Georgian songs.

7. A lot of reckless driving

The ways of driving in Georgia are not the safest. Some taxi drivers like to cut in front of other cars and most people do not follow the rules of the road. This is good to be aware of in case you are planning to hire a car when you travel to Georgia.

8. The costs

The costs of travelling in Georgia are mostly very cheap. An average taxi in Tbilisi (the capital) will cost you 5 lari. A night in a hotel or hostel can cost as little as 15 lari. Overall, it is very easy to travel to Georgia on a budget. If you want to know the details, this website offers a more detailed breakdown of the costs in Tbilisi.

9. Places open till late

In Europe, we are used to shops and beauty salons closing at around 9 pm. However, pretty much everything in Georgia stays open until much later in the night.

10. No Uber

Be aware that there is no Uber available in Tbilisi before you plan your trip. The best tip would be to download Yandex Taxi app, which is the equivalent of Uber in Georgia, before you arrive. This app offers the best rates and can avoid the issue of having to carry cash or attempt to communicate with a driver who only speaks Georgian.

11. Know the seasons

Before you travel to Georgia, you will need to research the weather. The climate is very similar to Russia, which means that it gets hot in the summer and cold in winter. I always recommend to visit in the summer so that you can avoid the cold. Summer is also better to visit if you want to go hiking. However, the winter season is also pretty popular as there are opportunities to go skiing.

12. Places to travel within Georgia

Georgia has some amazing places that every traveller must visit. Make sure that you do your research before you visit to know the places you must visit. Here is my list of the Hidden Gems in Georgia to get you started.

13. Georgia is not called Georgia

A fun fact to know about Georgia, is that we do not call it Georgia. It is in fact called Sakartvelo, and the Georgians are referred to as Kartvelebi. So, if you hear this word around, do not be surprised!

14. Hospitality of the Georgian people

Strongly tied in with the traditions of the Georgian culture is the hospitality of the Georgians. When you arrive to the country, you will be welcomed, fed, taken care of and given some wine. This is to do with the fact that in Georgia, we have a saying that “a guest is a gift from God”.

If you have a Georgian friend, consider yourself lucky! You will become part of their family and definitely meet all of their cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all extended family. They will welcome you into their home like you are one of their own and take care of you. Do not feel the need that you need to give anything back. This is just the nature of the Georgian people!

15. Negotiate the prices

The taxi drivers can sometimes scam tourists when they notice that you are not local. Therefore, it is important to be careful of this and avoid getting scammed. A way to avoid this happening is either to order Yandex Taxi or to haggle with taxi drivers. A thing you can say is, ‘will you take me from X to Y for Z lari?’. They will most likely say yes because they do not want to lose a customer.

P.S I am still a little uncomfortable doing this. Once you know the city and the distances well, you can memorise the prices and go by these standards!

16. Know how to eat

Some of the Georgian food usually appears exotic to many visitors. There is a specific way of eating certain foods which you should know.

For example, Khinkali is eaten by drinking all the juice from inside the dumpling and then eating the rest. Most people do not eat the head as it is plain dough.

The adjarian khachapuri, you eat by breaking off the bread that the cheese is in and dipping it into the cheese sauce. You keep going until you have reached the middle and at this point you can use a knife and a fork!

17. Plugs

The plugs in Georgia are the same as everywhere else in Europe. Make sure that you bring a portable charger also if you plan on hiking.

18. Bugs

In summer, especially if you are in nature, there tend to be some grasshoppers and flies around. This is not anything unusual but just something to be aware of. Make sure to take some bug spray just in case if you are travelling in the summer!

19. Public transport

Public transport in Tbilisi and Georgia is generally not very good. However, it is very cheap and the buses and metro are very easy to use since the city is so small.

Personally, I get around the city just fine with taxies, but if you are on a tight budget then the public transport option might be for you.

However, public transport is great to get from one place to another within Georgia. There is a train that goes from Tbilisi to Batumi in around 4 hours, and multiple marshkrutkas (taxi cabs) that go between the capital and other major cities such as Kutaisi. I would say that due to this, it is not worth hiring a car as you get get almost anywhere with public transport.

20. Airports

There are two major airports in Georgia – one in Tbilisi and the other one in Kutaisi. The Tbilisi airport is where most international arrivals and major airlines fly to. The Kutaisi airport is where you will find the more budget airlines, such as Wizz Air. This is great to know if you want to keep your options open and want to travel elsewhere before or after Georgia – Kutaisi airport could be the better option for you!

What did you think? Was this a useful guide? Have you been to Georgia?

If you are planning a trip, you can also check out my guide to Tbilisi here.