Tbilisi

Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, sits on the banks of the Mtkvari River and has long been a vibrant cosmopolitan centre straddling the Silk Road at the point where Europe merges into Asia. The city has undergone a renaissance since its emergence from behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1990s. It is now a centre for cool, cutting-edge design and urban chic with an exciting restaurant scene.

A city of two distinct parts, Tbilisi’s charming Asian-style old town known as the ‘Kala‘ is characterised by narrow winding streets, brightly painted multi-storied houses, ornate wooden balconies, and stained-glass windows overlooking courtyards, and is sharply juxtaposed with the planned European-style city built by the Russians in the 19th century. Dominating Tbilisi are the towers and crenellated walls of the medieval Narikala Fortress and the 20m high aluminium statue of Mother Georgia.

A cable car ride up from Rikhe Park is the easiest way to reach this excellent viewpoint and also affords a bird’s eye view over the old town as you ascend. High above the cliffs on the left bank of the Mtkvari River is the much-revered 13th-century Metekhi Church – nearby where the notorious Bolshevik Beira once had his offices. Below, the controversial ultra-modern Peace Bridge spans the Mtkvari to the right bank, where churches, mosques and synagogues sit cheek by jowl – testimony to the religious tolerance that has long existed in Georgia.

A walking tour through the Kala will reveal the Tbilisi of yesteryear and will pass the city’s traditional bathhouses, charming wooden buildings, and churches – including the famed Sioni Cathedral. Liberty Square, with its great pillar topped by a gilded statue of St. George, marks the start of the attractive and orderly 19th century Tbilisi with its stately Rustaveli Avenue and a plethora of international luxury boutiques. Tbilisi’s National Museum and Art Museum house many national treasures worth exploring, along with the vast and recently consecrated Trinity Cathedral – the largest religious building in the southern Caucasus.