Old Tbilisi
The oldest part of the Georgian capital, a tangle of lanes, carved wooden balconies and church domes along the Kura below Narikala fortress. It was an official district only from 2007 to 2013, but everyone still uses the name, with no exact edges.
- Where
- Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 41.6928, 44.8064
Get the Old Tbilisi stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Old Tbilisi. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Tbilisi volume with your photos and a note.
Near Old Tbilisi
Bridge of Peace 0.2 km
A bow shaped footbridge of steel and glass over the Kura, linking Rike Park with the old town. Opened in 2010 and designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, it is lit after dark by thousands of LEDs and has quickly become one of the most recognised sights in the capital.
Sioni Cathedral 0.2 km
A cathedral of the Dormition in the old town, named, in an old Georgian custom, after Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It keeps the grapevine cross said to have been carried by St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia.
Anchiskhati Basilica 0.3 km
The oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, a modest stone basilica of St Mary dating from the 6th century. It sits in the old town and still belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church, its name taken from an icon brought here from the monastery of Anchi.
Rike Park 0.3 km
A modern park on the left bank of the Kura, joined to the old town by the glass Bridge of Peace. Its lawns and fountains face the old quarter across the river, and the cable car that rises to Narikala fortress starts here.
Metekhi Church 0.5 km
A stone church on the Metekhi cliff, on the left bank of the Kura facing the old town. Most of what stands was built between 1278 and 1289 under King Demetrius II, though tradition traces a church here back to the 5th century. A statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali on horseback stands beside it.
Kartlis Deda 0.5 km
An aluminium figure of a woman standing on the Sololaki ridge above the old town, put up in 1958. She holds a bowl of wine in one hand for those who come as friends and a sword in the other for those who come as enemies.
Narikala Fortress 0.6 km
An ancient fortress of two walled sections on the steep ridge above Tbilisi and the Kura, between the sulphur baths and the botanical garden. Inside stands St Nicholas church, rebuilt in 1996 and 1997 on the site of a 13th century one lost to fire, its walls painted with scenes from the Bible and Georgian history.
Georgian National Museum 0.6 km
A network formed in 2004 that brings the country's leading museums under one roof. Its main building on Rustaveli Avenue holds the archaeological treasury, where the gold jewellery of ancient Colchis is the thing most people come to see.
More hidden gems in Tbilisi
Questions
Where is Old Tbilisi?
Old Tbilisi is in Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Bridge of Peace (0.2 km), Sioni Cathedral (0.2 km), Anchiskhati Basilica (0.3 km).
How do I get the Old Tbilisi stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Old Tbilisi and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Tbilisi volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Old Tbilisi before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Tbilisi volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.