Turtle Lake
A small lake in the wooded hills at the edge of Tbilisi, its name a straight translation of the Georgian Kus Tba. A cable car runs up to it from Vake Park, and locals come for walks and a swim on summer days.
- Where
- Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 41.7003, 44.7542
Get the Turtle Lake stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Turtle Lake. 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 Turtle Lake
Mtatsminda Park 2.3 km
An amusement park on top of Mount Mtatsminda, high above the city. A funicular climbs up to it, and its rides include a roller coaster, water slides and a big Ferris wheel set right at the edge of the mountain, with all of Tbilisi spread out below.
Rustaveli Avenue 3.7 km
The central avenue of Tbilisi, once Golovin Street and now named after Shota Rustaveli, the medieval poet. It is the city's grand boulevard, lined with plane trees, the opera house, theatres and museums.
Georgian National Museum 3.9 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.
Anchiskhati Basilica 4.4 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.
Kartlis Deda 4.4 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.
Old Tbilisi 4.4 km
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.
Sioni Cathedral 4.5 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.
Bridge of Peace 4.6 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.
More hidden gems in Tbilisi
Questions
Where is Turtle Lake?
Turtle Lake is in Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Mtatsminda Park (2.3 km), Rustaveli Avenue (3.7 km), Georgian National Museum (3.9 km).
How do I get the Turtle Lake stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Turtle Lake 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 Turtle Lake 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.