Difference between revisions of "Tbilisi"

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'''Tbilisi''' (or Tblisi, Tiflis) is the capital of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and the country's largest city.
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'''Tbilisi''' (or Tblisi) is the capital of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and the country's largest city.
  
The M27 motorway goes through the city.
 
  
<map lat='41.69' lng='44.802' zoom='10' view='3' float='right' />
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== Hitching out ==
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=== Northwest towards [[Gori]], [[Kutaisi]], [[Samtredia]] or North towards [[Gudauri]], [[Russia]], [[Vladikavkaz]] ===
  
== Hitching out ==
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The best way out of Tbilisi depends where you currently are in the city. Basically anywhere along the road north from Tbilisi will work well for hitchhiking. Bus routes are on google maps but marshrutkas are not, so if you haven't learned how to read Georgian yet, you might find it easiest to take a bus to the spot. Not far from Tbilisi, the road splits, with one direction going towards Kutaisi and Batumi and the other way towards Gudauri and Russia.
  
=== Northwest towards [[Gori]], [[Kutaisi]], [[Samtredia]] or North towards [[Russia]], [[Vladikavkaz]] ===
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1. A great hitchhiking spot is about 200 meters after Tbilisi Mall. Look for the hitchwiki sticker on a sign post just before the gas station. There's plenty of space for a car to pull over and everybody driving past that point is going out of the city. It's quite common to encounter other hitchhikers here but even so, it's Georgia, you won't wait long. Several marshrutkas go to Tbilisi Mall and it's even possible to hitchhike there from in the city. Look for marshrutkas 44, 51, 87, 60, 116, 117, or bus 121 to Tbilisi Mall. If you're really in a hurry, taxis to the mall are 10-15 lari from the city center. You can take Marshrutka 121 for example from Didube metro station. Its very easy from all over the city.
  
One hitchhiking point is not far from the ''Didube'' bus station, near the statue of David the Builder on horseback.
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2. Another spot is accessible by bus 14 from the center (Rustaveli metro station, among others). The bus is very slow but also very cheap (50 tetri in 2017). Get off at the stop Agmashenebeli Ave #12 (stop ID 1179), continue walking forward across the big intersection, and hitchhike anywhere. There is still some local traffic at this point but nearly everyone going out of the city also drives by here, so you won't wait long. Make sure not to miss the stop or else the bus will turn around and you'll be faced with the choice to walk quite a ways or run across the quite busy highway (well, sometimes standing in the median of the highway with no clear way to the other side is a good way to get cars to stop for you....your choice).  
  
However, hitchhiking north might be easier if you take a ''marshrutka'' from near Didube metro station towards Mtskheta and tell the driver to let you out when the S1 national road splits off from the Mtshketa road (see photo).
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3. One hitchhiking point is about 2km from the ''Didube'' metro/bus station, near the statue of David the Builder on horseback. This spot is along the same road as the previous two, just closer to the city (meaning you have more taxis and city traffic, but it's very easy to get to Didube from anywhere in the city).  
  
 
[[File:tbilisinorth.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Hitchhikers going north from the turn off the Mtskheta road]]
 
[[File:tbilisinorth.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Hitchhikers going north from the turn off the Mtskheta road]]
  
Another option is to get to Metro Station Sarajishvili and walk over the bridge across the highway to one of the petrol stations (you can see both of them from the bridge) and start hitchhiking from there. Expect some weird looks from the guys who work there, and they might even tell you to get the hell out. Most of them don't speak or understand English which will make it hard to make clear what you're doing. But when you're feeling lucky, go for it! <!-- Doesn't seem illegal, and insensitive, why? {Prino) -->
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4. If you're going to Didube anyways, you can reduce the walking distance to 0 by taking a marshrutka towards Mtskheta and tell the driver to let you out when the S1 national road splits off from the Mtshketa road (see photo). Or take marshrutka 11, which goes all the way from Tsereteli metro station to the end of the city, near where the highway joins the Tbilisi Bypass. Get off at the last stop, by the turn to Jvari monastery. Both of these routes also pass spot #1 (above), so it may be easier to get off there if you don't have GPS and/or don't speak Georgian/Russian (just tell the driver to stop when you're passing the Tbilisi Mall, which you can't miss).
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=== East towards the airport and [[Telavi]] ===
 
=== East towards the airport and [[Telavi]] ===
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Also you can take airport bus from the "Station Square" (main station) and leave it before airport turn (you will see big statue and bridge). Bus turns to the right and if you missed the turn it is no problem, you will walk about 50 m. back to the road.
 
Also you can take airport bus from the "Station Square" (main station) and leave it before airport turn (you will see big statue and bridge). Bus turns to the right and if you missed the turn it is no problem, you will walk about 50 m. back to the road.
  
Second option:
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Second option Take bus 37 towards the Airport. The bus leaves the city and goes east on the Kakheti highway. After some time on the highway the bus will turn right onto Europe Street (the road to the Airport). At the highway intersection there is a big statue on a column on the left window of the bus. Get out at the first stop and walk back to the Kakheti Highway (about 500 metres). You can hitch there or walk for 5 mins to the traffic light and a gas station. This highway is quite busy with cars. Waiting time could be long, because of the volume of traffic, with many cars not going directly east. The further down the Highway you get/walk the better.
Take bus 37 (direction airport) from a station in Rustaveli ave. near Mc Donalds. The bus leaves the city and enters the highway after some time. After some time on the highway the bus driver will turn right (at that point you should see a big statue on a big column on the left window of the bus). Get out at the first stop and walk back to the big road (about 500 metres). you can hitch there or walk for 5 mins to the traffic light and a gas station. Good luck! (waiting time: 3 guys - 20 mins.)
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=== Southeast towards [[Rustavi]], [[Merneuli]], [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] ===
 
=== Southeast towards [[Rustavi]], [[Merneuli]], [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] ===
  
Hitching out towards the South is easy as pie. Hitch from anywhere in the city center or take a Marshrutka to the ''Ortachala'' bus station. You might have to take another short ride to where the roads to Rustavi and Merneuli, Armenia, Azerbaijan split up. Don't listen to anybody who tells you that you cannot hitch out of the city in this direction or out of Merneuli. It's very very easy!
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Take metro till Isani. When you leave the metro cross the street and head right to the south. Follow this road until a big round about after maybe 10 minutes. Cross the street from the right and follow the street which leads over the river with the bride.
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At the traffic light you cross the the street to the left and than to your right side of the traffic, that you reach the beginning of the highway. You see on the right side the green highway sign. There after the crossroad about 100 meters it's possible to stop cars. The street is S4 and don't give the huge sign attention before the bride. You must get a car at the highway next to the river.
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If you are not lucky and get an direct ride after 6 or 7 kilometers there is the first round about which spilts the way to Azerbaijan border to the left (Rustavi) and to the right (Marneuli) to the Armenian border. Both borsercrossings are walkable, you don't need a ride which crosses the borders. To Armenia it is the road S6.  
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== Public transport ==
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=== Southwest towards Manglisi, Tsalka ===
  
Tbilisi has a metro system with two lines. To enter it, you must first buy a smart card from the ticket office (2 Lari as of August 2012) and then load value onto it. Swipe the smart card at the turnstiles. You can also get the 2 Lari deposit back when you hand the card in again, but you need to give back also the receipt that you got from the ticket office. From metro stations one can reach further parts of the city by city buses or ''marshrutkas''.
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Add info pls
  
You can travel by city bus without buying a ticket, but in this case you must be careful. The bus controllers always wear yellow jackets or t-shirts. Buy a ticket when you see them on bus stop (in any case they will not give you a fine if you buy a ticket after their request) or just stand next to the ticket buying machine looking through your pockets until they get out.
 
* they controlled me almost everytime i took the bus but actually they dont pay too much attention to the ticket. just buy one and show them the same all the time. it worked.
 
  
But in Tblisi, you don't necesarily need to rely on public transport. [[User:Damaniacle|Dominic]] has hitchhiked inside the city dozens of times, and rarely waited more than 5 minutes. You just have to wave away the constant stream of taxis pulling in.
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
  
==Sleep==
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{{nomadwiki}}
- Under the big antenna and panoramic wheel there is a very good place for wildcamp, if you get lost following next instructions just take antenna and wheel as point of reference, the place is like 40 metres below them.
 
From Rustaveli metro station (very central indeed), just take the direction of the antenna. The road start beside McDonald's on its left. Continue this road till number 32. more or less, after turn left and follow the stairs. They will lead you up until another car road, and u'll have a little park with benche. There start the jogging path (u can recognize it is very new made) leading you till the spot. going up 10 min walks u will reach a fountain, the path split, on your right (50 m up) you have a perfect spot with also a fountain, on the left (2-300 m up) staying at what joggers said you have another one, more calm but no fountain.
 
  
- Other option is move to Mtskheta, 10 km north, easy to hitch but even a minibus should cost very few. The town is very calm, lots of parks and green areas, best spot 300m on the hill, old cemetery, little church  a great neighborhood and an amazing view. Water there is only in the downside park. Alternatively u can also sleep on the front hill of Jvari monastery. Lots of car go there for tourism, but u will have no water nor shops for food, might ask the monks. Anyway the sight at sunset is completely worthy to go.
 
  
* ''(oct 2012) I slept  under the antenna and had amazing surprises. In the evening I found a group of guys celebrating their birthday, offered me food, wine and lots of good company. In the morning i was woken up by typical georgian men shouting and enjoying their rest after jogging, we had a great time together as well. Though in the night is very peaceful from the early morning u will for sure be wake up by joggers, anyway very good people'' [[User:Fedecicco|Fedecicco]]
 
  
 
{{IsIn|Georgia (country)}}
 
{{IsIn|Georgia (country)}}
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[[Category:E60]]
 
[[Category:E60]]
 
[[Category:E117]]
 
[[Category:E117]]
[[trash:Tbilisi]]
 

Revision as of 07:58, 27 April 2021

Tbilisi (or Tblisi) is the capital of Georgia and the country's largest city.


Hitching out

Northwest towards Gori, Kutaisi, Samtredia or North towards Gudauri, Russia, Vladikavkaz

The best way out of Tbilisi depends where you currently are in the city. Basically anywhere along the road north from Tbilisi will work well for hitchhiking. Bus routes are on google maps but marshrutkas are not, so if you haven't learned how to read Georgian yet, you might find it easiest to take a bus to the spot. Not far from Tbilisi, the road splits, with one direction going towards Kutaisi and Batumi and the other way towards Gudauri and Russia.

1. A great hitchhiking spot is about 200 meters after Tbilisi Mall. Look for the hitchwiki sticker on a sign post just before the gas station. There's plenty of space for a car to pull over and everybody driving past that point is going out of the city. It's quite common to encounter other hitchhikers here but even so, it's Georgia, you won't wait long. Several marshrutkas go to Tbilisi Mall and it's even possible to hitchhike there from in the city. Look for marshrutkas 44, 51, 87, 60, 116, 117, or bus 121 to Tbilisi Mall. If you're really in a hurry, taxis to the mall are 10-15 lari from the city center. You can take Marshrutka 121 for example from Didube metro station. Its very easy from all over the city.

2. Another spot is accessible by bus 14 from the center (Rustaveli metro station, among others). The bus is very slow but also very cheap (50 tetri in 2017). Get off at the stop Agmashenebeli Ave #12 (stop ID 1179), continue walking forward across the big intersection, and hitchhike anywhere. There is still some local traffic at this point but nearly everyone going out of the city also drives by here, so you won't wait long. Make sure not to miss the stop or else the bus will turn around and you'll be faced with the choice to walk quite a ways or run across the quite busy highway (well, sometimes standing in the median of the highway with no clear way to the other side is a good way to get cars to stop for you....your choice).

3. One hitchhiking point is about 2km from the Didube metro/bus station, near the statue of David the Builder on horseback. This spot is along the same road as the previous two, just closer to the city (meaning you have more taxis and city traffic, but it's very easy to get to Didube from anywhere in the city).

File:Tbilisinorth.jpg
Hitchhikers going north from the turn off the Mtskheta road

4. If you're going to Didube anyways, you can reduce the walking distance to 0 by taking a marshrutka towards Mtskheta and tell the driver to let you out when the S1 national road splits off from the Mtshketa road (see photo). Or take marshrutka 11, which goes all the way from Tsereteli metro station to the end of the city, near where the highway joins the Tbilisi Bypass. Get off at the last stop, by the turn to Jvari monastery. Both of these routes also pass spot #1 (above), so it may be easier to get off there if you don't have GPS and/or don't speak Georgian/Russian (just tell the driver to stop when you're passing the Tbilisi Mall, which you can't miss).


East towards the airport and Telavi

Take bus or minibus to the 'Lilo' market, from 'Samgori' metro station. From there it's quite easy to hitchhike. Also you can take airport bus from the "Station Square" (main station) and leave it before airport turn (you will see big statue and bridge). Bus turns to the right and if you missed the turn it is no problem, you will walk about 50 m. back to the road.

Second option Take bus 37 towards the Airport. The bus leaves the city and goes east on the Kakheti highway. After some time on the highway the bus will turn right onto Europe Street (the road to the Airport). At the highway intersection there is a big statue on a column on the left window of the bus. Get out at the first stop and walk back to the Kakheti Highway (about 500 metres). You can hitch there or walk for 5 mins to the traffic light and a gas station. This highway is quite busy with cars. Waiting time could be long, because of the volume of traffic, with many cars not going directly east. The further down the Highway you get/walk the better.


Southeast towards Rustavi, Merneuli, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Take metro till Isani. When you leave the metro cross the street and head right to the south. Follow this road until a big round about after maybe 10 minutes. Cross the street from the right and follow the street which leads over the river with the bride. At the traffic light you cross the the street to the left and than to your right side of the traffic, that you reach the beginning of the highway. You see on the right side the green highway sign. There after the crossroad about 100 meters it's possible to stop cars. The street is S4 and don't give the huge sign attention before the bride. You must get a car at the highway next to the river.

If you are not lucky and get an direct ride after 6 or 7 kilometers there is the first round about which spilts the way to Azerbaijan border to the left (Rustavi) and to the right (Marneuli) to the Armenian border. Both borsercrossings are walkable, you don't need a ride which crosses the borders. To Armenia it is the road S6.


Southwest towards Manglisi, Tsalka

Add info pls


Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)