Tbilisi: Old & New City Guided Tour with 15 Tastings & Wine

Come hungry and wear good shoes. This Tbilisi tour links the Old City and newer riverfront sights with a generous introduction to Georgian food and drink. I like the useful mix of walking and tasting, especially the four kinds of khinkali, traditional sweets, sauces, wine, and chacha. I also like that guides such as Camila, George, Giorgi, Nodar, and Irina add personal stories about Georgian life, politics, and family traditions. The main consideration is that this is more of a city tour with food stops than a dedicated food crawl, and some stops can change with opening hours.

The $62 price is fair if you want a first look at Tbilisi without arranging separate sightseeing and restaurant visits. You get hotel pickup and drop-off, an English or Russian-speaking guide, a private or small-group format, and 15 listed tastings. The walk is moderate, though the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments.

Quick take: what makes this Tbilisi tour useful

• Four kinds of khinkali: Try beef, mushroom, potato-cheese, and potato dumplings, then learn the local eating customs.
• A full Georgian tasting menu: The experience includes lemonade, churchkhela, gozinaki, tkemali, ajika, four wine styles, and chacha.
• Old City and modern Tbilisi together: See Dry Bridge Market, the Bridge of Peace, Rike Park, Europe Square, and historic streets in one outing.
• A strong first-day choice: The tour gives you a working map of central Tbilisi and practical ideas for food, wine, and sightseeing afterward.
• Hotel pickup included: This is handy if you have just arrived and are still learning the city.
• A flexible pace: Private and small-group options allow more room for questions, dietary needs, and conversation.

Starting with khinkali at a local café

The tour begins in Tbilisi, usually with pickup from your hotel, and moves to a local café for welcome refreshments and the first food tasting. Starting with food is smart. Tbilisi sightseeing can involve hills, uneven paving, and plenty of stops, so you will appreciate having a proper meal rather than a token bite.

The star of the food portion is khinkali, Georgia’s famous soup dumpling. You are scheduled to try four versions: beef, mushroom, potato-cheese, and potato. That gives you a useful comparison between meat and vegetarian fillings rather than reducing Georgian cuisine to one sample.

Your guide explains how the dumplings are eaten and why the technique matters. The usual local method involves holding the top knot, taking a careful bite, sipping the broth, and leaving the knot behind. Ask questions here. The dumplings are one of the most praised parts of the experience, and several people have enjoyed the restaurant choice so much that they returned the next day.

Come with an empty stomach. The portions can be substantial, and the combination of dumplings, sweets, sauces, and drinks adds up quickly. If you are vegetarian, tell the company ahead of time. One guide received specific praise for taking care of a vegetarian guest, and the menu includes several meat-free dumpling options.

Dry Bridge Market and the riverfront parks

From the café, the route heads toward Dry Bridge Market. This is one of the more characterful stops because it gives you a look at Tbilisi beyond the polished sightseeing circuit. You have time for photos, a guided visit, and some free browsing.

Opening hours matter. An evening departure may reach the market after it has closed, so check the starting time if Dry Bridge is high on your list. The tour can still work well without it, but you should not book a late start expecting a full market visit.

Dedaena Park follows, adding open space and a different view of the city. The route then passes the Presidential Palace for photos and brief commentary. These stops help you see how old Tbilisi and the newer civic areas fit together, though the palace is a pass-by rather than a full interior visit.

The route is not built around long museum visits. Instead, you get a broad, street-level introduction. I consider that a strength for a first day, but a limitation if you want detailed access to individual monuments.

Rezo Gabriadze Theater and Anchiskhati Basilica

The Rezo Gabriadze Theater is one of the most memorable visual stops in the old center. You have time for photos, a visit, and an explanation from the guide. The theater adds an artistic note to a route otherwise centered on architecture, food, and civic landmarks.

Anchiskhati Basilica provides the older historical counterpoint. It is one of the significant religious sites on the route, and the guide places it within the story of Tbilisi’s development. Afterward, you walk along Ioane Shavteli Street, where the pleasure comes from the street itself: facades, views, and the feel of the old center.

This part of the tour rewards curiosity. Ask your guide about language, religion, family customs, and the Soviet period. Guides have been praised for discussing both Georgian history and modern geopolitics in a direct but approachable way. Personal stories can make these subjects easier to understand than a list of dates.

The Bridge of Peace, Rike Park, and Europe Square

The Bridge of Peace is the route’s clearest modern landmark. Its contemporary design contrasts with the older streets nearby, and it gives you an easy photo stop over the river. Rike Park continues the newer side of the city, with open paths and broad views.

You then reach Europe Square, another useful orientation point. The sequence matters because you see the old and new parts of central Tbilisi without treating them as separate cities. The guide can explain how the riverfront has changed while you walk between the two.

The tour covers a good stretch of the city center, but do not confuse distance with depth. You will see many major areas and hear context along the way, yet most stops are short. If you want to study one church, market, or neighborhood at length, you will need to return independently.

Meidan Bazar and the best snack stops

Meidan Bazar brings the route back into the historic center and adds local crafts, spirits, and food-market atmosphere. It is a useful place to look at Georgian products before you decide what to buy later in your trip.

A secret stop adds dessert and local snacks. The exact location is not specified, so the experience may vary by day, but this is where the tour’s informal character comes through. Depending on timing and arrangements, tastings have included sweets and even wine ice cream.

The sweet selection includes walnut and hazelnut churchkhela, a chewy Georgian confection made by coating nuts with thickened fruit mixture. You also try gozinaki, made with walnut and honey. These are not generic sweets chosen simply to fill the menu. They show how nuts, fruit, honey, and preserved foods fit into Georgian food traditions.

The tasting also includes tkemali, a sharp sauce made with wild plum or blackberry, and ajika, a spicy condiment. These small portions are valuable because sauces often explain a cuisine better than another large dish. They show the sour, hot, and savory notes that balance heavier foods.

Four wines, lemonade, and a glass of chacha

The final stop is a local bar for wine and spirits. The wine tasting includes white wine, dry red wine, semi-sweet red wine, and qvevri wine. That is a good range for a short introduction because it lets you compare style and production rather than tasting four near-identical pours.

Qvevri wine is especially important to the Georgian story. The name refers to the large clay vessels used in traditional winemaking. Your guide can explain the difference between this style and more familiar modern wine production, and you can ask for practical advice about bottles to look for during the rest of your stay.

The local spirit is chacha, a strong grape-based drink that can arrive as a small but memorable finish. It is often described as warming, and you should pace yourself because the tour already includes several wine tastings.

Local lemonade rounds out the drinks. Georgian lemonade can be sweet and strongly flavored, making it a useful nonalcoholic part of the tasting lineup. If you do not drink alcohol, confirm the current arrangements before booking, since the included menu specifically lists wine and chacha.

The wine bar is not necessarily the end of your evening. You can stay, mingle, and order more wine if you wish, though additional food and drinks are not included. That gives the final stop a relaxed feel instead of forcing everyone straight back into a vehicle.

How the timing and walking feel

The advertised duration is two to four hours. That is a wide range, and the actual length depends on the starting time, group size, food service, and pace. A private tour may move differently from a small group, while a late start can shorten or alter the market portion.

Expect a moderate amount of walking. Comfortable shoes are essential, not optional advice. You will move between cafés, parks, squares, historic streets, markets, and the riverfront, with time standing at sights and eating at stops.

The route may feel full, especially if you take your time with food and questions. The advantage is that you cover many central sights quickly. The tradeoff is that anyone who dislikes walking or prefers long seated meals may find the format tiring.

Weather also matters. Bring sunscreen in hot weather and a raincoat when rain is forecast. Large bags and oversize luggage are not allowed, so leave bulky belongings at your hotel.

What the guides add to the experience

The guide can make or break a city tour, and this experience benefits from strong personal hosting. Camila is repeatedly praised for her warmth, patience, humor, and ability to explain Georgian history, culture, politics, and food without making the walk feel like a lecture.

George and Giorgi are also noted for easy conversation, clear English, and practical local advice. Nodar receives praise for keeping the tour focused and friendly, while Irina is remembered for her warmth and enthusiasm when explaining dishes and wines. Emma has been described as patient and very well informed.

These names do not guarantee a specific guide on your date, but they show the range of the local team. The best guides do more than point at buildings. They answer questions about the Soviet experience, modern Georgia, language, family life, wine, and restaurant customs.

The private option is worth considering for couples, families, or anyone with particular food needs. One private group appreciated a guide changing the route after protests nearby, choosing safer alternatives while keeping the day useful. That kind of flexibility is harder to achieve in a large group.

Is $62 a good value?

At $62 per person, the tour is not simply a two-hour walk. The price covers hotel pickup and drop-off, a live guide, sightseeing across central Tbilisi, and 15 listed tastings. It also saves you the work of finding a reliable dumpling restaurant, a sweet shop, a wine bar, and suitable city sights on your own.

The value is strongest if this is your first visit or your stay is short. You get orientation, a meal-sized food experience, and a basic education in Georgian wine. Several guests have used it on their first full day, then felt more comfortable exploring alone afterward.

The value is weaker if your main goal is a specialist wine tour or a serious food crawl. The food stops are spaced between many sightseeing points, and one evening departure missed Dry Bridge Market. You will taste a lot, but the experience is designed as a city introduction with food, not a restaurant-by-restaurant study of Georgian cuisine.

The 5/5 score from 109 reviews supports the idea that the overall package works well, especially because the guide quality is praised so often. Still, I would judge the price by your priorities: orientation and variety make it worthwhile, while depth in one subject may require a different tour.

Who should book this experience?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors, couples, small groups, solo visitors who want company, and anyone who likes to learn through food. It is also a strong choice for a short stay because the route covers a large part of central Tbilisi in one outing.

Food lovers should book it with a light breakfast or lunch beforehand. The khinkali portions can be large, and the sweet and wine tastings keep arriving.

I would be more cautious if you have limited mobility, dislike moderate walking, avoid alcohol without a confirmed substitute, or want a slow museum-focused tour. The route is active, and some parts can change with the time of day and local conditions.

Flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and reserve-now, pay-later booking make it easier to fit into a changing schedule. Those terms are useful, but the bigger practical decision is timing: choose an earlier start if Dry Bridge Market matters to you.

Final verdict: a smart first taste of Tbilisi

Book this tour if you want Tbilisi explained through streets, stories, dumplings, sweets, and wine. The strongest features are the friendly guides, the generous food lineup, and the clear contrast between the old center and newer riverfront.

Do not book it expecting a quiet, specialist food tour or a deep visit inside every landmark. You will walk, sample, listen, and cover ground. For most first-time visitors, that is exactly the point: by the end, you should know where you are, what to eat, which wines to try, and where to return for a slower look.

FAQ

How much does the Tbilisi Old and New City tour cost?

The listed price is $62 per person.

How long does the tour last?

The duration is listed as two to four hours, depending on availability and the selected starting time.

What languages are available?

Live guiding is available in English and Russian.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tbilisi are included.

What food is included?

The tastings include beef khinkali, mushroom khinkali, potato-cheese khinkali, potato khinkali, local lemonade, walnut and hazelnut churchkhela, walnut and honey gozinaki, tkemali, and ajika.

What drinks are included?

The experience includes white wine, dry red wine, semi-sweet red wine, qvevri wine, and a tasting of local chacha.

Is this a private tour?

Private and small-group options are available.

Is the tour suitable for wheelchair users?

No. The tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments.

What should I bring?

Bring comfortable walking shoes. Depending on the weather, you should also bring sunscreen or a raincoat.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.