Old Tbilisi Highlights Walking Tour with Wine & 10 Tastings

Tbilisi rewards slow wandering. This 3.5-hour walk combines the city’s best-known sights with small food stops you could easily miss alone. I especially like the mix of Old Tbilisi landmarks and local tastings, plus the chance to hear the city explained by guides such as Giorgi, Luka, Zezva, Niniko, and David. The main consideration is the walking itself: steep streets, uneven surfaces, and several hours on your feet make this a poor fit for anyone with limited mobility.

The $29 price is another strong point. It includes more than 10 samples, wine, chacha, pastries, spices, and an English-speaking local guide. The group is limited to 10 people, though you can also choose a private option. Bring comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, and remember that churches require modest clothing.

Key points at a glance

• Start at the Berikaoba monument: Meet by the sculpture of people dancing in a circle, a clear landmark in central Tbilisi.
• See Old Tbilisi’s signature sights: The route includes the Gabriadze theater Clock Tower, Peace Bridge, Shardeni streets, and Mother of Georgia.
• Taste Georgia as you walk: Samples include khachapuri, bean pie, cream-filled pastry, adjika, Svan salt, dried fruit, chacha, and several wines.
• Small groups keep the tour personal: With no more than 10 participants, you can ask questions and keep a comfortable pace.
• Finish with Georgian wine: White dry, white semi-sweet, amber, and dry red wines provide a useful introduction to Georgia’s wine traditions.
• Plan for a real walk: This is not a quick photo circuit. Allow 3.5 hours, and possibly longer if the group stops often or moves at a relaxed pace.

Meeting the guide at the Berikaoba monument

The tour begins at the Berikaoba monument, showing people dancing in a circle. Your guide waits there, and the central location makes it a practical place to begin exploring the old city on foot.

The guide is a major part of the experience. Past groups have been led by people including Luka, Giorgi, Zezva, Niniko, David, Oki, Mary, and Maria. The strongest descriptions of the tour focus on their English, humor, patience, and ability to explain more than dates and building names.

That wider context matters in Tbilisi. A good walk here is not simply about checking off a church, bridge, and viewpoint. You want to understand how Georgian culture, food, politics, geography, and history fit together. Guides such as Luka and Zezva have been praised for answering questions, helping with photographs, and offering ideas for the rest of a stay in Georgia.

The small-group format helps. A maximum of 10 people is modest enough for conversation, though the exact atmosphere will depend on the day’s group. A private booking gives you more control, while the shared version offers the lower-cost way to meet other people.

Gabriadze’s leaning Clock Tower and Old Tbilisi streets

One of the early visual treats is the Clock Tower of the Gabriadze theater. Its playful design fits the old town’s mix of worn balconies, narrow lanes, and imaginative details. It is the kind of sight that can seem odd at first, then becomes one of your favorite photographs from Tbilisi.

The route also covers the colorful houses along Shardeni streets. This part of town is popular and easy to reach, but a guide gives the streets more meaning. Instead of seeing only cafés and decorated façades, you hear about the city’s changing character and the layers of Georgian life around them.

I like this part of the walk because it gives you both the postcard views and the everyday corners. The tour is designed to point out details you might pass without noticing, including lesser-known places in the old city. That is useful early in a Tbilisi visit, since it helps you decide where to return later.

The pace appears to be one of the tour’s strengths. Several guides have been praised for balancing stories with walking, without filling every minute with facts. In hot weather, one group was given breaks and allowed to move at a comfortable speed, even though the tour ran longer than planned.

A bakery stop with Georgian pastry

The food stops begin to show why this is more than a standard city walk. You visit a historic bakery, described in several accounts as an underground bakery, for Georgian pastries.

The listed samples include khachapuri cheese pie, bean pie, and a sweet pastry filled with cream. These are simple foods, but they tell you a great deal about Georgian eating habits. Khachapuri gives you the familiar combination of bread and cheese, while the bean pie offers a different, hearty filling. The sweet pastry adds a softer finish before the wine tasting later on.

The bakery visit also gives the tour a useful local rhythm. You are not stopping only for a staged tasting menu. You are stepping into a working food place connected to the old city. This is one of the stops I would value most if you want to understand Tbilisi through ordinary food rather than restaurant dishes alone.

There is one practical point to keep in mind: the experience includes many samples over several hours. You may not leave hungry, but anyone with dietary restrictions should ask the operator before booking because the available information does not list substitutions or allergy arrangements.

Peace Bridge and the modern face of Tbilisi

The Peace Bridge offers a sharp change from the old lanes. Its wave-like modern design crosses the river and gives the walk a contemporary architectural marker.

That contrast is one of the best features of the route. Tbilisi is not only a preserved old quarter. The city mixes older homes, churches, monuments, modern structures, and busy public spaces. Seeing the Peace Bridge alongside the old town helps you understand that the city has kept changing rather than freezing itself in the past.

The bridge is also a useful photography stop, especially when your guide explains where it fits within Tbilisi’s newer identity. The tour does not treat the old city as a museum. Instead, it connects the older streets with the modern city you see across the river.

Shardeni streets, churches, and local customs

The route includes the Shardeni area and church visits or exterior stops as part of the Old Tbilisi sightseeing. Church etiquette is important here, so dress with it in mind.

Women need a scarf or hat and clothing reaching to the knees. The churches can lend scarves for covering the head and legs. Men must remove hats and wear trousers that reach the knees.

This is worth knowing before you set out. Comfortable walking clothes are fine, but very short clothing can create an awkward interruption. A simple scarf in your bag is useful, even though churches can lend coverings.

The church stops add a cultural layer to the tour, but they may not suit everyone. If religious buildings are not a priority for you, the guide’s explanation of local customs and Georgian culture still gives the visit purpose. The tour is strongest when you treat these stops as part of understanding the city, not just as quick photo opportunities.

Mother of Georgia and the view over Tbilisi

The walk reaches the Mother of Georgia monument, one of the city’s best viewpoints. From this high position, you can look across Tbilisi and better understand how the old quarter sits within the wider city.

The view is a strong payoff after the uphill streets. Several past departures have included a cable car ride up toward the monument, although the exact arrangements can depend on the guide and the day. If that ride is part of your departure, it saves some climbing. You should still expect walking around the viewpoint and through the old town.

This is also the point where the city’s geography becomes easier to read. A guide can connect the river, old neighborhoods, bridges, and hilltop monuments in a way that a map cannot. I would especially value this stop near the start of a Tbilisi stay, since it gives you a clear sense of direction for later exploring.

The drawback is the physical effort. Tbilisi’s old streets are not flat, and the tour is specifically listed as unsuitable for people with mobility impairments. Even able walkers should wear shoes with good support and avoid scheduling this after a long day of sightseeing.

Spices, chacha, and the final wine tasting

A stop at a well-regarded spice shop brings the tasting portion into sharper focus. You can sample spices, homemade chacha, adjika, Svan salt, and dried fruit.

Adjika is a spicy Georgian condiment, while Svan salt is a seasoned salt associated with the Svaneti region. These samples let you compare flavors rather than simply eat prepared dishes. The dried fruit offers a sweet counterpoint, and the chacha introduces Georgia’s strong grape spirit.

The chacha deserves caution. It can be much stronger than ordinary wine, so take a small taste and pace yourself. Because the tour already includes several wines and food samples, you do not need to treat each pour as a full drink.

The tour ends with a generous Georgian wine tasting. You are scheduled to try white dry, white semi-sweet, amber, and dry red wines. This range is useful because Georgian wine is not one single style.

Amber wine, made with extended contact between grape juice and grape skins, is particularly interesting for people who usually drink only clear white wine or red wine. The dry and semi-sweet whites show another contrast, while the red rounds out the tasting.

The wine stop has also been praised for being informative rather than pushy. At one stop, the shop owner explained the wine-making process and allowed people to browse without pressuring them to buy. That is an important detail if you enjoy tasting but dislike sales-heavy visits.

What the $29 price really buys you

At $29 per person, this tour offers good value if you want sightseeing and food in one booking. The price includes a 3.5-hour guided walk, a small group of no more than 10, multiple food samples, chacha, and four wine styles.

You are paying less for a formal meal than for an introduction to the city. The portions are tastings, not a substitute for lunch. Still, the combined cost of paying for a separate walking tour, bakery snacks, spice samples, and wine tasting could easily exceed the tour price.

The price does not include transport to the meeting point. You need to make your own way to the Berikaoba monument, and any extra purchases at the food or wine stops are also not listed as included. If a cable car ride is used, confirm whether it is covered before departure.

The reserve-now-and-pay-later option is useful if your schedule is still changing. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund, giving you some flexibility.

Who will enjoy this walk most

I would recommend this tour to a first-time visitor who wants a quick, well-rounded introduction to Tbilisi. You see major sights, learn how the city fits together, and collect a list of places worth revisiting.

It is also a good choice for anyone who plans meals around local food. The bakery, spice shop, chacha, and wine tasting make the route feel connected to Georgian daily life rather than purely architectural.

The tour suits curious drinkers, too. The selection of white, amber, and red wines gives you a starting point for ordering wine during the rest of your trip.

You may want a different activity if you have mobility limitations, dislike uphill walking, or prefer a slow museum-style visit. You should also choose a private tour if you want to set the pace or ask many personal questions without a shared group.

Should you book the Old Tbilisi wine and food tour?

Book it if you want the city’s main sights paired with real tastes of Georgia. The strongest reasons are the guides, the modest group size, the generous number of samples, and the way the walk combines famous places with small local stops.

I would choose it early in a Tbilisi visit. The viewpoint helps you get oriented, while the guide’s suggestions can shape the rest of your time in the city. At $29, it is especially appealing if you want a practical introduction without paying for a full private day.

Skip it if a long, uneven walk is not comfortable for you, or if you want a focused wine tour without sightseeing. For most active visitors, though, this is a sensible first look at Old Tbilisi, with enough food and drink to make the history easier to remember.

FAQ

How long does the Old Tbilisi Highlights Walking Tour last?

The tour lasts 3.5 hours. Some past departures have taken longer when the group moved slowly or stopped for additional breaks.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $29 per person.

Where does the tour meet?

Your guide waits at the Berikaoba monument, identified by the sculpture of people dancing in a circle.

Is transportation to the meeting point included?

No. You must arrange your own transfer to the Berikaoba monument.

How many people are in the group?

The shared tour is limited to 10 participants. A private option is also available.

What languages are available?

The tour is conducted in English by a live English-speaking guide.

Which wines are included?

The tasting includes white dry wine, white semi-sweet wine, amber wine, and dry red wine.

What food and drink samples are included?

Samples include khachapuri cheese pie, bean pie, sweet pastry with cream filling, adjika, Svan salt, dried fruit, spices, and chacha.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable shoes and clothing suited to the weather. For church visits, women need a scarf or hat and knee-length clothing. Men must remove hats and wear knee-length trousers.

Is the tour suitable for people with mobility impairments?

No. The tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments because it involves several hours of walking through Old Tbilisi.