What You Need To Know Before Going to the Country of Georgia

I know what you’re thinking… the state of Georgia? Nope, this is the country of Georgia nestled in the Caucasus Mountains. It has a small population with roughly 3 million people in the whole country. While the capital city of Tbilisi is a thriving city you must visit, there are other notable places to visit in the mountains, sea side, and wine country. More on that below! The area has a deep, rich history spanning many centuries. Although this region has been invaded and taken over by various groups throughout history, the Georgian people have kept their identity, language, culture, and traditions alive. 

Even with such a strong cultural identity, the country is very open and welcoming to foreigners. We noticed many tourists, expats, and of course remote workers. Georgia’s openness to other countries is evident. We were impressed by how many authentic Chinese restaurants, Thai massage, and European bakeries we saw here. It’s very multicultural for how small a country it is. 

Visa Free Travel

Getting through customs at Tbilisi International Airport is a breeze as Georgia offers visa free travel for 90 countries. Check your country’s specifics as some tourists can stay visa free for up to a year. This makes Georgia an ideal place for remote workers and those looking for a longer term travel destination. Simply arrive at the airport, stamp your passport, and you’ve arrived! 

Currency – Cash vs Credit Cards

Although we pulled cash out, we didn’t need it. The only two places we needed cash were the bathroom at Chronicles of Georgia (no other bathrooms charged) and one small vendor. Most vendors accepted debit/credit cards so it was easy to tap and pay. Even the bus system allows you to tap a credit card instead of buying a transit card. A small amount of cash may be good so you don’t get stuck but honestly it was easy to use a visa everywhere. Also depending on how far away from major cities you go, cash could be needed more frequently out in smaller towns. 

Language in Georgia

The Georgian language is so unique. The written language you’ll see on all signs, menus, and writings is so scriptic with swirling letters. გამარჯობა, როგორ ხარ?  It reminds us a little of Cambodian or Thai. Interestingly enough, the Caucasian language family is not related to any other language in the world which makes it so unique. We were able to get around the city using English and gestures like pointing and head nodding. Most restaurants had at least one staff member who could help us. While the people aren’t known as a warm and welcoming group, they were helpful when we needed it. 

WiFi vs Cell Phone SIM Cards

We absolutely love Airlo when we travel. We were able to buy an eSim for a reasonable price before we left. Then when we got to the airport, we connected to WiFi and installed the eSim. It got us up and running right away. You could do the whole city without cell service as many cafes and restaurants offered free WiFi. Totally up to you and your comfort zone. 

No Early Starts

One thing to know is that Georgia does not have a morning culture. Most people don’t go to work until 10-11am so many restaurants and shops don’t open til later as well. Coffee shops don’t even open til 9-10am! With this mindset, it makes sense that breakfast is not a big deal. That means very few restaurants serve or are open for breakfast. It seems as more foreigners come into the country, breakfast is starting to pop up at a few places. While some hotels serve breakfast, we planned ahead with some snacks or fruit in our room. 

The Food and Wine in Georgia

A lot of countries boast that they have good food but we’ve never experienced such quality dishes at every restaurant as we did in Georgia. Honestly, in five days, we didn’t have a bad Georgian dish. It was all delicious. Every restaurant from the high end dining to the street food was great! The food is warm, cozy, comfort food like meat and potatoes, bean stew, every variation of bread, more cheeses than you can count, and so many fresh herbs. It’s actually delightful. While it seems it could get heavy, we never experienced that sluggish overstuffed feeling. Fresh, not fried, whole foods will do that to you! 

Wine is a way of life here. It permeates the culture, the people, and the shops. They claim to be the birthplace of wine as they found traces of wine residue on clay barrels dating back 8,000 years. You’ll see it in every restaurant and store. We even saw it for sale on top of a mountain after a hike! A lot of restaurants serve their own house made or family produced wine. While it is everywhere (you’ll see people drinking at lunch and all times of day), people are not pushy about selling it to you. 

There are literally hundreds of new dishes to try. Some of our favorites are: 

• Cheese – there are hundreds of types of cheese here. They are a little different than I’m used to but loved trying them all. Try sulguni, guda and imeretian cheese. 
• Walnuts – I know what you are thinking, a walnut is a walnut. Not here. They are used in so many dishes, especially as a paste or sauce. We loved getting the tomato and cucumber salad with nuts which actually means walnut sauce. 
• Pkhali – served as an appetizer, its mixed vegetables like beets, eggplant or spinach, blended with walnuts, vinegar, onions, and herbs. It’s a delightful little ball that melts in your mouth! 
• Acharuli Khachapuri – khachapuri translates to cheese bread. All the khachapuri are worth trying but our favorite is the acharuli khachapuri which has an egg yolk and cube of butter on top!
• Khinkali – dumpling stuffed with meat, potatoes, mushrooms or cheese. Locals grab the top/stem looking part as a holder (don’t use silverware you newbie), flip it upside down, bite into the dough and suck the soup. Then eat the rest of it. Just don’t eat the stem. Leave the stem on the plate to look like a pro. 
• Ojakhuri  – meat, potatoes, onions roasted in a clay pot. Delicious and so savory! You can get it with chicken, pork or lamb. 
• Shkmeruli – chicken in garlic sauce. This hearty filling dish is savory, creamy, and garlicky. It’s delicious! 
• Stews/Soups – there are so many amazing types of stewed and soup dishes like ajapsandali (eggplant and veggies), kharcho (beef soup), ostri (boiled beef in spicy sauce), chakapuli (braised veal chops), and lobio (bean stew) 
• Churchkhela – traditional Georgia sweet called the Georgian snickers (warning, nothing here is overly sweet) made of walnuts on a string dipped in a mix of grape juice, flour, and honey. The consistency was more jello than the carmel coating it looks like. 
• Georgian Lemonade – there are two main types: you can buy the bottled Natakhtari at any grocery or convenience store. Or you may see restaurants with big glass cones containing colorful liquid called Lagidze Water. With many interesting flavors, we tried the most popular flavor, tarragon. It’s bright green color can’t be missed but we thought it tasted like liquorice. Glad we tried it but not a new favorite. 

Cities to Visit in Georgia

Tbilisi is the capital and you could easily spend 5 days there just walking the different neighborhoods and getting to eat all the food. We really enjoyed our time here and wrote a separate article on it here. Check it out for more details. 

Day trips from Tbilisi include:

• Mtskheta, a 45 min drive from Tbilisi, was Georgia’s ancient capital from 3rd century BCE to 5th century AD. That’s 800 years! For reference, America has only been a country for one third of that time. Mtskheta has one of the oldest and most important orthodox churches in the area. 
• About 1.5 hours away from Tbilisi, is the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, yes that dictator. While Gori is a small city, there is a museum all about Stalin, a fortress to visit, a vibrant market, and several churches and synagogues. Uplistsikhe, is Georgia’s oldest cave city. While not as striking or large as other cave cities in the country like David Gareja or Rardzia, it is the oldest. If you’re driving out this way, stop at both. 
• If you want to visit the wine region, head over to Sighnaghi and Kakheti. Here you’ll be able to stay on wine estates, experience the wine route by visiting maranis, or family cellars, that still make the wine in the old fashioned clay pots, a process called qvevri. It’s a distinct style of wine making from the Georgian region. While they make both delicious red and white wine, they also produce the only orange wine we’ve ever seen. Georgian orange wine is white wine made with the grape skin on which gives it a unique color, not an actual orange flavor. If you want more information, check out one of our favorite Georgian Blogs Wander-Lush 

Farther Away Cities

Just three hours by car, the town of Kazbegi which is the best spot to access the Greater Caucasus Mountains. They are honestly stunning and gorgeous. It’s like the Swiss Alps but with way fewer people. The summer is perfect for hiking here. 

Just two hours away you can make it to some amazing mountains for skiing. Check out Gudauri Ski Resort for some incredible views and amazing slopes. There are many English speaking staff here to assist foreigners including English speaking ski instructors. With resorts, hotels, and many restaurants, you can spend days here skiing and enjoying the winter wonderland. 

Batumi is a beautiful city by Black Sea. Just a 5 hour drive from Tbilisi or you can take the high speed train. If you like beaches and resorts, this is your spot. Summer is the best time to soak up the rays, the warm humid climate and enjoy the black, magnetic sand beachfront. That’s not all, this rainforest area has ample opportunities to bike, hike, swim, and just be outside. It’s a nature paradise. Don’t miss the botanical gardens as the weather is perfect for growing the green, lush gardens. Summer is super busy as it’s peak season and winter is really quiet during low season. Spring and fall make great times to visit as well but won’t be as warm to swim. Rainy days happen all year long which isn’t what you want for a beach town but it makes the area so lush and green. You can see the Turkish influences from the food, people, and even the language. 

In Conclusion

Georgia blew us away. We only had time to spend 5 days in the capital of Tbilisi but we will definitely go back. There is so much nature to explore and mountains to be seen. We enjoyed the food so much and can’t wait to go back! Let us know your thoughts and experiences in Georgia!