GoTrip Georgia Review: Private Drivers in Georgia & Armenia

If you’ve been looking around our blog, you’ll have seen us mention GoTrip in our Georgia and Armenia posts (and now Uzbekistan too!). This local company has been an absolute lifesaver (I’m not exaggerating – story time later on), and has enabled us to see so much more of Georgia and Armenia than we ever would have been able to just with public transport.

We have personally travelled with GoTrip on several occasions during our twelve months in Georgia because sightseeing by squeezing in to local marshrutky isn’t always the best way to do it, and sometimes the route doesn’t even exist!

We have had GoTrip drivers take us up in to the mountains of Kazbegi, right down south to the very isolated Vardzia cave city, and even across the border to Yerevan in Armenia. These are all big old long journeys!

Georgia and Armenia have SO much to explore but a lot of it isn’t easily accessible by public transport, and this is where good old trusty faithful GoTrip absolutely shines. Get yourself to that random spot you found while checking out Google Maps, don’t worry about navigating the madness that is the marshrutka system, and get yourself to exactly where you want to go fast (and have someone wait for you take you back!).

In our GoTrip review, we’ll talk you through why and when you should use their private driver service, how to book your trip, and talk about our personal experience with the drivers.

What is GoTrip?

GoTrip is a company that connects people like you to local drivers, kind of like a Booking.com but for drivers instead of hotels. You can book private transfers for a day trip or just to get you from A to B, or you can book multi-day transfers, like your own private transport for your entire itinerary! It operates across Georgia and Armenia, and has recently branched out to Uzbekistan too, which we are dead excited to try out! The multi-day transfers are only available in Georgia.

Uzbekistan is another country like Georgia and Armenia that are notoriously difficult/uncomfortable to travel around.

Where You Can Use GoTrip

GoTrip is available in Georgia and Armenia and very recently in Uzbekistan too.

Most drivers are based within the big cities so will require your trip to start or end in one of these locations. So in Georgia, your best bet for a ride is to have Tbilisi, Batumi or Kutaisi; for Armenia it’s Yerevan, Gyumri or Vanadzor; for Uzbekistan it’s mainly around Samarkand for the meantime.

Why You Should Use GoTrip

Unlimited Stops and Wait Time

This right here is absolute gold! You confirm your route in advance with the driver, and then you can stop anywhere along the route AND the driver will wait for you with no extra fees.

Fancy a lunch break? Maybe you want to jump out for some photos? Maybe you’ve just seen a sign for that ancient cave city that you had read about online? All of this is possible and it’s included in the original price. Take your time; no rushing back to the car.

Your Regular Travel Day Can Turn into a Sightseeing Day

Because you can stop en route, instead of just travelling directly from A to B like you would with public transport, you can plan a day of sightseeing! And you won’t have to lug your big bags around with you.

So don’t travel straight from Tbilisi to Kutaisi; plan for a stop in Mtskheta to see the UNESCO churches, wander round Uplistsikhe Cave City, climb up for views from Gori fortress, drive through the valley in Chiatura searching the abandoned Soviet cable cars, see the little church on a high limestone pillar at Katskhi, and then end up in Kutaisi.

Our absolute favourite sightseeing route is Tbilisi up to Kazbegi along the most scenic Georgian Military Highway!

Fees are Fixed

If you’ve read reviews about the rogue taxis taking advantage of tourists arriving in to Tbilisi airport, you’ll know that this point is HUGE.

[Side note: DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT get in a regular taxi from Tbilisi airport. You can hire a driver to come and collect you through GoTrip (particularly if you have a horribly late/early arrival time, which is unfortunately common at this airport) or check out the other methods in our Tbilisi airport to city centre guide.]

Once your ride is confirmed, the cost is also confirmed. No hidden extras.

Now, if you were trying to arrange this with a regular taxi, well, we all know that there would be a lot of back and forth, haggling, trying to bump up the price, etc. Travelling with GoTrip instead means you don’t have to practise your bartering skills!

Public Transport Won’t Get You Everywhere

The two major forms of public transport in Georgia, Armenia, and Uzbekistan are marshrutky and trains.

Marshrutky can be a challenge to navigate – different departure stations around the cities, cramped and busy, very little space for any luggage.

Check out our guides on travelling by marshrutka in Georgia and how to get around in Armenia.

Trains go between the larger cities, but they’re often slow, departure times can either be antisocial hours, and tickets can sell out quickly (in Uzbekistan); or be at times that will mean you spend a whole day just getting from A to B (in Georgia).

Take a look at our guides on where you can travel by train in Georgia and all about train travel in Uzbekistan.

The train and marshrutka routes won’t easily get you to Vardzia in Georgia or Khndzoresk in Armenia or Chimgan in Uzbekistan, as examples.

GoTrip however, has a lot of options in destinations. If there is a specific destination that you can’t find on the website, you can speak to the guys at GoTrip with their chat feature on the website. They may even add it as an option if it’s a feasible route.

When We Wouldn’t Recommend You Use GoTrip

So, there aren’t really too many reasons why you shouldn’t use GoTrip, but it depends more on your travel style and/or specific travel route.

• If you’re travelling on a super tight budget and are up for throwing yourself into Georgia’s marshrutka culture (and the absolute chaos that is Didube bus station – IYKYK!). We have travelled around Georgia by marshrutka A LOT (honestly too many marshrutky to even count) and it’s efficient and affordable for shorter journeys. Tbilisi to Mtskheta or Gori is the perfect example where a marshrutka would be totally fine.

• If you literally just want to travel from A to B, aren’t bothered about missing the views or cool spots along the way, and have no major time restrictions.

• If you’re travelling between smaller cities/towns/villages. The drivers tend to be based in the bigger cities and so routes between smaller spots may not be accepted.

• If you’re arriving in to the airport in the day time and are a confident traveller. If you are lucky enough to have a flight land into Tbilisi airport when the buses to the city centre are running, it’s actually dead easy. I do get it though. Many travellers just want to get to the accommodation ASAP after a long flight, so it depends on your travel style!

How to Book a Driver

Go to the transfer (or multi-day transfer) section on the website.

Add your locations and any specific stops for your journey.

Add your date.

It will then show you the distance and the duration of the route you have selected and a list of available drivers.

You can then filter the drivers based on price, the languages they speak, number of passengers, luggage space, etc. to narrow down your search.

Each driver has a profile showing a selfie, photos of their car, their past reviews, so you can take a look around and see who seems like the best fit for you and your journey.

Once you’re happy with your driver and the confirmed price, press book.

From here, you will be requested to add your name, email, and phone number. (I always put my UK number in and requested to be contacted through whatsapp), but if you have a Georgian number, obviously that would be easier.

Add the address and time for pick-up, and any extra notes that might help out the driver.

Then select whether you want to pay by card in advance or in cash on the day.

Once booked, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a booking reference, the car type and registration number, the driver’s contact number and the price.

There is also a number to contact GoTrip through whatsapp, viber, or telegram at any time if you have any issues.

You can modify or cancel your trip through links on the confirmation email, though try not to cancel within at least 24 hours of departure so that the driver has a chance to get some more work.

Routes We Think are Better with GoTrip

Night Time Airport Transfers

A lot of flights arriving into Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Yerevan arrive at crazy times late at night or early in the morning, and in these cases, a GoTrip transfer is perfect.

The drivers monitor your flight status so you don’t have to worry about delays. They’ll meet you inside the terminal, help with your bags, and give you a smooth start to your trip.

Cross Border Journey: Tbilisi – Yerevan (or vice versa)

This journey is SO incredibly scenic! You can either travel through Debed Canyon which is stunning and dotted with UNESCO monasteries, or take the route through Ijevan, Dilijan towards Lake Sevan which has loads of stops for outrageously beautiful views over Armenia and a stop at Haghartsin Monastery.

We have taken the overnight Soviet train between Tbilisi and Yerevan and we’ve travelled this route by marshrutka on at least three occasions, but you miss the incredible views travelling this way!

Multi-Day Transfers

If you don’t want to spend time working out public transport for your trip, you can hire a driver for multiple days, almost like a private tour just without the guide.

Samarkand to Shahrisabz in Uzbekistan

This route is NOTORIOUSLY difficult to get a lift back from Shahrisabz to Samarkand. Shared taxis will take you from just outside the Registan to Shahrisabz but obviously don’t want to wait around all day to then bring you back, so the return journey is a tough one. I’ve read reports of people having to hitchhike or pay crazy fees to get back to Samarkand. GoTrip removes this worry.

Driving the Georgian Military Highway: Tbilisi to Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)

Arguably Georgia’s most scenic drive, it is sacrilege to just jump in the back of a marshrutka and not see the stunning beauty on the way! Yes, we ourselves have been blasphemous and taken the marshrutka a few times, and trust me, you see NOTHING. And I guarantee that you’ll be uncomfortable for the whole journey. Instead plan your route with these stops laid out our in our Tbilisi to Kazbegi guide.

Visiting Vardzia Ancient Cave City

Vardzia is a good four-hour journey from both Kutaisi and Tbilisi, there is no direct marshrutka, and no train routes heading that way either. So, really, your only way to reach Vardzia is with a driver or booking yourself onto an organised tour. It’s TOTALLY worth the journey!

A Winery-Hopping Day Trip to Kakheti

Georgia’s Kakheti wine region is pretty close to Tbilisi and makes for a great day trip. But, if you want to make the most of the day and travel to family-run wineries dotted around the region, a GoTrip driver would make the experience much simpler. The smaller wineries tend to be out of the major towns so getting there by public transport is more of a challenge.

Our Experience of GoTrip

One of the occasions where we used GoTrip was for a transfer from Yerevan to Tbilisi. We had packed up all our bags and were checking out of the apartment. As I walked towards the car (hands full of bags plus my backpack on my back), my laces connected to the hooks on my hiking boots. I fell face first into the carpark tarmac, smashed two front teeth, split my lip open deep, and scraped the skin off my forehead and cheek. We hadn’t even got in the car yet!

Our driver was SO SO SO lovely. Instead of just driving us to Tbilisi, he took me to two different hospitals in Yerevan, sat with me and helped explain to the doctors who spoke very little English. He waited for me to get stitched back together, cleaned up, and get the ‘all clear’ from the doctors before then driving us to Tbilisi. And then he texted me the next day to see how I was doing. The sweetest guy!

Overall Thoughts on GoTrip

We were SO excited to learn that GoTrip has recently branched out to Uzbekistan, and hopefully continues to expand its service across more of our favourite countries! Their customer service is responsive and effective, and you can actually speak to real people instead of just an AI bot. The service seems fairly priced while also looking after the drivers. GoTrip fills the gap that Georgia, Armenia and Uzbekistan’s current infrastructure is missing, and they do it well!

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