Georgia is a very well-connected country. Trains connect major cities, and marshrutkas largely pick up the slack for getting you to other locations around the country. You’ll be able to find train timetables online, but marshrutka timings are a mystery unless you speak to locals or other travellers that have taken the same route.

Before we got to Georgia, I had read a lot of less than shining reviews of Georgian drivers, in particular marshrutka drivers.

Were our experiences as terrifying as the reviews had made out that they would be? Absolutely not, not even close. And we took loads of marshrutkas all around the country over six (ish) months.

Our experiences were largely positive, but there definitely were some hair-raising moments, bouts of serious motion sickness, and times where we nearly fell out of our seats. But, you know, it’s all part of the authentic Georgian experience, and really, you haven’t properly been to Georgia if you haven’t had at least one marshrutka ride!

This Georgia transport guide will help you prepare for the marshrutka madness on your next trip to this astounding country.

Georgia Transport Q/A

So what is a marshrutka?

A marshrutka is essentially a minivan. You generally find them in ex-Soviet republics – the Stans, the Caucasus and some in Eastern Europe. They travel a set route from A to B, have very little leg room or luggage space and are usually the cheapest transport option.

How well-connected are the cities?

If you are in Tbilisi, you will be able to get a direct route to almost anywhere in the country. If you’re in Batumi or Kutaisi, you will (more or less) be able to get anywhere in the west of the country. For other smaller locations, you will largely be able to get to other relatively nearby locations. So for example, you’re in Kutaisi and you want to get to Telavi in the very east: you will have to go to Tbilisi and change marshrutka. All roads quite literally lead to Tbilisi.

Where can I find timetables?

Now, this is a tricky one because timetables don’t really exist online. There isn’t anything official, but you’ll be able to find information for your next destination once you are at the bus station. Your other option is to ask locals, check with your accommodation host, or read up on articles like ours about destinations in Georgia. Basically, you need to find people in the know.

We have had many accommodation hosts in smaller towns or villages literally call the driver to check timings. I guess there is maybe one guy who services the route.

When should I get to the bus station?

As a rule of thumb, we plan to get there twenty/thirty minutes early. This is a rule that we have stuck to throughout our travels so far and it works pretty nicely. It means you have time to find the right marshrutka and get your luggage packed up before others have arrived. However, it all depends on the rules of the specific marshrutka.

Every marshrutka, bar one, that we have taken in Georgia (and we’ve travelled around the country for near on six months) has left at a designated time. Some, however, just leave when they are full, or when they have enough money from the passengers to make it worth them taking the journey.

We took a marshrutka from Zugdidi up to Mestia that was meant to leave around 12, that actually ended up leaving at 10:45. The only reason we arrived this early was because I had read up online that the Zugdidi Mestia marshrutkas leave when full, so we got there an hour and a half early. Good job we did this!

Are there marshrutka stations?

So where do you get the marshrutka from? The bus station. Georgia doesn’t really have many intercity buses or coaches. But the stations from which you get your marshrutka are referred to as ‘bus stations’, even though they are really marshrutka stations. Some cities will have a bus station that is just a couple of marshrutkas parked up at the side of the road, others are absolute mayhem like Didube in Tbilisi. You will usually be able to find the bus station locations on Maps.me or Google Maps, but not always. If in doubt, just ask around: Georgians are really helpful and friendly.

Which Tbilisi station should I go to?

Tbilisi was the only city we came across that had several different stations servicing different areas of the country, so bear that in mind. 

Marshrutkas leaving from Didube head to most of the country. If you’re going to Kazbegi, Mtskheta, Gori, Borjomi, and further west in the country: head to Didube.

If you are heading to anywhere in the Kakheti region or over to the east, these marshrutkas leave from Ortachala. Some people may tell you to pick it up from Isani, but that’s not actually where the marshrutkas depart from: they just stop here to pick people up. So, if you have luggage, want to secure yourself a seat, or are just unsure about flagging down a marshrutka, go to Ortachala ahead of time instead. The closest metro station is called Isani. From here, it is a twenty minute walk downhill to Ortachala.

These are the two stations that service the majority of the country, but there are also other odd places around Tbilisi. For example, we have seen signs for marshrutkas to Mestia leaving from the car park in front of Tbilisi Central Train station. If in doubt, ask a local. Didube and Ortachala are absolutely nowhere near each other, so you don’t want to go to the wrong one by accident.

How do I find the right marshrutka?

Marshrutkas have a sign in the windscreen showing the final destination. But depending on how touristy your destination is, depends on whether it is shown in Georgian or English. Heading to Gori or Batumi: easy, they will show in English. Heading to Duisi or Chiatura: not so easy, they will show in Georgian.

When you enter the bus station, people will inevitably approach you to find out if you are planning on getting their marshrutka. Say your destination, and they will point you in the right direction. In our experience, even taxi drivers (who obviously want you to take their transport instead of the marshrutka) have pointed us to the right vehicle. Follow it up with a ‘madloba!’, which means ‘thank you’ in Georgian.

Top tip: learn how to properly pronounce your destination, and take a screenshot of how it is written in the Georgian alphabet. Marshrutka drivers tend not to have a great understanding of English.

How do I pay for the ride?

Now this can vary, but the common factor is that you will always have to pay in cash. Sometimes, you have to pay at a ticket desk at the bus station, and then show the driver the ticket. Sometimes, you pay the driver in cash when you get on the marshrutka at the bus station. Sometimes, and this is the most common, you just pay the driver when you get off the marshrutka. Try to have more or less correct change for the driver. Paying for a 5 GEL trip with a 100 GEL note won’t go down too well. If one of the first two options are required, the driver will let you know.

How much does a journey cost?

Really not much at all. Travelling by marshrutka is the cheapest way (bar hitchhiking) to get around the country. An hour long trip to Gori, cost us 5 GEL. A four and a half hour mountain road trip up to Mestia cost us 40 GEL. The most expensive that we have seen advertised is Mestia to Tbilisi at 50 GEL, but that is literally a journey from one end of the country to the other, so it’s not bad at all.

What if I need to get out before the final destination?

The marshrutka is driven a specific route, and you can get on or off at any point along this route. Just get out of your seat and tell the driver when you want to get off. We took a marshrutka from Ozurgeti, heading to Batumi, but got off half way at Kobuleti. We have even got out early because the marshrutka route was right past our accommodation, so instead of stopping at the bus station, we just jumped out five minutes early.

If you know the route that the marshrutka takes, you can even stand at the side of the road and just flag it down as it comes past. This is a little riskier though, purely because there might not be seats available. And if you have large backpacks like ours, it means it can cause some awkwardness as you try to squeeze into the already small marshrutka with them (you might get some disapproving looks!).

So what’s the situation with luggage?

This is where it can get awkward. Marshrutkas generally only have a tiny space behind the last row of seats to store luggage. Your bag will either be slid under the last row of seats or squeezed between the back of the seat and the back door. Sometimes though, there might be other people with luggage too, or the marshrutka might be dropping products off to someone en route (therefore no luggage space!). In this circumstance, get ready to do some jiggery pokery to get your bag in a position that doesn’t block the way for everyone else in the marshrutka. (I have genuinely had situations where I have had my knees round my ears, and had to have my 20 kg backpack on my knees for a full journey in Armenia. But that’s a story for another time.) For popular routes, Kutaisi to Mestia as an example, the marshrutka might have an extension that they attach to the back of the vehicle. You don’t have to pay extra for your luggage.

My advice is to pack light when visiting Georgia!

How uncomfortable is a marshrutka journey?

I guess it really depends on how long your legs are! I, at about 5’6’’, have no issues with leg room. Chris at 6’2’’ish usually has more difficulty and has to put his legs out into the aisle. Get prepared to get cosy with the other passengers, is my advice. Even when the seats are all full, the marshrutka will stop along the route to pick up others. There is always space for more in a marshrutka, even if it means standing. Marshrutkas are great for shorter journeys – maybe up to three hours. Anything longer, and I would recommend trying to get the train.

What is the road safety like?

So, marshrutka drivers go pretty quickly, and Georgian drivers overall aren’t the most cautious. There aren’t seatbelts in marshrutkas so hold on tight. Marshrutka journeys down winding mountain roads are the most difficult to stomach; we both ended up feeling ill and we don’t really get motion sickness.

Our introduction to Kutaisi was not the best. We had arrived into the city during torrential rains, and we were soaked through. The location we had for our accommodation was wrong, which just added to the fun that we were already having.

Accommodation eventually found, we dried off, and headed for some well-deserved mushroom khinkali. We did the classic ‘nibble a little hole in the dough and drink the soupy juices’, and wow, we were impressed. The tastiest (and least expensive) khinkali that we have found in the whole of Georgia are right here in Kutaisi!

Aside from the delicious khinkali, Kutaisi is a beautiful city that doesn’t have the intense city vibe. Its modern bars and restaurants contrast with its traditional architecture. The ferocious river Rioni flows through the city while traditional Soviet cable cars fly up and over to the hilltop amusement park. And beautiful Bagrati Cathedral stands atop a hill, overlooking charming Kutaisi.

The longer we stayed, the more we discovered the charm of the city, and the more we returned – three times so far! This guide showcases all our favourite things to do in Kutaisi to help you plan your trip here, as well as day trips and onward travel to explore other areas of Georgia too.

A Very Brief Kutaisi History

Kutaisi was the first capital city of the United Kingdom of Georgia for over a hundred years during the middle ages. In the early 1500s, the Ottomans took control of Kutaisi and the Imeretian region as well as south Georgian regions.

Wanting to take the control away from the Ottomans, the Imeretian king turned to the Russian Empire for help. The Russian-Turkish war ensued, resulting in Kutaisi and the Imeretian region being annexed by the Russian Empire in 1810. Georgia (including Kutaisi) gained independence in 1991.

Travelling to and from Kutaisi

Flights

Kutaisi has a modern international airport (KUT). Serviced by many Wizz Air flights means that Europe to Kutaisi is very much accessible…unless you’re flying from the UK. No direct flights yet means that you’ll have to get a connecting flight elsewhere in Europe first.

Marshrutka

If you are in Tbilisi, head to Didube bus station (easily accessible from Didube metro station).

Marshrutka journeys that we have taken in and out of Kutaisi:

Chiatura to Kutaisi: make your way to the Chiatura bus station located here. Buy a ticket at the office using cash. There are a few marshrutkas each day. We caught the 11:30 which took about two and half hours and cost 10 GEL.

Kutaisi to Chiatura: head to Kutaisi central bus station. You can reach this by catching the #1 marshrutka from Colchis fountain roundabout. Top tip from the woman we spoke to at tourist information – get on at McDonald’s (on the roundabout), and then get off when you spot another McDonald’s right at the bus station (about 15/20 minutes or so). Jump on the marshrutka, pay 60 tetri in cash when you get off.

In the bus station ask around for Chiatura. They will direct you to the ticket office. Pay your 10 GEL in cash and jump on the marshrutka. We caught the 11:45, and they seemed to depart every hour or so.

Kutaisi to Ozurgeti: get to Kutaisi central bus station (see tips above). Ask around for Ozurgeti, and you will be directed to the marshrutka and the ticket office – note that the ticket office for Ozurgeti is in a different part of the station to that for Chiatura. Pay 12 GEL in cash.

We caught the 11:00 (there are also departures at 15:00, 16:15 and 17:30), and the journey lasted an hour and a half.

Trains

We have taken the train from Tbilisi to Rioni (a town just south of Kutaisi) on two occasions. The trains to Rioni tend to be quicker than those heading into Kutaisi.

Buy your train tickets either online at tkt.ge or at the train station directly. I would recommend getting the 08:25 heading to Zugdidi (as this is the fastest), and jump out at Rioni at around 12:00. From here, get the #3 bus into Kutaisi town centre. You can tap your Starling card on board to pay the 1 GEL fee. The bus journey will take maybe twenty minutes.

One point of note, we were unable to get any phone signal at Rioni station with our Magti sim card, so were unable to call a Bolt or Maxim taxi. The bus is really the only way to get into town, unless you’re lucky to spot a taxi hanging around the station.

Accommodation in Kutaisi

On a tight budget? Grab a room at Marco Polo. This guesthouse is run by a really friendly local lady who does not speak a word of English, but will always greet you with a big smile and a ‘gamarjoba’. Simple and clean rooms in the centre of the town.

Nana’s Home is a lovely guesthouse close to the Colchis fountain roundabout but tucked down a quiet side road. The rooms are clean and there are plenty of little nooks, balconies and communal areas to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening/morning coffee. Budget prices, but not quite as budget as Marco Polo.

Things to Do in Kutaisi

See the Colchis Fountain

The Colchis fountain is huge and marks a roundabout in the city centre. It is adorned with golden structures based on archaeological findings throughout the country. Horses, goats, deer, tamada (the toastmaster) all sit on blue pedestals as water jumps around them.

Take a Soviet Cable Car Ride

This is definitely an experience. The Soviets loved putting fairgrounds on top of hills and then connecting a rickety cable car to them, and Kutaisi is not an exception. The fairground rides are not the reason to go (we spent about ten minutes up here before heading back down), the ride in the Soviet cable car up and over the river Rioni is the reason.

Georgia is full of cable cars, but many have fallen into disrepair, and others have been completely revamped into modern versions. Kutaisi’s system has been revamped, but the cable cars themselves have held on to their rickety Soviet feel. I was particularly shocked when we stepped inside and the whole car dropped down with our weight! (You don’t get that sort of excitement in a modern cable car.) Pay 1 GEL, and away you go.

Admire River Rioni from the White Bridge

The White Bridge stands over Rioni river. See the statue of a boy with two hats that relates to the film ‘An Extraordinary Exhibition’ filmed here. You’ll see Georgian inscription on the walkway and some glass tiles meaning that you can see straight through to the river. Linger here for a little while, enjoying the views.

Bargain for Local Produce at the Green Bazaar

The Green Bazaar is a covered market largely selling fresh produce. See stands full of fruit, veg and herbs; cheeses, churchkela and dried fruit, spices, wine and chacha. Make sure you get a shoti (Georgian, canoe-shaped bread) straight from the tone (tandoor-style oven) at Bread and Wine within the bazaar.

Explore Kutaisi’s Backstreets

Take a couple of hours to explore some of Kutaisi’s interesting architecture away from the main city centre. Head up to the Green Flower Pantheon and Mtsvanekvavila Church for some stunning views up the river. Walk back down towards Kutaisi synagogue, and then over to what is marked on Google Maps as ‘Old House’.

Take a look into the St. George’s Church complex and walk around the back to head down to the river’s edge. Carry on down the road towards the Holy Annunciation Temple before wandering back into the city centre. We found so many little side roads with characterful architecture, rusted gateways, wonky staircases and doors full of charm. Keep your camera at the ready!

Venture up to Bagrati Cathedral for Stunning City Views

Bagrati Cathedral is a fifteen minute walk across Kutaisi’s chain bridge and up steps the other side of the river. The building itself is impressive from the outside with blue/green roof tiles, but is very plain and simple inside. Venture up here to get great panoramic views across the city, with mountains in the backdrop.

Find Kutaisi’s Old Soviet Friezes

There are a couple of prominent Soviet friezes in Kutaisi, notably at the entrance to the Green Bazaar. This frieze is huge and covers the entire side of a wall. Another is at the Wissol petrol station just below Bagrati Cathedral: you’ll find the artwork on each side of the station.

Search for Street Art

Kutaisi has street art concentrated in the centre of the city near Papavero restaurant, and then one by Story restaurant, as well as other locations dotted around the city. They’re generally large murals that cover whole walls and really stand-out pieces.

See the Retro Cinema Signage

Although Kutaisi doesn’t currently have a cinema, it used to have two. You can see the retro signage remnants of both in the city centre – Radium and Mon Plaisir.

Wander the Free Museums

Kutaisi has three museums which have free entry – Georgia Sports, Military Glory, Photo Cinema Chronicles. If you have a rainy day in Kutaisi, you could go for a wander round these. There isn’t much signage in English, but for free entry, they are interesting to wander through.

The Photo Cinema Chronicles was our favourite as it had many old fashioned cameras and old pictures of Kutaisi, Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati and Motsameta Monasteries.

Day Trips and Onward Travel from Kutaisi

Gelati and Motsameta UNESCO Monasteries

This is THE day trip to take from Kutaisi. Jump on a marshrutka out of town to Gelati monastery, and then walk back to town via Motsameta monastery. You will feel like you’re hiking through the rainforest on the way back – honestly breath-taking. A blog post with tips of how to visit the monasteries is on its way.

Tskaltubo – Urbexer’s Paradise

Tskaltubo is a partially abandoned town known for Soviet sanatoriums. The large buildings are really impressive and a playground for urbexers. It is a quick twenty minute marshrutka ride from Kutaisi, so makes a great day/half-day trip.

However, the reviews that I had read on the town didn’t quite set me up for how uncomfortable the place would make me feel. It is such an interesting, historical place, but maybe not for everyone. I will share my experiences in a blog post coming very soon.

Chiatura – Soviet Mining Town with Cable Cars

The Soviet mining town is about a two and half hour marshrutka ride away. We stayed for a couple of nights to try out the new cable cars and explore the old, abandoned Soviet ones, and Mgvimevi Monastery built into the cliff face. A Chiatura blog post is coming soon.

Ozurgeti – Tropical Tea Town

The capital of the generally overlooked region of Guria was a very pleasant contrast with the cities we had explored throughout the country so far. Beautiful, characterful, traditional oda-style houses built on stilts with huge winding staircases and balconies, Soviet mosaics, mountain scenery, tea plantations and the friendliest people!

Did I mention the Guruli khachapuri?! Heaven. This area feels so tropical and laid-back. Ozurgeti blog post is in the works.