Tbilisi 3-Day Itinerary: Old Town, Rustaveli & Mtskheta

How should you spend 3 days in Tbilisi?

Give each day one district: day 1 Old Tbilisi, Narikala and the sulphur baths; day 2 Rustaveli Avenue, the Georgian National Museum and Mtatsminda; day 3 a half-day trip to Mtskheta, back for an evening around Fabrika. Avoid putting day 2 on a Monday or public holiday, when the museum closes.

Central Tbilisi is compact, so this plan walks most of the time and uses the metro, cable car and funicular for the climbs. It assumes one central base for three nights; where to stay in Tbilisi explains why Sololaki, Old Tbilisi or Rustaveli work best for it. Hours, fares and closing days were checked on official sites on 16 October 2026.

If you have longer, the Tbilisi 7-day itinerary adds Kakheti and Kazbegi, and things to do in Tbilisi helps you trade sights in and out.

Which days of the week work best for this plan?

Any start day works except Sunday, which puts the museum day on a Monday, when the Georgian National Museum is closed. If you arrive on a Sunday, swap days 2 and 3. Also check the museum’s list of official holidays, which includes 7 January, 26 May and 14 October.

The Georgian National Museum’s visitor page says its exhibition halls open every day except Mondays and official holidays, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:30. Its holiday list runs from New Year (1–2 January) and Orthodox Christmas (7 January) to Svetitskhovloba (14 October) and Giorgoba (23 November), plus Orthodox Easter.

Saturday evenings deserve a thought too. The FCDO says protests on Rustaveli Avenue are most likely on Saturday evenings and nights, so if your trip includes a Saturday, make it the Old Tbilisi or Mtskheta day rather than the Rustaveli day.

What should you do on day 1 in Old Tbilisi?

Start at Rike Park and ride the cable car to Narikala Fortress and St Nicholas Church, then walk down through Old Tbilisi to the Abanotubani sulphur baths. After a soak, cross to the Metekhi viewpoint and finish outside Gabriadze’s Marionette Theatre for The Circle of Life puppet presentation at 19:00.

The Rike–Narikala aerial cable car costs 2.5 GEL one way (TTC) and accepts the Metromoney card, sold for 2 GEL at the cable car’s ticket offices as well as metro stations (TTC). At the top, St Nicholas Church sits inside the fortress walls; Georgia Travel explains that the 13th-century church was destroyed in an 1818 munitions explosion and rebuilt in 1997 on its old base.

Walk down through the lanes to Abanotubani, where the 17th-century domed baths are fed by naturally hot sulphur water (Georgia Travel). Reserving a private room ahead is sensible at weekends; bring flip-flops and skip a heavy lunch beforehand. From the baths, the Metekhi Church on its cliff gives what the tourism administration calls one of the city’s most breathtaking views of Old Tbilisi.

In the evening, the square outside Gabriadze’s Marionette Theatre hosts The Circle of Life puppet presentation daily at 12:00 and 19:00, according to Georgia Travel. Have dinner in Old Tbilisi or Sololaki; if it is a Saturday, keep away from gatherings on Rustaveli Avenue, as the FCDO advises.

How should you spend day 2 on Rustaveli Avenue and Mtatsminda?

Open the day at the Georgian National Museum on Rustaveli Avenue, which opens at 10:00 from Tuesday to Sunday and charges foreign adults 40 GEL. Walk the 1.5 km avenue past the Opera House, Parliament and National Gallery, then take the funicular up to Mtatsminda Park for late-afternoon views over the city.

The museum’s ticket page lists 40 GEL for foreign adults, 30 GEL for foreign pensioners and 15 GEL for foreign students and pupils, with free entry for children under six. It says no booking is needed: buy at the desk or online through biletebi.ge, and note that the last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing. Allow two to three hours.

Rustaveli Avenue is the city’s main thoroughfare, lined with the Parliament, the Opera House, the National Gallery, the Rustaveli Theatre, the Modern Art Museum, the National Library and Kashveti Church (Georgia Travel). Walk it from Liberty Square towards Rustaveli metro, stopping for lunch in the side streets of Sololaki or Vera.

For the afternoon, the funicular to Mtatsminda Park leaves from Daniel Chonkadze Street 22 and takes about three minutes to the upper station (Georgia Travel). The tourism administration describes Mtatsminda as the city’s highest point, with restaurants, cafés and amusement rides in the park (Georgia Travel). Ride back down or take an app taxi home.

How do you fit Mtskheta into day 3?

Mtskheta is about 20 minutes from Tbilisi by road, so a half-day trip covers Jvari Church on its hilltop and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro in town, all three on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Be back by mid-afternoon for Sameba Cathedral or the Dry Bridge area, then spend the evening around Fabrika in Marjanishvili.

Georgia Travel lists Mtskheta at 20 minutes from Tbilisi by road and names Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and the Samtavro church complex as its UNESCO-listed churches; it dates Svetitskhoveli to 1010–1129 and suggests guided tours as a good way to understand Jvari’s history. An app-booked taxi or an organised half-day tour is the simplest way to combine the hilltop church with the town.

Carry a light layer for church visits. If your day 3 falls on 14 October, Svetitskhovloba is an official holiday named for the cathedral (Georgian National Museum), so check access before you go.

Back in Tbilisi, spend the evening at Fabrika, the cultural centre at 8 Ninoshvili Street with cafés, bars and a large courtyard, a short walk from Marjanishvili metro. If you would rather stay central, Sameba Cathedral in Avlabari is an alternative late-afternoon stop.

What are the best weather swaps for this itinerary?

In summer heat, move outdoor climbs to before 11am and spend afternoons in the national museum or long lunches indoors. In May’s showery weather, swap Mtatsminda for the museum and baths. On cold winter days, keep Narikala for the clearest hour and finish with a warming sulphur bath.

The WMO 1991–2020 normals for Tbilisi explain the swaps. July and August average about 22 days at 30°C or more and highs near 32°C; May has the most rain days (10.4) and June the most rain (84.0 mm); January averages 15.5 nights below freezing. Best time to visit Tbilisi has the full month-by-month table.

Indoor anchors on this route are the Georgian National Museum (closed on Mondays), the baths, and the cafés of Sololaki and Vera. The outdoor stretches that suffer most in rain or heat are the walk down from Narikala, Mtatsminda Park and the Jvari hilltop, so give those the best hours of the day.

How do you get around Tbilisi for three days?

Walk in the centre and use the metro, buses, cable car and funicular for longer hops and climbs. A Metromoney card costs 2 GEL; a 1 GEL payment buys 90 minutes of unlimited metro and bus travel, and a 3 GEL day ticket needs a subscription card. Book taxis through an app, as the FCDO advises.

TTC’s standard tariff sets 1 GEL for 90 minutes of unlimited travel on the metro, buses, minibuses and the Bagebi–University ropeway when you pay by Metromoney or bank card, 3 GEL for a one-day pass and 20 GEL for a week; passes need a subscription card. Paying in cash or through the mobile app does not include the 90-minute package, and travelling without a ticket risks a 5 GEL fine (TTC).

The Rike–Narikala cable car is priced separately at 2.5 GEL one way (TTC). For the airport, the national tourism administration says the #337 municipal bus and 24-hour taxis link the terminal, 17 km south-east of the city, with the centre (Georgia Travel). The FCDO advises pre-booking taxis by app rather than hailing them on the street.

What should you book ahead for 3 days in Tbilisi?

Very little needs advance booking. The Georgian National Museum says tickets can be bought at the desk or online without a reservation. Reserve a private sulphur-bath room for a weekend slot, and consider a guided Mtskheta tour if you want history and transport handled. Book rooms early around Tbilisoba or the New Wine Festival.

The museum’s ticket page states that booking is not necessary and that tickets can also be bought online through biletebi.ge. For event dates, check the latest announcements: in 2026 Tbilisoba was held on 3–4 October (SOVA) and the New Wine Festival on 9 May (Vino.ge).

A guided half-day suits travellers who want Mtskheta’s history explained without arranging transport. Compare the pick-up point, duration, what is included and the cancellation terms; GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook explains the differences between the platforms.

Who is this itinerary for, and how can you adapt it?

It suits first-time visitors who want Tbilisi’s old town, museums and one day trip without hiring a car. Wine lovers can swap Mtskheta for a full Kakheti day, families can add Mtatsminda Park’s rides, and travellers arriving late should treat day 1 as an evening in Old Tbilisi and start the cable car the next morning.

For a longer stay, the 7-day itinerary builds on this plan with Kakheti and Kazbegi. If you are deciding when to go, best time to visit Tbilisi covers heat, rain and festival dates.

Food deserves its own time: Tbilisi eats has dishes and areas to try, and the Tbilisi destination guide covers budgets.

• Do I need a car? No; walking, the metro, the cable car, the funicular and app taxis cover this plan.
• Can I do Mtskheta without a tour? Yes; it is about 20 minutes by road, so an app-booked taxi works.
• Is the museum open on Mondays? No; it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00.
• What if it is a Saturday? Keep away from Rustaveli Avenue protests in the evening, as the FCDO advises.
• Where should I stay? Sololaki, Old Tbilisi or Rustaveli; see where to stay in Tbilisi.