Experience in Tbilisi, Georgia by Zura

What is it like to live in Tbilisi? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Tbilisi, one of the oldest city in the Caucasus region, is a mixture of Asian and European styles of architecture with considerable mix of modern buildings.
People are really welcoming and cheerful, especially with foreigners. Historically, the city served as a stop-over for the merchants travelling from east to west and vice versa. So, they all brought and left some part of their culture and style in town. That is why, living in Tbilisi today is like being part of history and a unique culture.

What is the student lifestyle like in Tbilisi?

Student life in Tbilisi is quite busy and fun at the same time, there is a very favorable study environment and a saturated night life. Tbilisi State University with its 22,000 students, 5,000 staff and variety of English-instructed courses is becoming a very popular destination for Erasmus students. The number of incoming international students at TSU has been on steady increase during the past several years now.

How much does it cost to live in Tbilisi?

Living in Tbilisi 2.5 times cheaper than in a standard EU city/town and maybe 4-times cheaper than living in one of the EU capitals. A three-course-meal costs around 7eur, a glass of beer 1-2eur.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Tbilisi? Is there any advice you can give?

There a plenty of real estate agencies offering accommodation for both short- and long-term stays. Buying property in newly built blocks of flats for the purposes of renting it out is a very popular form of generating extra income, so there are plenty of offers and therefore it is quite easy to find a place which suits most pocket and taste types. Not infrequently, property owners speak at least one (frequently 2) foreign languages. Communicating via social media is very popular, so you can easily reach out to your potential land-owner. While some of the webpages like bina.ge, www.makler.ge or place.ge are among the most popular, it still makes sense to ask your host university to recommend one to you. Regrettably, there are no decent dormitories in the city, either private or university-owned.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Hmm, food!!! Without exaggeration, if you’ve landed in Georgia, consider yourself in a food and wine paradise. You’ll be astonished both by the heavenly taste and the variety of the food here. And, what’s even more important, Georgians love cooking and very careful in selecting the ingredients, so food in general tends to be healthy here. Khachapuri, Khinkali, Mcvadi, Bazhe, Pkhali, Lobio are absolute must tries, if you ask me :)

What places would you recommend visiting in Tbilisi?

Georgia in general is an extremely picturesque place, so it’s worth time and effort of exploring. Tbilisi, the capital, is best enjoyed when explored on foot. In addition to popular and tourist-flocked destinations like the old town with boutique cafes and bars on Jean Chardin and Leselidze streets, the Narikala fortress with a view on the Oriental Sulphur baths, the Funicular with its world-class restaurant complex housing 4 different concept eateries, the Botanical garden, the Sameba cathedral, Gabriadze theatre and café, etc., there are also places to be reached by transport, like Mtskheta, Ananuri fortress. They are all well worth of your time, money and emotions.

Is it good to eat out in Tbilisi? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Tbilisians do love cooking at home, but those with busy work schedules do not do it on everyday basis, instead they regularly eat out. This makes Tbilisi full of restaurants where you can find pretty much anything you may wish from a river-length menu of Georgian food. Dinners start a little early in comparison to European standards, that is around 7pm and places like the restaurants of the M-Group chain, GMC chain as well as individual restaurants are always full of clients. Small groups of friends generally select an eatery in the middle of the city easily reachable by transport (a Georgian dinner is inevitably accompanied with Georgian wine, so counting on transport is important on the way back home to avoid the risks of alcohol driving). Larger groups prefer to take a 20/30 minutes of drive outside the capital along the Georgian military highway and enjoy food in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia, which among other things prides itself small family-run restaurants with absolutely delicious and healthy food. 

Is the nightlife good in Tbilisi? Where is good to go?

There are a lots of night clubs, most of them visited regularly by best DJ-s from all around the world. Clubs like Khidi, Bassiani are one that come to my mind first. To give you more clarity on the issue, I’ll just list some of the artists who visited Georgia this summer: Tricky, Air, Adriatique, Acid Polly, Paul Van Dyk, Øliver, Boris Brejcha and many more...

What advice would you give future students heading to Tbilisi?

Do visit Georgia, you’ll never regret it and will long cherish every second you spend there.