On a map, the final walk to our accommodation looked short: about 700 metres. With two suitcases, backpacks, a stroller, a child carrier and a small daughter, it became the part of our arrival that we remembered most clearly.
Tbilisi’s welcome reached us through small acts of help, awkward logistics and the first evening’s food. This is the story of that arrival, rather than an attempt to turn one family’s first day into a complete guide to Georgia.
First published on 20 December 2016. This account follows our family’s historical journey via Kyiv to Tbilisi. Its route, accommodation experience and prices are not current booking advice. The present Tbilisi airport-bus information was checked on 18 October 2026.
Before Georgia: dinner in Kyiv
Our story began with a stopover in Kyiv. We had takeaway solyanka soup, plov and chebureki, and ate in the hostel corridor while Zosia slept. Food brought back older memories for me, including journeys to Crimea long before this family trip.
The photograph below belongs to that meal in Ukraine. It appeared at the start of the original Tbilisi article because it was part of getting there. Keeping its location clear matters: it should not be used to illustrate a Georgian dinner.
Our Kyiv family photo essay describes the stopover’s more reflective side. That account also explains the present-day context. The flight connection in this 2016 story is historical, not a route we are recommending now.
An arrival helped along by a stranger
Zosia slept during the flight to Tbilisi. On arrival we exchanged money but did not have the change we needed for the bus. Another passenger paid for us. It was a small practical kindness, and it made our first moments in an unfamiliar place feel easier.
Our original account then became an opinionated comparison of buses and marshrutkas. A difficult arrival is not enough evidence for broad claims about a country’s transport, so those generalisations have not been carried into the practical notes here.
For present planning, Tbilisi Airport identifies municipal route 337 between the airport and the city centre, with its stop in front of arrivals. Check the airport’s current bus page for the route and payment arrangements; our old bus number, fare and timing would not be reliable instructions now. 1
Why the last 700 metres were the hard part
Once in town, the short distance to our address turned out to include the wrong ingredients for our pile of luggage: slopes, steps and cobbled surfaces. We had planned the distance, but not the effort of carrying everything through it.
Eventually we found a taxi, and later our host met us. The exact sequence was untidy, as family arrivals sometimes are. It is one reason we remember the day: solving a basic problem occupied more of our attention than any sightseeing plan.
For a family arrival now, ask the host about the final approach as well as the address. Can a vehicle stop at the entrance? Are there steps before the room? Does “nearby” mean an easy pavement or a climb with bags? These are planning questions suggested by our experience, not claims that every Old Town street has the same difficulties.
A room, a balcony and the details we noticed
The accommodation we had reserved changed, and we ended up in an Old Town apartment. Our original journal was candid about what did and did not work. That is a record of one stay in 2016, not a current assessment of a named property.
What stays with us now is more visual: old doorways, a balcony, grapes, rugs and a cat. The photographs of wooden doors suit that memory better than a generic skyline. They show the details we stopped to notice once we were no longer focused entirely on moving the luggage.
For broader orientation, the Georgian National Tourism Administration’s Tbilisi page is a current place to begin. Our arrival diary offers the smaller scale of one family finding its way into the city. 2
The evening became easier
By evening we had found somewhere to eat khinkali, and Zosia danced with the waitresses. After the effort of reaching the apartment, this was the part of the day when we could stop solving problems and simply enjoy being there.
We have not retained the old menu prices or treated that restaurant evening as a current recommendation. Its importance was personal: food, music and a child who was still ready to play after the adults had run out of energy.
The arrival taught us to give the last part of a journey as much attention as the flight. Our Cuba transport journal tells a different version of the same luggage problem. A short transfer can matter more to a family day than a much longer journey that has been planned well.
Good to know
A couple of useful questions
Where was the food photograph taken?
In Kyiv, during the stopover before our flight to Tbilisi. It shows the meal described in the opening of the original journal, not Georgian cuisine.
Which airport bus should I check for Tbilisi now?
The airport currently lists municipal route 337 and a stop outside arrivals. Use its live information for the service and payment details. 1
Does a short Old Town walk mean an easy arrival with a stroller?
Our experience showed that distance alone did not tell the whole story. Ask about the actual entrance, steps, slopes and vehicle access before deciding how to bring your bags.
Sources and useful links
For more context and practical details:
Images and accounts are preserved from our original archive; the note above explains their context. Sources and planning links were checked on 18 October 2026.
