Travel tips for Georgia

Georgia rewards a bit of preparation before arrival, and most of what catches first-time visitors off guard falls into a handful of categories. Money starts with the currency itself: Georgia uses the lari (GEL, ₾), not the euro, and while cards are widely accepted in Tbilisi and Batumi, smaller towns and marshrutka fares often need cash. Visa rules are straightforward for most nationalities — citizens of the EU, UK, US and many other countries can enter visa-free for up to a year — but Georgia is not in the EU or the Schengen area, so it doesn't count toward a Schengen visa's 90-day limit and isn't covered by EU roaming or health-insurance arrangements.

Transport starts at Tbilisi International Airport, connected to the city by bus and taxi, with a second airport at Kutaisi serving budget European routes; marshrutka minivans link almost every town cheaply, the Tbilisi metro and the Bolt taxi app cover the capital well, and trains run comfortably between Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi. Driving is largely straightforward on main roads, but the Georgian Military Highway toward Kazbegi crosses the Jvari Pass at 2,379 metres, which closes for snow or avalanche risk without much notice, mostly from November to April, and the road into Svaneti can be affected too.

Heat and altitude shape the calendar: Tbilisi and Kakheti regularly pass 30°C in summer, while Svaneti and the high Caucasus stay noticeably cooler and see snow into late spring, and September and October bring the rtveli wine harvest, one of the best times to visit Kakheti specifically. Food and drink are central to Georgian hospitality — a supra feast comes with a tamada toastmaster leading rounds of toasts, and refusing a toast outright is considered impolite, though nobody expects a visitor to match a Georgian's drinking pace.

Hassle is minimal by most standards, and Georgia is generally considered one of the safer countries in the region for visitors, though the same city-centre pickpocketing caution that applies anywhere crowded still applies in central Tbilisi and Batumi. One point worth stating plainly: Abkhazia and South Ossetia are Russian-occupied territories not accessible from the rest of Georgia, and entering them from Russia is illegal under Georgian law, so they don't feature anywhere on this site's itineraries.