georgia
By plane
There are flights to
Tbilisi from a number of European, North American and Asian
cities, including London, Paris (Georgian Airways), Vienna
(Austrian Airlines), Warsaw (LOT Airlines), Kiev (Georgian
Airways), Munich (Lufthansa), Athens (Georgian Airways), Riga
(Air Baltic), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Prague (Czech
Airlines). Just recently, KLM cancelled their flights to Tbilisi
but you can fly with Georgian Airways from/to Amsterdam. Belavia
(Belarusian National Airlines) is now offering daily direct
flights from Minsk to Tbilisi at great rates, and there are
plenty of connecting flights from European cities to Minsk, e.g.
from Amsterdam (transit visa is not required if you fly to
Georgia). Please note that Georgian Airways (AirZena) has many
flights from many different cities. See also Air Baltic for
cheap flights to many European destinations.
May 26, 2007 saw the
reopening of the airport in Batumi. Turkish Airlines flights run
every day between Batumi and Istanbul. Other destinations
serviced by the Batumi airport include Kharkov, Kiev and from 15
September 2010 - Minsk (twice per week with Belavia). The Batumi
airport is located about 10km south of the city center and is
accessible by minibus and taxi.
Flights to Moscow and
other Russian cities are still irregular, given the current
state of affairs between two countries.
Rapidly expanding
touristic infrastructure (Black sea resorts along Georgian
coastline, sky resorts in the mountains of subtropical Ajara
region and in Svaneti) led to opening more international
airports (most recently in sky resort of Mestia), and along with
recent ranking as one of the safest countries in Europe and
rapidly improving infrastructure, the number of tourists is
increasing exponentially.
There are direct bus
services from Istanbul, Turkey, which stop at various places on
the route and terminate in Tbilisi.
There are also several non-stop bus services between Tbilisi
and Baku, Azerbaijan.
There are many minibuses
(sing. samarshruto taxi; pl. samarshruto taxebi) that operate
international routes to and from cities and large towns in
Georgia. Minibuses run between Georgia and Russia (and despite
the current state of affairs between two countries, are more
reliable and more accessible than the often irregular flights to
Russia), Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Iraq. In Tbilisi, these
routes usually originate and terminate at bus stations and the
Didube subway station. Outside Tbilisi, minibus routes may stop
at either bus stations or central locations (town squares).
Entering with a car is
no major problem. It is recommended to carry a power of attorney
with you if you are not the car owner. A sticker containing the
car plate number will be affixed to your passport in connection
with the entry stamp. In the past, the International Insurance
Card was not valid for Georgia, purchasing insurance at the
entry point was necessary (even though the amount covered to be
ridiculously low). Note that only the driver may enter the
control area with the car, anyone else in the car has to use the
pedestrians' lane.
Traffic laws are now
strictly enforced—one of Mikheil Saakashvili's first steps as
president was to disband the uncorruptably corrupt traffic
police. Norms are strictly observed, in the cities and on the
highways throughout the country. The most important norm to be
aware of is that passing occurs in the middle of the road, and
cars on both lanes are expected to move to the outside of their
own lane to make this as safe as possible. Awful road conditions
and lack of Wi-Fi coverage are now the thing of the past; the
government here is serious about developing first-class
infrastructure and communications. Driving here is surprisingly
unstressful, and is a great way to tour the country. It is safe
to leave your car unlocked, as the crime rate in Georgia is one
of the lowest in Europe.
There are train services
from Baku, Azerbaijan which stop at various places on the route
and terminate in Tbilisi. Note that the "BP train" has been
canceled. Construction of railroad linking the Turkish town
of Kars to Baku, Azerbaijan-including both a new line and
modernization of existing lines-is underway and will be finished
sometime between 2010-2012. This will establish a direct link
from Tbilisi to Istanbul and farther to Europe as well as a
faster, more comfortable ride into Azerbaijan.
