Tbilisi: Old & New City Guided Tour with 15 Tastings & Wine

Tbilisi’s best introduction may be the one that lets you eat your way through the city while walking through its past. This tour links the Old and New City in two to four hours, moving from cafés and markets to basilicas, parks, bridges, and a final wine stop.

I like the generous spread of Georgian samples, especially the four kinds of khinkali and four styles of wine. I also like the hotel pickup and the guides’ willingness to discuss hard subjects, from the Soviet period to modern politics. The main drawback is simple: this is a walking tour with food, not a restaurant crawl, so some stops are brief and the pace may be tiring if you have mobility limits.

Key points at a glance

• Four kinds of khinkali: Try beef, mushroom, potato-cheese, and potato dumplings, with guidance on local eating customs.
• A real Old and New City overview: See Dry Bridge, Rike Park, the Bridge of Peace, Anchiskhati Basilica, Meidan Bazaar, and the Old Town.
• Four wine styles plus chacha: Taste white, red dry, red semi-sweet, and qvevri wines, followed by Georgia’s famous grape spirit.
• Strong first-day choice: The route helps you get your bearings and gives useful ideas for restaurants and sights later in your stay.
• Hotel pickup and drop-off: A practical bonus if you have just arrived or are still finding your way around Tbilisi.
• Private and small-group options: Guide assignments vary, with Camila, Nodar, Giorgi, George, Irina, Mariam, and Emma among the guides named for this experience.

A city tour built around the Georgian table

At $62 per person, this outing combines a guided city walk, transport to and from your hotel, and 15 included tastings. That makes the price easier to justify than a basic sightseeing walk, especially if you want a useful first look at Tbilisi without arranging several separate stops.

The food is not limited to one large meal. It arrives in stages as you move around the city. You start with welcome refreshments at a local café, continue through savory and sweet samples, then finish with wine and chacha at a local bar.

You should arrive hungry. The dumpling portions can be substantial, and the full set of samples may feel closer to a light meal than a few token bites. One practical tip is to avoid eating a large breakfast or lunch before the tour.

The title promises 15 tastings, and the selection covers a good range:

• Beef khinkali
• Mushroom khinkali
• Potato-cheese khinkali
• Potato khinkali
• Georgian lemonade
• Walnut churchkhela
• Hazelnut churchkhela
• Walnut and honey gozinaki
• Tkemali sauce made with wild plum or blackberry
• Ajika, a spicy local mixture
• White wine
• Red dry wine
• Red semi-sweet wine
• Qvevri wine
• Chacha, a local spirit

This is useful for first-time visitors because Georgian food can be hard to understand from a menu alone. You get to compare fillings, textures, sweet snacks, sauces, and wines while someone explains what you are tasting.

Starting at a café, then crossing into Tbilisi’s old quarters

The tour begins with pickup in Tbilisi, followed by a stop at a local café. This opening gives you a gentle start and a chance to meet your guide before the walking begins.

The guide is one of the biggest variables, since the person assigned depends on the date. Names connected with this tour include Camila or Camilla, Nodar, Giorgi or George, Irina, Mariam, and Emma. The strongest guide feedback centers on clear English, patience, humor, and a willingness to answer questions beyond the standard sightseeing script.

That matters in Tbilisi. The city’s story is not just a list of kings and churches. It includes Soviet rule, present-day politics, language, religion, food customs, and daily life. Several guides are praised for making those subjects understandable without turning the tour into a lecture.

Dry Bridge Market and Dedaena Park

Dry Bridge Market is an early highlight when the timing works. It is a useful place to see the city’s secondhand and local market side, with time for photographs, browsing, and a short wander.

There is an important timing issue here. If you book an evening departure, Dry Bridge Market may already be closed. In that case, you still pass through the area, but you will not get the full market experience. Check the start time if the market is a priority.

The route then reaches Dedaena Park, where the focus shifts to open space, city views, and a slower walk. It gives you a break from narrow streets and helps connect the newer parts of Tbilisi with the historic center.

You will also pass the Presidential Palace. This is mainly an exterior photo and explanation stop, not an interior visit. That distinction is worth knowing if you are choosing the tour for landmark access.

Gabriadze Theater and the city’s oldest church

The Rezo Gabriadze Theater adds an artistic note to the route. It is a photogenic stop in the Old City, and your guide can place the theater within Tbilisi’s wider cultural life.

Nearby, Anchiskhati Basilica offers a different kind of atmosphere. It is one of the city’s historic religious sites, and the visit gives the walking portion more depth than a route made only of viewpoints and modern architecture.

Ioane Shavteli Street ties the stops together. You can expect photographs, a guided walk, and time to look around rather than a long formal visit at every location. This is a highlights tour, so the value comes from the way the sites connect.

The route is not designed for travelers who want to spend 30 minutes inside each monument. It is better for you if you prefer a broad introduction, with enough context to decide where to return on your own.

Bridge of Peace, Rike Park, and Europe Square

The Bridge of Peace is the clearest symbol of Tbilisi’s newer face on this route. Its modern design contrasts with the older streets nearby, and it leads naturally into Rike Park.

Rike Park gives you room to walk, take photographs, and see the city from a more open angle. The route continues to Europe Square, another useful point for understanding how central Tbilisi brings together old buildings, new public spaces, and river views.

This old and new contrast is one of the tour’s strongest ideas. You do not see the Old City as an isolated museum district. Instead, you watch it meet the newer city in a short stretch of walking.

The views are appealing, but the route includes hills, uneven surfaces, and a moderate amount of walking. Comfortable shoes are essential. The activity is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments.

The food stops: from khinkali to churchkhela

The khinkali tasting is likely to be the most filling part of the day. You try beef, mushroom, potato-cheese, and potato versions, which lets you compare a meat filling with vegetarian choices.

Your guide may also explain the customs around eating khinkali. The dumplings are traditionally handled in a particular way, and the broth inside makes technique part of the fun. This is more useful than simply being handed a plate and left to guess.

The vegetarian options are a real advantage for mixed groups. One guide was specifically praised for taking care with a vegetarian guest, but you should still communicate dietary needs before the tour rather than assume every substitution is guaranteed.

Georgian lemonade provides a sweet, nonalcoholic break. The sauce tasting introduces tkemali, with its sharp fruit flavor, and ajika, which brings heat. These are small samples, but they help explain why Georgian food often balances sour, spicy, salty, and sweet notes.

The sweets are more than filler. Churchkhela, made with nuts coated in a thickened fruit mixture, comes in walnut and hazelnut versions here. Gozinaki combines walnut and honey, giving you a different texture and a more concentrated sweetness.

A secret stop is included for dessert, local snacks, and a food market visit. The exact place is not specified, so the details may vary. That flexibility can be a plus, since guides can adjust the route and choose an available local stop, but you should not book expecting one fixed shop or a named dessert.

Some food fans may find the number of formal food stops lower than on a dedicated food tour. The tradeoff is portion size and variety. You see more of central Tbilisi, and the tastings can be large enough that you will not go hungry.

Meidan Bazaar and the Old Town

Meidan Bazaar is a good place to pause for local products, arts, crafts, and Georgian specialties. This is not simply a pass-through sight. You have time to browse and ask your guide what is worth buying and what may be better found elsewhere.

The Old Town portion brings together the narrow streets, older facades, historic details, and viewpoints that many people picture when they think of Tbilisi. Your guide helps give these places a human scale, explaining how the city’s culture and food traditions connect with the streets around you.

The route favors orientation over exhaustive coverage. If you have only a short stay, that is useful. You can mark the areas you want to revisit, then return later at your own pace.

The tour can also work well at the start of a longer Georgian trip. Guides commonly offer suggestions for places to eat, wines to try, and sights to see after the tour. Those practical tips may be as valuable as the formal commentary.

Wine, qvevri, and a final glass of chacha

The final local bar stop is where the tasting becomes more focused. You sample white wine, red dry wine, red semi-sweet wine, and qvevri wine.

Qvevri wine is particularly important to the Georgian wine story. The tour gives you a chance to taste it rather than simply hear the word in a guidebook. Comparing it with the other wines helps you notice how different styles can sit side by side in Georgia.

Chacha follows the wine tasting. It is a strong local spirit, so take the small pour seriously, especially after a full afternoon of food. It is a memorable finish, but it may not suit anyone avoiding alcohol.

A useful feature of the final stop is that you can remain afterward, mingle, and order more wine if you choose. Any extra food or drink is not included, so treat the included tasting as the end of the paid portion.

This final stop also gives the tour a social finish. Instead of ending abruptly on a street corner, you have time to ask final questions and settle into the city’s food and wine culture.

Timing, transport, and group size

The stated duration is two to four hours. That is a wide range, and it reflects the difference between a shorter route and a fuller private or small-group outing, as well as the pace of the food stops.

Hotel pickup and drop-off add real value. Tbilisi can be confusing when you first arrive, and being collected from your hotel saves you from finding the starting point. It also makes the tour easier after a flight or on your first full day.

Private and small-group options are available. A private booking gives you more control over walking pace, questions, and food preferences. A small group may cost less per person while still keeping the guide interaction fairly personal.

Wear comfortable walking shoes, bring sunscreen in sunny weather, and carry a raincoat when the forecast calls for it. Oversize luggage and large bags are not allowed, so leave suitcases at your hotel.

The tour is available in English and Russian. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start, and you can reserve now and pay later, which helps if your Tbilisi schedule may shift.

Who gets the most from this Tbilisi tour

I would choose this for a first visit, especially if you want history, food, and a practical city overview in one booking. It is also a good fit for couples or friends with different interests, since one person can focus on landmarks while the other pays closer attention to dumplings and wine.

It suits you if you enjoy walking, tasting unfamiliar foods, and asking questions. The guides are often praised for being open to subjects such as Soviet life, contemporary politics, Georgian culture, and family stories.

I would think twice if you want a quiet wine tasting with little walking, a formal museum tour, or a food tour built around many tiny samples. The route is active, the food can be filling, and the exact stop order may change.

At $62, the package offers solid value if you use the pickup, eat the included portions, and take advantage of the guide’s local advice. It is less compelling if you plan to skip most tastings or already know central Tbilisi well.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want to get your bearings quickly and understand Georgia through its food. Start early in your stay if possible, since the route covers many central sights and the guide can help shape the rest of your visit.

Choose a private or small-group option if you care about pace, conversation, or dietary needs. Check the start time if Dry Bridge Market matters to you, and leave room in your appetite for khinkali, sweets, wine, and chacha.

Skip it if mobility is a concern or if you prefer a slow, single-subject tour. For most first-time visitors who want a friendly introduction to Tbilisi, this is a practical and enjoyable use of half a day.

FAQ

How long does the Tbilisi food and city tour last?

The stated duration is between two and four hours. The exact length depends on the starting time, route, group type, and pace of the stops.

What food and drinks are included?

The included tastings are four kinds of khinkali, Georgian lemonade, walnut and hazelnut churchkhela, walnut and honey gozinaki, tkemali, ajika, four wine styles, and chacha.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tbilisi are included.

Which languages are available?

The tour is offered with a live guide in English or Russian.

Is the tour suitable for wheelchair users?

No. The activity is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. It includes a moderate amount of walking.

Should I wear special clothing or bring anything?

Wear comfortable walking shoes. Depending on the forecast, bring sunscreen or a raincoat. Oversize luggage and large bags are not allowed.

Can I cancel or pay later?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Reserve now and pay later is also available.