Why Tbilisi's Old Town Is Turning Into Europe's Next Editorial Darling

Tbilisi has spent the last few years doing what Lisbon and Porto did a decade ago: quietly becoming the design crowd's answer to an overrun Western European capital, largely because it still can be. Balconied wooden houses lean into narrow lanes, sulphur bathhouses built into the hillside still function as they have for generations, and a wine culture that predates most of Europe's has never really needed rediscovering, only better flights.

An old town still mid-restoration

The Old Town's tightly packed lanes, carved wooden balconies, and Persian-influenced courtyard houses sit below Narikala Fortress, much of it restored in patches rather than all at once, which is part of the appeal: freshly renovated boutique hotels and wine bars sit beside buildings still mid-repair.

The bathhouses anchor the ritual

The Abanotubani district's domed sulphur bathhouses, fed by natural hot springs, have been in continuous use for generations and remain the city's signature ritual, with private rooms bookable by the hour alongside more communal options.

Wine before it had a marketing budget

Georgia's qvevri winemaking method, fermenting in large buried clay vessels, is recognised by UNESCO as part of the country's intangible cultural heritage, and it predates most of the wine regions actively marketing themselves to travellers today. Wine bars across the old town, and day trips to the Kakheti region further east, are the easiest way into the country's food and wine culture.

Why now

A rise in direct and low-cost connections from Gulf and European hubs, along with a cost base that still favours the visitor, has made Tbilisi one of the few European-adjacent capitals that reads as both editorial-friendly and genuinely affordable.

Traveller tips

• Visa requirements vary widely by passport; check the current rule for yours before booking.
• Bring or buy a swimsuit for the sulphur baths; private rooms are the easier option for first-timers.
• Kakheti wine country makes an easy day trip from Tbilisi by car or organised tour.
• Spring and autumn avoid both winter cold and summer heat, and are the most comfortable seasons to walk the old town.