With kids · Tbilisi · Georgia
Tbilisi with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Eric Luth (WMSE), CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Tbilisi suits families who like exploring on foot: cable cars, a hilltop amusement park, fortress walls and outdoor museums keep children interested, and Georgians are very welcoming to kids. Steep streets and traffic require care. Top picks: Mtatsminda Park and funicular, Bridge of Peace and Rike Park and Narikala Fortress. Families usually base themselves in Vake.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Vake
- Rainy-day options
- 0
- Busiest months
- September
Best things to do with kids
Theme park · Rustaveli and Mtatsminda
1.Mtatsminda Park and funicular
On top of Mount Mtatsminda, reached by a funicular from the city, an amusement park has a Ferris wheel and rides with views over the whole city. The funicular's middle station serves the Mtatsminda Pantheon, where Georgian writers and public figures are buried.
Go up an hour before sunset to see the city by day and as the lights come on.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- After dark
Architecture · Old Tbilisi
2.Bridge of Peace and Rike Park
A glass-and-steel footbridge opened in 2010, designed by Michele De Lucchi, links the Old Town with Rike Park on the left bank. After dark its canopy lights up with LEDs. Rike Park has fountains, play areas and the lower station of the Narikala cable car.
Cross the bridge after dark for the lights, then ride the cable car up to Narikala for the night view.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Kids
- Photo spot
Castle · Old Tbilisi
3.Narikala Fortress
The ruined fortress walls of Narikala, first built in the 4th century and expanded by later rulers, run along the ridge above the Old Town. From its towers there are views over the sulphur-bath domes, the river and the city. A cable car glides up from Rike Park across the river in a few minutes.
Ride the cable car up, then walk down through the fortress and the botanical garden or the steps to Abanotubani.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Garden · Old Tbilisi
4.Tbilisi Botanical Garden
Stretching into a gorge behind Narikala Fortress, the botanical garden has shaded paths, a waterfall, bridges and plant collections. It feels far from the city despite being a short walk from the Old Town.
Enter from the fortress side and exit near Abanotubani to make it part of a walking loop.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
Museum · Vake
5.Open Air Museum of Ethnography
On a hillside near Turtle Lake, this open-air museum gathers traditional houses, wine cellars, a church and farm buildings from regions across Georgia, giving a sense of village life and architecture.
Take the cable car up to Turtle Lake and walk to the museum, then have lunch by the lake.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
Architecture · Old Tbilisi
6.Gabriadze Theatre clock tower
A whimsical, leaning clock tower beside the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, built by the puppeteer himself from old bricks and tiles. An angel strikes the bell on the hour, and a short mechanical puppet show plays a couple of times a day.
Check the time of the puppet show locally and arrive a few minutes early; the lane is small and fills up.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, luxury, shopping and quiet stays
Vake
Vake is Tbilisi's most affluent residential district, along Chavchavadze Avenue, with boutiques, cafés, international restaurants and Vake Park. A cable car rises from the park area to Turtle Lake and the Open Air Museum of Ethnography. It is about 15 minutes by taxi from the Old Town.
- Good
- Green and calm; Good restaurants and cafés; Family-friendly parks
- Watch out
- Away from the historic sights; No metro station
- Nearby
- Vake Park, Turtle Lake, Open Air Museum of Ethnography
Family travel tips
- Strollers struggle on Old Town cobbles; a baby carrier is easier.
- Hold children's hands near roads; drivers often don't stop at crossings.
- Restaurants are welcoming to children, and khachapuri is a reliable favourite.
- Vake and Avlabari have parks and playgrounds away from the busy centre.
- Mtskheta makes an easy half-day trip with children.
Day trips for families
- Mtskheta (About 30 minutes by car or minibus) — Georgia's ancient capital and spiritual centre has the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and, on a hill above the confluence of two rivers, the 6th-century Jvari Monastery.
- Uplistsikhe and Gori (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-cut town above the Mtkvari River, with halls, a theatre and a church.
- Borjomi (About 2 hours 30 minutes by car) — A spa town in a forested gorge, famous for its mineral water.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September–October. September is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Tbilisi good for kids?
Tbilisi suits families who like exploring on foot: cable cars, a hilltop amusement park, fortress walls and outdoor museums keep children interested, and Georgians are very welcoming to kids. Steep streets and traffic require care.
+What can kids do in Tbilisi?
Mtatsminda Park and funicular, Bridge of Peace and Rike Park, Narikala Fortress, Tbilisi Botanical Garden and Open Air Museum of Ethnography.
+Where should families stay in Tbilisi?
Vake: Upmarket residential area with boutiques, restaurants and a big park.