Kutaisi: a guide
Kutaisi: when to go, how to get into town from the airport, and what it costs.
Kutaisi is the third largest city in Georgia and the centre of Imereti. For many people it is only the airport where the cheap flights land, but it is worth a night or two: the city is quiet and inexpensive, and Gelati, the caves and the canyons are all an easy day out from here.
When to go
- ·May to June and September to October are the best of it. Warm without being hot.
- ·July and August are hot and humid, and the city is hard going in the middle of the day. The caves stay cool.
- ·November to March is mild, with snow rare and rain common.
- ·It rains a good deal in Kutaisi at any time of year. Bring an umbrella.
Getting there
- ·Kutaisi airport is about 20 km out, half an hour by road. Buses meet the flights, and a taxi to the centre is roughly 25 to 40 GEL.
- ·Buses also run straight from the airport to Tbilisi and Batumi. Tbilisi is about four hours.
- ·By marshrutka from Didube in Tbilisi: about four hours and 15 to 20 GEL.
- ·There is a train as well, but it is slow and infrequent. The road is quicker.
What it costs
A night in a guesthouse50 to 100 GEL
A night in a hotel100 to 250 GEL
A meal out20 to 45 GEL
A taxi from the airport25 to 40 GEL
Prometheus CaveAbout 25 GEL for foreigners, the boat extra
Rough figures. They move with the season and the place.
Worth doing
- ·Bagrati Cathedral above the town, and the old streets below it.
- ·Gelati monastery, about ten kilometres out, for the frescoes. Motsameta is close by and easy to add.
- ·The central market, for Imeretian cheese and whatever is in season.
- ·Prometheus Cave and Sataplia, both within about half an hour of the city.
- ·The Okatse and Martvili canyons, together in a day by car.
One thing worth knowing
A lot of the cheap flights land late at night or very early in the morning. Sort out the first night and the ride from the airport before you fly; at that hour there is not much to choose from.
