Not once have I been told about Georgia. Basically good things: what’s cheap there, people are friendly, service excellent, winter climate is less. Moreover, from a completely different people heard, so to speak, from very different backgrounds. Here If you want, you do not want to, but you will start to periodically think about going there. Especially now in a crisis, when some directions quite expensive due to the exchange rate. I’ve been watching for a long time how my colleague Mila repeatedly wrote on her blog about this country and here she proposed to talk about Georgia here in the form of guest post. Of course, I agreed, I myself am interested was read such an article.
The content of the article
- 1 What is the post
- 2 Visa issues
- 3 How to get to Georgia
- 4 People and attitudes towards Russians
- 5 Language of communication
- 6 Rest in Georgia
- 6.1 How much does a vacation cost?
- 6.2 Georgian cuisine and food prices
- 6.3 What to see in Georgia
- 6.4 Transportation
- 6.5 Security
- 6.6 When is it better to go on vacation
- 6.7 Winter in Georgia
- 7 Life in Georgia
- 7.1 Housing prices
- 7.2 Internet
- 7.3 Average monthly budget
- 8 Conclusion
Contents
What’s the post about
This article is about the features of recreation and life in Georgia: about prices, food, attractions, transport, accommodation, climate and other usefulness, which can be useful to you, if you are inspired too on a trip to the Caucasus.
My name is Mila, I’m in love with Georgia (I think it’s mutual)
A trip to Georgia leaves no one indifferent. To someone like nature, someone – food, someone will meet here great people. Everyone has their own reasons to love or not love this country.
I first came to Georgia 2 years ago with a friend. Two girls Alone. In the Caucasus. How many horror stories had I heard before departure – do not pass! That journey was the best of my life, so I decided that one day I would definitely return. Two weeks enough to fall in love with Georgia, like falling in love with the unfamiliar a man You don’t know him at all, but you feel something close and native
The second trip is in February-March 2015, when we are with my young Man lived in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, helped to remove the veil mysteriousness. I see the shortcomings of Georgia, but the merits are both recreation, and for longer stays, the country is much more so now we are here again until the end of autumn.
We live in the city of Batumi on the Black Sea coast. This time the decision to spend autumn in Georgia was sober and completely rational. We like the climate, the prices and the overall emotional background. Of course, there are downsides. I will tell about them too.
Batumi resort in October
Visa issues
Visa policy for citizens of the former Union more than loyal If the trip is less than 1 year, then a visa to Georgia for Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians do not need. Only needed international passport valid for the entire duration of the trip. Simply you arrive, at the airport you get a free entry stamp and you can live in peace for a year. Sometimes besides the free stamp in airport give a bottle of wine. Guests here love.
If you are planning a trip to Georgia with a child, then he should be your overseas, or the child must be entered in the passport one of the parents.
The only nuance is the presence of stamps in the international passport Abkhazia. If you traveled to Abkhazia by trip to Georgia passport and have a stamp checkpoint “Adler”, then to Georgia with such passport is better not to go. In Abkhazia, it is better to go on the inside passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, and in Georgia – by zagranu.
How to get to Georgia
There are several options to get from Russia
1. On the plane. This is the easiest way. Of Moscow you can fly to Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia), Batumi (resort on the Black Sea) or Kutaisi (a city in the west of the country). Approximate prices for round trip air tickets:
Moscow-Tbilisi – from 12,000 rubles ($ 195) for a direct flight Moscow-Batumi – from 16,000 rubles ($ 260) for a direct flight.
Even this year, there were direct flights St. Petersburg – Tbilisi for 13,000 rubles and St. Petersburg – Batumi for 17,500 p. round trip.
2. Through Vladikavkaz. With the advent of the airline “Victory” many began to fly from Moscow to Vladikavkaz (2500 rubles one way), and from Vladikavkaz to get to Tbilisi by land (only 210 km, the fare is 800 rubles per person). Total 7000 rub. both ways per person.
3. By car. There is no mandatory in Georgia insurance, so get additional insurance or green no card needed. Get into the country on your car from Russia can only be through the Upper Lars border crossing (located near from Vladikavkaz). Many wonder if it is possible to get to Georgia. across the land through Abkhazia. Here the answer is unequivocal. It is impossible.
The only highway connecting Russia and Georgia is the mountain. streamer
People and attitudes towards Russians
People are the main attraction of Georgia and the main The reason why we are returning here and again. Here you can talk on the street with anyone, ask for advice, Ask a Question. To understand and feel about Georgia, you need to communicate with the locals.
Georgians are polite, talkative, benevolent. Guest is here – this person is special. We are constantly doing discounts in the markets, give vegetables. When you dine in a restaurant, you can get drinks at the expense of institutions or a gift from the rest at the next table Georgians. Trifle, but nice.
People who have never been to Georgia, but regularly watch TV, stereotypes appear that do not like Russians here. From experience, I can say that in Georgia they love everyone, regardless of nationality. If a person behaves adequately and is not satisfied provocations on the basis of politics, the attitude towards him will be good-natured and extremely positive.
Just do not mix ordinary people and politics. People around the world want the same thing: so that the house is warm, so that food on the table was that the children were healthy and contented. If you personally do not encroach on these benefits, then your nationality for Georgians will not play.
The language of communication
Georgians communicate with each other in Georgian. Those over 30 years, speak Russian well. Now the Russian language in schools is not is mandatory, so guys in Russian they do not speak very well, preferring English.
All movies in cinemas run exclusively in Russian, also There is a large number of Russian TV channels, so if you want You can explain in your own language with a person of any kind. age You will understand.
In cafes and restaurants there is a menu in Georgian, Russian and English If you have not brought a menu in Russian, then the menu has there is no place at all the host.
Adjar Khachapuri
Holidays in Georgia
Watch Georgia is best in the complex to capture the mountains, the sea, antiquity and modernity. Just for the rest of the sea, I would Georgia did not go – you can underestimate the country, but that’s the point taste.
It is most logical to travel 1-2-3 weeks to catch See all the fun at a measured pace, not at a gallop. You can also fly off for a weekend in Tbilisi, explore the surroundings and see if you like the country so you can come back for more long term.
Learn more about how to better organize your trip and plan. route, you can read in my online guide to Georgia
Golden Autumn in Kintrishi National Park
How much is the rest
According to a survey of my readers who rested in Georgia in this year, the average high season trip across Georgia (June-September) costs $ 500-600 per person for 10 days – 2 weeks, taking into account the cost of air tickets subject to constant movement. You can get both cheaper and at times expensive.
The cost of rest, as elsewhere, will depend on the desired comfort level. The bulk of the budget is eaten by transport if rent a car or hire a car with a driver. If move on shuttles, it will turn out slower, but significantly cheaper.
In Georgia, there are several options for housing. The cheapest is Guesthouses and rooms in the homes of local residents – rent for $ 5-10 per day from the person. Hotel prices start from $ 20-30 and up per room for two.
In Georgia, many apartments are represented on Airbnb. If you want to stop for a couple of days, you can search for accommodation through this site, so as not to bother. Apartment in the center of Tbilisi or Batumi can rent for $ 25-35 per day, in the summer – more expensive.
Georgian cuisine and food prices
Georgian cuisine is a special pleasure that stands on the second place of my personal top attractions. Kitchen Georgia is quite diverse. The basis is sauces, eggplants, beans, chicken, cheese, mushrooms, and most importantly – spices and nuts.
Food prices in institutions are different. On average for lunch for two man (two meals and lemonade) we pay 20-25 GEL (550-700r). You can eat khinkali (large dumplings with meat) for 8 lari (220r) for two or order a huge khachapuri for 10 lari (270r). Meat dishes are more expensive. Barbecue – 15 lari (400r), Fish – 8 lari (220r), Georgian dishes (Lobio, Satsivi, Chakhokhbili) – 6-7 GEL (160-200r)
It sells fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, which smell like they should smell. In winter they are brought from Turkey, in summer and autumn, they sell the local crop.
Fruit on the market in Tbilisi in winter
Product prices
There is no problem with food. In large cities there are several supermarkets, many shops work around the clock, always you can buy essential products in small shops or in mini markets. Each city has a central market where sell fruits and vegetables at lower prices than in supermarkets.
The only question is the purchase of meat. In Georgia you need to know where exactly to buy it. Fresh chicken costs 7 GEL / kg (180 rub) when buying a whole bird, frozen fillet – 12 lari / kg (300 rubles), Beef – 12-14 GEL / kg (300-360 rub)
I don’t eat meat, but I eat fish. In Batumi, where we live now, fish enough You can buy it on the market or on a fish farm. Kilogram of trout – 9 lari (230r.), Salmon – 30 lari (800r.), Dorado – 22 GEL (570r.)
Vegetables this week went up twice. Tomatoes now cost 60-80r., cucumbers – 40r., grapes – 60r, eggplant – 50r. behind kg Affects the end of the season. A kilogram of Suluguni cheese – 12 GEL (300 rub.). Dairy products at prices plus minus as in Russia.
For food in Georgia, it takes as much as it took to Minsk (now food prices in Minsk are approximately the same as in Moscow). Something is cheaper here, something is more expensive, but in general, the total The picture of prices is not much different.
Georgian churchkhela
What to see in Georgia
Watch Georgia needs to be in a complex to understand and feel country. Here there are mountains, and the sea, and ancient fortresses, monasteries, grape valleys and villages where people have kept their traditions for centuries. There are a lot of sights in Georgia, below I will list just a few areas worth looking into.
- Tbilisi. The capital of the country, the ancient city on hills surrounded by mountains
Old Tbilisi
Monument Mimino in Tbilisi
- Georgian Military Road is beautiful mountain route in the Caucasus, connecting Tbilisi and North Ossetia.
Zhinvalskoe reservoir on the Georgian Military Highway
- Kakheti – a region in the Alazani Valley of Georgia, where they grow grapes and produce wine. There are lakes here ancient monasteries, fortresses, castles, city of love Signagi and large wineries
Alaverdi Monastery in Kakheti
- Svaneti – a magical place in the mountains on northwest Georgia. Unique nature, breathtaking mountain landscapes, waterfalls, glaciers, hiking trails, horseback riding walks and houses of the Svans, who nowadays look the same like 500 years ago.
Fluffy Svan Cow
- Ski resorts: Gudauri, Hatsvali, Bakuriani. The season lasts from late December to April. Prices ski holidays in general are lower than in southern Russia
Ski resort Gudauri
- Black Sea resorts. On the beaches of Georgia in mostly pebbles, but rather large stones. There are a couple of sandy beaches. For example, unique black magnetic sands at a resort. Ureki, where many go to treat diseases of the joints and of cardio-vascular system.
Beach near Batumi
Pebble beaches of Adjara
Magnetic Sands in Ureki
Beaches Batumi
- Fortresses and monasteries, cave cities, cable cars, sulfur baths, mineral springs, churches, standing alone on the tops of the mountains and other unique structures, which is only in Georgia
Gergeti Trinity Church
Souvenir shop
Transport
The main type of transport is a minibus. They can be viewed key attractions. The whole country from west to east can drive for $ 25. Go often, are inexpensive.
You need to be prepared for the fact that the marshrutch in Georgia is experiencing ineradicable passion for smoking and chanson. If summer trip with like citizens seems like a fun adventure, then in winter Eternal smoking and open windows are rather annoying. To Chanson with time you start to relate philosophically, taking it as an integral part of culture.
There is also a railway that connects Tbilisi with others. cities. Train tickets are cheap. We drove through the whole country in a sleeping car, they paid 700 rubles per person. Price difference between the reserved seat and the coupe is minimal, so if you are thinking travel around Georgia by train, better get tickets in a compartment or in SV I once drove in a reserved seat on the route Tbilisi – Batumi and I remembered this trip for years to come.
In some regions of Georgia it is better to rent a car with a driver, to inspect everything in a short time. Prices depending on the distance and waiting time of the driver is from $ 35 to $ 100 per day.
In winter, it is better to go to the mountains in an SUV
Traveling by car in Adjara is faster
Security
There is nothing wrong with security in Georgia. Do not steal, do not attack, girls in the mountains are not taken away. Subject to elementary measures precautions nothing will happen. Here live civilized people. Now I travel with a young man, before that I came with a friend, one went. There is no danger of danger.
If you plan to travel with your child, but you are afraid, you may not worry. In Georgia, they love children, and sometimes even love them too much. It happens, you stand alone on the transition, wait until at least someone will stop. Suitable man with a child, and all the drivers who so hurried somewhere, dramatically put pressure on the brake. Baby wait no should!
The girl with the child will always give way to the place of transport (girl without it, too, are inferior). Thus, if your baby is normal carries the road (to most of the sights of Georgia leads mountain serpentine), then you can safely travel together.
When is it better to go on holiday
In my opinion, the ideal time to visit Georgia is spring. and autumn, when there are few tourists here, housing prices are lower, the weather comfortable. If you are interested in ski vacation, you can come in winter from late December to March.
The best time to relax on the sea is July-August, but I I don’t like these months very much – I don’t like it when it’s too hot and many people. September is perfect. The sea is warm, the weather is +27, people almost no, housing prices are falling.
In early October, we also swam. In the mountains, golden autumn, and in Kakheti grapes are harvested, so the first half of October is also I consider it a great time to explore the country. Further – as lucky. The sun may shine, but it may rain.
Storm in Batumi in October
Winter in Georgia
If you had an idea to live in Georgia for several months, then it is better to choose spring or autumn for this purpose. Summer is good too, but too hot (up to +38). Winters in Georgia are relatively warm. For example, there was almost no snow in Tbilisi last winter. AT December can be both +10 and + 20, in February the temperature kept + 5 + 10, it often rained. In the west of Georgia from the beginning March, the gardens are blooming, from mid-March, you could walk with a short sleeve.
In the mountains it is always colder. Snow can go as early as November and lie there until April. In Batumi, warm January (sometimes up to +25, but not below + 13 + 20), but since February Batumi has been raining. Climate subtropical, so the humidity is hellish.
As for wintering, there is one nuance, which is not even think until you find yourself here in winter. It is about heating. AT There are always heaters in hotels and hotels, so if you are here travel for a week, you will not be lost. However, a long time in the hotel is not you will live. Need to rent an apartment.
If you are accustomed to walking at home in the 20-degree Russian frost in shorts and T-shirt, then in Georgian dwellings in the winter you can be quite chilly. When we lived in Tbilisi in February, we shot apartment heated by a gas boiler. In each of the 3 rooms were installed radiator batteries on the entire wall, while the room was a maximum of +22. For Georgia, this is more a luxury than norm.
If your trip is planned for the period from December to March, then always need to know how to heat the house. Central there is no heating, so everyone warms his house like can. For example, there may be batteries in the living room and be absent from the bathroom. It is clear that all this is not critical, but as for me, so -10 on the street and +25 in an apartment in Minsk is better than +10 on the street and +16 in an apartment in Tbilisi.
Winter in the mountains
Ski resort Gudauri
Life in georgia
To live in Georgia, it is more logical to choose more or less large cities. Then there is a guarantee of a good Internet, convenient transport links and availability of entertainment. If you need a sea, You can settle in Batumi. In summer, life in Batumi is in full swing, but with mid-September calms down. In February-April in Batumi too wet, so it is better to choose other regions for life.
The center of culture and entertainment in Georgia is Tbilisi. City mover There are traffic jams and people in something more nervous, as in most capitals, but Tbilisi is good as a base for exploring many attractions. An extremely pleasant climate is observed in Alazani Valley, but we have not lived there yet.
The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi
The streets of Batumi are empty since October
House prices
If we are talking about long stays (several months), then it makes sense to rent an apartment. Price depends on the rental period. In Tbilisi many landlords rent their houses only from six months, but options for a month or two can always be found.
If you rent an apartment monthly, then for odnushku in Tbilisi far from the center will have to pay $ 300, for a one-three-pawn with normal repair in the center – $ 450-500 per month. In other cities of Georgia rental prices are lower. For example, in the fall in Batumi can be removed flat for $ 300.
Now we live in a spacious dvushke near the sea in a new house with New repair for $ 500 per month (electricity and Internet included in cost). This is a high price for October. I booked flat through Airbnb, because I wanted to spend my bonuses. If you look for accommodation on the spot, you can rent something like this for 350-400 $.
You can rent a whole house for $ 250 (I saw such offers), but furniture there will be old, water – not the fact that hot. Cheap There are options, but you have to pay more for quality.
Search for accommodation in Georgia is necessary on airbnb, on local Georgian sites through a translator, you can also in the social. networks find a realtor, which will help with the search for an apartment. Conveniently that the services of a realtor the landlord pays (partly for this reason the Georgians are not particularly love to rent housing for a month or two). If you are already in Georgia, then look for housing is possible through people. Start with a survey of taxi drivers and further on chained. The word of mouth principle works better here. any internet.
the Internet
The Internet is almost everywhere. In hotels, guesthouses, apartments, cafes and restaurants. The speed depends on the provider and on fare. The only nuance is observed in Batumi. Here periodically turn off the electricity for 5-10 minutes (not every day), so half an hour a week there may be no internet at home.
Bad signal happens in remote mountainous areas, such as Svaneti or Tusheti. If you travel around the area, this not critical, and for life most people choose other regions Georgia, where there is no interruption in communications and electricity.
Internet speed in our apartment in Batumi
Average monthly budget
Now our budget is $ 1000 a month for two. Apartment pulled $ 500, the rest is food, going to a cafe every other day and trips to nearby attractions.
Please do not focus on our budget, because your expenses can be both significantly lower and higher than ours. Any trip to taxi to the national park or to the mountains where the transport does not go – This immediately minus $ 50-100. You can sit in one place, but you can ride every day You can eat pork with onions, and you can – salmon with nuts. Naturally, the costs will be different.
The three-day trip to Svaneti by taxi cost us $ 200
Conclusion
Thus, there are many reasons to come to Georgia on rest or live here for a few months. A year without a visa, comfortable climate in spring and autumn, delicious food, an unimaginable amount natural and historical attractions, hospitable people, sea, mountains and more.
My main reason is that Georgia is inspiring. In the local here there is an elusive energy in the air that makes you want to live. You You do not notice how it happens. I had three times such that I come to Georgia loaded with work, thoughts, stresses. Tired, broken. Do not want to do anything, hands down, nose looking down. But a day passes, the second, the third, and I again come to life
Here I work not less than at home, and even more, but it turns out somehow faster and more coherent. The enthusiasm appears. Can suggest that such a charge of cheerfulness would arise in any traveling, but unfortunately it is not.
I’m not the only one. Many people who have been to Georgia talk about special magic, lovingly remember the country behind the family the mountains of the Caucasus range, and dream to come back here again.
But this is all the lyrics. When viewed from a practical point of view, October-November in Batumi +20. Yes, it does rain, but I’m sitting now on the open balcony in a summer dress, and in Moscow at this time it is snowing is coming If you, like me, want to extend the summer or escape from the cold in the spring, it is quite possible to choose Georgia for these purposes. All the same and flights, and the rest will cost less than in Asia or Europe.
P.S. You can read about life and recreation in Georgia in more detail. Link: Mila Demenkova Blog
The surroundings of Batumi in autumn
Life hacking 1 – how to buy a good insurance
Choosing insurance is now unrealistically difficult, therefore, to help everyone travelers, I make a rating. To do this, constantly monitor forums, I study insurance contracts and use insurance by myself.
Insurance Rating
Life hacking 2 – how to find a hotel 20% cheaper
First, choose a hotel on Booking. They have a good base offers, but the prices are NOT the best! The same hotel is often possible find 20% cheaper in other systems through the RoomGuru service.
Discount hotels
