If you’ve been following our blog, you may remember that after years of aggressive investing, the magic of compound interest, and Hashem’s help, we reached Coast FI last year. Following this momentus milestone, we lowered our investment rate and started spending more on things that bring us joy in the present. In the past year, we bought some new furniture and did some minor home renovations. We also increased our vacation budget, and as such, were fortunate enough to visit the Galil and Golan for a few days back in February, return to Bat Yam with Finn’s family this past summer (which Finn’s dad treated us to), and most recently spend a week abroad, which we are so excited to tell you all about.
After having so much fun in Cyprus last year and Romania the year before, we looked for another international destination for this fall that checks the same boxes: 1) relatively inexpensive, 2) short flight, 3) at least a couple kosher restaurants, 4) friendly toward Israelis/Jews.
Georgia (the country) had been on our radar for a while, but we hadn’t considered it in the past because no low-cost airlines fly there from Israel. But things are different these days. Since we actually wanted to get to our destination, we booked El Al.
We originally thought to fly at the end of October, as off-season is so much cheaper, but our kids are older now and they didn’t want to miss school. And while flights during Sukkot vacation were literally double the price of tickets one month later, we had enough money set side in our trip slush fund, so we went for it.
We had a 15,000 shekel budget for this trip. Make sure to read to the end to find out how much we spent.
So, what did we do? What did we buy? And how much did it all cost us?
Day 1 – Landing, cabbing, and settling in
Our flight was delayed and we ended up getting to our rental apartment at 3 am. Not recommended. Despite the horrendous hour, we were met by our lovely hostess, who insisted on meeting us and showing us around. Then we went to bed.
Day 2 – Funicular, dogs, cable car, ropes course, dogs, other animals, and more dogs
After about five hours of sleep, we dragged ourselves out of bed, ate some breakfast that we brought from home, and headed out shopping for some basic groceries. Upon heading outside, we notice dogs, dogs, and more dogs. Our kids were over the moon thrilled. Wherever you’d expect to see a cat in Israel, a 25 kilo dog inhabits that same space in Tbilisi. Instead of keeping dogs in the pound (and putting many of them down) like other cities, Tbilisi vaccinates and neuters/spays its strays, and puts them right back on the street with an ear tag, so you know that they are safe. They’re pretty gross and dirty, but they are all friendly, or at least incredibly docile.
After picking up some kosher wine, grape juice, bread and chalav yisrael ice cream (all locally made!) and enjoying pizza and khatchpuri for lunch at Kosher Station, we Bolted (similar to Gett, but cheaper than an Israeli bus) to the funicular station that would take up the mountain to Mtatsminda Park. We ended up sharing a funicular car with a friendly Saudi family, who we were excited to meet and who was happy to meet us. Both of us were hopeful that we would have the chance to visit each other’s countries in the future. Upon reaching the top, we were informed that there was a power out, which happens occasionally that high up. So while we were unable to ride the ferris wheel or most of the rides, we did enjoy visiting the petting zoo,
archery,
and a ropes course.
We then took the cable car down, Bolted back to our apartment, had dinner, and turned in early.
Day 3 – Sightseeing, Old Town, and Shabbat prep
After enjoying breakfast at our apartment, we stepped outside, greeted some more dogs, and strapped ourselves into the top floor of a double decker tour bus that showed us the main sights of Tbilisi and gave us some historical context. The guide who helped us onto the bus informed us that her brother lives in Tel Aviv and proudly showed us that the pre-recorded bus tour was available in Hebrew.
From there, we visited Chabad to pick up challot for Shabbat and have lunch at their dairy restaurant and then stopped at KFS to pick up some desserts. We then walked back to our apartment via the Great Synagogue which we learned is over 100 years old, and discovered that there IS indeed an eruv in Tbilisi – something we had not known while planning this trip, and that made our lives much easier.
That afternoon, we crossed the bridge over Kura River to Rike Park, where the kids got some playground time, and we discovered a very large falling apart piano,
and a tribute to the strong bond between Georgia and Israel, which warmed our hearts.
We then returned to our Airbnb and got ready for Shabbat and Sukkot. We had pre-ordered dinner that night in the sukkah at King David restaurant.
Day 4 – Shabbat/First Day of Sukkot Exploring
We caught up on some sleep and went to shul at the Great Synagogue, that we had visited the day before. As no public sukkot were hosting meals nearby, we ate catered Shabbat food at our Airbnb. After playing various card games, we spent the afternoon walking around – back to Rike Park and then to the Clock Tower at Gabriadze Theater, where we watched a mechanical angel strike a bell to tell us what time it was, admired the statues – and the dogs. We finished Shabbat back and made havdala back in our apartment.
Day 5 – Nature and noise
After breakfast at our accomodations, we hike up the mountain toward Tbilisi’s Botanical Garden and Narikala Fortress, which was closed for maintenance, but we go to see from the outside. We had a beautiful view of the city.
We wandered around, admired the plants and flowers…. and…. got lost. So we trudged back to the entrace and climbed onto a golf cart that drove us to the top.
We parents would have been happy to follow the winding trails back to the entrance, but our kids weren’t interested. When the shuttle came back around, we got on.
On our way back to our apartment, we made a quick stop at the underground Meidan Bazar.
After three and a half days of sightseeing with us, we decided our kids needed a chance to just be kids, so after lunch in our apartment (as the kosher establishments were all closed for the second day of Sukkot), we Bolted to East Point Mall. Its entire lower level houses a children’s entertainment center called Focus Mokus. This massive venue includes video games, theme park rides, a gymboree, a ropes course, a face painting stand, and probably several other attractions we didn’t even notice. We bought a card and put some money on it. For that moment, we forgot just how inexpensive Georgia is, and found ourselves with enough credits to cover some 70 games, rides, and attractions. Once we discovered this, we parents joined in on the fun – you know, for the sake of helping our kids use up their credits. 😉
After about three hours of fun, we took the elevator up to explore some of the rest of the mall. As much as we had gotten used to seeing dogs outside, we were surprised to find one napping in the toy store and another one napping by the bathrooms. We love dogs, but this was even weird for us.
After leaving the mall, we Bolted back to the Old Town to watch the clock show again and get some photos with the statues.
We secured spots by the Clock Tower and ate a picnic dinner there. Then we headed back to our apartment and headed to bed.
Day 6 – Water, trampolines, cable cars, and more water
Tbilisi is known for its mineral-rich thermal sulfur baths, so of course we had to try them. We opted to skip the naked public baths (maybe another time?) and rented this private suite where we enjoyed our own private hot and cold baths, a sauna, shower and bathrooms. We also ordered freshly squeezed fruit juice (the only kosher option on the menu) to be delivered to our room. We imagine that this is supposed to be a relaxing experience. It was… somewhat… but kids have a way of always keeping things interesting.
We explored the area around the thermal baths, where we go to see (and smell) the sulfur waterfall and river that feed that baths. There is also a really cute love bridge over the river. And as always – lots of dogs.
After cleaning up at our apartment, we ate lunch at Milk and Honey and then Bolted to Vake Park. There we walked around and found a cute little spot with carnival rides. As it was the middle of a weekday, the kids had the place to themselves.
From there, we took an old (cramped and slightly creepy) Soviet cable car up the mountain to Turtle Lake.
Turtle Lake is a small lake surrounded by hiking trails, playgrounds, and some vendors (and dogs, as always). We found an old sundial that uses your own shadow to tell the time. Our kids had fun playing on it.
We had a lovely time walking the trail all around the lake. This really was the most serene part of our trip.
Along the way, we stopped at playgrounds, swings, dogs, and just sat and watched the water. They had paddle boats to rent, but we didn’t feel the need.
We then took the cable car back down the mountain, and hopped on a bus to Bazari Orbeliani, a modern food court in an old artistic building. We climbed up to the second floor and had dinner at Elchiko’s, a kosher fast food chain (of two stores) in Tbilisi. While our kids devoured their nuggets and fries, we thought the burgers were pretty average – though our minds were absolutely blown that we were able to eat kosher burgers at a mall in the Former Soviet Union (!!!). Each order came with rubber gloves, which we found interesting. We appreciated being able to keep our hands clean while eating our messy burgers.
Our kids decided to keep theirs to pet more dogs without getting their hands dirty.
Day 7 – Nature, art, and communism. Good bye, Tbilisi!
After a final breakfast and cleanup at our Airbnb, we checked out and moved our belongings into our landlady’s apartment downstairs. Then we walked over to the Georgian National Museum, which is essentially five or six smaller museums in one – something for everyone!
Our daughter’s favorite part was the natural history section. We got to learn all about the flora and fauna of Georgia from both past and present.
Our favorite part was the Soviet Union section. Creepy as hell and reminded us a bit of Yad Vashem. Our kids really didn’t like it though.
When we had had enough of the museum, we walked back to the Old Town and went to Organique Kosher for lunch. Food, atmosphere, and service were wonderful.
Since our kids had eaten pizza at each of the three dairy restaurants we visited, we asked them which was their favorite. They said Milk and Honey. So after lunch, we headed back over there to pick up dinner to bring with us to the airport.
We picked up our bags and Bolted to the airport. Somehow after a week in Tbilisi, we were still shocked to find this stray dog in the El Al check in line. But of course.
Aside from our lulav and etrog being confiscated at the airport, our flight home was blessedly uneventful (especially given the drama in the skies the following day).
Goodbye, Georgia! Thank you for taking such good care of us. We enjoyed our stay and hope to visit again in the future. 🇬🇪
Costs
We rented this 2-bedroom apartment for six nights. It is in the heart of the tourist district and walking distance from Chabad, the Great Synagogue, and most of the kosher establishments. It also has a washing machine and a manual key (for those who are interested in staying for Shabbat). It is worth noting that it is up a steep hill and both bedrooms are in separate lofts. Both bedrooms also have skylights where you can watch cable cars fly overhead, which we thought was freaking cool. Great apartment for people who are in decent shape. Not good for people with mobility issues or toddlers. We spent 1,470 shekels for six nights.
We spent 795 shekels on activities and 344 shekels on transportation on the ground. Transportation included all cabs, cable cars and the bus. While the double decker bus tour was a bus, we included it as an activity.
We spent 1677 shekels on eating out, including Shabbat dinner in the sukkah and takeaway for lunch. We also spent 295 shekels on groceries. The area we stayed in had tiny Spar minimarkets on every block, which were pretty limited, especially while keeping kosher. This meant that we ended up eating a lot of pasta, eggs, and basic veggies. In retrospect, we should have Bolted a little further away for a larger grocery store where we could have gotten fish and a larger variety of fruits and veggies. We also brought a pack of our kids’ favorite hotdogs, a pack of shredded cheese, a few cans of tuna, and a box of cereal with us from Israel. Everything else we bought there.
We spent 319 shekels on traveler’s health insurance and 458 shekels on souveniers and miscellaneous. Thanks to a wonderful friend, dogsitting was free.
Our biggest expense on this trip (and over 50% of our total spending for this trip!) was the flights at a whopping 6,131 shekels round trip on El Al/Sun D’or. This included the extra $160 we paid for seats to ensure that we all sat together. Had we chosen to fly a month later (off season, not chagim), our flight cost would have been cut in half.
In total, we spent 11,489 shekels for four people spending six nights in Georgia. Considering over half the cost was airfare, we’re still shocked at how inexpensive things were on the ground.
Conclusions and takeaways from the trip
Tbilisi was incredibly friendly toward Jews and Israelis. Like really really. To the extent that we saw Israeli flags and Hebrew all over the place. A woman sold Israeli flags on the street (among other flags), wine stores advertised that they also carried kosher wine, a vending machine in the airport had a Hebrew option, and just about every change spot advertised that they accepted shekels.
Vendors saw the Hebrew on our kids’ shirts and approached us in Hebrew. There even was a beggar at the airport who switched to begging in Hebrew when he reached the El Al line. And of course, we heard Israelis speaking Hebrew at every place we visited. We saw and met plenty of Muslims, including from Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. But we never once felt threatened and saw absolutely no anti-Israel or anti-Jewish protests, grafitti, or anything. And there are so many kosher establishments there, that while we patronized seven different kosher restaurants, we didn’t have time to try them all.
We had a sense that Georgia “gets” us. It is also a tiny country (only 4.5 million people) with its own unique language and alphabet and a culture that spans 3,000 years. And due to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, it has been invaded and occupied by nearly every major empire in regional history, with the modern independent nation of Georgia being only 35 years old, after the fall of the USSR in 1991. Sound familiar? It even has 20% of its territory still under Russian occupation.
A 20 meter tall Mother of Georgia monument stands proud overlooking the city, showing the resilence of the Georgian people. She holds a goblet wine in one hand, showing the hospitality and friendliness of the local people, and a sword in the other, showing that she will defend her people against invaders. We all enjoyed looking for her, wherever we were, with the kids yelling “There she is! I see Mother Georgia!” from various points in the city.
Remember when told you about all of the Greek flags we saw in Cyprus, because Cyprus wishes it was part of Greece? We saw EU flags all over Tbilisi. (Spoiler: Georgia is not a member of the European Union, but it wishes it was.)
Tbilisi really likes its dogs, and it shows. This post already has plenty of dog photos, so here are some ways we saw that Tbilisi cares for its dogs. If you love dogs, this is definitely the place for you. If you are allergic or definitely not a dog person, maybe not.
Lastly, there are plenty of gorgeous and fascinating things to do and see outside of Tbilisi. Many people who visit hire a driver and do one or more day trips outside of the city. We considered this and spoke to a few guides, but then remembered that our Israeli children don’t do well in long car rides. We decided to leave that for a future trip, as we definitely would like to come back to Georgia again some day.
Overall, we had a great time and definitely recommend Tbilisi.
Have you been to Georgia? Which cities? What did you do there?
Like what you see here? Subscribe so you never miss a post.
Leave a Reply