Symphony of the Old Town: From the Middle Ages to the Present Day

Part of the tour takes place on the street. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

The tour follows a route with significant elevation changes—there will be a lot of climbing and descending. Please pace yourself accordingly.

Tbilisi appeared around the first century AD, and in the fifth century it became the capital of Georgia. It was a wealthy city at the crossroads of trade routes from China to Europe. Throughout its history, the city has attracted invaders. It was burned more than forty times by the Persians, Turks, Tatars, Mongols, and Arabs. But the city was rebuilt and grew rich again. 

Most of the current old Tbilisi was built in the 19th century, with a few earlier buildings scattered throughout. Temples, baths, fortress walls, towers, hotel buildings, maps, drawings, and photographs from the 19th century have been preserved, allowing us to mentally reconstruct the city in different eras.

During the tour, we will also visit the Tbilisi Archaeological Museum.

During the tour you will see:

• The 17th-century Darbazi, the oldest house in the city;
• Queen Daredjan's balcony, which offers a stunning view of Tbilisi;
• The only surviving 12th-century stone carving in the city;
• Excavations of an ancient bathhouse from the 2nd century AD.

You will also learn:

• Where the fortress walls and city gates were located during the Silk Road era;
• How the city's neighborhoods developed.

Duration: 3 hours.

Where we start: near Avlabari metro station, in the park near Nor Etchmiadzin Church

Where we finish: on Vakhtang Gorgasali Square

Organizational details:

• You will recognize our guide by the sign that says "Engineer's View Tbilisi";
• Radio guides will be used during the tour (for groups of 6 or more people), to which headphones provided by the guide will be connected. For your convenience, you can use your own wired headphones (3.5 mm mini jack);
• Tickets to the Archaeological Museum and the 17th-century Darbazi are included in the tour price;
• Advance registration for the event is required! If you have any difficulties registering on the website, please email us at tbilisi@engineer-history.ru, and we will find a solution.