How to get from Tbilisi airport to the city centre

Which way into Tbilisi is best for you?

The best way from Tbilisi airport into town depends on the hour you land and your bags. Prices were checked in October 2026, when 1 USD was about 2.60 GEL.

• Bus 337, 1 GEL (about 1.50 GEL on a foreign card). Best in the daytime if you travel light and are staying near Freedom Square, Rustaveli Avenue or the railway station. No service from 23:00 to 7:00.
• Bolt or Yandex Go, about 25 to 35 GEL (10 to 13 USD) by day and 30 to 40 GEL after midnight. Best for most people at any hour, if your phone has data and the app is set up.
• The official airport taxi, a fixed 40 GEL to the centre and 50 GEL to the suburbs. A fallback if your app does not work. Confirm the fare before you get in.
• A pre-booked transfer, with a fixed price per car agreed in advance. Best for night arrivals, families who need child seats, groups and anyone who wants to be met in arrivals with a name sign.
• A rental car. Picking up at the airport usually costs 20 to 30% more than in town, see renting a car or hiring a driver in Georgia.
• Not recommended, the drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall. They usually ask 50 to 100 GEL for the same ride.

Transfer

Tbilisi Airport → Tbilisi

≈ 25 min20 kmfrom $50from €45from ₾135

Where does bus 337 go, and how long does it take?

Bus 337 leaves from the stop right outside the arrivals hall and takes 45 to 60 minutes to Freedom Square and about 70 minutes to Station Square by the Central Railway Station. It runs from about 7:00 to 23:00, every 15 minutes on weekdays and about every 20 minutes at weekends. There is no night bus.

On its usual route bus 337 goes through Avlabari and along Baratashvili Street to Freedom Square, then along Rustaveli Avenue and Queen Tamar Avenue via Heroes Square to Station Square. While Rustaveli Avenue is closed for works, the bus is diverted via Heroes Square and the river embankment. In early October 2026 it still stopped at Freedom Square on the way in from the airport. To go back to the airport, board at Baratashvili Street or Heroes Square. The live map at transit.ttc.com.ge shows where each bus is.

In rush hour, 8:00 to 10:00 and 17:00 to 19:00, add 10 to 20 minutes.

Can you pay for bus 337 by card?

Yes, and you have to, because bus 337 does not take cash. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or a phone wallet, on the reader when you board. The fare is 1 GEL with a Georgian card or a Metromoney transport card and about 1.50 GEL with a foreign card, and it covers 90 minutes of free transfers to the metro and other buses. You do not tap when you get off.

Metromoney cards (2 GEL) are sold at metro cash desks, not at the airport. The Bank of Georgia desk in arrivals sells a transport card for 2 GEL, but only together with a day pass of at least 3 GEL. Cards issued by Russian banks do not work in Georgia, on the bus or anywhere else.

How much is a Bolt or Yandex Go from Tbilisi airport?

A Bolt from Tbilisi airport to Freedom Square or the Old Town costs about 25 to 35 GEL (10 to 13 USD) in the daytime and 30 to 40 GEL after midnight or in the rain, as checked in September and October 2026. The app shows the full price before you order, and there is no airport surcharge. Yandex Go is sometimes a little cheaper, and Maxim is a smaller third option. For taxis and apps in other towns, see our guide to taxis in Georgia.

Bolt cars pick up on the road right outside the arrivals exit, day and night. By day a car usually arrives within a few minutes; after midnight expect to wait 10 to 15. Install the app and confirm your phone number before you fly, because the airport Wi-Fi is often too weak for the apps.

Do you pay Bolt in cash or by card?

Both work in Tbilisi. You choose cash or card in the Bolt app before you order. Visa and Mastercard cards from most countries work, and the fare is charged in lari. Cards issued by Russian banks, including Mir, do not work, so choose cash if that is all you have. Carry small notes, because drivers often say they have no change.

How do you avoid the fake Bolt drivers at the arrivals exit?

Ignore everyone who offers you a ride inside the terminal or at the arrivals exit, even if they say they are your Bolt driver or show you the app on their phone. A real Bolt driver waits in the car on the road outside and does not come looking for you in the hall. Travellers have reported these drivers at Tbilisi airport again and again in 2025 and 2026. They usually ask 50 to 100 GEL for a ride that costs about 30 GEL in the app, and some travellers have paid 200 GEL or more.

Before you get in, check that the plate, the car and the driver's photo match the app. If a driver asks you to cancel the order and pay cash, say no, because the app price and the app's protection are gone once you cancel. Some drivers also say that Bolt does not work at the airport, or that the app price is only a starting fare. Neither is true. If you are overcharged, call 112, the emergency number, which also reaches the police.

What is a fair taxi fare from Tbilisi airport at night?

At night a fair fare from Tbilisi airport to the centre is 30 to 40 GEL (about 12 to 15 USD), which is what Bolt and Yandex Go charge after midnight. The official airport taxi at the kerb outside arrivals charges a fixed 40 GEL to the city centre and 50 GEL to the suburbs, according to the airport's website in October 2026. Travellers reported being asked 80 GEL in August, so confirm the price before you get in.

Most street taxis in Tbilisi have no meter, so agree the fare before you get in. If anyone asks more than 50 GEL to the centre, say no and open the app.

What if you land at 3 or 4 in the morning?

Many flights land at Tbilisi airport in the middle of the night, and at that hour you have three options. An app taxi costs 30 to 40 GEL with a 10 to 15 minute wait, the official taxi costs 40 GEL, and a driver booked in advance is already waiting. Bus 337 does not run between 23:00 and 7:00.

Tbilisi airport is open 24 hours. The Magti desk, the exchange desks and the ATMs in arrivals work through the night, and there is free Wi-Fi.

Check that your hotel has 24-hour check-in, or book the room from the night before so it is ready when you arrive. If you only need a few hours of sleep, the ibis Tbilisi Airport hotel is a few minutes' walk from the terminal.

How does a pre-booked airport transfer work?

With a pre-booked transfer the driver follows your flight and waits in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign, so there is nothing to arrange after landing. The price is fixed per car, not per person, and does not change with flight delays, traffic or the hour.

With TravelAroundGeorgia the first 60 minutes after landing are free, child seats are free, and the price is the same after midnight. You pay the driver after the trip, in cash (GEL, USD or EUR) or by card. Cars and prices are on the Tbilisi airport transfer page, and booking on the site or in our Telegram bot takes two minutes. From the airport the same transfer can also go straight on to Gudauri, Kazbegi, Kakheti, Borjomi or Batumi.

Do the Rustaveli Avenue works slow the drive into Tbilisi?

Yes, mainly in rush hour. Rustaveli Avenue has been closed to cars for a full rebuild since 23 July 2026, and Tbilisi City Hall plans to finish by the end of November 2026. The section between Chovelidze and Javakhishvili streets reopened in September, but in October bus 337 was still on its diversion.

Late in the evening and at night the roads are quieter. In the morning and evening rush, 8:00 to 10:00 and 17:00 to 19:00, add 10 to 20 minutes, by car or by bus. If your hotel is on Rustaveli Avenue, ask the hotel where a car can stop.

Should you buy a SIM card at Tbilisi airport?

Yes, if you need data straight away. Magti's desk in the arrivals hall is open 24 hours. In September and October 2026 it sold 15-day tourist packages for 15 GEL with 5 GB and for 30 GEL with 3 GB, calls and 30 international minutes, SIM included. Silknet and Cellfie also have desks in arrivals. You need your passport, and activation takes 10 to 15 minutes.

In town the same money buys more. A Magti SIM costs about 10 GEL and a week of unlimited data about 10 GEL more. Magti usually has the best coverage in the mountains. A travel eSIM bought before the flight also works, but most are data only, without a Georgian number.

Should you change money at the airport or in the city?

Change only enough for the first day at Tbilisi airport. The exchange desks in arrivals are open all night, but their rates are worse than at banks and exchange offices in town, and US dollars usually get a better rate than euros. On 17 October 2026 the National Bank of Georgia rate was about 2.60 GEL for 1 USD and 2.93 GEL for 1 EUR.

Bank of Georgia, TBC and Liberty ATMs stand inside arrivals and charge a few lari for foreign cards. If the screen offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lari. Cards work for the bus, the taxi apps and most shops in Tbilisi, but keep some cash for minibuses, markets and villages. Visa, insurance and passport rules are in our guide to Georgia's entry requirements.

Is there a train from Tbilisi airport?

Not as of October 2026. Tbilisi airport has its own railway station, but no passenger trains run from it. If the service restarts, it will be listed on railway.ge.