Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi over the Upper Lars border

How long it takes and your options

There is only one road. From Vladikavkaz the A-161 runs up the Dariali Gorge to the Upper Lars checkpoint, about 35 km away. Past the border it becomes the Georgian Military Road, which leads through Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), over the Jvari Pass and past Gudauri to Tbilisi.

The whole trip is about 200 km. A car without a queue needs 3.5 to 4 hours. Nobody can tell you in advance how long the border will take. On an ordinary day it is 1 to 3 hours, at peak times 6 hours or more.

• Your own car. Stop wherever you like, but you need Georgian insurance and time for the queue.
• Minibus from Vladikavkaz. Around 70 departures a day, fares in roubles, arrival at the Tbilisi bus stations.
• Bus from Moscow via Lars. More than a day on the road, but no changes.
• Taxi or a lift. You cannot walk across, so you need a vehicle that goes through.
• Plane. Vladikavkaz has no direct flights, but there are daily flights to Tbilisi from Mineralnye Vody and Moscow.

Tour

Kazbegi and the Georgian Military Road

1 day≈ 11 hfrom $300from €270from ₾785

Driving your own car

Leave Vladikavkaz heading south on the A-161. You reach the Russian checkpoint in 35 to 40 minutes. From the Georgian Dariali checkpoint it is 12 km to Stepantsminda and about 165 km to Tbilisi.

Fill the tank in Vladikavkaz. The border queue can last hours, and the climb to the pass uses more fuel. In Georgia in October 2026 regular petrol cost 3.84 to 4.08 GEL a litre and diesel 4.8 to 5.1 GEL.

• Georgian third-party liability insurance (TPL) is compulsory for foreign-registered cars. You can buy it in advance on tpl.ge. For a car it costs 30 GEL for 15 days, 50 GEL for 30 days, 90 GEL for 90 days and 295 GEL for a year.
• If the car is not registered to you, you need a notarised power of attorney that lets you take it abroad. The other documents and rules are in our Upper Lars guide.
• From 1 December to 1 March winter tyres are compulsory on the Mleta to Kobi section over the Jvari Pass. They need the snowflake symbol and at least 3 mm of tread. The fine is 100 GEL, and in snow the police can ask for chains too.
• Take water, food and warm clothes. In winter you can spend half a day in the queue or in front of a closed pass.

Minibuses from Vladikavkaz

Minibuses to Tbilisi leave almost around the clock. The tutu.ru timetable of 16 October 2026 lists about 70 departures a day from around twenty carriers, between 01:00 and 23:30. Most leave in the daytime, from 7:00 to 19:00.

Fares are in roubles. In October 2026 tickets on tutu.ru and Unitiki cost 2,200 to 3,100 RUB. You can pay online with a Russian bank card, and some carriers take payment on the day in cash or by card. Ask in advance whether a large suitcase is included, as some carriers charge for luggage.

The ride takes 4 to 6 hours, depending on the border. At the Russian checkpoint passengers get off with their bags, go through the checks and get back on. In Tbilisi the minibuses arrive at Didube bus station next to Didube metro or at Ortachala bus station. Many also stop in Stepantsminda on the way.

There is no single bus station. Your ticket shows the pickup point, usually one of these.

• Bus Station No. 1, Arkhonskoe shosse 1.
• The railway station, Markova street 24.
• The Lukoil petrol station at Moskovskaya street 16B.
• Vladikavkaz airport in Beslan, 29 km from the city. Handy if you fly in.
• The Vertikal and Alania Mall shopping centres.

A bus from Moscow, a taxi or a lift

Direct buses run from Moscow to Tbilisi via Upper Lars. Avtotur leaves from Kotelniki bus station, for example, and Georgia Vega from Salaryevo. The trip takes 28 to 33 hours. In October 2026 tickets cost 5,300 to 8,800 RUB.

A city taxi can take you to the Upper Lars checkpoint in 35 to 40 minutes. But you cannot cross on foot, so from there you have to ask for a seat in someone's car. Many drivers say yes, but there is no guarantee, especially with big luggage.

It is safer to agree with a taxi driver who will cross the border himself and take you to Stepantsminda or Tbilisi. Settle the price for the whole car before you leave, and check whether it covers the wait in the queue.

After the border in Stepantsminda

From the Georgian Dariali checkpoint it is 12 km to Stepantsminda. Minibuses from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi carry on without a change. If your ticket was only to Kazbegi, you are dropped on the central square by the Alexander Kazbegi monument.

Minibuses to Tbilisi leave from the small bus station in the centre of town. There are about 11 a day in summer and fewer in winter, when the last ones are cancelled if nobody turns up. A ticket costs about 20 GEL, paid to the driver in cash. A big suitcase may cost 5 GEL more. The ride to Didube bus station takes 3 to 3.5 hours.

Taxi drivers wait at the same bus station and on the square. Russian bank cards do not work in Georgia, so carry cash. In winter leave Stepantsminda by 14:30 to cross the Jvari Pass in daylight.

A private car from the border

If you crossed by minibus or with a lift, or are leaving your car in Vladikavkaz, you can continue with us. Your driver meets you with a name sign at the exit of the Dariali checkpoint or in Stepantsminda.

He takes you to Tbilisi, straight to the airport, to Gudauri or to Kakheti. Gudauri is 35 km from Stepantsminda, on the way to Tbilisi. The airport is about 170 km away, roughly 3 hours without stops. On the way you can stop at the Friendship Monument, at Ananuri, or for lunch in Pasanauri.

The price is fixed per car, not per person, and is shown in the card on this page. Child seats are free. You pay the driver after the ride, in cash or by card. Message the driver once you are through the checks and he drives up to the exit. Time in the border queue does not count as waiting.

Book on the transfer page or in our Telegram bot in two minutes. If you stop in Tbilisi first, you may also need a transfer to the airport, a transfer to Gudauri or a transfer to Kakheti.

Flying instead

There are no direct flights from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi. From Mineralnye Vody, 220 km from Vladikavkaz, Azimuth flies to Tbilisi every day. In the week of 19 to 25 October 2026 it leaves at 8:55 and lands in Tbilisi at 11:10.

From Moscow, Georgian Airways and Azimuth fly direct from Vnukovo and Red Wings from Zhukovsky. The flight takes about 3 hours. Flying makes sense when the pass is closed for days or the border queue is too long.

From Tbilisi airport you get to town by bus, taxi or transfer. See our guide from Tbilisi Airport to the city centre.

When the pass or the border is closed

In winter the Gudauri to Kobi section over the Jvari Pass closes when the avalanche risk is high or the snow is heavy. The emergency service of North Ossetia then also closes the road from Vladikavkaz to Lars. Mudflows close it too. In 2026 traffic stopped on 2 January because of snow, in April because of bad weather and on 25 September because of a mudflow risk in the Devdoraki gorge.

A closure lasts from a few hours to several days. While the road is closed, the minibuses do not run either, so ask the carrier how to move or refund your ticket. Check the road before you leave Vladikavkaz, not at the border. Where to follow the news and the queue is in our Upper Lars guide, and the winter road is covered in Kazbegi in winter.

There is no way around Lars by land. It is the only place where you can legally enter Georgia from Russia, and Azerbaijan keeps its land border closed until at least 2 January 2027. If a closure drags on, you can wait in Vladikavkaz or fly from Mineralnye Vody or Moscow.

Where to stay on the way

If you reach Vladikavkaz in the evening by train or plane, stay the night in the city and leave in the morning. The border is 35 to 40 minutes away, and you will cross the pass in daylight.

On the Georgian side people stay in Stepantsminda, 12 km from the border. It is handy if you clear the checks late or the pass ahead is closed. The hotels and guesthouses we recommend are further down this page. In the morning you can walk or drive up to Gergeti church. More ideas are in our guide to what to see in Kazbegi.

Do not plan to spend the night in the car in the queue, especially in winter. If you are stuck on the Russian side, go back to Vladikavkaz.

A typical day on the road

Below is a sample minibus trip on a weekday outside the peak season. The times are approximate and depend on the border queue.

By car the day looks the same, except that you choose the stops. To queue less, get to the border early in the morning. The quietest time is at night from Tuesday to Thursday.

• 9:00. The minibus leaves Vladikavkaz railway station.
• 9:40. The queue in front of the Upper Lars checkpoint.
• 10:00 to 12:00. Russian and Georgian checks. On an ordinary day this takes 1 to 3 hours, at peak times 6 hours or more.
• 12:15. Stepantsminda. Get off here if a driver or a hotel is waiting for you.
• 13:00. The Jvari Pass at 2,379 m, then the hairpins down to Gudauri.
• 15:00 to 16:00. Didube bus station in Tbilisi.