Practical Tips

The population of the country is 4.5 million. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi with the population of 1.1 million.

Georgians are officially Christian and speak and write Georgian.

Average summer temperatures range from 20C to 24C, average winter temperatures range from 2C to 4C.

Georgia uses two round-pin plugs, electricity is 220 volts.

 

Georgian writing

We have our own alphabet – very ancient and beautiful, 1 of the fourteen existing alphabets of the world.

All main signs are in Georgian and in English but you may also find some places either with only Georgian or with Georgian and Russian signs.

We don’t use capital letters and we read what we write.

Here’re couple of words you might need while travelling:

Hello – Gamarjoba

Good morning – Dila mshvidobis

Good night – Ghame mshvidobis

Bye-bye – Nakhvamdis

Thanks – Madloba

How are you doing? – Rogor khart?

Well – Kargad

Bad – Tsudad

So-so – Ise ra

Please – Tu sheidzleba

How much does it cost? – Ra ghirs?

One, two, three – Erti, ori, sami

Wine – Ghvino

Water – Tskali

Beer – Ludi

 

Currency

State currency is Georgian Lari – GEL (1 USD = 2.1 GEL, 1 EUR= 2.3GEL, 1 GBP= 3 GEL)

You can change money at the international airports, banks and private exchange spots.

You can use cash throughout the country though some shops, cafés and restaurants in major cities accept credit cards as well. For buying gifts or souvenirs you’d better use local currency as mostly the foreign currencies aren’t accepted. ATM-s can be found in major cities and spa villages only. Traveler’s checks and debit cards are not accepted. Banks are open from 10am to 6pm daily except Sunday. Saturday is a shorter working day for them, so make sure you visit a bank until 2pm on Saturday.

 

Communications

You can find internet cafes in most cities. Some hotels provide free Wi-Fi.

You can buy a local SIM card easily and use it for local and international calls or text messages. The tariffs are lower than the roaming ones. Coverage is generally very good. Deep in the mountains there’s no signal.

                                                                     

Opening hours

Most of the shops open at 10am and close not earlier than 8pm.

There’re some 24hr groceries but only in the major cities.

State institutions don’t work on the week-ends.

 

Security

Like anywhere in the world minor pickpockets in crowded public places may occur and every precaution should be taken to avoid losing anything of value. To allow check in at some of the hotels you may be requested to hand your passport out to the hotel reception on arrival. Your passport will usually be available again after a few hours. Don’t forget to collect it before departure.

Please never leave your passport unattended.

 

Valuables

All valuable items such as jewelry, cameras, computers etcare not recommended to be declared out of hotel in the evening time or at the markets or in crowded areas.

Don’t leave your valets unattended at any instance.

 

Regional Etiquette

Both men and women may kiss one another on the cheek in public areas. Georgians greet one another by kissing on one side of the cheek.

Kissing on the lips and intimate hugging in public are not approved. Shaking hands is common.

In the countryside it is common to greet strangers.

 

Clothing

During the warmer weather light, loose clothing is the best in the daytime, with a light jacket in the cooler evenings and a warm sweater or jacket if you travel to the mountains of Georgia. In the mountains always remember to have a raincoat in your backpack as you never know when it rains.

Comfortable, supportive walking shoes are essential for sightseeing on foot in dry or wet weather and sometimes rough underfoot areas. You should dress for comfort and maximum sun and rain protection.

Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.

When visiting the churches please remember that women are requested to cover their hair and wear either long dresses or at least long trousers. Shoulders need to be covered.

Men are requested to take off their hats and not to wear shorts.

 

Health

No official vaccinations are required for foreign visitors. However, we strongly advise you to consult your physician or Vaccination Centre for current health warnings and recommended vaccinations. Throughout the areas you will be travelling, one of the main health warnings is dehydration. At all times maintain a steady intake of non-alcoholic liquids.

Sunburn is another major hazard. Bring an adequate supply of high SPF sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat.

You may also wish to bring a supply of any over-the-you drink bottled water if you’re sensitive and you use bottled water at home. Please remember that if you aren’t used to tab water it may lead to diarrhea.

Please advise us if you have any allergies or particular medical conditions which may require special attention during the trip. Bring sufficient supplies of any prescription medicines. All prescription medicines should be kept in their original, clearly labeled containers and you’re requested to have the official prescription with you to avoid the problems at the border crossing. There’re limitations on medicines when crossing the border, please check the list with Georgian Embassy in your home-country.

Please, ensure that you carry in your hand luggage any medicines you may need while touring.

 

Smoking

Please be advised that Georgia has not implemented non-smoking policies in public areas like some western countries. Almost all restaurants combine smoking and non smoking areas. Some of the hotels do not even have non smoking rooms.

Smoking is neither allowed in the churches nor in the yards of the churches.

 

Toilets

There aren’t so many public toilets along the roads. Please make sure you use bathroom whenever possible to avoid further stops for ‘bush toilets’. Some of the public WC-s are not clean enough.

You may encounter non-western toilets during your tour and might like to tone up your leg muscles ahead of time!

 

Restaurants

There’re many nice authentic restaurants in Georgia offering delicious traditional dishes. Most of the restaurants have VERY loud live music in the evenings that makes foreign travelers not so happy. But please accept this as part of our culture since restaurant is the place where people go to have a fun and dance. Even if asked musicians will not make music lower, so please be ready for this and try to enjoy yourself by joining the dancing parties!

 

Luggage

A small day bag, knapsack or handbag should suffice to carry your personal belongings during the day. Ensure that your entire luggage is clearly labeled with your name and a contact number (but not your address) and destination/local contact. Place labels inside (in case bags get lost)and out (for easier distribution to the rooms) of your bags.

Try to travel light if there are several transfers on your trip, you can leave some of your bags in a central hotel if you go back to that hotel at the tour end.

Check out your local luggage is placed in a vehicle on every departure from every hotel.

 

Incidentals

Before checking out from all hotels on the tour, please ensure that you have checked with the front desk for any personal charges that the hotel may have made to your room. You are responsible for incidentals such as telephone calls, room service, in-room mini bar and laundry.

 

Photography

There are only few restrictions on photography at places of historical interest but may not be allowed inside some religious monuments, museums, airports, railway stations, borders or near military installations. If in doubt ask your local guide. Film and batteries are available in major cities, but we recommend you bring with you what you need, particularly if you have the latest model or more sophisticated camera.

 

Shopping

You can buy carpets, interesting jewelry, clothing and local handicrafts.

Generally no items or jewelry require special permission for export but certain items over one hundred years old, or of particular cultural importance do require special permission for export, as do some special metals/stones, furs and arms/ammunition, paintings and carpets. Certificates verifying the age of the item must be procured from the merchant and are subject to duty from the Ministry of Culture.

National Cuisine

Georgian cuisine offers a variety of dishes with various herbs and spices. Each historical province of Georgia has its owndistinct culinary tradition. The importance of both food and drink to Georgian culture is best observed during a feast, or supra. Popular Georgian dishes are:

Khinkali (meat-filled dumplings served simply with a generous sprinkling of crushed black pepper. While ground beef and lamb are the most common fillings, you can also make Khinkali stuffed with chopped mushrooms, potatoes or cheese);

Khachapuri (The bread is leavened and allowed to rise, and is shaped in various ways. The filling contains cheese, sometimes eggs and other ingredients. There are several distinctive types of Khachapuri;

Eggplants with walnuts (pan-fried eggplants stuffed with spiced walnut paste);

Satsivi (Chicken or turkey in a walnut sauce and spices);

Chakapuli (onions, lamb chops, dry white wine, and tarragon leaves);

Tkemali sauce (plum sauce), mixed fresh herbs (parsley, mint, dill, cilantro), garlic and salt);

Churchkhela (sausage-shaped candies, the main ingredients are grape must, nuts and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage);

Gozinaki (confection made of caramelized nuts, usually walnuts, fried in honey, and served exclusively on New Year’s Eve and Christmas);

Among the other dishes that you can enjoy in Georgia there’re traditional bread baked ina large well-shaped oven called Tone,delicious soups flavored with various herbs and spices, unique stuffed pastries, and an abundance of fresh fruit.

 

Georgian Wines

Georgia is one of the oldest wine producing countriesin the world. Georgians still keep their ancient tradition of storing wine in clay jars called ‘Qvevri’ buried under ground. Georgian traditional wine making process is different from that of Europe. Though many bigger wineries follow the European course and they make and keep wines as per European rules.

Georgian wines are usually a blend of two or more grape types.

Most popular white wines are: Tsinandali, Tvishi, Mtsvane.

Most popular red wines are: Saperavi, Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli, Mukuzani.

Tamada

The Supra is a large party involving many toasts. The toastmaster –“Tamada” selected bythe party members makes long toasts and for special toasts drinks wine from horn called ‘Kantsi’. Kantsi is then passed around the table to be drunk by all guests. The more important the toasts – the more wine is drunk. Some toasts have to be drunk when standing.

Books to read about Georgia

Kurban said – Ali and Nino

Love story of a Georgian girl and a Muslim boy with all the interesting and sad life adventures.

 

Nicholas Tchkotoua– Timeless

Novel about the love of a Georgian young man and a charming Russian girl set apart by the diversity of their society and far away from their countries.

 

Simon Sebag Montefiore – Young Stalin

The story of how a charismatic, dangerous boy became a student priest, romantic poet, gangster mastermind, prolific lover, murderous revolutionary, and the merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image: How Stalin became Stalin.

 

 Lawrence Scott Sheet – Eight Pieces of Empire

Stories about people living through these tectonic shifts of fortune—a trio of female saboteurs in Chechnya, the chaos of newly independent Georgia in the early 1990s, young hustlers eager to strike it rich in the post-Soviet economic vacuum—reveal the underreported and surprising ways in which the ghosts of empire still haunt these lands and the world.

 

Shota Rustaveli – The night in the panter skin

12^th century Georgian epic telling the fairy tale of love and dedication.

Alice Fiering – For the love of wine

Alice travelled to Georgia and she felt as if she’d found herself in a world filled with mythical characters making exotic and delicious wine with the low tech of centuries past. So, she tells you all about her experience.

 

Peter Skinner – Georgia the land below the Caucasus

History of Georgia with detailed maps.

 

Wendell Steavenson – Stories I stole

The book captures the exuberance of a fledging nation of local despots, mountain tribes, blood feuds, and an unlimited flow of red wine.

 

Tony Anderson – Bread and ashes

The author travelled in Georgia and tell us the stories of the tribes, culture, the politics of independence, the war in Abkhazia and Ossetia, the civil war and Shevardnadze’s accession to power, the history of these people at one of the great crossroads of the world.

 

Guide-books by Lonely Planet, Bradt, John Noble, Peter Nysmith.