Tbilisi may be one of Europe’s most fascinating capitals, but most visitors barely scratch the surface before moving on to nearby attractions like the Caucasus Mountains or day trips around Georgia. Beyond the famous Narikala Fortress, charming cobblestone streets, and iconic landmarks like the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a quieter side of the city awaits. From secret gardens and local viewpoints to overlooked neighborhoods and unexpected cultural corners, these hidden gems in Tbilisi reveal a different side of Georgia’s capital.
Bateti Lake
I know it sounds like a cliché, but Bateti Lake truly is one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets. It’s a beautiful green lake that’s discreetly camouflaged among the surrounding lush forests. The lake is located roughly 120 kilometers away from Tbilisi, and it’s a perfect destination for a day trip from Tbilisi. Depending on the season, you can go for a swim, trek in the forest, or simply enjoy nature.
The lake looks gorgeous in every season, but if I have to choose, I would recommend you visit in the autumn when the lake looks like a green emerald hiding in the middle of the orange leaves-covered forest. Looking at the pictures of this magnificent lake always makes me wonder how come this place still hasn’t become one of Georgia’s top tourist attractions…
Additional tip: You can get here by taking a marshrutka from Tbilisi to Kareli and hiring a driver to take you from Kareli to Bateti Lake (25 kilometers).
If you’re planning to spend the night nearby, Gori Inn offers comfortable accommodation and makes a convenient base for exploring the surrounding countryside.
Visit a surprisingly overlooked basilica
Anchiskhati Basilica
When you hear about the oldest church in a city, you normally expect it to be under a constant siege of tourists, but fortunately, that’s not the case with the Anchiskhati Basilica. Dating back to the 6th century, this Georgian Orthodox church is the second oldest religious temple in Tbilisi. The church survived the numerous attacks of conquerors throughout the years, and today, it’s one of the oldest buildings in the whole city.
By looking at it, you probably wouldn’t think that it’s one of the most important historic hidden gems in Tbilisi- the church is a simple three-span basilica, but the interior and the well-preserved medieval crypt icons and murals inside will surely impress you.
It’s located in the Old Town of Tbilisi, one of the busiest tourist districts, which means that most tourists just pass by it without realizing the historical significance of the basilica or, alternatively, get confused because the building has three different entrances but only one is in use. Keep this in mind if you want to visit.
Mukhrantubani Boutique Hotel is a lovely place to stay, offering comfortable accommodation in the heart of Tbilisi’s historic district, just a short walk from the area’s main attractions.
Get a lesson in Georgian folklore music
State Museum of Georgian Folk Songs and Instruments
Tucked away down a small gated alley not too far from the Narikala Fortress, the State Museum of Georgian Folk Songs and Instruments has a large collection of Georgian and Southern Caucasian traditional instruments. Some of the most interesting samples include the oldest triple-flute from Mtskheta, and collections of salamuri (a traditional flute-like instrument), sannori (a harp variation), gudastviri bagpipe, chiboni bagpipe, etc.
The museum also has an impressive archive of Georgian folk-music manuscripts, along with audio and video recordings, including rare footage of Georgian polyphonic songs. Music is a great way to start learning more about a country’s culture, and in Tbilisi, there’s no better place to start than this interesting museum.
Located in the area, Amante Narikala is an excellent accommodation choice, offering stylish rooms and easy access to some of the city’s most charming historic streets.
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Check out the largest book collection
National Parliamentary Library of Georgia
The National Parliamentary Library is the main book depository of Georgia where you can find more than 20,000 books written in many different languages. The library-museum is divided into four parts. One part is dedicated to rare books, another to Georgian medieval poems, a book depository, and a section dedicated to one of the most famous Georgian writers of all time, Ilia Chavchavadze.
The National Library has a rather impressive book museum that’s one of the most fascinating, yet oftentimes overlooked hidden gems in Tbilisi, but they also have a reading room where visitors can read. The reading room inside the library is very spacious and comfortable and a great choice for a rainy day. Keep in mind that if you want to read some of the books in the library, you need a membership card, which you can get at the reception, free of charge.
Museum Hotel Orbeliani is a great option for visitors looking for elegant accommodation in a central location, surrounded by historic buildings, restaurants, and cultural attractions.
Take a day trip to a forgotten monastery
Shio-Mgvime Monastery
If you visited Tbilisi or read something about the city, you’ll know that the most popular one-day trip from the capital is Mtskheta. Mtskheta is indeed one of the most important historic places in the country, but there’s a very old monastery complex not too far from Mtskheta that rarely gets any visitors despite its historic importance and stunning architecture with octagonal domes and an equally interesting interior, with some well-preserved medieval Orthodox Christian icons.
The Shio-Mgvime monastery is a 6th-century monastic complex that was founded by a Syrian Monk named Shio, who spent his last years as a hermit in the deep cave that overlooks the monastic complex. At one point in time, this complex housed more than 2,000 monks and was, without a doubt, one of the most important medieval cultural and religious centers.
The monastery survived many Persian and Ottoman invasions throughout the years, and after the fall of the Georgian Kingdom, it started to slowly fade away. The monastery is still alive and standing today, but for some reason remains relatively unfrequented…
Find a viewpoint only locals know about
Tabor Monastery of the Transformation
When you look at the Tabor Monastery from far away, it doesn’t look a lot different than most monasteries in Tbilisi. The monastery isn’t a historic monument, and even though it looks a lot older, it was only built in 2012, but its unique location gives an amazing view from which you can see the Narikala Fortress overlooking Tbilisi.
Only a few people know that at this exact location there was another great fort of Tbilisi, which used to protect the city from the southern side, while Narikala Fortress was used to protect Tbilisi from the North. You can reach the monastery by walking from the Old Town, but you can go there by car or taxi.
The monastery doesn’t get a lot of visitors because it’s not marketed as a historic monument, and most people don’t know that they can get an amazing view of Tbilisi right here, at the Tabor Monastery.
In the neighborhood, Sole Palace is a wonderful place to stay, offering comfortable rooms, beautiful city views, and convenient access to some of Tbilisi’s lesser-known attractions.
See a once glorious but forgotten museum
State Silk Museum
Shockingly, one of the oldest museums not only in Tbilisi but in the whole country gets such a small number of visitors. The museum was built in the 19th century and hasn’t really changed its appearance since then, mainly due to the lack of funds and the fact that it has been completely forgotten by the local authorities.
Despite the fact that it seems that the museum needs restoration, the exterior is lovely and the exhibition inside is quite impressive. You can expect to see some silkworm cocoons, tools for silk production, and learn a lot about the whole process of silk making. When the museum was opened in the second half of the 19th century (Georgia was still a part of the Russian Empire), it was one of the world’s biggest and most impressive silk museums.
However, those days seem to be long gone… If you like visiting old, forgotten but once-important places, definitely check out Tbilisi’s silk museum.
Tbilisi Marriott Hotel is an excellent choice for travelers seeking luxurious accommodation, elegant interiors, and easy access to the city’s cultural attractions.
Go back in time in Tbilisi’s Auto Museum
Tbilisi Auto Museum
If you have a passion for cars, this is definitely one museum you wouldn’t want to miss. Opened in 2014, Tbilisi’s Auto Museum is an impressive private collection of motorbikes and cars made in the Soviet era. Most of the exhibits are in impressively good condition, considering how much time has passed since they were manufactured.
The museum is located outside of the city, on the road to the airport, and it can be a bit tricky to find unless you’re taking a cab. The museum employees are very knowledgeable and can give you a lot of information about the displayed vehicles.
I would recommend this museum even to people who aren’t car lovers because you will have a unique opportunity to see what cars used to look like back in the Soviet days, as not too many of them were sold outside of the Eastern Bloc countries. This is one of the last places on earth where you can see an old, iconic Chaikas motorbike and a GAZ-22, as well as very rare old models of Moskvitch and Zil.
Located nearby, Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi offers spacious rooms and modern amenities, making it a practical choice for exploring the eastern side of the city.
See how Tbilisians used to live like
Tbilisi Antique Archaeological Museum
Tbilisi’s Antique Archaeological Museum is located on an archaeological site not too far from the sulfur baths in the Old Town. According to some Georgian historians, it was actually an administrative center of an ancient city once upon a time.
The museum consists of two parts: the first one is the open-air museum, in which the old ruins that were found on this site are displayed and the second part is inside where you can see old relics, pottery wheels, and other decorations from the 17th and 18th century that will show you how people in Tbilisi used to live like 400 years ago. It’s a great place to visit for people interested in history or archaeological sites.
Interestingly, the museum is located in the Old Town of Tbilisi, which is easily the most touristy part of Tbilisi, yet only a few people know about it, and it is relatively unfrequented most of the time…
Hotel Abanotubani is a charming accommodation option in the historic district, surrounded by traditional architecture, sulfur baths, and picturesque cobblestone streets.
Find an isolated place with a great view
Udzo Monastery
Located on a mountain just outside of Tbilisi, you will find a beautiful monastery complex with an amazing view of Tbilisi and the surrounding villages. The view is just as pretty as the one from Narikala Fortress or Turtle Lake (if not even more), but the best part is that most people, including locals, don’t know about this place.
You can get here by hiking up the path that starts at Turtle Lake. At the top of the mountain, you’ll find the 11th-century monastery complex, which consists of a few buildings with a simple interior.
The complex was devoted to St. George and was rebuilt on several different occasions and unfortunately wasn’t preserved in its original form. It’s not Tbilisi’s prettiest monastery, but it’s almost always empty, and it’s a great place if you want to relax, meditate, or just get away from Tbilisi’s crowded streets and simply enjoy the view.
Bioli Medical Wellness Resort offers a peaceful retreat surrounded by nature, making it an excellent choice for visitors looking to combine sightseeing with relaxation.
Have a drink in a former refugee camp
Iveria Hotel Tbilisi
Last but not least, we conclude this guide to hidden gems in Tbilisi with the old Iveria Hotel. You might have heard about Iveria, one of Tbilisi’s best luxury hotels, but one thing you probably don’t know about it is that it used to be a refugee camp. The hotel was built in the 1960s, and it was the primary choice for the elites of the USSR. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, tourism suffered, and the hotel’s earnings plummeted.
Then, the Abkhazia War happened, and the high number of refugees made the local authorities turn this hotel into a refugee camp. It was, and probably still is, the only 5-star hotel that was ever turned into a refugee camp. In the last few years, tourism in Georgia has been booming again, and the hotel is back in business.
There aren’t any traces of the hotel’s former refugee camp, but how many places on Earth are there where you can have a cocktail in a luxurious hotel that was once a refugee camp that housed more than 800 refugees? Both the lounge bar and the restaurant of Iveria are open to outside visitors, and you don’t have to be a guest if you want to visit, but staying here is not such a bad idea for your Tbilisi trip either.
How did you like this guide to hidden gems in Tbilisi? Did you ever visit any of these places? Do you know of other places in Tbilisi off the beaten track that you think we could include in this list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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