Lonely Planet: "Tbilisi's top 10 experiences"

One of the world’s most popular guidebooks, Lonely Planet, has devoted an online article about Georgia's vibrant capital, sharing "ten experiences you shouldn't miss on a trip to Tbilisi".

Compiled by Lonely Planet writer Brett Atkinson, the list includes historical sights, wine and cuisine destinations and flea market spots the capital city has to offer.

Laneways meandering from the riverside Old Town lead to a spectacular hilltop fortress, and ground-breaking modern design counters stately avenues and heritage architecture," narrates Atkinson.

Locations within the iconic 19th Century Old Town district find their place in the piece, which also urges visitors to "uncover a centuries-old wine tradition" in Tbilisi cellars like Vino Underground on Tabidze St.

Wine is still aged in beeswax-lined terracotta urns called qvevri, which are buried in the ground to promote fermentation under naturally stable conditions, and the practice of incorporating grape skins produces fragrant and flavoursome wines with a rusty hue," he writes.

Culinary topics also received attention in the article, with all the well-known local specialties underlining influences from the Caucasus region and beyond.

For a fragrance-filled ambient atmosphere found in the city's numerous churches, Atkinson directs his readers to the Anchiskhati Basilica.

If you're lucky you may chance upon worshippers performing the ethereal three-voice polyphonic chants of Georgian sacred music," he writes while describing the 6th Century church.

Soviet-era memorabilia found at the Dry Bridge Market, hilltop views from Mtatsminda and Narikala Fortress as well as contemporary architectural sites were also found in the author's writings.

Georgia has been a subject of travel books by Lonely Planet for years, with traveller and author John Noble documenting his 26 years of experience traversing the country and its capital in a number of publications.

Read the full article by Brett Atkinson www.lonelyplanet.com