Tbilisi in National Geographic guidebook to 100 best cities to visit

The National Geographic Travel magazine has published a new guidebook to 100 best cities to visit, with the index including the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, the Georgian national tourism administration announced on Friday.

Entitled 100 Cities 5000 Ideas, the guidebook features historical districts of Tbilisi, the history of the city and its museums, theatres, cultural monuments, tourist routes, hotels and food facilities. It also introduces readers to the ancient capital of Mtskheta, located about 20 km north of Tbilisi.

The publication follows a visit by Joe Yogerst of the National Geographic to Georgia in June, as part of a press tour organised by the GNTA.

Tbilisi has long been influenced by East and West, a heritage that visitors can experience with all their senses. You can hear the city’s crossroads legacy in traditional music that combines early Christian and Middle Eastern influences, you can taste and smell it in a wondrous Georgian cuisine that blends Persian and Mediterranean elements, and you can see and touch it in the architecture of Dzveli Tbilisi (Old Tbilisi) in the city centre”, writes Yogerst.

The guidebook also describes the “Italian” courtyards - 19th century inner yards in Old Town neighbourhoods “adorned with balconies, bridges, wooden arcades and spiral stair-cases” - and introduces the lives of residents.

Families and neighbours of all generations gathering to eat, drink, talk, sing, and play - is something that Tbilisi residents have relished for centuries”, it notes.

The author also suggests several ways for visitors to discover the city, including the Tbilisi Free Walking Tours.