Tbilisi according to Meagan Williams
Tbilisi makes you keep coming back. My partner Tomo and I first visited the capital of Georgia in 2016, and deeply enjoyed the local culture. At first, we didn't think we'd stay long-term, but when we came back in 2018, the city had flourished — tons of new bars, restaurants, shopping centers, and wineries. Plus, they introduced indoor smoking bans, which we really appreciated. We decided to give Tbilisi a shot, and we've been living here ever since.
“Tbilisi offers modern amenities and ancient charm.”
The Sololaki neighborhood has etched a special place in our hearts. This bohemian epicenter of bars and restaurants has an old-world charm, with Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Renaissance-inspired architecture from the early 20th century. Most neighbourhoods are very walkable and safe, especially the picturesque old town, but you’ll need to take public transportation to certain districts. An easy task with the recent addition of bike and scooter rentals but beware—Georgian drivers are a bit notorious for their recklessness! As remote workers, we appreciate the city's reliable, high-speed internet. You can get a 100 mbps internet speed to most apartments in the city, for a reasonable price. It’s easy to upgrade or downgrade your Wifi plan, so you can pay your host an extra $40 USD to upgrade to the fastest option for a month, even when renting through Airbnb. This makes working remotely from Georgia incredibly easy. There are a growing number of coworking spaces, with options like the professional-oriented Terminal and the community-focused Lokal. If you enjoy working from coffee shops, I recommend Slink Cafe and Bagelin. There is a growing remote work and digital nomad community in the city, which makes networking with entrepreneurs easy.
Georgians pride themselves on their hospitality and incredible food. Traditional Georgian dishes have bold flavors combined with fresh herbs. I always make a reservation at the stunning Georgian House when friends and family visit. Apart from a great ambiance and food, you can listen to live Georgian polyphonic singing every night at 8pm. When it comes to traditional dishes, I recommend you try Kalia, a veal stew cooked in pomegranate juice and white wine. Lobiani with Racha ham, a bean-filled bread with aged smoked ham from the Racha region, is another local favorite. Don't forget to sample the iconic khachapuri (cheese bread) and khinkali (soup dumplings)!
The language barrier isn’t as much of an issue as it once was. This is largely thanks to a growing number of English-speaking locals and apps like Google Translate, but communication remains challenging outside of Tbilisi. We’ve heard from travelers that the locals can seem a bit gruff or rude, or that no one greets you or smiles on the street. Once you get to know Georgians, though, you’ll find them funny, kind, and very generous.
Tbilisi has evolved into a modern metropolis. The quality of life here for a low cost of living is hard to beat. You will also have easy access to other countries in Europe, with flights that are now much more affordable than several years ago. Exploring outside of Tbilisi is a great idea as well - you can drive to the Caucasus mountains or relax at the beach by the Black Sea. Cities like Batumi have a rich history that is worth visiting, too. Overall, I believe that Tbilisi has incredible potential. It’s such a wonderful city, offering both modern amenities and ancient charm. The war in Ukraine has certainly had an impact on the city, with rent prices skyrocketing and slowing the growth we had been seeing. However, as prices start to stabilize, we hope that Tbilisi will reemerge as a desirable digital nomad destination for remote workers and travelers.
City guide
