Narikala Fortress
A fourth-century citadel above the whole city and the Kura valley.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs
Difficulty
●●●○○
Best time
An hour before sunset
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The citadel was founded in the fourth century, enlarged by the Arabs in the eighth and then by the Mongols, and its name is said to come from the Persian for impregnable fortress. A Russian powder magazine explosion in 1827 destroyed much of it; what you see is partly rebuilt.
It stands two hundred metres above the old town and is reached by cable car from Rike park, or by the path from Abanotubani. The Kartlis Deda statue, Mother of Georgia, stands on the neighbouring ridge: a bowl of wine in one hand for friends, a sword in the other for enemies.
Getting there
Cable car from Rike park, a few minutes, paid with a transport card. The path from the baths climbs in twenty minutes.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Mask and snorkel
- Headlamp
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
The ramparts have no railings and no lighting: come down after dark by cable car, not by the path. The cable car takes no cash, only the transport card.
Other places in Tbilisi
- Old town and the sulphur bathsHouses with carved wooden balconies, and bathhouses under brick domes.
- Dezerter BazaarTbilisi's raw market: cheeses, Svan spices, tkemali and churchkhela hanging in rows.
Gergeti and Mount KazbekA fourteenth-century church at 2,170 m facing the glacier. Three hours' drive from Tbilisi, then the climb.
- Abanotubani sulphur bathsThe sulphur baths under brick domes, at the foot of the old town. A private room by the hour, scrub optional.