Kutaisi

Kutaisi is the traditional rival of Tbilisi for capital status. Since the days of the Golden Fleece, Kutaisi has been considered the capital of Western Georgia (then Ancient Colchis). It is Georgia's third largest city (after Tbilisi and Batumi), but, to the irritation of the proud locals, it does not come even close to Tbilisi's present size and wealth. Nevertheless, Kutaisi is more respectful of pedestrians than Tbilisi. Its sidewalks are generally even and flat with very few cars parked on them, whereas in Tbilisi pedestrians are often forced into the streets because of cars sitting on sidewalks. Kutaisi drivers generally stop in front of crosswalks to let pedestrians cross, whereas in Tbilisi pedestrians have to be in the middle of the street to get a car to slow down for them.

Since the Georgian Parliament moved to Kutaisi in 2012, there has been a lot of work on restoring streets, buildings, parks and monuments in the city, and it has become much safer. There seems to be a bit more variety in the materials, facades, and designs of the buildings along Kutaisi's streets. In Kutaisi as in Tbilisi, a look up to the second floor can reveal balconies of elaborate ironwork. Kutaisi's central park is a nice (and safe) place to sit and watch people.

Local information:

Kutaisi City Hall website

By plane:

Flight destinations:

The Hungary-based, low-cost carrier Wizz Air provides low-cost, low-quality no frills flights from Budapest, Hungary; Berlin Dortmund Memmingen, Germany; London Luton, England; Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Katowice, Poland; Larnaca, Cyprus; Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece; Bari and Rome and Milan, Italy; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Tallinn, Estonia; Prague, Czech Republic; Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and Paris, France; Copenhagen, Denmark; Vienna, Austria.

Ural Airlines flies from Moscow Domodedovo, Russia.

There are also occasional flights from Baghdad, Iraq, on Iraqi Airways.

1 King David the Builder International Airport (KUT IATA), Kopitnari, 14 km west of Kutaisi proper on the main S1 highway. Relatively small airport with around 160 flights per month during low-season and 240 during high-season. The airport services domestic flights to Tbilisi, Mestia, and quite a few international flights.There is a space where you can lie down underneath the inclined windows right after the arrival exit inside the terminal. This can be good for spending the hours (sleeping) before or after an early/late flight.There is a money exchange bank counter at the airport, but the ATMs also give small notes down to 5 lari. There are two cafes and two convenience stores operating at the airport. (updated Apr 2025)

Getting there/away:

Shuttle bus – goes non-stop between the airport and the Kutaisi tourist information office (next to the Red Bridge) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Departures every 2 hours, 40 min travel time. 5 lari (as of 2025), which should be paid with credit card only upon boarding.