How to get to Georgia: airports, flights and border crossings

For a first trip, book into Tbilisi unless a low-cost fare into Kutaisi saves you real money and you plan to spend time in the west. Tbilisi has the most routes, the easiest arrival and the best onward transport. Kutaisi is a small airport with cheap flights, mostly from Europe, and a bus or marshrutka ride of about three to four hours to Tbilisi. Batumi is seasonal: busy with summer charters and quiet in winter.

Arrival is simple. Most nationalities clear immigration quickly, and the airport has ATMs, SIM counters and taxis. Have your onward address ready and some lari or a card for the ride into town.

Georgia has no nonstop flights to North America, Australia or New Zealand, so every long-haul route connects through Europe, Turkey or the Gulf. From the US east coast, count on 14–20 hours door to door with one stop in Istanbul, Warsaw, Munich, Frankfurt or Dubai; from the west coast, add three to five hours. From the UK, nonstops run from London and a few regional airports in about 5 hours; with a connection, 6–9 hours.

From Canada, expect one stop in Europe, roughly 13–18 hours total. From Australia and New Zealand, the realistic routing is via the Gulf or Istanbul, 20–30 hours with one or two stops. Fares swing widely by season: summer and the New Year period are the most expensive, late autumn and February the cheapest.

Georgia borders Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, and the land crossings are used by plenty of travellers. From Turkey, the Sarpi crossing on the Black Sea coast links Hopa with Batumi, and Kartsakhi serves the Akhalkalaki area. From Armenia, Sadakhlo and Bavra are the usual road crossings into the south of the country. From Azerbaijan, the Red Bridge crossing near Rustavi and the Lagodekhi crossing in the east are the main options. Hours, queues and whether a crossing is open to foreign passports change; check before you travel.

Do not try to enter the occupied regions of Abkhazia or South Ossetia from the Georgian side. Georgia treats entry that way as illegal, and there is no consular help if something goes wrong. If you want to visit those areas, do it from the other side and understand the rules first.

By sea, Black Sea ferries have linked Batumi and Poti with Bulgarian and Ukrainian ports, but services are irregular and have been disrupted by the war in Ukraine. Treat a ferry as a bonus, not a plan.

Money first: the lari is the only currency you need, and the airport gives a worse rate than the city. Change a small amount on arrival or use an ATM, then sort the rest in town. Cards work in Tbilisi and Batumi hotels and restaurants, less so in villages.

Get online before you leave the airport. A local SIM is cheap and the counters are open for most arrivals; an eSIM set up at home saves the queue. Download an offline map and your booking confirmation, since not every driver reads English.

Check your passport validity and visa status before booking. Many passports enter visa-free, but the rules differ by nationality and length of stay, and the 90-day and 360-day lists are not the same. Travel insurance is worth having for the mountain roads and any winter sports.