District · Tbilisi
Sololaki and Freedom Squareსოლოლაკი
Faded mansions under the fortress ridge; a good base with steps and slopes.
Key facts
- Suits
- First visit, 2–4 nights, wine bars
- Room prices
- $$
- price band of 5
- Sights here
- 1
- Eats here
- 4
What it's like
- Feels:
- Faded mansions, courtyards, wine bars and khinkali houses on a gentle slope
- Suits:
- First visit, 2–4 nights, wine bars
- Best time:
- All day and evening
- Watch out for:
- Crossing the ring road away from the crossings.
- In short:
- Faded mansions under the fortress ridge; a good base with steps and slopes.
About these names
A first visit fits in a strip about 4 km long on both banks of the Mtkvari: the old town and Narikala at the south-west end, Sololaki and Freedom Square in the middle, Rustaveli Avenue running north-west, and the cathedral hill of Avlabari across the river.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Sololaki and Freedom Squareსოლოლაკი
sleepeatseePrice $$
Faded mansions under the fortress ridge; a good base with steps and slopes.
Suits: First visit, 2–4 nights, wine bars
On the map: Freedom Square
District guideWalk: Sololaki & Freedom SquareSleep: Sololaki (old-town edge)In the districts table
Off the map: Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) (30–55 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Vera and Mtatsminda, Vake and Saburtalo, Marjanishvili and Chugureti, Didube and Ortachala. See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Old Tbilisi (Abanotubani, Sioni) (ძველი თბილისი): Cobbled, steep, touristy after 17:00; the baths are the reason to come.Cobbled, steep, touristy after 5:00 PM; the baths are the reason to come. Suits: Sulphur baths, cafés and balconies.
- Sololaki and Freedom Square (სოლოლაკი): Faded mansions under the fortress ridge; a good base with steps and slopes. Suits: First visit, 2–4 nights, wine bars. Price band $$.
- Rustaveli Avenue (რუსთაველი): Wide tree-lined boulevard; the flat part of town; demonstrations sometimes gather at Parliament. Suits: Museums, theatres, flat walking. Price band $$$.
- Avlabari and Sameba (ავლაბარი): Right bank; the big cathedral and a residential district. Not a base. Suits: One morning at the cathedral.
- Vera and Mtatsminda (ვერა): Leafy streets west of Rustaveli; the Mtatsminda funicular starts here. Suits: Cafés, quieter beds, the funicular.
- Vake and Saburtalo: Newer residential areas with parks, gyms and cafés; 15–25 min by car to the old town. Suits: Longer stays, families.
- Marjanishvili and Chugureti: Just across the river from Rustaveli; simpler, cheaper food and less English. Suits: Local cafés, second visit.
- Didube and Ortachala: Bus stations for Kazbegi and other towns; not for sleeping. Suits: Bus departures.
- Sleep area Rustaveli (central, flat): suits Museums, theatres, flat walking, price band $$$.
- Sleep area Sololaki (old-town edge): suits First visit, 2–4 nights, wine bars, price band $$.
- Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), 30–55 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
How this district's sleep area scores for five kinds of traveler, ranked against the other Tbilisi districts that have scores. Scores are this guide's 1–5 judgements.
First visit
best of 2
Freedom Square, old town and Narikala are 5–15 minutes on foot.
Families
2nd of 2
Steep streets with steps; a carrier helps.
Better for this: Rustaveli Avenue
Light sleepers
best of 2
Quieter than the old town streets; some balconies face bars.
Night owls
best of 2
Wine bars and Shardeni street are a short walk.
On a budget
best of 2
The widest spread of guesthouses and small hotels.
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
Ten minutes at the start or end of a walk: the St George column, the old city hall and the start of Rustaveli; cross only at the marked crossings.
- Hours:
- Open 24 hours; an open public square.(check)
- Entry:
- Free
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Barbarestan
A booked dinner in Sololaki cooking from 19th-century recipes: book ahead, order the tasting menu or a few plates, and plan 90 minutes.
Order: Pkhali (ფხალი): A starter for the table.
Price: Locals eat here on special occasions.
- A khinkali house near Freedom Square (pick on the day)
Walk-in khinkali (dumplings), eaten by hand; go before 13:00 or after 15:00; order by the piece and ask the price first.
Order: Khinkali (ხინკალი): By the piece; five or six is a meal.
Price: A dumpling costs ₾1–2 at a local house.
- A qvevri wine bar (pick on the day)
A glass or a flight of amber and red wine with cheese and pkhali: 18:00–21:00, seated, ask the price of each glass first.
Order: Qvevri (ქვევრი): Ask which wines are qvevri.
Price: A local house wine is ₾6–10 a glass.
- A tone bakery (pick on the day)
Buy shotis puri hot from the clay oven at 07:00–10:00; cheap, quick and best eaten within minutes of leaving the oven.
Order: Shotis puri (შოთის პური): Say “ori shotis puri”: two.
Price: Shotis puri is ₾1–2 a loaf; the price is the same for everyone.
Sleep
First-timers: Freedom Square and the old town are minutes away on foot; pick a hotel with a night desk and a street the car can reach — not a guesthouse behind a stair.
Rooms: ₾40–70 dorm bed · ₾110–200 double (check)
Skip this if: Steep streets and steps; some hotels sit up a lane the car cannot enter.
4–8 min walk to Sololaki & Freedom Square · 12–18 min walk to Old Tbilisi (Abanotubani, Sioni & Narikala)
Drink and nightlife
Lines from the Tbilisi drinking guide that name this district.
- Sololaki wine bars · Natural and qvevri wine · until about 00:00Quieter than Shardeni; small tasting flights.
- Qvevri wine · Amber and red wine fermented in buried clay jars, an 8,000-year-old method · until about 00:00 · ₾10–22 a glassSololaki and old-town wine bars
- Coffee · Espresso and specialty roasters · until about 22:00 · ₾5–10Vera, Rustaveli, Sololaki cafés
- Cocktails · Bars using local herbs and wine · until about 01:00 · ₾18–35Sololaki, Shardeni, Vera
Shopping
Markets and shopping streets from the Tbilisi buying guide that name this district.
- Wine (qvevri and dry reds) · Wine shops in Sololaki and Rustaveli; airport duty free · About 10:00–21:00About 10:00 AM–9:00 PMAsk for a producer and vintage; Saperavi and Rkatsiteli are the main reds and whites. Bottles must go in checked bags.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Metro to Freedom Square, or a short walk from Sololaki and Rustaveli · for Freedom Square
- Walk from Freedom Square into Sololaki (address on booking) · 8 min walk to Barbarestan
- Sololaki streets near Freedom Square · 6 min walk to A khinkali house near Freedom Square (pick on the day)
Walks inside the district
- Freedom Square → Khinkali house near Freedom Square: 6–8 min on foot (Walk into Sololaki)
- Freedom Square → Barbarestan: 8–11 min on foot (Walk into Sololaki)
- Freedom Square → A qvevri wine bar (Sololaki): 6–9 min on foot (Walk into Sololaki)
On to the next area
- Walk east downhill: about 12 min to Old Tbilisi (Abanotubani, Sioni & Narikala)
- Walk north: about 10 min to Rustaveli Avenue & Kashveti
From other sleep areas
- From Rustaveli (central, flat): 10–15 min walk to Sololaki & Freedom Square
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 51 min in all: 11 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.
- Freedom SquareStart here · stop about 10 min
- A tone bakery (pick on the day)2 min walk (estimate) · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- A khinkali house near Freedom Square (pick on the day)3 min walk (estimate) · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- Back to Freedom Square: 6 min walk
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Photo and sunset spots
Light: After sunset
Lit gold on a dark sky; a tripod is unwelcome in the crowd.
Safety at night and noise
Sololaki and Freedom Squareday: oknight: ok
Stray dogs on quiet slopes at night; uneven steps.
Quiet nights
Quieter than the old town streets; some balconies face bars.
Nightlife
Wine bars and Shardeni street are a short walk.
Late arrival
Hotels usually have a night desk; guesthouses may use a key box (ask).
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Tbilisi districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.