Place · Avlabari & Sameba Cathedral
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)წმინდა სამება
Go at opening or after 16:00: the largest cathedral in the Caucasus; 40 minutes, with strict dress rules and no interior photos during services.
go at hour · at openingadmission: unknownNot field-verified
Rules in force · 7Do not plan travel to Abkhazia or South OssetiaOld-town slopes and stairs in Sololaki and Abanotubani st…
- Georgia ↗Many passports enter visa-free for a long stay; if yours needs a visa, apply only on the official e-visa portal.
- Georgia ↗Do not plan travel to Abkhazia or South Ossetia: crossing their boundary lines from Georgian-controlled land is treated as illegal entry, and many governments advise against it.
- Georgia ↗In Orthodox churches women cover their heads and shoulders and wear a skirt or a wrap; men remove hats and avoid shorts.
- Georgia ↗Carry Georgian lari in small notes for minibuses, markets and the metro card; cards work in most Tbilisi cafés and shops but not everywhere outside the capital.
- Kartli ↗Minibuses (marshrutkas) have little space for large bags: leave the big bag at the Tbilisi hotel and take a day pack.
- Tbilisi ↗Old-town slopes and stairs in Sololaki and Abanotubani stop suitcases: bags go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
- Tbilisi ↗Buy a Metromoney card at a metro station and load it with lari; the metro, buses and the cable car take the same card.
Time on site (minutes)
25
min
40
worthwhile
55
typical
80
p95
Service hours and access times vary by day; not printed until verified.
Getting in
- Stop
- Car to the cathedral courtyard
- Exit
- —
- Ticket
- free · official site
- Stairs
- unknown
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Crowds and switching
- Crowd clock
- Sunday morning and feast days are busy; weekday mornings are quiet.
- Sensory load
- 3/5
- Exposure
- high
Bailouts
- heat: The cathedral's shaded courtyard
Nearest rescue anchor: A — Sameba Cathedral courtyard (WC, shade)
Combine in the same cluster
- Narikala Fortress (across the river)
Red lines
- Women cover heads and shoulders and wear a skirt or wrap; men no shorts or hats inside.
- No photos of worshippers.
Sources
- Wikivoyage — Tbilisi (see) (secondary)