Discovering the streets of New Tiflis

(29 reviews)

Tbilisi audio tour: Discovering the streets of New Tiflis

This is a 3.1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Tbilisi

Georgia

$7.99

Access all 41 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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Reviews

About the Tour

If you want to learn about the everyday life of Georgians and the hidden histories of the German part of town, then this is the tour for you. From bazaars and flea markets to theaters and fine dining, I'll make sure you don’t miss out on a side of Tbilisi too many don’t see. I've lived in Tbilisi on and off for ten years and I’ve learnt all about its secret corners and hidden gems. I'm excited to share them with you.

The tour’s highlights include:

The bazaar locals go to get farm fresh fruits and veggies
The Dry Bridge and the secret behind its name
The hidden gem under Dynamo Stadium
The unfinished metro line station turned into an upscale lounge

Whether it's your first time in Tbilisi, or you're tired of the old town and are ready to explore a new neighborhood, this tour is for you.

Tour Producer

Shawn Basey

5 tours

I left the middle of flat farmland in the US to spend my time conducting a rigid search of Europe. I have thus spent the last couple of decades exploring the globe and the last five years professionally guiding travelers through the complex, layered histories of Brussels, Prague, and now, the vibrant city of Tbilisi. My journey has taken me across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, but my true passion lies in the deep-dive research that truly gives someone a sense of place.

As an author and historian at heart, I don’t just walk you through the streets; I invite you into the living chapters of a city’s history. I am constantly hunting for the deep historical insights and weird, local anecdotes that escape the standard guidebooks—Hussites flinging poop in a siege anyone?—the kind of secrets only the residents share behind closed doors.

In our time together, we won’t just hit the major landmarks. We will explore the winding alleys of the Old Town and the German and art nouveau gems of Chugureti, connecting the dots between the ancient past and the modern present. Join me for an immersive walking tour where history isn't just a list of dates—it’s a narrative we experience together. Let's discover the stories that make these streets truly come alive.

Preview Location

Location 19

Palace of Love

We're now outside a large palace which is now a museum. Feel free to step inside the yard and listen to the story, or go across the street to get a better look at the building while you listen.

The house went the way of most palaces and mansions in the Soviet times. Either... We're now outside a large palace which is now a museum. Feel free to step inside the yard and listen to the story, or go across the street to get a better look at the building while you listen.

The house went the way of most palaces and mansions in the Soviet times. Either they were divvied up, or they became museums. This one became the Museum of Theatre in 1927 and includes more than 300,000 objects documenting Tbilisi’s rich theatre traditions. It also houses the Depository of Fine Arts, which built up a collection of paintings from the likes of Elene Akhvelediani, Lado Gudiashvili, and David Kakabadze; the Depository of Manuscripts, with original compositions by Tchaikovsky and Chavchavadze; and the Depository of Photos, which includes stills from movie sets, as well as costumes from movies.

The first floor contains some garments from movies which show you old Georgian royal dress. But the second floor is where the real exhibitions begin, which also includes one of my favorite paintings, “The Winged Painter”, by Petre Otskheli, along with a lot of his other works.

You can visit the museum now and pause the tour, or we can get going. You can always come back and visit the museum after the tour or at another stage during your stay here.

[3 second pause]

Still with me? Great, let's continue the tour! If you didn't earlier, please cross the road and head back up the way you came. When you reach the corner turn left.

While we walk I'll tell you more about how the house first came to be...

Back in the 1800s, there was a German prince, Konstantin Oldenburg, visiting Tbilisi. He was attending an exhibition of a series of paintings by a Hungarian painter on the Knight in the Panther’s Skin. While there, a certain Agrippina Japaridze caught his eye. Her husband was of the royal House of Dadiani and wasn’t too keen on sharing his prize. But Konstantin begged Agrippina and even her husband, offering him 10 million rubles to part with his wife. Finally, she relented, putting a condition on their future love: “Build me a big, awesome house in Neu Tiflis and I’m all yours.” They say Georgians are all about romantic love, after all.

So Konstantin set about building the biggest, nicest house in all of Tbilisi. The entire city came for the 1895 inauguration of the palace, which is built in the Islamic Gothic style. Agrippina followed through. She dumped her husband who couldn’t build a bigger house and married Konstantin. The house was forever nicknamed after the successful tryst, The Palace of Love. Read More

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How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

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Major Landmarks

Tbilisi Central Railway Station
Station Square
Dezerter Bazaar
Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena
Silk Museum
Mushthaid Garden
Tbilisi Music and Drama State Theatre
Tumanishvili Theatre
Mapshalia
Apollo Theater
Art Palace
Djansug Kakhidze Park
Vaso Abashidze State New Theatre
Jansug Kakhidze Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture
Nodar Dumbadze Theater
Kote Marjanishvili Square
Roses Park
Saarbrücken Square
Saarbrucken Bridge
Dry Bridge Market
Dedaena Park
Giorgi Leonidze Park
Orbeliani Palace
Gr. Orbeliani garden

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Station Square, T'bilisi, Georgia
Total distance

5km
Final location
8 Revaz Tabukashvili St, T'bilisi, Georgia
Distance back to start location

3km

Directions to Starting Point

Exit the metro at Station's Square, turn left. Go to the upper floor in front of the train station, above the parking lot.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Dezerter's Bazaar, Mushtaidi Park, Art Palace Museum, Mapshalia, Barbarestan, Dry Bridge Flea Market

Best time of day

Midday. If you want to make the flea market, you'll need to get there by 4 before the vendors begin to leave, and the flea market is near the end of the tour. Leave some time also for museums and lunch if you're interested.

Precautions

Around Station's Square it can get crowded. Keep your eye on your belongings around there.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”