ARCHIVED [24/07/23] Hidden Gems of 19th & 20th Century Tbilisi

Name: ARCHIVED [24/07/23] Hidden Gems of 19th & 20th Century Tbilisi
Brand: VoiceMap
SKU: 2648
Price: 3.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (11 reviews)
Author: Baia

(11 reviews)

Tbilisi audio tour: ARCHIVED [24/07/23] Hidden Gems of 19th & 20th Century Tbilisi

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

Tbilisi

Georgia

$3.99

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About the Tour

Tbilisi is the city of contrasts. Here modern and ancient landmarks perfectly blend with each other, leading to surprises on every corner. This particular tour takes you to hidden jewels of 19th and 20th century Tbilisi, where you'll see a former bourgeois and wealthy neighborhood - Sololaki - with its grand mansions that belonged to merchants and businessmen of that time.

Tour Producer

Baia Dzagnidze

0 tours

I am a travel writer, food lover and a passionate photographer born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia. I love my city, with its quirky details, modern architecture, Soviet mosaics, and hidden gems that not that many traveler, or even a local, knows about.

I write about Georgia and less-discovered countries on my blog Red Fedora Diary, as well as contribute to several travel-related websites and publications.

Preview Location

Location 1

Start - Pushkin Square

Hello and welcome!

You should be standing on the side of Pushkin Square near the Tourist Information Center booth, with your back to it and facing the underground passage.

My name is Baia. I am a travel writer and a photographer born and raised in Tbilisi.

Before w... Hello and welcome!

You should be standing on the side of Pushkin Square near the Tourist Information Center booth, with your back to it and facing the underground passage.

My name is Baia. I am a travel writer and a photographer born and raised in Tbilisi.

Before we start our journey of hidden Tbilisi jewels, I would like you to face the Freedom Square and the St. George Monument and look around its surrounding buildings.

This is the place where Tbilisi started to expand and develop new districts outside the wall after Georgia became part of the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century.

The part of the city we'll walk today, Sololaki, was known to be a prestigious district were only famous, noble, and wealthy people lived. The new time dictated new trends in architecture and design. Therefore, the 19th and 20th centuries are believed to be a Renaissance period for Tbilisi. Buildings here are built in European, Russian, Barocco, and Art Nouveau style featuring various sculptures, painted hallways created by both local and international artists, and wrought ironwork.

On our tour, you'll notice that a good amount of those massive buildings were owned by one family. Unfortunately, after the Soviet regime came into power, the owners were evicted from their houses. The buildings were given to several middle or lower class families. Many of those artistic hallways were washed down, but some managed to survive. It should be noted that, when several families were forced to live in those buildings, the living conditions and structures have changed as well - if there were only one bathroom and a kitchen for previous owners, three or five families had to share or constructed a separate one for them, resulting in a bit disfiguration of the buildings. Moreover, many beautiful decor items were lost, demolished, or sold during the poverty times.

Now as you know a bit of a history, we can start our tour.

Please cross the square using the underground passage and come up to your right side, near the Courtyard Marriot Hotel. When you enter the passage, walk straight and take the left-hand exit.

While you walk, I'll briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at the right time and place.

Don't worry if I'm silent for a while when I'm not giving directions or telling stories. There's a map on your screen if you ever feel lost, and if you do get way off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know.

I'll meet you when you exit the tunnel. Read More

View locations and route

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

Freedom Square
National Assembly Building
Writer's House

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
2 Lado Gudiashvili St, T'bilisi 0105, Georgia
Total distance

2km
Final location
4 Kote Afkhazi St, T'bilisi, Georgia
Distance back to start location

135.92m

Directions to Starting Point

The route starts at the very center of Tbilisi, near the Freedom Square. In order to get to the starting point - Pushkin square - all you have to do is to walk to the Freedom Square, take a metro till the stop of the same name, or a bus.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

You will be stopping at most of the houses along the way, and are able to enter some of them, with permission from security.

Best time of day

The best time to take the tour is from early afternoon, before the sunset, as you'll be admiring most of the buildings from the outside.

Precautions

If you are taking the tour during summer, it's a good idea to have a bottle of water with you as it gets quite hot during the day.

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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.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.3 / 5

11 Ratings

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