Georgia (the country): why tourism grew 30% and it's still cheap

Georgia is in that narrow window where it's already easy to travel to, but hasn't yet become expensive. In 2019 it welcomed 9.3 million tourists. In 2025 it projects 12 million. Growth of 30% over 2024 in just the first nine months, according to the GNTA (Georgian National Tourism Administration). And the average hotel price in Tbilisi rose less than 15% in the same period. This is a destination out of equilibrium — demand has found it, supply hasn't yet reacted.

For Brazilians, the equation is even better. Visa-free for a full year (yes, 365 days, not 90), a ticket that fits a Western Europe budget, and on-the-ground cost on the floor. Whoever returns from Georgia in 2025 spends less than someone returning from Buenos Aires in high season.

This article is what I wish I'd read before planning. Real 10-day itinerary, regions worth the time, foods that change a trip, and the Svaneti warnings few English texts mention.

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Why now: the window is closing

Three things explain the 30% growth. First, the opening of Turkish Airlines routes via Istanbul made Tbilisi accessible to Latin America without a double connection. Second, the GNTA's "Check in Georgia" campaign attracted Western creators — Svaneti became an Instagram backdrop in 2024. Third, the Russo-Ukrainian war redirected upper-middle-class Russian tourism to Georgia (politically tense, but economically real relationship).

The visible effect: Tbilisi Old Town in July is already packed. Svaneti in August already has trekking queues. But most of the country — Kakheti, Mtskheta, Tusheti villages, Black Sea coast outside Batumi — remains calm. Whoever arrives now gets a country that still works like before, but with decent tourist infrastructure.

The useful window is probably 2026-2028. After that, either prices normalize to European standards, or some regional instability (South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Russian border) changes the equation. It's not alarmism — it's a realistic read from someone who follows the Caucasus.

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How to get there: the Turkish route is the only one that makes sense

There is no direct Brazil-Georgia flight. The three viable options for Brazilians leaving from São Paulo:

Airline	Route	Total time	Typical fare (May 2026, round-trip economy)
Turkish Airlines	GRU → IST → TBS	28-32h	$1,100-1,560
Lufthansa / Austrian	GRU → FRA or VIE → TBS	30-36h	$1,240-1,700
Qatar Airways	GRU → DOH → TBS	30-34h	$1,360-1,840

Turkish is the benchmark: best frequency (daily GRU-IST), short Istanbul connection (2-4h), solid economy service, and 2x23kg baggage included. In 95% of cases it's the right choice.

Buy 90 days in advance to catch the low range. Departing from Rio (GIG) the fare runs $60-120 above São Paulo. Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza have no direct flight to a convenient hub — add 8-12h.

Airport: Tbilisi International (TBS) is 17 km from the center. Official Bolt or Yandex taxi: 25-35 GEL ($9-13). Airport-center train: 0.50 GEL (yes, twenty cents), 30 min, but only 2 schedules per day. Bolt handles it.

Visa: Brazilians do NOT need one. You present your passport (minimum 6-month validity), receive an entry stamp with a departure date up to 365 days away. No form, no fee, no proof of funds. It's the most generous visa-free regime on the planet for Brazilian citizens.

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Tbilisi: 3 days is the minimum

The capital concentrates history, food and attitude. Old Town (Kala) is the tourist heart, with sculptural wooden houses, suspended balconies and stone streets. Don't try to do it in half a morning — you lose the texture.

What to see, in order of priority:

• Narikala Fortress — 4th-century fortress atop the hill. Walk up the slope behind the sulfur baths (40 min, with a view at every corner) or take the Rike Park cable car (2.50 GEL, 3 min). The view of all Tbilisi from up there is the country's postcard shot.
• Abanotubani (sulfur baths) — the neighborhood that gave the city its name ("Tbili" = warm in Georgian). Underground thermal baths operating since the 5th century. Book a private room at Chreli Abano (50-90 GEL per hour, $18-33) — worth far more than the communal. Marco Polo, Pushkin and Dumas bathed here.
• Sameba Cathedral (Holy Trinity Cathedral) — third-largest Orthodox cathedral in the world, built in 2004. Controversial among locals ("authoritarian megaproject"), but visually impactful. Go late afternoon with golden light.
• Mtatsminda Funicular — climbs to the top of Mount Mtatsminda (770 m), with a 1960s amusement park still running, a panoramic restaurant, and the Stalin memorial disguised in statues. Funicular ticket: 5 GEL. Going up at 5 PM catches sunset and the city lighting up.
• Sololaki district — 19th-century residential streets with Georgian art nouveau. Wander aimlessly between Asatiani and Geronti Kikodze. Café Stamba and Rooms Hotel anchor the hipster neighborhood.
• Dry Bridge Flea Market — Soviet antiques fair, medals, Zenit cameras, Georgian books. Saturday and Sunday morning. Negotiate 30-40% of asking price.

Where to sleep in Tbilisi:

Tier	Hotel	Nightly (USD)	District
High boutique	Stamba Hotel	$145-220	Vera (new center)
Mid boutique	Rooms Hotel Tbilisi	$90-140	Vera
4★ Hotel	Communal Hotel Sololaki	$50-70	Sololaki
3★ Hotel	Hotel Old Tbilisi	$33-48	Old Town
Guesthouse	Tiflisi Avlabari	$20-30	Avlabari (right bank)

Staying in Old Town or Sololaki is the best calculation. Avlabari is cheaper and has a view of the cathedral, but you lose walking at night.

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Mtskheta: half a day mandatory

20 km from Tbilisi, Mtskheta was Georgia's capital between 300 BC and the 5th century. UNESCO heritage since 1994. Two churches justify the trip:

• Jvari Monastery (6th c.) — atop a hill, privileged view of the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Appears in a Lermontov poem.
• Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th c.) — where Christ's Tunic was allegedly buried, according to Georgian tradition. Cathedral still in use, actively Orthodox.

Do it by taxi (60-80 GEL round-trip with 3h wait, $22-30) or half-day tour (40-60 GEL per person, $15-22). Not worth sleeping there — it's a small town with tourist restaurants.

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Kazbegi: the Caucasus out your window

170 km north of Tbilisi via the Georgian Military Highway, Kazbegi (officially Stepantsminda) delivers the most reproduced postcard in the country: Gergeti Trinity Church (14th c.) isolated on the plateau at 2,170 m, with Mt. Kazbek (5,054 m) snow-covered in the background.

The climb from the village to the church: 1h30 on foot via the trail (3.5 km, 500 m elevation gain) or 30 min by 4x4 (40-60 GEL round-trip). Go on foot on the way up, 4x4 on the way down — the trail among birches and meadows is part of the experience.

The Georgian Military Highway itself is worth the day: it passes Ananuri (16th-17th century fortress on the edge of the Zhinvali reservoir, turquoise-green water), Pass of Cross (2,379 m, impactful Soviet Russo-Georgian mosaic) and gorges that look like film sets.

Do it in 2 days: sleep in Stepantsminda. Rooms Kazbegi hotel (700-1,100 GEL, $260-410) has the most famous view. Budget alternative: Hotel Kuro Kazbegi (250-350 GEL, $92-130) or guesthouses for $37-56.

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Kakheti: the 8,000-year-old wine region

Georgia is the documented birthplace of winemaking. In 2017, archaeologists from the University of Toronto and the Georgian National Museum proved, through chemical residue analysis on ceramic shards found at Shulaveris Gora and Gadachrili Gora, that wine was produced in the region 6,000 BC — 8,000 years ago. That's 2,000 years before Mesopotamia.

The traditional method: qvevri. Large clay amphora (300-3,000 liters), buried in the ground, where whole grape (including skin, seeds and stems in some cases) ferments for months. The result: amber wine of tannic texture, totally different from Western wine. Recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

Kakheti is the main wine region, 2h east of Tbilisi. Base: Telavi or Sighnaghi (18th-century walled town, nicknamed "city of love," with a view over the Alazani valley and the Caucasus in the background).

Wineries to visit:

Winery	Style	Worth it?
Pheasant's Tears (Sighnaghi)	Natural, qvevri, very low intervention	TOP — world reference in Georgian natural wine
Schuchmann Wines (Kisiskhevi)	Premium commercial, blends tradition + German technology	Worth it to understand industrial scale
Twins Wine Cellar (Napareuli)	Family-run, qvevri museum, didactic tour	Excellent for first visit
Alaverdi Monastery Cellar	Monastic wine since the 11th c.	Unique — monks still make wine

Key grapes: Saperavi (red, full-bodied, big tannins) and Rkatsiteli (white, acidic, perfect for amber qvevri). A good bottle at a winery: 25-60 GEL ($9-22). Same bottle at a Tbilisi shop: 35-80 GEL.

Svaneti: what no one tells you

Svaneti is the region that puts Georgia on the map for trekkers. High Caucasus, isolated valleys, medieval stone towers (Koshki) built between the 9th-13th centuries for family defense — and still standing. UNESCO heritage.

Main base: Mestia (1,500 m). Village with decent tourist infrastructure, archaeology museum, restaurants, guesthouses. Trails depart from here and access to Ushguli.

Ushguli — four villages at 2,200 m, considered the highest continuously inhabited village in Europe. UNESCO heritage in 1996. Preserved stone towers, family homes, view of Mt. Shkhara (5,193 m, second-highest peak in the Caucasus). To get there: 47 km of dirt road from Mestia, 3-4h in Delica 4x4 (local marshrutka, 30-40 GEL per person, $11-15). Road becomes impassable from November to April.

The real warning: Svaneti is remote. Domestic flight Tbilisi-Mestia by Vanilla Sky (small plane, 70 GEL, $26, 50 min) saves 9h of marshrutka, but cancels frequently due to weather. Book direct-from-house rental in Mestia 2 months ahead in high season. Food is heavy (meat, cheese, bread) — vegetarians suffer. ATM only in Mestia, bring extra cash.

Recommended trek: Mestia → Zhabeshi → Adishi → Iprali → Ushguli (4 days, 58 km, guesthouses along the way). Total cost guesthouse + food: $37-56/day. Do it with a local guide in October/May (cheaper, fewer people).

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Batumi: skip or prioritize

Batumi is Black Sea, post-2010 modernist architecture, casino, palm trees. It polarizes: either you love it (Las Vegas of the Caucasus, nightlife, decent urban beach) or find it tacky (seasonal Russian casinos, kitsch buildings, cold Black Sea water).

Worth 2 days if you like exuberant coastal city. Skip without guilt if you prioritize mountains and history. For those who stay: a walk along Batumi Boulevard (7 km promenade), Botanical Garden (113 hectares, one of the largest in the world), and the Alphabetic Tower (130 m, with Georgian letters in cast iron).

Tbilisi-Batumi flight: 1h, 50-90 GEL ($18-33) via Georgian Airways. Night train: 30-50 GEL, 8h, you sleep lying down.

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Food: 5 dishes that change a trip

Georgian cuisine is a find. It's not Mediterranean, not Slavic, not Persian — it's all of that rewritten with walnut, pomegranate and herbs that don't exist anywhere else.

Dish	What it is	Where to try in Tbilisi
Khachapuri Adjaruli	Boat-shaped bread with melted cheese, butter and a raw egg in the center	Retro (Aghmashenebeli Ave)
Khinkali	Dough dumpling with meat (beef+pork) and broth inside. Eat with your hand, bite the base, sip the broth	Zakhar Zakharich (Old Town)
Lobio	Red beans stewed with spices and herbs, served in a clay pot with corn bread	Salobie Bia
Mtsvadi	Grilled pork or lamb skewer, simple marinade, vine-stock fire	Shavi Lomi
Churchkhela	Walnuts on a string dipped in thickened grape juice. Energy candy that lasts months	Any street market

House wine at a decent restaurant: 15-30 GEL the jug ($5-11, 500ml). Take advantage. Georgian craft beer (Black Lion, Argo): 8-15 GEL.

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10-day itinerary, day by day

Day	Base	Program
1	Tbilisi	Arrival (early morning), check-in, rest, light dinner in Old Town
2	Tbilisi	Old Town on foot, Narikala (climb up), sulfur bath in the afternoon
3	Tbilisi	Sameba, Sololaki neighborhood, Dry Bridge market, dinner with qvevri wine
4	Mtskheta + Kazbegi	Morning in Mtskheta, afternoon driving the Military Highway to Stepantsminda
5	Kazbegi	Gergeti Trinity trail (climb on foot, descend by 4x4), free afternoon
6	Kakheti	Back to Tbilisi, leaves for Sighnaghi via wineries (Schuchmann + Twins)
7	Kakheti	Pheasant's Tears, Alaverdi Monastery, dinner in Sighnaghi
8	Mestia (Svaneti)	Vanilla Sky Tbilisi-Mestia flight (50 min), afternoon in the village, museum
9	Ushguli	4x4 round-trip Mestia-Ushguli, full day, towers and Shkhara
10	Tbilisi	Mestia-Tbilisi flight in the morning, free afternoon, international flight at night

Total mid-standard couple cost (without international flight): $1,760-2,590 for 10 days.

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Language and money: practical

Georgian (kartuli) has its own alphabet (Mkhedruli, 33 letters) and zero kinship with any known European language. You won't learn on a trip — only the basics (gamarjoba = hello, madloba = thank you).

Russian is universal among +35 and in rural areas. English works in tourist Tbilisi, Batumi and Mestia, fails elsewhere. Google Translate offline (download the Georgian pack beforehand) handles 90% of cases.

Currency: lari (GEL). 1 USD ≈ 2.70 GEL. Wise/Nomad debit card works perfectly at Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank ATMs — withdraw 400-600 GEL each time, 1-2 fees for the entire trip. Credit card accepted at mid-range and up hotels and restaurants. At guesthouses and taxis, cash only.

Internet: Magti or Geocell SIM card at the airport: 30-50 GEL ($11-19) for 30 days with 30 GB. Good coverage in Tbilisi and main roads, irregular in Svaneti above Mestia.

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What to watch out for

Three honest points:

1. Russian border — South Ossetia and Abkhazia are separatist territories occupied by Russia since 2008. Don't go. Don't get close. Don't try to cross.
2. Tbilisi traffic — chaotic. Pedestrians don't have priority. Cross with patience and multiple looks.
3. Home wine in excess — at family wineries, refusing a glass is offensive. You drink 6-8 bottles in half a morning without discipline. Eat lots of bread first.

Georgia is safe by default — the crime rate against tourists is among the lowest in the region. Visible policing in Tbilisi. Women traveling solo report a calm feeling in cities. Rural villages are welcoming to the point of embarrassing.

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Verdict

Georgia in 2026 is the destination that combines three things that don't normally go together: cheap, genuinely exotic and easy logistics (for Brazilians with 365 days visa-free). Whoever went in 2019 came back in love. Whoever goes in 2026 will feel a country already more touristy, but still with preserved texture. Whoever leaves it for 2030 will probably pay 2x and fight for a table at Pheasant's Tears.

It's not a destination for everyone — those who want a beach, predictable comfort and an international menu won't like it. Those who want the Caucasus, 8,000-year-old wine and a country that still works at its own pace: the window is open now.