Tbilisi has a two-line metro system, which operates 06:00-23:59. All signs inside the metro are in Georgian and English. Station names are announced in both English and Georgian as well. There are a few system maps in carriages, usually located above one of the carriage doors. It will be hard to find English speakers riding the Metro; Russian, however, is widely spoken. Take a bilingual map with you if you are not proficient with the local alphabet/pronunciation. A trip with the metro and bus system in Tbilisi costs GEL 1, but you will have to buy a Metromoney card (GEL 2) at the counter to be able to use free interchange (metro, bus, microbus) within 90 minutes. You can load the card with any amount you like, and use it for travel on buses, microbuses, the metro, and the cars. Or alternatively you can use your credit/debit card.
City buses are green and blue, and come in various sizes. The bus number and a description of the route are usually listed on signs in the bus windows and bus stops. The city has electronic arrival boards, with reasonably accurate estimated arrival times, at bus stops on major roads. The signs are in English and Georgian, and display the bus number, minutes to arrival, and destination. Board through any door you like, usually the double doors in the middle are easiest. A journey costs GEL 1, you will need Metromoney card (which can be purchased at metro stations) or alternatively you can use your VISA card (no free interchange within 90 minutes). Touch it on the top of the card machines and make sure you wait for a sign on a display to be issued.
Taxis in Tbilisi are typically privately owned vehicles, but Uber kind services like Bolt are presented. A trip anywhere in the city should never cost more than 15 lari, unless you’re going to the airport. Bolt – mobile application with hundreds of verified taxi drivers in Tbilisi. Choose taxi by distance, car model and user feedback ratings. App calculates taxi ride fare and local support team monitoring the rides and solving potential issues.
In 1900 the city government commissioned the Belgian engineer, Alphonse Roby, to construct a funicular. The 500 metres long line was opened in March 1905. It consisted of three stations, the lower on today’s Chonquadze street in the city, the Pantheon stop near the Mtatsminda Pantheon, and Mtatsminda, at the top of mountain. It was closed in 2000, but reopened in 2012 after a comprehensive reconstruction project that renovated the stations and replaced the drive mechanism, rails, cars and safety equipment. Cars run every 15 minutes from 09:00 to 04:00. Tbilisi’s most exhilarating ride – along with the Mtatsminda funicular – is the cable car, new in 2012, which swings from the south end of Rike Park high over the Mtkvari River and Old Town up to Narikala Fortress. To ride it, you need a Metromoney card, available at the ticket offices if you don’t have one.