New Year in Tbilisi: Christmas Market and Hidden Gems Tour

Tbilisi puts on its best winter face in December and around New Year, and this three-hour walk takes you through the city’s main festive scenes without wasting time on transport. You’ll move from Liberty Square’s St George’s Column to Orbeliani Square, a Georgian food hall, and the lights of Rustaveli Avenue.

I like the route for two clear reasons: it mixes holiday decoration with everyday Georgian food, and its small group size, capped at 10 people, should make it easier to hear the guide. I also like that the walk ends near the main New Year tree rather than looping back to the start. The main drawback is the weather. You’ll cover about 3.5 kilometers outdoors, and Tbilisi can be cold, wet, or snowy.

Key points at a glance

• Orbeliani Square is the festive center: Find mulled wine, handmade gifts, local snacks, music, and seasonal decorations near the President’s Palace.
• Bazari adds real Georgian flavor: The former Soviet-era market now offers food, wine, lemonades, spices, crafts, and local delicacies.
• Rustaveli Avenue supplies the grand finale: Christmas lights, decorated historic facades, the main New Year tree, and Tovlis Papa, Georgia’s Santa Claus, finish the walk.
• The group stays small: A maximum of 10 people is useful on city streets and helps you stay close to an English-speaking guide.
• The route is easy to understand: Start at Liberty Square and finish near Rustaveli, covering about 3.5 km with stops.
• Oksana has earned special praise: One visitor singled out her patience, local insight, cheerful manner, and care during a period of protests.

Why this short winter walk works

This is not a museum-heavy tour or a long survey of Tbilisi. It is a seasonal city walk built around four places that feel different from one another. You get a landmark square, a Christmas market, an indoor food stop, and a grand avenue dressed for New Year.

That mix matters. A market-only outing can become a quick browse among stalls, while a standard city walk may miss the special mood of December. Here, you get both. The holiday decorations give the city a reason to feel fresh, and Bazari keeps the experience tied to Georgian daily life rather than decorations alone.

The $39 price is reasonable if you want a guide to connect the stops and keep the route moving. Admission to the public squares and streets is free, so you are mainly paying for the guide, the structure of the walk, and the included snacks. Personal purchases, such as drinks, food, gifts, or crafts, come separately.

The small group is another part of the value. Ten people is not a private tour, but it is far more manageable than a large coach group. You should be able to stay within earshot, ask questions, and move through busy areas without being swallowed by a crowd.

Starting at Liberty Square and St George’s Column

The meeting point is by Burberry at Freedom Square on Shalva Dadiani Street. The tour begins with about 15 minutes around Liberty Square, one of the most useful places in central Tbilisi for getting your bearings.

The square’s main feature is the column topped by St George. During the New Year season, lights and decorations give this major city landmark a holiday frame. You’ll have time for photographs and a short introduction before heading toward the market area.

This first stop is brief, which I think is sensible. Liberty Square is a place to see and understand, not somewhere you need to linger for an hour. The guide can set the scene, point out the key monument, and explain why the square matters in the city center.

Expect the square to feel active, especially during the holiday period. Keep your group in sight and listen closely when the guide speaks. The guide does not use a voice amplifier, so the small group size and your position near the guide matter.

Orbeliani Square, where Tbilisi does Christmas

Orbeliani Square receives the longest stop, about 50 minutes, and this is likely the heart of the experience. During the festive season, it hosts Tbilisi’s main Christmas bazaar, with small kiosks selling hot mulled wine, handmade gifts, and local snacks.

You’ll also see the nearby President’s Palace decorated for the season. The setting brings together several sides of the city: holiday stalls, grand civic buildings, and the 19th-century architecture of the Orbeliani district.

I like this part because you are not simply being shown a decorated square. The guide can help you read the surrounding buildings and explain the area’s European architectural influence. That context gives the market more meaning, especially if this is your first visit to Tbilisi.

You might catch live music during the stop, though it should not be treated as guaranteed entertainment. The same goes for the exact range of market goods. Seasonal stalls can change, but you can expect the general combination of drinks, snacks, crafts, and festive decorations.

This is also a good point to manage your spending. Snacks are included, but personal expenses are not. Carry some cash if you want to buy a small gift, try an extra drink, or pick up something edible from a stall. A little cash is also useful because the tour specifically advises carrying it for incidental costs.

Bazari Orbeliani and a taste of Georgian food

The next stop takes about 45 minutes at Bazari Orbeliani. Once a Soviet-era bazaar, it has been turned into Tbilisi’s largest food mall. That change makes it a useful contrast with the outdoor Christmas market.

Here you can look for Georgian fast food, local delicacies, Georgian wines, and traditional lemonades. Shops also sell handmade crafts, blended spices, and other local products. You may find it easier to understand Georgian cuisine in this setting than through a formal restaurant meal because the market puts ingredients, prepared food, drinks, and small shops side by side.

I especially like this stop for anyone who has only a short time in Tbilisi. You can get a quick introduction to food culture without giving up a full evening to a long meal. The guide can point out items and help explain what you are seeing, while the included snacks give the walk a practical lift.

Do not think of the 45 minutes as a full food tour. The schedule allows time to look, sample what is provided, and perhaps buy something, but it is not designed as a long series of tastings. If you are serious about Georgian food, use this visit to make a list of dishes, drinks, or ingredients you want to explore later.

The market is also a good indoor pause if the weather turns unpleasant. The route is still a winter walk, but this stop gives you some relief from cold air, rain, or snow before you continue.

Rustaveli Avenue and Tovlis Papa

The final stop lasts about 35 minutes along Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s main street. During the festive season, the avenue is covered with Christmas lights, and historic facades are lit with seasonal decorations.

Near the Parliament building, you’ll find the main New Year tree. You may also see Tovlis Papa, Georgia’s Santa Claus, adding a distinctly Georgian touch to the holiday setting.

This makes a strong ending because Rustaveli Avenue feels larger in scale than the earlier stops. Liberty Square gives you a central landmark, Orbeliani gives you market life, and Bazari gives you food. Rustaveli brings the city’s main ceremonial street into the picture.

Allow time for photographs, but remember that the avenue remains a working city street. The guide may need to keep the group moving and together. Since there is no voice amplifier, stand close when the guide explains the final sights.

The tour ends at the Rustaveli metro area, at 2 Merab Kostava Street. That is useful if you want to continue exploring, return to your accommodation by public transport, or find your own dinner nearby. The route does not return to Liberty Square, so plan your evening from the finish point rather than the starting point.

The guide can make or break the experience

The published tour information does not assign one fixed guide, but Oksana received especially warm praise. Her strengths were patience, cheerful company, and a strong grasp of the places on the route. Most important, she stayed with a visitor until a taxi was caught during a period when protests were taking place in Tbilisi.

That detail is worth noting without assuming every departure will face the same circumstances. It shows the kind of practical care you should value in a walking tour, especially when the route passes through central public spaces. A good guide does more than recite facts. The guide watches the group, handles small problems, and helps you feel secure in an unfamiliar city.

The group limit of 10 supports that personal approach. You still need to arrive on time and stay attentive, but the format should allow more direct contact than a large group.

The maximum waiting time before departure is 10 minutes. If you miss the start, you need to make a new booking, so arrive early at the Freedom Square meeting point.

Walking distance, weather, and what to wear

The route covers about 3.5 kilometers, or 2.2 miles, with stops along the way. Most people who can manage a city walk should find the distance reasonable, but the winter conditions are the bigger issue.

Tbilisi can be quite cold at this time of year. Rain or snow is possible, and decorations do not make wet pavement warmer. Wear shoes suited to walking, bring a warm layer, and use a coat that handles damp weather. Gloves and a hat are sensible additions if the forecast is cold.

Carry a small bottle of water, even though the tour includes snacks. You may not feel thirsty in winter, but a walking route with several stops still benefits from basic preparation.

The activity is offered in English. Because the guide does not use a voice amplifier, people with hearing difficulties may want to stand close and mention their needs before the walk begins. Service animals are allowed, and the activity is near public transport. Most people can take part.

If you need frequent breaks, a slower pace, or freedom to change the route, a private tour may be a better fit. The group walk has a set path and a fixed schedule.

Who gets the most from this tour

I would recommend this outing to a first-time visitor in Tbilisi who wants an easy introduction to the city’s holiday mood. It also suits anyone who likes to combine photographs, local food, seasonal markets, and short historical explanations in one compact outing.

It works well for couples, friends, and small families who do not want to plan every stop themselves. The route is short enough to fit into a busy city break, yet varied enough to feel like more than a quick walk past decorations.

Food-focused visitors should pay close attention to Bazari Orbeliani. You will not receive a full Georgian cooking course, but you will see enough food and drink to guide your next meal or market visit.

This may not suit you if you dislike cold-weather walking, want extensive historical detail, or prefer to explore at your own speed. The tour is also not the best choice if you want a private experience, though a private option is available for more flexibility.

Is $39 good value?

At $39 per person, the price is fair for a three-hour guided walk with a maximum of 10 people and snacks included. The public sights do not charge admission, so the value depends on how much you want a guide to organize the route and explain the city’s seasonal setting.

You are paying for convenience rather than entry tickets. Someone who is comfortable finding Liberty Square, Orbeliani Square, Bazari, and Rustaveli Avenue alone could spend less. But independent visitors may miss the links between the places, spend time figuring out the route, or fail to notice the architectural details around Orbeliani.

The value is strongest if you are in Tbilisi for a short stay or visiting during the holiday season for the first time. It is less compelling for a repeat visitor who already knows the central streets and wants a long, unhurried food crawl.

Group discounts may be available, which can improve the price for a party booking together. Check the current terms when booking because the stated rate is per person.

Final call: book it for a compact festive introduction

Book this tour if you want a guided look at Tbilisi during its most decorative season, with food, markets, public squares, and Christmas lights all in one route. The small group, included snacks, manageable distance, and strong impression left by guide Oksana add real value.

Skip it if you want a private pace, dislike winter weather, or plan to spend most of your time on detailed food tastings. For everyone else, $39 buys a useful first evening or afternoon in central Tbilisi, provided you wear warm clothes and arrive on time.

Free cancellation is available when you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not refunded.

FAQ

How long does the New Year in Tbilisi tour last?

The tour lasts approximately three hours.

How far do you walk?

The route covers about 3.5 kilometers, or 2.2 miles, with stops along the way.

Where does the tour start?

The meeting point is by Burberry at Freedom Square, on Shalva Dadiani Street in Tbilisi.

Where does the tour finish?

The tour ends at 2 Merab Kostava Street, near the Rustaveli metro area.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English, and the guide does not use a voice amplifier.

How many people can join the group?

The maximum group size is 10 people.

Are snacks included?

Yes. Snacks are included, but personal expenses such as additional food, drinks, gifts, and crafts are not included.

What happens if I arrive late?

The maximum waiting time before the tour starts is 10 minutes. If you arrive later than that, you need to make a new booking.