Georgia for first-time visitors
Visa-free for a full year for 94 nationalities. When to go, what it costs, how to get around, and the mistakes first-time visitors make.
You probably do not need a visa
That list includes all six Gulf states — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman — along with Jordan, Turkey, every EU member state, the UK, the USA and Russia.
There is also a second route many people do not know about: if you hold a valid visa or residence permit from one of those countries, you can enter Georgia for 90 days within any 180-day period whatever your own passport says.
Rules change. Check your own nationality against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list before you book, not after.
When to go
July and August are peak on the Black Sea coast. Batumi is hot, busy and expensive, and this is also when the mountains are at their most reliable for hiking.
Late September and October is harvest in Kakheti. If wine is any part of why you are coming, this is the month.
December to March is ski season at Gudauri and Bakuriani, and the cheapest time to see Tbilisi. The Black Sea coast is wet and largely closed.
One planning note that catches people out: the high mountain road to Tusheti closes with the snow and is not a year-round option, and the Kazbegi road can close briefly in bad winter weather.
Money and what things cost
Cards work in cities, restaurants and hotels. Carry some cash for village guesthouses, markets, small wineries and mountain taxis. ATMs are everywhere in Tbilisi and Batumi and thin on the ground once you leave them.
Georgia is inexpensive by European standards and is not as cheap as it was five years ago. Tbilisi and Batumi in August are the two places where you will feel the difference.
Getting around
Driver or self-drive? For Kazbegi, Svaneti and the mountain roads, a local driver is genuinely the better choice — not because the roads are impassable but because they demand full attention and you came to look at the view.
Trains connect Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi comfortably and cheaply, and are the easy way to cross the country.
Marshrutkas — shared minibuses — go everywhere, cost very little and leave when full.
Land entry from Turkey at Sarpi, on the coast just south of Gonio, is straightforward and is how many visitors from Turkey arrive.
Five mistakes first-time visitors make
- Trying to see the whole country in a week. Georgia is small on a map and slow on the ground. Two bases beat five.
- Booking Kazbegi as a day trip. It is six hours of driving for two hours of Gergeti. Stay a night and the trip changes completely.
- Going to Kakheti without arranging the wine. The good small wineries want a call in advance. Turning up unannounced gets you the tourist room.
- Assuming the coast is warm in winter. Batumi from November to March is wet and quiet.
- Underestimating a Georgian supra. If you are invited to a feast with a tamada, accept — and eat slowly. It is the single best thing that will happen to you here.
Common questions
Is Georgia safe for tourists?
Street crime is low and visitors generally report feeling safe, including women travelling alone and at night in Tbilisi and Batumi. Avoid the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia entirely, and check your government's current travel advice before booking.
Is halal food available in Georgia?
Yes in Tbilisi and Batumi, which both have halal restaurants and Turkish and Middle Eastern kitchens, and in Gonio and Kvariati where many Gulf and Turkish visitors stay. It is much harder to find in mountain villages, so plan ahead outside the cities.
What language do people speak?
Georgian, with its own alphabet. Russian is widely understood by older Georgians, English by younger people and anyone in tourism. In Batumi you will hear Turkish, Russian and Arabic daily.
Figures checked September 2026 against Colliers Georgia, Galt & Taggart, TBC Capital and Georgian government sources. Rules change; confirm anything you are about to act on.