In Georgia, shopping areas are basically concentrated for the tourist, primarily in the centers of the cities. Let’s take a look at whole districts for buying souvenirs, as well as paying attention to markets and shopping centers.
- Shopping Districts
- Best Shopping Centers
- Best Markets in Georgia
- Frequently Asked Shopping Questions
Best shopping districts in Georgia
Tbilisi
Let’s start with the capital. Shota Rustaveli Avenue is considered to be the main tourist street of Tbilisi. It got its name in honor of the medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli, until 1918 it was Golovinsky Avenue. The street stretches from Freedom Square and the statue of St. George the Victorious to the monument to Shota Rustaveli. The total length of the avenue is equal to 1.5 kilometers.
There are a lot of sights concentrated on this mile: April 9 Park, National Museum of Georgia named after Simon Janashia, Shota Rustaveli Theater, St. George Church (Kashveti), National Art Gallery named after Dmitri Shevardnadze, Russian Drama Theater named after Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater named after Zakharia Paliashvili.
Here you will be able to combine the useful with the pleasant: on almost every corner there are stores with jewelry, salons with antiques, boutiques with branded clothes and stores with books. There is even a whole shopping center “Gallery Tbilisi”.
Kutaisi
In Kutaisi, Tsereteli is the central artery. It stretches from the city center to the highway Kutaisi – Tbilisi. The street is located in the old part of the city. It is full of souvenir shops with daggers, minankari, wine horns, churchkhela, clothes of Georgian and European designers, backgammon, ceramic utensils and other handicrafts of artisans. For a tour you can go to the Historical Museum, you can make impressive shots in front of the White Bridge. Do not forget to go to the shopping center “Karvasla”.
Batumi
In Batumi we should mention the Seaside Boulevard, which starts from the Park of Miracles and stretches to the southwest. Construction began in 1881. It is not a street in the traditional sense, but rather an ennobled piece of land between the beach and residential neighborhoods of the city. It is five parallel alleys with arches, with bicycle lanes, with benches, with original sculptures and vegetation. Today the length of Batumi Seaside Boulevard is about seven kilometers, it is one of the longest promenades in Europe. Seaside Park, statue of “Ali and Nino”, Alphabet Tower, lighthouse, color-music fountains.
Rustavi
The main street of old Rustavi is Meraba Kostava. It penetrates the whole old city, starting from the bridge over the Kura River (where the iron pyramid stands) and up to the metallurgical plant. The length of the artery is 1,484 meters. Here you can find the best restaurants and cafes of the city, where you can taste national and regional cuisine. You can also visit the motorcycle park here: admire the races or drive around the neighborhood, which offers great views of Rustavi. Don’t pass by Freedom Square and Rustavi Park, where you can reach the waters of the Kura River.
Best shopping centers in Georgia
And now let’s tell you about the country’s big department stores, which Georgians are proud of. We present to your attention the top 6 coolest department stores. Shopping centers are open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Tbilisi Mall
The shopping center is located at the exit of the city on David Agmashenebeli Street, 16. The complex has been functioning since 2012. It is one of the largest malls in the country.
It is an impressive six-story building. Here are presented such brands: “Mark & Spencer”, “Lapin House”, “LC Waikiki”, “New Look”, “Puma”, “Solar” “Levi’s”, “Parfois”, “Mandarina”, “Mango”, “Avtandil”, “Baccarat Jewelry”, “Bershka”, “Carpisa”, “Colin’s”, “GAP”, “Nike”, ‘Oysho’, “Love Republic” and other brands of clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories. There is also a large grocery supermarket “Carrefour”, a food court with Georgian food, a game zone, a movie theater “Cavea”, a strikeball arena and a contact zoo. An hour-long game of strikeball starts from 65 Georgian lari, and you will have to pay 15 Georgian lari to enter the zoo.
Batumi Mall
The department store is located in the city, which is the second most populous in Georgia, at 90 b Zurab Gorgiladze Street.
The mall has four floors. Clothing and footwear, jewelry and costume jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, home textiles and carpets, ceramic utensils, goods for sports and tourism, goods for children, accessories and watches, leather goods and furs – more than 50 stores. On the first tier is the Goodwill 24-hour hypermarket. For entertainment go to the fourth floor: there is a hall of gaming machines “Sony Playstation”, and beauty salon, and fitness center “Aspria Fitness Batumi”, and a contact zoo. You can have a snack in such cafes and restaurants as “The Wall Street Cafe & Lounge”, “Lucardo”, “Pizza Room”, ‘Melange’, “Shelby & Co”. So, for example, a bigmac set in “McDonald’s” will cost 15 Georgian lari, an inexpensive three-course lunch for one – 30 Georgian lari, and dinner for two with wine in the restaurant will cost 70 Georgian lari.
Karvasla
And we are already in Kutaisi on Tsereteli Street, 4a. A great mall where you will find everything you need, from socks to laptops, from light bulbs to trench coats, from hand cream to fresh beef. Three stores are popular: they are Parfois, LC Waikiki and ECCO. Here is an approximate line of prices of the company “ECCO”. Thus, women’s sneakers are available for 535 Georgian lari, men’s sandals – for 400 Georgian lari, and children’s sneakers can be purchased for 260 Georgian lari. Also, the shopping center “Karvasla” offers Turkish textiles of acceptable quality. It is advisable to come for them in September – good discounts.
Rustavi Mall
The Georgian department store is located in the town of Rustavi in the Kvemo Kartli region. The department store can cope with almost any problem and need of a tourist. You can look at minankari, change a baby, buy a couple of dresses, find out the cost of national carpets, buy tea for numerous girlfriends, repair a heel, watch a movie with Russian subtitles, have a tasty snack or get a haircut. Haircuts start from nine Georgian lari.
East Point
Let’s not pass by the Tbilisi center, it is considered the largest in the whole Caucasus. The shopping street with boutiques is located on the road to the airport at Alexandra Tvalchrelidze, 2, it is the outskirts of Tbilisi. That is why the prices here are slightly lower than in other department stores in the capital.
Let us list a few European brands that produce shoes, clothes, underwear, bags and accessories. These are “Koton”, “Stradivarius”, “Mango”, “Gloria Jeans”, “Inglot”, “Charles & Keith”, “Massimo Dutti”, “Zippi”, “Zara”, “XS Toys”, ‘Promod’, “Factory”, “Calzedonia, Aldo, Flormar, Roniko, Kenari, Domino, Samsonite, Sergent Major, Shues gallery, Bershka and other brands. On weekends there are often organized outdoor performances and concerts near the fountain.
Tbilisi Outlet Park
There is only one outlet in Georgia, and it is “Tbilisi Outlet Park”. It is located in the “Axis Shopping” building at 24 Kazbegi Avenue, near the metro station “Delisi”. On the territory of three floors (about 1,300 square meters) they sell clothes, shoes, hats, outerwear, underwear, bags and jewelry from last year and the year before. You won’t find exclusives here, but year-round discounts – yes. You can save up to 70 percent.
Best markets in Georgia
Here you will find fresh produce, original souvenirs and antique trinkets. Here are the top 6 bazaars. As a rule, Georgian markets are open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Let’s go!
Dezerter Bazaar
This is the largest, oldest and most popular market in the city. It is located next to the metro station “Vokzalna”, near the train station at 135 Mihaila Tsinamdzgvrishvili Street. “Desertirka” got its name thanks to the first sellers. They were soldiers of the 1920s who fled the battlefields during armed conflicts and sold stolen uniforms, weapons and ammunition.
Over 2,000 square meters of space sells food and non-food items. From food products you will be offered vegetables and fruits, cheese and smoked meats, fish and seafood, sauces and seasonings, nuts and dried fruits, sweets and pastries, wine and chacha. Here is an approximate range of prices. For example, a kilogram of apples costs three Georgian lari, a kilogram of plums – four Georgian lari, a kilogram of cherries – five Georgian lari, a kilogram of strawberries – seven Georgian lari, a kilogram of apricots – two Georgian lari, a kilogram of watermelon – 0.5 Georgian lari, and a kilogram of figs will be yours for eight Georgian lari. You can also buy household chemicals, electronics, small household appliances, houseplants, magnets, jewelry, dishes and home textiles. The “Deserter’s Market” has a million stalls with Turkish and Chinese clothes and shoes.
Green Market in Kutaisi
One of the most huge bazaars in the country has found its place in Kutaisi in the historical part on the right bank of the Rioni River on the 1st lane of Zakharia Paliashvili, 17. The bazaar occupies almost a whole city block.
The indoor market breathes the days of the USSR, here are still used Soviet scales, equipment, counters – those who remember it all will definitely feel nostalgic. But the products are all fresh, you want to smell, taste, touch and look at them. A huge assortment of cheese, alcoholic beverages, sweets and nuts. Start your gastronomic (and not only) shopping with a friendly acquaintance and tasting of all kinds of delicacies. The local bakery offers master classes on molding traditional Imeretian khachapuri. And in the local atelier, where ethnic Georgian costumes are sewn, you can be photographed wearing popular Svan hats or papakhas. You can take part in the interactive activities for free.
By the way, many city tours start exactly from the “Green Market”.
Hopa market
Batumi market is located at 21 David Agmashenebeli Avenue. The name coincides with the nearby Turkish city. The bazaar appeared in the early 1990s and has largely preserved the traditions and flavor of that time.
It is the largest clothing market in Batumi. Clothes, shoes, textiles, household trifles, bags, suitcases, goods for car owners, household utensils, dishes, household chemicals, children’s toys, stationery, jewelry, handicrafts, food is also available. Prices here, as a rule, are noticeably lower than in retail outlets on the streets of the city. For example, you can buy jeans for 80 Georgian lari, sneakers for 40 Georgian lari, a demi-seasonal jacket for 85 Georgian lari, a tracksuit for 50 Georgian lari, and cotton T-shirts for 15 Georgian lari each. Don’t forget to bargain!
The bazaar is adjoined not only by shopping rows, but also by several snack bars, currency exchange offices, tailoring ateliers and cell phone repair shops.
Central Market in Gori
The main marketplace of the city is located in the Shida Kartli region, near the Liakhvi River. It is a key source of food and things for the whole neighborhood. The market is clearly visible from the fortress of Goristsikhe.
“Gori Market” is a paradise for a person who has just come down from the Trialeti Mountains. Here you will be met by grandmothers with baskets of khachapuri and grandfathers with hot tea. Corn breads “Chvishtari”, eggplant rolls “Badridzhani”, traditional dolma and, of course, the famous khinkali are presented here. Thus, khinkali costs from 0.8 Georgian lari per piece, khachapuri can be purchased for 10 Georgian lari, bean pie will cost seven Georgian lari, a small stick of kebab will be yours for 12 Georgian lari, and a bottle of creamy lemonade will cost three Georgian lari. Along with ready-to-eat food, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, cheese and flour are also sold – buy and cook for yourself.
Central Market in Poti
Bazaar has found its place in the city of Poti at 40 Tsar Parnavaz Street. There is only one market in Poti, where you can buy both food and non-food products at the same time. However, the bazaar is small, and there are not many goods in terms of variety. But all the basics are sold: there are potatoes for one Georgian lari per kilogram, there is homemade chicken for six Georgian lari per kilogram, there are homemade eggs for four Georgian lari per dozen, there is milk for two Georgian lari per liter, there is homemade brynza for nine Georgian lari per kilogram, there are tangerines for two Georgian lari per kilogram.
Dry Bridge Market in Tbilisi
Let’s return to Tbilisi. Here on Kvishkheti Street, 1a near Freedom Square there is a flea market. This is not just a bazaar, it is a landmark of the capital. The flea market has existed since the 1990s, and when you are here, you start to feel the spirit of the past – happy and carefree childhood or something unknown and tempting. Today it is a treasure trove, but it started in hard times, when residents had to go out and sell their belongings to survive.
The flea market offers both unwanted junk and collectibles. There are vinyl records, gramophones, silverware, decorative daggers, oil lamps, unique paintings, quartz clocks, pottery, rare jewelry, valuable icons, military badges and out of circulation money.
Let’s walk through the prices. For example, an antique round table is exhibited for 8 160 Georgian GEL, an antique vase of the XVIII century – for 122 400 Georgian GEL, a radio receiver of Soviet times – for 45 Georgian GEL, coffee set “Bavaria” – for 300 Georgian GEL, and a bronze icon will be yours for 3 380 Georgian GEL.
Frequently asked questions about shopping areas in Georgia
What is the best thing to bring from Georgia?
Bring a Georgian carpet for mom, a souvenir dagger for dad, and linden honey and chacha for grandparents. Got a husband? Congratulations! Bring him backgammon, he’ll need it. They develop logical thinking and intellect. And a papakhu for your friend as a joke.
Are there any ATMs in Georgia?
The best and the most convenient way is to withdraw cash in an ATM, and there are plenty of them in the country. Such devices work without breaks and weekends, and moreover, they are located in tourist areas. There are such ATMs in Tbilisi on Liberty Square and Shota Rustaveli Avenue, in Batumi – on Primorsky Boulevard or in Kutaisi – on Tsereteli Street.
Do I have to pay a commission fee at ATMs?
Yes, ATMs usually charge 1-2% commission when withdrawing cash, it depends on the bank. Also, the bank issuing your card may charge additional fees. But if you pay by card, there will be no commission, however, for example, in the markets you will not be able to pay by card.
We wish you a great shopping experience in Georgia, and also find a common language with all the sellers!
