My final piece about my trip to the ancient Georgian capital will be dedicated to a walk through the Tbilisi Botanical Garden. This large green recreational area is located near many popular city attractions.
How to Get There
You can reach the entrance to the botanical garden by car, on foot, or by cable car. I chose the latter option. The cable car route, which offers wonderful views of central Tbilisi, starts in Rike Park and costs 2.5 lari as of summer 2023. To take the ride, you need to purchase a transportation card, which costs an additional 2 lari.
Entrance to the garden costs 4 lari. Those planning to stay in Tbilisi for a long time can buy season passes, which allow daily visits to the botanical garden for six months or a year, either individually or with family.
A Walk in the Botanical Garden
It is known that as early as the 17th-18th centuries, there were three small royal gardens on the site of the modern attraction. By 1845, they were combined and the place began to be called the "Tbilisi Botanical Garden." Interestingly, at that time, city residents could receive free seedlings, fruit tree saplings, and grapevines here.
By the end of the 19th century, the botanical garden housed 1,238 plant species. Many well-known Georgian scientists worked and studied here.
Today, the garden covers 97 hectares, and the number of plant species has almost tripled. About 60% of the area is natural vegetation.
My walk through the Tbilisi Botanical Garden took about an hour. One of the main attractions that draws many visitors is a high waterfall located in the northern part of the garden. A bit further on, there are a couple of smaller waterfalls. According to online maps, I managed to see only a fraction of the garden's territory, but it was quite sufficient for me.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, there are many interesting attractions near the botanical garden. These include the Narikala Fortress, the Abanotubani bath district, and the Metekhi Church.
Have a nice trip!
