Tbilisi International Airport: arrival, transfers and practical guide

Tbilisi Airport in 30 seconds

Tbilisi International Airport (airport code TBS, also known as Shota Rustaveli International) is 18 kilometres southeast of central Tbilisi. It handles most of Georgia’s long-haul and legacy-carrier arrivals: Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian, Qatar, Polish LOT, Pegasus, and a growing number of regional and Gulf carriers. Most Wizzair flights land at Kutaisi instead, though Wizzair does operate some Tbilisi routes.

The airport is small, modern (the current terminal opened in 2007 and has been progressively expanded), and easy to navigate. Arrivals processing is generally fast — most travellers from visa-exempt countries clear immigration and collect luggage inside 20 minutes. A Bolt ride to the Old Town takes 20–25 minutes in light traffic, 35–45 minutes during rush hour.

This guide covers the practical arrival sequence: immigration, money, SIMs, transport into the city, and a few traps that catch visitors at 3am after a long flight.

Immigration and arrival

Visa-free entry

Citizens of 98 countries — including all EU member states, the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and many others — enter Georgia visa-free for stays of up to 365 days. See the visa requirements guide for the full list and exceptions.

Immigration officers sometimes ask:

• Purpose of visit (tourism is always the simple answer)
• Length of stay
• Accommodation for the first night (have a booking confirmation accessible on your phone)
• Return or onward ticket (rarely asked but occasionally)

Customs

You can bring in 200 cigarettes, 4 litres of beer or wine, and the equivalent of about 3,000 GEL (roughly $1,100) in unaccompanied goods without declaration. Cash in excess of $30,000 equivalent must be declared. There is typically no meaningful customs check for tourist baggage.

Getting to the arrivals hall

Exit through a single baggage claim into the arrivals hall, which has currency exchange booths, SIM kiosks, coffee, a taxi arrivals desk, and direct access to the marshrutka and bus stop outside.

Currency exchange at the airport

Several exchange booths operate 24/7 in the arrivals hall. Rates are worse than in central Tbilisi — typically 2–3% worse than the best city booths. Change only what you need for the first 24 hours, or skip the airport exchange entirely:

• Bolt and Yandex rides: Both apps accept card
• Central Tbilisi ATMs: Withdraw lari at TBC or Bank of Georgia the next morning at mid-market rates

If you do want a starting pad of cash, 100–200 GEL at the airport is enough to cover a marshrutka, snacks and tips without much penalty. See the currency and tipping guide for the full money picture.

ATMs in the arrivals hall

Yes, several. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia ATMs are available without fees beyond your home bank’s, and give mid-market exchange rates. These are better than the exchange booths for most travellers. Always decline “dynamic currency conversion” when offered — always withdraw in lari.

SIM cards and eSIMs at the airport

Local SIM kiosks

Magti, Silknet (Geocell), and Beeline all have counters in the arrivals hall open 24/7. Staff speak English. Bring your passport — Georgian law requires ID for any new SIM. Standard tourist packages run 10–25 GEL for 10–20GB of data across 30 days with local calls included.

Magti is the default recommendation for travellers going beyond Tbilisi, particularly into the mountains. Silknet is fine for urban-focused stays.

eSIM ready on arrival

If you have activated an eSIM before landing (Airalo, Nomad, Holafly, GlobalYo all work in Georgia), your data should connect the moment the aircraft’s ground signal returns or when you join the airport Wi-Fi to complete setup. See the full eSIM guide for detail on providers and coverage.

Free airport Wi-Fi

The airport offers free Wi-Fi under the “TbilisiAirport_Free_Wifi” network. Sign-up is via phone number or email. Usable for completing eSIM setup, booking your Bolt, or messaging your accommodation.

Getting into Tbilisi

Bolt (the default recommendation)

Bolt is the standard ride-hailing service in Tbilisi and by far the easiest airport transfer option. Download the app before arrival, add a payment card, and request a ride from the designated pickup area outside arrivals. Typical fare to the Old Town or Freedom Square is 15–25 GEL in normal hours; surge pricing can push this to 30–40 GEL during early-morning peaks or in bad weather.

The Bolt pickup point is well-signed from arrivals — follow the “Taxi / Ride-hail” signs out to the designated zone. Drivers pull in, the app shows the plate number, you get in.

Yandex Go and Maxim

Yandex Go and Maxim are alternative ride-hailing apps with similar coverage and often marginally cheaper than Bolt. Yandex’s interface is slightly less polished; Maxim sometimes has longer wait times. Any of the three works for the airport run.

Pre-booked transfers

For groups with luggage, families with young children, or arrivals after midnight where you want certainty, a pre-booked transfer through your accommodation or a dedicated service costs 60–100 GEL for a sedan or 100–150 GEL for a minivan. This is 3–4x the Bolt rate but buys certainty and usually includes a driver waiting with a sign in arrivals.

Book Tbilisi airport transfers with GetYourGuide

Marshrutka 37 (the cheapest option)

Marshrutka 37 runs between the airport and Avlabari metro station near the central Old Town. Fare is 1 GEL cash. It leaves from the bus stop directly outside the arrivals hall exit. The journey takes about 40 minutes depending on traffic and stops.

This is the genuine budget option — 1 GEL versus 15–25 GEL for Bolt. The trade-offs: luggage is stuffed into a small shared van, departures are when the van fills, and the end-point is Avlabari rather than your specific address. For solo travellers with a single backpack, marshrutka 37 is a reasonable budget choice. For families or those with large suitcases, less so.

Bus 337 (night service)

Bus 337 runs from the airport to central Tbilisi including at night, when marshrutka 37 has stopped. It is less frequent (every hour approximately in the small hours) but a genuine late-night option for budget travellers. Fare is 1 GEL paid by MetroMoney card or contactless bank card.

Rental cars at the airport

All major international rental companies (Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise, Budget) and local operators (Naniko, MyRentACar, Rental Cars Georgia) have desks in the arrivals hall. Prices range from 80 GEL/day for a compact to 250+ GEL/day for 4WD SUVs in peak season. See the renting a car guide for the full picture.

Airport facilities

Food and drink

Limited options in the airside departures area: a couple of cafes, a fast-food outlet, a bar. Prices are airport-standard. In the arrivals hall, a 24-hour cafe serves coffee, khachapuri and lobiani for reasonable prices. If you have time after arrival, wait until you reach the city for a proper first meal.

Lounges

The Primeclass Lounge in departures is the main airport lounge, accessible through Priority Pass, some premium credit cards, or paid entry (around 120 GEL). Decent food, comfortable seating, showers. Useful for long transits.

Left luggage

A left-luggage facility operates in the arrivals hall for travellers who want to drop bags before a day in the city. Rates are approximately 5–10 GEL per piece per 24 hours.

Prayer room, mother-and-baby room, disabled facilities

All present and reasonably maintained. Accessibility from car-drop to gate is good; the airport is small enough that wheelchair-assisted travellers can move easily.

Departures (for when you leave)

Check-in timing

Arrive 2 hours before departure for Schengen and regional flights, 3 hours for long-haul or intercontinental connections. Tbilisi’s security and passport control are usually quick but can bottleneck when multiple flights check in together.

Duty free and shopping

The airside area has modest duty-free, a decent Georgian wine shop (worth buying a bottle or two on the way out if you did not manage it in the city), and a few souvenir stores. Wine prices at the airport are fair — not significantly marked up.

Last-minute exchange

If you have leftover lari, the exchange booths in arrivals also function airside and will convert small amounts back to USD or EUR at fair rates.

Common arrival traps

Unofficial taxis

Some unlicensed drivers work the arrivals hall offering “airport taxi” at 40–80 GEL. They are technically fine but overcharge significantly — 2 to 3x the Bolt rate. Skip them. Walk out to the designated ride-hail pickup and use an app.

”Free ride” offers that aren’t free

Occasionally visitors are approached with offers of a free ride from someone “visiting friends in the city” who will then expect payment. Polite refusal and walking to the Bolt pickup resolves this.

3am arrivals

Several Middle Eastern and Gulf carriers land between 2am and 5am. Bolt, Yandex and Maxim all operate through the night; the 337 bus runs hourly; the 37 marshrutka does not. If your hotel check-in is 2pm and you arrive at 3am, either book an extra night from the previous day or ask the hotel to hold your bags (most will).

Immigration queues for specific nationalities

Russian, Chinese and some Central Asian passport holders occasionally face longer processing than the visa-free queue. If you are in one of these categories, allow more time.

The first 24 hours: what to do

1. Clear immigration and collect bags (15–25 minutes)
2. Get cash: skip the exchange booths; use a TBC or Bank of Georgia ATM
3. Activate connectivity: eSIM or local SIM kiosk (5–10 minutes)
4. Transport into town: Bolt for most travellers, marshrutka 37 for budget solo
5. Check in and rest: most flights arrive in the small hours; the Old Town comes alive around 10am
6. First Georgian meal: a khinkali lunch somewhere local — see the khinkali guide for where

After a few hours of rest, the Old Town walking loop described in the free things to do guide is an excellent first-day orientation.

If you need help

• Airport information desk in arrivals, signed in English
• Tourist Hotline 1505 — multilingual, 24-hour support for tourists
• Emergency number 112 — police, ambulance, fire; English spoken

Related guides

• Kutaisi airport guide — the Wizzair hub option
• eSIM in Georgia — connectivity on arrival
• Currency and tipping — cash, ATMs and card acceptance
• Tbilisi metro and transport — getting around the city
• First-time visitors — the broader orientation for new arrivals
• Plan your trip — the complete pre-trip framework