Road from Tbilisi Airport to the center: 1 GEL, Bolt or pre-booked driver

Your flight has landed, but you still haven't figured out how to get into the city. The last 337 bus leaves at 22:59, and after that minute your options narrow down to a car. Every evening passengers find this out only once they're outside, when a private driver pulls up next to them and names a price noticeably higher than normal. Below are four working ways to get from Tbilisi Airport to the center, with prices, hours, and stops as of 09/2026.

Bus 337 costs 1 GEL (as of 09/2026, Tbilisi Airport) and takes 50-70 minutes to Freedom Square. A Bolt from the door during the day usually runs about 15-25 GEL, more expensive after midnight and during peak demand, and the app shows the price upfront. A pre-booked driver waits for you with a sign in the arrivals hall for a fixed price per car, usually around 50-60 GEL. The official taxi counter at the airport charges by the meter, which comes out noticeably more expensive than the app for the same 20-30 minutes, and it's the worst option of the four. Below we'll break down each option separately: where to stand, how to pay, and what to do if you land at three in the morning.

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Options for getting there: a one-minute comparison

💡 In short:

• With a light bag and during the day, take bus 337: 1 GEL by card and 50-70 minutes to the center.
• With suitcases, at night, or with kids, take Bolt or a pre-booked driver.
• Check your return flight time: there are no buses before 06:59, and you'll be stuck without a car.
• Price and operating hours of bus 337: as of 09/2026, verified on the Tbilisi Airport website

Compare the price on the street with the price in the app, and the difference becomes obvious in ten seconds. Anything above Bolt's upper range, you simply don't take.

Bus 337: 1 GEL and the last departure at 22:59

© Andrew Milligan Sumo · CC BYPhoto: Andrew Milligan Sumo, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

Bus 337 stops right across from the arrivals hall exit. The route goes into the center along Kakheti Highway, Queen Ketevan Avenue, and Baratashvili Street, then along Rustaveli Avenue and Kostava Street to Station Square. Buses run every 15-20 minutes, with the first departure from the airport at 06:59 and the last at 22:59 (as of 09/2026, airport website on route 337). Allow 50-70 minutes: during morning and evening rush hour the bus runs at the upper end of that range.

The stops you need. Avlabari: metro, Sameba Cathedral, and Tbilisi's bath district. Freedom Square with a stop by Pushkin Square: the Old Town, Sololaki, and most first-trip hotels. Station Square, the terminus: trains and marshrutkas to Didube two metro stations further. Isani, an early stop on the route, is useful for those heading straight to Kakheti.

Live bus positions are visible in maps on your phone, so you're not standing at the stop blind and you know how long you'll wait. The bus arrives at the terminal nearly empty, so you'll find a window seat at any time of day.

How to pay on bus 337

Cash is not accepted. You tap a contactless bank card, phone, or transit card on the validator when boarding and don't tap when exiting. The fare is 1 GEL (as of 09/2026, standard TTC fare), but foreign cards, according to traveler reviews, may be charged slightly more; a Metromoney transit card eliminates that difference. The same ride gives you 90 minutes of free transfers to the metro and other buses if you paid with a Metromoney card or bank card. The bus to Avlabari and the metro to the center will cost you 1 GEL total.

Who the bus doesn't help

The last departure leaves at 22:59. Passport control and baggage claim eat up 30-40 minutes, so a flight that landed after 22:00 won't catch the bus. Many flights from Istanbul, the Gulf states, and Europe arrive between 23:00 and 04:00, exactly when the bus is parked at the depot and private drivers at the exit are at their most persistent. For those flights, keep reading.

Bolt: door to door for 15-25 GEL

© David1010 · CC BY-SAPhoto: David1010, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

Bolt works in Georgia the same way Uber does in other countries, and Uber itself isn't available here. You open the app, set your destination, read the price, and confirm the order. Cars pull up on the road right at the arrivals hall exit; there's no separate pickup area for ride-hailing services and no airport surcharge. If the driver names a price higher than the one in the app, cancel the order and wait for the next car.

During the day a trip to Freedom Square, the Old Town, or the Vera district usually costs about 15-25 GEL. Rain, a nighttime wave of arrivals, and the hours after midnight push the price up noticeably, and the app will show the exact amount before you order. Even at the upper end you pay less than at the official taxi counter. XL cars for six people are available in the same app at a higher rate.

What to set up before you fly

Install Bolt and verify your phone number at home. The app is tied to your number, and most travel eSIMs are data-only, so registration after landing often fails. Add a card so you're not counting cash at the curb, and sort out your connectivity in advance. The free Wi-Fi at the airport is weak, ride-hailing apps won't load on it, and that's the most common reason people end up accepting a ride from a private driver.

How long you'll wait for a car

During the day a car arrives in 2-8 minutes: drivers wait near the terminal for flights. After midnight, expect a longer wait and a higher fare. Before getting in, check the license plate and car color in the app. In Tbilisi people regularly get into the wrong car, and sorting it out with the driver at the exit is unpleasant and time-consuming. Other ride-hailing services with smaller fleets also operate in the city, which helps if Bolt shows no available cars.

Pre-booked driver: around 50-60 GEL

If you're landing at 02:00 with two suitcases and tired kids, a pre-booked driver removes all the variables. You book a car on the service's website, enter your flight number and hotel address, the price is fixed per car before the trip, and the driver tracks your flight and waits in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign. Payment is in cash at the end of the ride. A child seat is ordered separately, and six-seat minivans are available for groups.

The cheapest cars from the airport to the center on pre-booking services like GoTrip usually cost around 50-60 GEL, and the service shows the exact price at the time of booking. This is comparable to Bolt with a nighttime multiplier and noticeably less than what hotels often charge for their pickup. You can also arrange a transfer in advance on Kiwitaxi: the price is locked in before the trip, and the driver meets you in the arrivals hall.

Hotels and guesthouses also arrange pickups. Ask the price in advance: for the same 25-minute drive, they often charge noticeably more than pre-booking services, and the driver is often a relative of the owner. Drive yourself if the hotel's price is noticeably higher than the pre-booking price.

Taxi stand and "helpers" in the arrivals hall

Once you are inside the hall, before the exit, men will approach you offering a taxi. Some hold laminated cards. The official airport service has a stand at the exit from the arrivals hall and charges by the meter for a 20-30 minute ride, which comes out noticeably more expensive than the app. Passengers have also reported even higher fixed prices to central hotels from the same stand. Unofficial drivers start higher and negotiate down to roughly the same level.

The problem here is financial, not safety-related. Georgia remains one of the calmest countries in the region, and nobody is going to take you into the mountains. But the price may change on arrival, the meter may "break," and the route may take a scenic detour through the outskirts. No option at the stand beats Bolt or a pre-booked ride with a fixed price. Walk past and don't waste time on explanations.

Train from the airport: there is a station, but no service

The terminal has its own railway station a five-minute walk away. Previously, a train departed from here twice a day to Station Square for 0.50 GEL. As of 09/2026, trains are not running: tickets are not sold, and talk of a restart remains just talk. Plan your route via bus and Bolt, and check the schedule through the ticket sales service before your trip. If the train returns, tickets will appear there before they show up in guidebooks.

© Superalbs · CC BY-SAPhoto: Superalbs, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

Arrival between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM

© Tiia Monto · CC BY-SAPhoto: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The plan for nighttime is as follows. First, a pre-booked driver waiting for you with your name. Then Bolt: accept a longer wait and the night rate. If there are no available cars, open a second ride-hailing app. The Magti stand, currency exchange offices, and ATMs in the arrivals hall work all night, so you can get data and cash before stepping outside.

If your next flight is early in the morning, stay near the terminal. Ibis Tbilisi Airport opened in October 2024 as the first airport hotel and sits right next to the terminal, and there are no other hotels within walking distance. Check availability at Ibis Tbilisi Airport before your flight: the hotel fills up in high season.

Cash, ATMs, and SIM card

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ATMs. Bank of Georgia, TBC, and Liberty are located by the exit doors inside the arrivals hall. Standalone machines right after customs accept only utility payments and do not dispense cash. Bank of Georgia and TBC charge a fee of a few lari on foreign cards and show it on the screen before confirmation. Take out about 100 GEL for the first day, and withdraw the rest in the city. Currency exchange offices in the hall work around the clock, but their rates are worse than in the city.

SIM card. The red Magti stand is immediately to the right of the arrivals hall entrance and works around the clock. They will sell you only a tourist package, and per gigabyte it is more expensive than a regular SIM card with a data plan from a store in the city. On the plus side, the card is activated in 10-15 minutes with your passport, and you will have internet before you even leave the terminal. If you need Bolt right away and haven't bought an eSIM, get the tourist package. A ready-made option in advance: eSIM for Georgia.

Rental car: book in advance

Avis, Budget, Hertz, and other international chains have desks right in the terminal. When you book online, you see the final price with deposit and insurance before the trip, not at the desk after an overnight flight. Arrange for the car to be delivered to the airport: that way you don't deal with toll roads and parking right after landing. You can compare car rental options in Tbilisi on DiscoverCars.

Insurance for entry: mandatory from 2026

From January 1, 2026, every tourist is required to have medical insurance for the entire duration of the trip (as of 09/2026, Georgia tourism administration). The minimum coverage is 30,000 GEL (as of 09/2026, requirements breakdown). Keep the policy on your phone along with your passport: it is checked at the border. You can compare insurance options on EKTA.

Back to the airport: when to leave

Bus 337 runs from Station Square to the airport during the same hours (6:59 AM-10:59 PM) via Freedom Square and Avlabari, and from your hotel you call Bolt. Prices back are the same as on the way into the city. The airport itself is small: security and passport control usually take 20-30 minutes. The only variable here is the road.

If you are leaving on a night flight, sort out the car in advance: apps work at night too, but there are fewer available cars in the center after midnight, and nobody wants to wait outside the entrance.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How much is a taxi from Tbilisi airport to the center?

Bolt during the day usually costs around 15-25 GEL, more at night, and the app shows the price before you order. The taxi desk at the airport uses the meter and ends up noticeably more expensive than the app.

What time does bus 337 run from Tbilisi airport?

The first departure is at 06:59, the last at 22:59, with 15-20 minute intervals (as of 09/2026, airport information on operating hours). If your flight lands after 22:00, you won't make the bus because of passport control and baggage claim.

Is there a train from Tbilisi airport to the city?

The railway station is a five-minute walk from the terminal, but as of 09/2026 trains are not running and tickets are not on sale. Before your trip, check dates on the railway portal: tickets will appear there before any news about the restart.

Does Bolt pick up passengers at Tbilisi airport?

Yes, drivers pull up on the road right outside the arrivals hall exit; there is no separate pickup area for ride-hailing services. During the day the wait is 2-8 minutes, after midnight it takes longer and costs more.

Do you need cash lari at the airport?

For your first trip, about 100 GEL is enough: Bank of Georgia, TBC and Liberty ATMs are by the exit doors in the arrivals hall. Currency exchange offices work all night, but the rate in the city is better.

Should you buy a SIM card at the airport or in the city?

The Magti desk in the arrivals hall is open 24/7 and sells a tourist package that is more expensive than a regular SIM card with a data plan from a store in the city. At night, get it at the airport; during the day you can make it into the city first.

In short: what to book

During the day with a light bag, bus 337 for 1 GEL is all you need. With suitcases, kids or a night flight, take a car: Bolt at the app price, or a pre-booked ride with a fixed price around 50-60 GEL. If your next flight is early in the morning, add a night at Ibis Tbilisi Airport right by the terminal.

The matrix is simple. Night arrival and a family: a pre-booked driver. One backpack and daytime: bus 337. A flight delay and no desire to wait: Bolt from the app. The airport taxi desk is not what you need in any of these cases.

Book a Tbilisi airport transfer with a driver in advance and compare prices for Ibis Tbilisi Airport so your arrival doesn't turn into hunting for a car on the street.