Best Time to Visit Tbilisi

Spring: green hills, some rain

March is cool and changeable, with rain on about a quarter of days. April is the sweet spot. You can walk from Rustaveli Avenue up to Narikala Fortress without sweating, and the hills above the Kura river turn green. May is just as warm and pleasant, but it's the wettest month, with showers on 14 days. They're usually short. Pop into a sulfur bath in Abanotubani, the old bathhouse district, when one hits.

Tbilisi Open Air, a music festival, is usually held in late spring. Tbilisoba, the city's big autumn festival, comes later (see below).

Summer: hot, so work around it

June is warm and sometimes stormy. July and August are tied as the hottest months, with highs of 34°C. They're also the driest and sunniest stretch. Afternoons are for shade, long lunches of khachapuri (cheese bread) and cold lemonade in a courtyard. Evenings are the best time to be out, along the Mtkvari river or in Vere Park.

If heat bothers you, use summer for day trips into the cooler Caucasus, such as Kazbegi. Tbilisi itself is quieter in the hottest weeks, as many locals leave for the Black Sea coast.

Autumn: the best all-round pick

September and October both score Excellent. Days are warm, nights are mild, and it's harvest time. Kakheti, the wine region about two hours east, is busy with grape picking and the rustic wine tradition of qvevri, where wine is aged in buried clay jars. Tbilisoba, with food, crafts and music in the streets, usually falls in October. This is also the busiest time for visitors, so expect fuller restaurants and pricier rooms in the Sololaki and Old Town areas.

November is still rated Excellent on comfort, with only 24 mm of rain. But it's cooler and greyer, with the least sun of the autumn months. It's a good pick if you want quiet streets and a cosy dinner of kharcho (spicy beef soup).

Winter: cold, quiet and cheap

December to February is chilly, with lows around freezing and the most overcast days. Snow in the city is light and doesn't last. You'll get museums and cafés almost to yourself. Georgian Orthodox Christmas on 7 January and the New Year are festive times. If you ski, Gudauri is a couple of hours north by road.