Hotels near Rustaveli Avenue

Named for the 12th-century poet Shota Rustaveli, this 1.5 km avenue running north from Freedom Square is Tbilisi's main cultural artery. The boulevard houses the Georgian National Museum, the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (1851), the Tbilisi Public Library, and a row of 19th-century European-style mansions converted to embassies and cafes. The avenue was laid out during the Russian Empire period in the 1860s as Tbilisi's answer to the Champs-Élysées.

Highlights along the walk include the Parliament Building (the site of the 1989 April 9 tragedy, when Soviet troops killed 21 protesters), the Kashueti Church of St George (1910), and Rustaveli Theatre. The avenue's cafes and bookshops are where Tbilisi's intelligentsia have gathered for 150 years. Allow 90 minutes for a slow walk with stops. Freedom Square metro at the southern end; Rustaveli metro at the northern end.

Pro Tip: Stop at Cafe Linville at 37 Rustaveli for excellent Georgian coffee and the city's best kachapuri (cheese bread) at 18 GEL - it has been a writer's hangout since the 1980s and the upstairs salon has views over the boulevard.