Getting around Tbilisi: metro, buses, the Metromoney/Travel card, cable cars and the funicular

Tbilisi‘s public transport is cheap, legible, and close to everything a visitor needs: two metro lines, a dense city bus network, two short cable cars, and one historic funicular, all paid for with a single rechargeable card or a contactless bank card. For most stays, the metro plus the Narikala and Turtle Lake cable cars and the Mtatsminda funicular will cover the Old Town, the sulphur baths, the fortress, Vake and the hills above the city without ever needing a taxi.

Fares, hours and ticketing rules in Georgia are reviewed periodically by Tbilisi City Hall and the Tbilisi Transport Company, so treat the figures below as a reliable baseline for late 2026 and check the current numbers before you travel, especially for cable car and funicular tickets, which are reviewed on a different schedule from the metro and bus fare. The official starting point is the city’s own transport pages at tbilisi.gov.ge, and Georgian outlets such as agenda.ge and georgiatoday.ge typically report fare or route changes within a day or two of City Hall announcements.

The metro: two lines, hours and how to read the map

Tbilisi Metro has two lines. The red line runs roughly northwest to southeast through Didube, Station Square and Avlabari towards Samgori and Varketili; the green (Saburtalo) line runs from the university district through Vazha-Pshavela and Rustaveli down to the city centre. The two lines connect at the linked stations of Liberty Square (Tavisuplebis Moedani) and Station Square, where a covered passage lets you change lines without leaving the paid area. Trains run from early morning until around midnight, with the longest gaps between trains late in the evening; the exact first and last train times are posted at each station and on the city transport page, and they are worth checking the night before an early airport departure or a late return. For a first visit, pair the metro with the Old Tbilisi Walking Tour or Tbilisi in a Day, which both start from stations on the red line.

Buses, minibuses and the Tbilisi Transport Company app

City buses are run by the Tbilisi Transport Company (TTC) and cover routes the metro does not reach, including most of the Old Town’s flatter streets, Vake, Saburtalo’s outer blocks and the airport road. Stops have electronic boards showing real-time arrivals at busier junctions, and the TTC’s own tracking tools, along with widely used route-planning apps, show live positions for most routes. Separate from the city bus system, privately run minibuses (marshrutka) serve routes the standard bus network does not, mostly to outlying districts and other towns; these are paid in cash to the driver and are not part of the card system described below. For short hops in the historic centre, walking is often faster than waiting for a bus, and several of our half-day city walks, including the Tbilisi Market and Street-Food Walk and the Soviet Tbilisi architecture walk, are designed around that fact.

Metromoney, the Travel card and contactless payment

The rechargeable card sold at metro stations, commonly called Metromoney, is the simplest way to pay across metro, bus, and the two cable cars. It is bought from a vending machine or ticket window inside any metro station for a small one-off card fee, then topped up with cash or a bank card at the same machines. Tap the card on the turnstile or the validator on boarding a bus; fares are deducted per ride, and the balance and a usage log are shown on screen at any top-up machine. Contactless bank cards and phone wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) can now be tapped directly on metro turnstiles and bus validators in Tbilisi without a physical card, which is convenient for a short visit, though it is worth keeping a small cash reserve for minibuses and for the rare validator that is out of order. Because card issuance and contactless rollout details change, confirm the current process at a city information point or via the official transport page before relying on it for a tight connection.

Fares at a glance

These figures are a conservative baseline; Tbilisi City Hall reviews fares from time to time, and any change is usually reported promptly by civil.ge or georgiatoday.ge. For planning a private alternative on days when you would rather not deal with tickets at all, see our Car with Driver by the Day or Tbilisi Airport Transfer options.

Narikala and Turtle Lake cable cars

The Rike-Narikala cableway lifts passengers in small glass cabins from Rike Park, across the Mtkvari river and over the Abanotubani sulphur bath district, to Narikala fortress on the ridge above the Old Town. The ride takes only a few minutes but gives one of the best overviews of the Old Town roofscape, the baths, and the river bend; it is a natural add-on to a walk through Abanotubani, and pairs well with the Sulphur Baths Experience. A second, separate cableway connects upper Vake Park to Turtle Lake (Kus Tba), a reservoir ringed by walking paths, cafés, and in recent years a growing cluster of restaurants; it is popular with Tbilisi residents for an evening walk and sunset. Both cable cars can close temporarily in strong wind or for maintenance, more often in winter, so it is sensible to have a backup plan, particularly if the cable car is the centrepiece of a short visit rather than a bonus.

The Mtatsminda funicular

The funicular that climbs Mtatsminda, the hill above Freedom Square, is one of the oldest in the region, dating to the early twentieth century, and it remains a distinct journey from the metro, bus, and the two cable cars above. It departs from a station reached by a short walk or a connecting minibus from the upper Vera/Sololaki area, climbs past a station near the Pantheon of writers and public figures where many Georgian cultural figures are buried, and continues to the park at the summit, with its restaurant, old Ferris wheel and television tower views over the whole city and, on a clear day, towards Mtskheta and the eastern ridges. Because it has historically used a separate ticketing arrangement rather than the standard transit card, confirm the current fare and whether it accepts the same card before boarding. Our Tbilisi Hills — Mtatsminda Pantheon, Funicular and Vake Park walk is built around this route and is a practical way to see the funicular, the Pantheon and Vake Park in one short outing.

Night transport and getting around after the metro closes

The metro’s last trains run around midnight, after which options thin considerably. A limited number of night bus routes continue to operate on some of the busier corridors, but service is sparse compared with daytime, and schedules are worth checking in advance via the city transport page rather than assuming a particular route will still be running. In practice, most residents and visitors switch to a licensed ride-hailing app for anything after midnight; fares are shown before you confirm the trip, which avoids the negotiation that unlicensed street taxis sometimes expect. If you are arriving on a late flight or returning from a long day trip after dark, a pre-booked private transfer removes the uncertainty entirely; see our Tbilisi Airport Transfer and Car with Driver by the Day pages for fixed, pre-agreed prices.

Practical summary

• Buy a rechargeable transit card at any metro station, or tap a contactless bank card or phone directly on turnstiles and bus validators.
• Metro and bus fares are a flat rate per ride, roughly 1 GEL at the time of writing; verify current fares via tbilisi.gov.ge before you travel.
• Two lines meet at Liberty Square / Station Square; trains run from early morning to around midnight, with wider gaps late at night.
• Minibuses (marshrutka) are cash-only and separate from the city bus and metro card system.
• The Narikala (Rike) and Turtle Lake (Vake) cable cars typically use the same card as metro and bus; both can close in high wind.
• The Mtatsminda funicular has historically had its own fare and ticketing; confirm before riding.
• After the metro closes around midnight, plan on a licensed ride-hailing app or a pre-booked private transfer rather than relying on night buses.
• For a planned day that sidesteps tickets and schedules altogether, book a private car with driver or a licensed guide for the day.

Sources

• Tbilisi City Hall transport information
• Georgia travel planning, getting around
• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Tbilisi transport and fare news
• Tbilisi transport and fare news
• Business and economy coverage, Georgia