# The Dry Bridge market: Soviet cameras, silver, and how to bargain > gtour.ge — G Tour, Gateway to Georgia. Cite as: GTour desk, gtour.ge. - Canonical: https://gtour.ge/the-dry-bridge-market-soviet-cameras-silver-and-how-to-bargain/ - Author: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GTour desk, Tbilisi) - Published: 2026-09-15 - Updated: 2026-10-23 - Language: en - Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/the-dry-bridge-market-soviet-cameras-silver-and-how-to-bargain/ The Dry Bridge is exactly that: a 19th-century stone bridge that once crossed a branch of the Kura, until the branch was filled in and a park laid where the water had been. Since the early 1990s — when Georgians sold what they had to get through a winter without heat or wages — the bridge, the park below it and the streets around have been the city’s flea market. It is open every day, best at weekends, and it has become one of the things people remember about Tbilisi. ### What you find Soviet Georgia, mostly, laid out on rugs and folding tables: cameras (Zenit, FED, Kiev — some working), lenses, wristwatches with Cyrillic dials, military medals and badges, pins for Komsomol congresses that no one attended, samovars, enamel signs, gas masks, drinking horns. Older things too, if you look: hand-hammered copper, Caucasian silver belts and dagger sheaths, Persian tiles, gramophones, photographs of Tbilisi families from the 1900s in cardboard mounts. And the painters, along the railings of the park below, selling canvases of Tbilisi balconies and Kakhetian feasts in the manner of Pirosmani — some of them good. Georgian cloisonné enamel, *minankari*, is the thing worth carrying home: small pendants and crosses in blue, green and gold, a medieval technique revived in the 1990s and now made by a few dozen artisans. The real ones are on gold or silver, with visible wire cells; buy from the maker if you can find one. ### How to bargain Politely, in Georgian if you can manage *ramdeni?* (how much?) and *dzalian dzviria* (very expensive). Ask, listen, look unconvinced, offer about two-thirds, settle around four-fifths. Nobody expects the first price and nobody is offended by a counter-offer; walking away is part of it and they will call you back. Cash, in lari. For anything old and valuable — icons, weapons, silver over a century — ask for the export paperwork; genuine antiques need a permit from the Ministry of Culture and customs at the airport does check. ### The neighbourhood The market sits between the old town and the 19th-century quarter of Sololaki, whose Art Nouveau entrance halls and carved stairwells are Tbilisi’s other great treasure. Walk from the bridge up Atoneli street and into the lanes, push open any door with a painted ceiling, and look up. ### See it with GTour The Dry Bridge is a stop on the [Tbilisi & Mtskheta first day](/tour/tbilisi-mtskheta-the-essential-first-day/) when it falls on a weekend, and on request on any Tbilisi day; your guide bargains for you, or beside you. This story in Georgian — ქართულად: [shenidasveneba.ge](https://shenidasveneba.ge/the-dry-bridge-market-soviet-cameras-silver-and-how-to-bargain-ka/) ### Quick answers **What is the Dry Bridge market in Tbilisi?** The Dry Bridge is a 19th-century stone bridge that once crossed a branch of the Kura River; when the branch was filled in and a park laid out below it, the bridge, park and surrounding streets became Tbilisi's flea market. It has operated since the early 1990s and is open every day, best visited on weekends. **What kinds of items can you find at the Dry Bridge market?** Mostly Soviet Georgian items like Zenit, FED and Kiev cameras, lenses, Cyrillic-dial wristwatches, military medals, Komsomol pins, samovars, enamel signs, gas masks and drinking horns. Older pieces also turn up, including hand-hammered copper, Caucasian silver belts and dagger sheaths, Persian tiles, gramophones and early 1900s family photographs, plus painters selling Pirosmani-style canvases along the park railings. **What souvenir from the market is especially worth buying?** Georgian cloisonné enamel, called minankari, is recommended as the best thing to bring home. These are small pendants and crosses in blue, green and gold made with a medieval technique revived in the 1990s by a few dozen artisans; genuine pieces are on gold or silver with visible wire cells, and it's best to buy directly from the maker. **How should you bargain at the Dry Bridge market?** Bargain politely, using Georgian phrases like 'ramdeni?' (how much?) and 'dzalian dzviria' (very expensive) if possible. The typical approach is to ask the price, look unconvinced, offer about two-thirds of it, and settle around four-fifths; walking away is expected and sellers will often call you back. Payment is in cash, in lari. **What should you do before buying a genuine antique at the market?** For anything old and valuable, such as icons, weapons, or silver over a century old, you should ask for export paperwork. Genuine antiques require a permit from the Ministry of Culture, and customs at the Tbilisi airport does check for this documentation. **What neighborhood is near the Dry Bridge market, and what makes it notable?** The market sits between Tbilisi's old town and the 19th-century quarter of Sololaki. Sololaki is known for its Art Nouveau entrance halls and carved stairwells, reachable by walking up Atoneli street from the bridge and pushing open doors to see painted ceilings. **How can you visit the Dry Bridge market with GTour?** The Dry Bridge is included as a stop on the Tbilisi & Mtskheta tour's first day when that day falls on a weekend. It can also be added to any Tbilisi day on request, with a guide who will bargain for you or alongside you. Photo: Charles Trumbo Henry / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Been to Georgia? Tell us how it went — the best stories are published here. 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