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About Kutaisi
Kutaisi, which is the second largest city in Georgia, is the largest city in the Imereti region, where it is located. Situated in the western part of the country, this city is about 221 kilometers away from Tbilisi, the capital city. The population of Kutaisi amounted to around 600 thousand people in the city which was the center of the heavy metal industry during the Soviet Union era, yet it has declined considerably after the Russians left the region. Rioni River, Bagrati Cathedral and the Glorious Monastery are the tourist attractions of the city and Kutaisi is a very historic city.
The city was the capital city of the Koleti, an ancient period kingdom, as well as the Kingdom of Kartli and the Kingdom of Imereti. Despite the economic slowdown that followed the declaration of Georgia's independence in 1991, Kutaisi has become one of the main industrial cities of the country. Today, the rest of the population in Kutaisi, except for those who go abroad for business, makes a living by small-scale trade. Kutaisi is situated on both sides of the Rioni River. Kutaisi, which is surrounded by the foothills of Imereti Mountains in the east and north-east and has Samgureli Plain in the north and Kolheti Plain in the west and south, also has a beautiful nature.
Bagrati Cathedral built in the beginning of the 11th century and the Gelati Monastery built in the beginning of the 12th century are the most noteworthy buildings of the city and they are also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Kutaisi air transportation is provided through Kopitnari Airport. The airport is located approximately 32 kilometers away from the city center and there are several route options for transportation. The flights between Istanbul and Kutaisi take about 2 hours 10 minutes.
Transportation to Kutaisi City Center from Airport
Kutaisi Intl. Airport
There is the Rioni river at the entrance of Kutaisi, which is the second largest and most developed city of Georgia, and this river literally divides the city into two. Kutaisi is located in the Imerati Region in the western part of Georgia and its distance to the country’s capital, Tbilisi, is approximately 221 kilometers. The city’s population is around 201.000. Kutaisi’s urban transportation is mostly composed of buses, trolleys, taxis and mini-buses called marshrutka.
There is also a big train station in the city. But from this train station, daily express trains from Kutaisi to Georgia’s other major cities depart. As the area of the city is small, majority of the visitors walk or use taxis for transportation.
Kutaisi railway terminal is directly connected to Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi. All of the trains leaving from this terminal are operated by Georgian Railways. You can travel to Tbilisi from Kutaisi in around 5.5 hours by taking the train #18, which departs from Kutaisi I station. There are also daily express trains.
The train starts its trip at 08.50 every morning and arrives at Tbilisi in 6 hours. This train also stops in Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia. There are also regular bus trips from Didube bus station in Didube, where the metro station in Tbilisi is located at, to Kutaisi. Price for this bus trip is only 10 Lari.
In addition to the marshrutkas and buses, you may also consider using car rental services or taxis for transportation to city centre from the Kutaisi Airport.
Marshrutka
After arriving at the Kutaisi Airport, take the exit from the arrival terminal and proceed to the bus stops. As well as the buses, marshrutkas also depart to Kutiasi city centre or suburbans from the bus stops at the area in front of the terminal building. Marshrutka drivers may not accept paying with dollar or euro, so do not forget to stop by the exchange office in the airport just in case.
Marshrutkas leaving from Kutaisi Airport go directly to the Kutaisi bus station just behind McDonalds. Marshrutkas, which run in every 20 minutes, provide transportation services to the town of Samtredia from Kutaisi Airport for a fee of 2 Lari. There are also vehicles named ‘direct marshrutkas’, which have a fare of 5 Lari. These direct marshrutkas will take you to your destination as well.
There are direct marshrutkas running between Kutaisi Airport and Tbilisi, and fare is currently 20 Lari. Likewise, there are also marshrutkas going directly to Batumi, another major city of Georgia, for a fare of 18 Lari.
Bus
Bus service timetable are usually updated according to the flights' arrival times. You don’t need to worry if you forget to get Georgian currency, as it is possible to buy bus tickets with euro or dollar as well.
Taxi
Taxi is the most economical vehicle you can use for traveling to the city centre from Kutaisi Airport. Traveling to the city centre from the airport by taxi costs around 25 Lari, but you can drop the price to 20 Lari by bargaining with the taxi driver.
Rent a Car
The only thing that you need to do to go city centre from Kutaisi Airport by your rented car is to take the highway, which passes right by the airport, and follow the direction signs to the city. You can reach the city centre in around 20 minutes by your vehicle.
As well as you can find several rent a car services at the exit of Kutaisi Airport terminal, you can also make benefit of discounts by making an online reservation. People visiting Kutaisi often prefer renting a car as they usually include visiting other Georgian cities such as Tbilisi and Batumi in their travel plans.
