Tbilisi funicular: description, address, photo, how to get there?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The mountainous relief of the capital of Georgia predetermined the appearance of vehicles adapted for climbing along steep slopes - cable lifts and the Tbilisi funicular. The latter, unlike cable cars, in which the cabins are suspended on a cable, pulls them along the rails, which makes the journey more relaxed, but no less exciting. Every guest of Tbilisi must definitely climb Mount Mtatsminda and see the city from a height on a foggy morning or in the rays of the setting sun, drink coffee at the top station, and have a snack with fresh pastries. On the way, you need to stop at the Temple of David and bow to the graves of famous Georgians in the pantheon.

History of the Tbilisi Funicular

The landmark landmark of the city, which allows you to look at all the historical and modern districts from above, was built at the beginning of the 20th century by an anonymous Belgian company and was supposed to pass to the city free of charge in forty-five years. Many changes took place in Georgia in the first half of the twentieth century, but the funicular nevertheless became, as planned, the property of the city and the pride of Tbilisi.

Rails leading to Mount Mtatsminda,lift trailers to a height of 740 meters above sea level. The length of the path is about 500 meters. It was the first funicular in the Russian Empire. The Belgian Alphonse Roby proposed the engineering part of the project at the end of the 19th century, engineers from France took part in the construction. The development of the project took more than five years, the construction itself lasted from 1903 to 1905.

The lower and intermediate stations are clearly visible on the old photo of the Tbilisi funicular. On the way to the top of the mountain, the trailers leave at the Pantheon station, at this stop you can get off and see the Church of St. David (late 19th century) and the pantheon of Georgian celebrities - public figures, scientists, writers and poets. The Russian writer Alexander Griboyedov, who was killed during the massacre at the Russian embassy in Tehran in 1829, is also buried here. The body of the writer was transported to Tiflis and buried near the church of St. David. In the same grave with Griboyedov lies his wife, the Georgian princess Nino Chavchavadze, who died in 1857.

Restarting work in the 21st century

After opening in March 1905, the funicular worked properly until the end of the century, but in 2000 one of the cables broke and the movement was stopped. Fortunately, there were no casu alties in the accident, but the work of the mountain tram was stopped for more than a decade. In 2012, the operation of the line was resumed. Doppelmayr Garaventa (Austria-Switzerland) took part in the restoration of the funicular, the Tbilisi City Hall was the customer.

Historic carriages have been replaced withmodern, the security system has been brought into line with the requirements and capabilities of twenty-first century technology.

According to the description of the Tbilisi funicular on the website of the company that carried out the reconstruction, modern cars have a large glass area and allow you to better view the city from a height. They provide both seating and standing places, in each car there are 18 seats, and in total - up to 60 seats. When moving at a speed of 3 meters per second, the funicular can carry up to 750 passengers per hour.

Austrian contractor performs a preventive inspection of the restored and upgraded transport system every six months.

Funicular in works of art

Immediately after the construction of the funicular, the famous Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani painted a picture depicting a view of the mountain with the stations already built and the rails connecting them, along which the cars move. The original work of art is in Tbilisi, in the State Museum. After the trip, you can go down from the lower station to Rustaveli Avenue, go to the State Museum of Art of Georgia and compare your impressions and the look of the artist more than a century ago.

Ostap Bender, the famous hero of the work of Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov "12 chairs" went to Mtatsminda and back in the book, almost falling out of the trailer window during the trip.

In art galleries and art salons you can find imagesfunicular made by Soviet and contemporary Georgian artists.

Reconstruction of stations during the Soviet period

The upper station was rebuilt in the 1930s in the early modern (art nouveau) style and today is noticeably different in size and architecture from the original structure. The expansion of the building was connected with the opening of the Tbilisi Park of Culture and Leisure, and nowadays located on the top of Mtatsminda.

The lower station was also rebuilt during Soviet times, but when the line was restored, it was brought into line with the original project of the Tbilisi architect of the early 20th century, Alexander Shimkevich, made in oriental style. It is to this renovated building that the signs to the Tbilisi funicular lead. Station address - st. D. Chonkadze.

Restaurant "Funicular"

The modern upper complex of the funicular is not only a cable car station, but also an observation deck and a restaurant complex, consisting of a cafe-bakery located on the lower level, a restaurant of traditional Georgian cuisine, as well as a gourmet restaurant with a banquet hall. Tourists are offered food for every taste and budget, the restaurant is open until early morning, it is its late visitors who leave Mtatsminda on the last tram at four in the morning.

All establishments offer breathtaking views of the city, depending onweather, you can sit both inside and on the open veranda. The reviews of tourists are full of gastronomic impressions from delicious national dishes - khachapuri of various types, cold appetizers, shish kebabs and hot dishes in the national frying pan - ketsi, as well as from traditional drinks - mineral water, lemonades and famous Georgian wines.

The funicular restaurant complex can accommodate up to a thousand people at the same time.

Mtatsminda Park

At the top of the mountain there is a TV tower, around it there is a park with attractions for children and adults, cafes and ice cream kiosks. You can ride a Ferris wheel and see Tbilisi from an even higher point than the observation deck at the upper funicular station. A walk along the shady alleys of the park around the fountains may precede the return trip down to the center of Tbilisi.

The Park of Culture and Leisure was opened on the top of the mountain during the Soviet Union, in the 1930s, and since then it has developed many new attractions for visitors of all ages. In 2007, the Wedding Palace was opened in the park. The wedding ceremony is often combined with a photo session on the picturesque paths of the park and the observation deck.

How to find the funicular stations

Everyone can choose how to get to the Tbilisi funicular:

• on foot from the city center to the lower station, for example, following the signs from Rustaveli Avenue,
• buses 90 and 124,
• by taxi immediately to the top point, so that, having enjoyed the views of Tbilisi from a height, go down in a modern trailer with panoramicglazed.

Buses and cars climb up the mountain along a rather steep serpentine, such a trip is also breathtaking.

Funicular stations are easy to find on the map, there are only three of them:

• lower (located on David Chonkadze Street in the Sololaki district);
• "Pantheon" with 70 meters long siding;
• top (with access to Mtatsminda park).

Opening hours and ticket prices

Any season is good in its own way to visit the Tbilisi funicular. The route's operating hours - daily seven days a week with one long break from 4 am to 9 am - allow you to conveniently plan your day. It is only necessary to take into account that there are stops at the middle station only during the day, from 9.00 to 19.00, at other times it will not be possible to go to the pantheon. The interval of movement of wagons is about 10 minutes.

You can pay for the trip with a card that is purchased at the box office and is non-refundable after the end of the trip. The cost of the card is 2 lari (about 50 rubles). In addition to purchasing a card, you need to buy tickets. Passengers are offered the following fare options:

• day/evening ticket without intermediate stop - 2 GEL (valid from 9.00 to 23.59);
• additional stop at the pantheon - 1 GEL (from 9.00 to 19.00);
• night ticket - 3 GEL (valid from 0.00 to 4.00).

You can take the purchased card with you as a souvenir or give it to friends who are going on a trip to Georgia. It is not necessary to buy separate cards for each tourist - all tickets,even for a group of friends, you can record on one plastic. The same card can be used to pay for rides.

Recommendations for tourists

If you are going to Tbilisi, plan a ride on the city funicular. To fully enjoy this pastime, we advise you to remember:

• at the height of the tourist season, the queue for entry can take up to an hour;
• regular ticket provides one exit from the car, decide in advance whether to leave the tram at an intermediate station;
• to the middle station you can climb from below or go down from the observation deck;
• you can go both from bottom to top and from top to bottom, the view of Tbilisi will be the same;
• in addition to the funicular ride, you need to plan time for a walk in the park and a visit to a restaurant or cafe.

When entering the cabin, choose seats by the window at the bottom of the car, from there you will have the best view of Tbilisi.

If you want to see Tbilisi at sunset from a height of more than seven hundred meters above sea level, check the sunset schedule - it may not coincide with your usual latitude. When the sun begins to set, go to the Tbilisi funicular - the opening hours of this attraction allow you to see the sunset on any, even the longest day.

Do not refuse to visit this attraction, even if you came to Georgia in winter. Unforgettable experiences are guaranteed at any time of the year!