Georgian Souvenirs Guide: Where to Buy Authentic & Handmade Souvenirs in Tbilisi (With a Free Map)

Forget the mass-produced knickknacks! This guide to the best independent Tbilisi gift shops shows you what to buy in Georgia and where to go shopping in Tbilisi for handmade, authentic and traditional souvenirs.

Like most capital cities these days, Tbilisi is overflowing with souvenir shops. While atmospheric, the popular Meidan Bazaar tends to be very overpriced, as do many of the shops in the Old Town.

Written for anyone who’s seeking unique and authentic souvenirs and gifts, this guide brings together more than 30+ of the best alternative Tbilisi shops, including my favourite independent retailers and artist studio-boutiques.

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Best concept stores & gift shops (one-stop variety)

Run by local creative and patron of the arts Nino Kvavilashvili, Gallery 27 is Tbilisi’s premier gift boutique. Nino makes full use of her small space to curate and showcase works from almost 100 different local artists. In her own words, “We try to put together the works of all artists who create with passion – works of artistic value.”

At Gallery 27 you can find batik silk scarves, cotton lurji supra blue tablecloths, wall hangings, knitted items, paintings, ceramics, leather goods and much more.

Gallery 27 used to be located upstairs at the iconic ‘Kaleidoscope House’. The house is now undergoing vital restorations, so in spring 2023 Nino and her crew relocated to a different space in Sololaki.

Their new (old) house has plenty of space to host enamel, batik and pottery workshops, and they also have plans to launch a small coffee house. Watch this space!

• 52 Lado Asatiani Street (Sololaki)
• Hours & info
• Shop online

The Georgian Heritage Crafts Association was established to safeguard the country’s applied arts, including lurji supra. The Association’s flagship store, Ethnodesign, is a treasure trove of specialty crafts sourced from different regions and makers, including felt from Tusheti, ceramics from Western Georgia and woodwork.

It’s also an important platform for homeworkers and small co-ops to develop their products and sell their wares in the capital.

They stock Ikorta Enamel Jewelry from the social enterprise studio that trains and employs women displaced from South Ossetia.

(As a side-note, Ikorta’s studio in the IDP settlement near Mtskheta offers hands-on workshops and a chance to shop for traditional cloisonné enamel earrings, pins and pendants directly from the artisans.)

All the products here are top-notch in terms of both design and quality. Proceeds go directly to the makers, and when you purchase a souvenir, you’re also supporting the Association’s work to elevate Georgian crafts on the world stage. Most items are accompanied by an information card that tells you a bit about the artist.

You can also find a small selection of Ethnodesign products for sale at Tbilisi International Airport.

• Corner of Akhvlediani & Nikoladze Streets (near Rustaveli Metro Station)
• Hours & info

This gift boutique near Orbeliani Square is a one-stop-shop for products handmade by various social enterprises around Georgia. There are at least 25 different enterprises represented at any one time.

Much of the shelf space is taken up with children’s gear, making this an ideal place to shop for the little people in your life. I particularly like the wooden toys handmade on the grounds of Sameba Cathedral.

There is plenty on offer for adults, too – including a curated range of Ethnodesign ceramics and jewellery, Babale’s fun socks (also see below), Bebias beanies handmade from Tushetian wool (Ross and I both own one!), and felted Georgian hats made in Oni in Racha.

• 7 Nato Vachnadze Street (near Orbeliani Square)
• Hours & info

For a range of Georgian makers under one roof, One Village One Product (OVOP) is a new shop on Shanidze Street that showcases dozens of locally made souvenirs, from lurji supra tablecloths and ceramics to honey, spices and handmade textiles.

The concept comes from a rural development initiative launched in Japan in 1979, which encourages communities to create and promote a distinctive product using local skills and materials. Today the program operates in more than 30 countries – and this new Tbilisi outpost brings together a thoughtful selection of Georgian crafts and foods.

Highlights include cotton lurji supra printed at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts (also see below for their studio-shop), ceramics from Orkol Studio in Zugdidi, enamel jewellery by Ikorta, knitted slippers by Funduki, carpet-inspired bags by Pesvebi Art-Studio in Dedoplistskaro, textiles by Igrika, and much more.

• 15 Akaki Shanidze Street
• Hours & info

Opened in late 2025, Pipinia Design is a small basement studio-shop just off Melikishvili Street, run by a collective of local artists and makers. They describe their creations as “the most (un)ordinary gifts” – playful, handmade pieces that feel thoughtful and distinctly Georgian and not at all touristy. Next time I have to buy a gift for a Georgian friend, this is where I’m going to find something unique and special.

Expect colourful ceramics, quirky cushions and one-off objects with a sense of humour, alongside charming folkloric touches like tiny statuettes of Aguna, the guardian spirit of vineyards. Everything feels personal and slightly imperfect in the best way. And the staff are exceptionally sweet!

• 5 Simon Janashia Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

Dae Concept Store is a multipurpose collaborative hub in Chugureti neighbourhood, close to Marjanishvili Metro Station. The label partners with local Georgian and international artists for its range of canvases, posters, tablecloths and silk scarves. I particularly love their Zodiac range of scarves, which are inspired by astrological signs.

Dae has an online shop (and worldwide shipping), but I really recommend popping into the physical store if you have time. The space also houses a cinema-cafe and a professional photography studio that you can rent by the hour.

• 18 Kote Marjanishvili Street (Chugureti)
• Hours & info
• Shop online

Social enterprise Babale works with children and adults with Down’s Syndrome to creative clothing and homewares with imaginative, whimsical designs.

I particularly like their collection of home textiles (pictured above) which are inspired by designs found in famous Georgian paintings. For example, you can buy a recreation of the backdrop from a famous David Kakabadze portrait or the cloth from a Petre Otskheli sketch! The same designs also come in socks, with a little explanation about the work and the artist on the back. I recently picked up five pairs for myself!

Babale also sells Christmas ornaments, Easter decorations, jewellery, magnets, and other small Georgia-themed forget-me-nots.

• 21 Aleqsandre Diuma Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours & info

This indie gift shop near Gudiashvili Square in the Old Town is run by two young female entrepreneurs. Much of the collection is dedicated to fine silver jewellery, which co-owner Lika sources both from local Georgian and from Armenian makers.

You can also find some funky, quirky and alternative souvenirs here, including ceramics, books, tote bags, and papergoods.

Weseeitems doubles as a contemporary art space, with local painters and print artists showcased in the adjoining gallery space. A restored heritage fireplace in the back gallery room eludes to the building’s history.

• 6 Abo Tbileli Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours & info

Most of the top museums and galleries in Tbilisi have a gift shop. While the shop at the National Museum does carry some nice hardcover books, for a wide range of arty souvenirs, my top pick is the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA).

There is a nice range of Georgian-made jewellery, silk scarves, graphic print tees and tote bags here, plus books on Georgian art and culture, many of them in English. I particularly like the collection of postcards and unframed posters that bear designs from the private art collection on display upstairs. If you’re looking for a typical Tbilisi postcard, this shop is my top choice.

The shop (and the Museum Cafe, where delicious sweets and some of the best coffee in Tbilisi is served) are both located on the lower level. You do not have to buy a ticket for the museum to visit them.

• 7 Rustaveli Avenue
• Hours & info

Art Foundation Anagi is a new private cultural foundation in Vake that houses galleries, an archive, an art restoration workshop, and even a small cinema, with exhibitions ranging from antique maps and etchings to modern Georgian art.

Downstairs, the permanent cartography exhibition includes a beautiful 17th-century engraving often described as the first panoramic view of Tbilisi – and you can buy high-quality replica prints in the Anagi gift shop (I took one home myself). Alongside these, you’ll find art books, ceramics, textiles and thoughtfully designed pieces by local artists.

• 12 Zurab Avalishvili Street (Vake)
• Hours & info

Blue Tabla is a Tbilisi-based homewares brand specialising in beautifully made tablecloths, textiles and ceramics inspired by Georgian traditions. Their designs riff on classic motifs – think lurji supra blues, folk patterns and playful regional references – reimagined in a fresh, modern way that feels stylish rather than souvenir-y.

Everything is produced locally, and the quality is excellent. I own several pieces myself, including their Kutaisi tablecloth (of course!). You’ll find Blue Tabla stands inside a few Tbilisi malls, but I recommend visiting their new standalone shop on Bambis Rigi in the Old Town if you can.

• 7 Jan Shardeni Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours, info & online shop

Artisan studios & handmade crafts

Lurji Supra Workshop at the Academy of Arts

This studio should be your first port of call if you’re in the market for an authentic lurji supra ‘blue tablecloth’ printed on cotton and linen according to traditional screen and block-printing methods. Run as part of a special UNESCO project, the small printing workshop is located on the grounds of the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. I first learned about it way back in 2017, but it took me years to finally visit.

Visitors are welcome to pop in and tour the two small rooms crowded with old-school printing equipment and vats of indigo dye. Everything is done by hand, and if you’re lucky the artists will give you a demonstration.

I am honestly not sure where most of the tablecloths go, as only a few shops in Tbilisi seem to sell them. Perhaps they are exported. Staff always keep a stash on hand at the workshop, and normally they have a good range of shapes, sizes and colourways.

Prices are extremely reasonable, from 18-100 GEL. Pay by debit/credit card. The workshop is open daily from 10am-4.30pm (closed for summer break from approximately August 12-September 4 and for New Year).

• 22 Alexander Griboedov Street (enter through the gate at the north-west end)

Irma Khoperia’s studio in Vera doubles as a gift boutique where you can shop the artist’s range of batik on silk wallhangings and scarves and sublimation printed cottons. I challenge you to find a more colourful, cheerful creative space in Tbilisi!

Message or call Irma a day or two in advance to organise your visit.

• 25 Ivane Tarkhnishvili Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

Samoseli Pirveli (‘first garment’) takes inspiration from Georgian chokha and traditional dress for its clothing, shoes and accessories for adults and children. The company was founded in 2009 and previously located in Vake. In 2023, they moved to a beautiful new showroom-shop on a quiet street opposite the Rustaveli Metro Station.

Prices reflect the level of craftsmanship that goes into each item. A tailoring service is available for the perfect fit, and they also offer garment rentals for special occasions.

• 10 Leo Kiacheli Street (near Rustaveli Metro)
• Hours & info

Specialising in fine jewellery inspired by traditional Georgian motifs, mythology and unearthed artefacts, Istoriali looks more like a museum than a shop. Fine gold and enamel accessories carry traditional Colchian forms and symbols and are very contemporary at the same time.

• 7 Niko Nikoladze Street (near Rustaveli Metro)
• Hours & info

If only you could bottle that distinctive eau de ‘Tbilisi’ to take home… Chemi Suli does just that, with fragrances blended from essential oils and natural ingredients inspired by the smells of the city.

Scents include ‘Alazani’ (which channels the Wine Region with notes of white wine and oak), ‘Bazari’ (inspired by Georgia’s markets and perfumes of cardamom, saffron and tobacco), and ‘Mta’ (juniper, moss and lavender a-la the mountains). There are also seasonal specials such as ‘Svaneti Pine’ and ‘Chichilaki’ for Christmas. My favourite is ‘Ezo’, which captures a typical Tbilisi yard with white tea, lemon and sandalwood.

Hand-poured organic soy wax candles, diffusers and body sprays are all mixed in-house. I am not traditionally a candle person, but I never leave this shop empty handed!

• 24 Galaktion Tabidze Street (Sololaki)
• Hours & info

Tucked away in the courtyard near Sofia Melnikovas Georgian restaurant, behind the Rustaveli Theatre, 17 Kvadrati sells leather bags and clutches made on-site by the owner/artist and other Georgian makers.

The name 17 Kvadrai (’17 squared’) is taken from the tiny room the store started out in. As the space has expanded, so has its offerings – now you can also shop a range of leather bags, wallets, ladies purses and belts plus pins and jewellery, stickers and other quirky gifts from young local designers.

• 8 Giorgi Chanturia Street (off Rustaveli Avenue)
• Hours & info

The female artists behind Ceramic Room are responsible for hand-crafting and painting the ornate street signs on restored Gudiashvili Square and Atoneli Street. They also installed the decorative steps that lead from Rustaveli up to the Art Academy, a must-see in Tbilisi.

Hand-painted tiles and house numbers with traditional ornaments are sold alongside contemporary pottery, plates and vases at their shop in Vera. I adore their entire range. My dream is to build a house and cover it with Ceramic Room tiles from ceiling to floor! They also have a workshop space in Mtatsminda.

• 30 Vasil Barnovi Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

Founded by Nato Eristavi and Nino Kambarashvili in 2013, White Studio aims to modernise heritage Georgian pottery by revitalising unique materials and techniques, including white clay, white porcelain and faïence. Everything they produce is a work of art – literally.

At their new shop, White Studio Home (one of two in Vera), you will find hand-painted tableware and vases, plus small trinkets including hand-painted ornaments.

At the second shop on Petriashvili Street, most of the ceramics are quite big and might be tricky to transport home. If you have room in your suitcase for everything including the kitchen sink, they have a beautiful range of hand-painted ceramic basins!

• 4 Erekle Tatishvili Street & 18 Vasil Petriashvili Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

I love the range of Georgian ceramics at Estia Handmade Arts, especially the blue and white tea sets with concentric motifs inspired by lurji supra designs. As well as teapots and saucers, you can find hand-painted beer steins and small souvenirs, such as ceramic magnets.

Estia has a second space around the corner for hosting art classes and workshops.

• 9 Kiev Street (Chugureti)
• Hours & info

Georgian fashion designers

IERI Store

Tbilisi’s premier clothing store for Georgian brands, I E R I is located on the upper floor of Wine Factory N1. They stock a beautiful range of tailored garments for men and women from Georgian designers Situationist, Chubika, George Keburia, and others.

• Inside Wine Factory N1, 1 Vasil Petriashvili Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

Books, posters, prints & paper goods

Stamba Bookstore

Located on the ground floor of the famous Stamba Hotel, a refurbished printing house, Stamba’s Books stocks literary related knickknacks and gifts alongside a wide variety of Georgian and English-language tomes.

You can also find a big selection of graphic posters by Geoposters plus silk scarves and blue tablecloths by Blue Tabla. Next door, The Shop also sells books and guidebooks as well as homewares.

• 14 Merab Kostava Street (inside Stamba Hotel)
• Hours & info

Fotografia is Tbilisi’s leading photo gallery, spotlighting established and emerging artists whilst honouring Georgia’s photographic heritage.

You can find a nice range of limited-edition prints here – including a Georgia-inspired series by yours truly! Unique postcards and art books are also sold.

• 21/4 Revaz Tabukashvili Street (off Rustaveli Avenue)
• Hours, info & online shop

Prospero’s Books

This popular bookstore-cafe with three branches in Tbilisi offers a big selection of English-language books, including translations of Georgian novels. There is a special regional section devoted to books about the history, culture and cuisine of the Caucasus.

You can also find translated folk tales, Georgian poetry books, copies of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, and resources for learning Georgian language.

• 34 Rustaveli Avenue
• Hours & info

Founded in 1920 and located inside a striking Soviet-era modernist building in Saburtalo, the National Archives safeguards thousands of documents, photographs, films and audio recordings that are pertinent to Georgian history.

As well as hosting photographic exhibitions and screening classic films in their onsite cinema, they have a small but sweet gift shop where you can buy print reproductions of Soviet-Georgian movie and propaganda posters, plus postcards and other papergoods with designs from various archival documents. The range is small but nice. Georgian and English-language specialty books are also on offer.

• 1 Vazha-Pshavela Avenue (Saburtalo) – enter from the eastern door (the shop is located upstairs)
• Hours & info

Antiques, vintage & markets

The Dry Bridge Market

The Dry Bridge Market, Tbilisi’s daily flea market, is without a doubt the best place to rummage for vintage merchandise and collectibles. Stallholders peddle everything from Russian-made film cameras and KGB ID books to Kakhetian kilims, antique chandeliers and brass door fittings.

Underneath the bridge, you’ll find a special section for painters and their easels. New stands were recently built, and more and more designers and artists are setting up shop here every month.

Even if you’re not in the market for anything, it’s great fun to hang out and have a browse. The market is open daily from mid-morning and is always at its biggest and best on weekends. Don’t miss the hidden antiques section.

→ See my dedicated guide to visiting the Dry Bridge Market for more tips.

• The Dry Bridge & Dedaena Park (near Orbeliani Square)

The antiques market inside Navtlughi (AKA Samgori Bazaar) is a great alternative to Dry Bridge. It’s less ‘curated’ and it definitely has a more local feel, which makes rummaging for treasure here even more fun.

Barakholka as it’s also known includes a mix of outdoor stalls and more formal shops located inside an old warehouse. It is part of the much larger Navtlughi market, which sells everything from fresh fruit and veg to auto parts.

Find the antiques in the side streets around Mevele Dead End (aim for this point).

There are a couple of excellently curated shops here that sell authentic chandeliers, pottery, tableware and other bits and pieces. If you’re specifically interested in Soviet memorabilia, you will definitely find some items of interest here.

Prices are lower than at the Dry Bridge and at least two of the shops have everything tagged, which makes things a bit easier (haggling is still acceptable, though).

Just when you think you’ve reached the end of the antique market, you come across another side alley with more stalls. Give yourself a good hour to explore all the nooks and crannies – and definitely try to visit on a weekend when there are more vendors in the outdoor section.

• Mevele Dead End (Samgori)

You can find more antique shops nearby around Tsinamdzgvrishvili Street – my favourites are Retro Bazaari and Antique Shop Nino Lebanidze. Most of the furniture and other items are too big to take home, but you can find souvenir-sized ceramics and charming knickknacks here too.

If you’re exploring the neighbourhood, you will also find plenty of second-hand clothing stores along both sides of Marjanishvili Street.

• 2 Dimitri Uznadze Street (Chugureti)

This tiny basement shop offers a curated collection of vintage film posters, postcards, photographs and other papergoods, plus rare and collectable books in both Georgian and Russian. If you’re in the market for an authentic antique, this place is a good bet. Prices are a little higher of course, but still reasonable.

• 30/6 Ivane Javakhishvili Street (Chugureti)
• Hours & info

If you have the luggage space, an antique carpet or kilim makes for a wonderful souvenir from the Caucasus. Caucasian Carpets Gallery (Origin Carpets) is the best-known and most reputable carpet dealer in Tbilisi, selling authentic Kakhetian kilims and export-quality rugs sourced from across the region.

Some of my favourite boutique hotels in Tbilisi – including The Blue Fox Hotel – source their rugs from this dealer.

Staff are friendly and knowledgable, and never pressure you into buying. If you do decide to pick something up, you’ll be glad to hear that worldwide shipping is available. Staff will help you with any documentation you might need to take an antique carpet out of the country.

• 8 Erekle II Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours & info
• Online shop

Food & wine souvenirs

Georgian Kalata

Kalata means ‘basket’ in Georgian – and you’re going to need one when you go shopping here. Part deli, part pantry, this is a one-stop shop for artisanal food products, including all the edible Georgian souvenirs mentioned at the top.

You can find Kakhetian cold-pressed sunflower oil, honey from Poka St. Nino Monastery, jams and preserves, gozinaki walnut candy, a big selection of spices, Stumari wine tea, loose-leaf teas, fresh goat’s cheese from Marleta’s farm in Telavi, wine, chacha, and just about anything else your stomach desires.

Georgian Kalata has a cute new storefront on the Cotton Rows in Old Tbilisi, close to Sioni Cathedral.

• 7 Bambis Rigi Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours & info

On the lower level of the same building, there is a large brach of the popular Carrefour supermarket chain. Many specialty Georgian food products – including Badagi churchkhela and Komli brand packaged spices – are stocked here. You can also find jams, preserves, honey, sauces and Kakhetian sunflower oil.

• 3a Vekua Street (Orbeliani Square)
• Hours & info

Khurjini is an atmospheric little shop with a great range of local food products to choose from. Everything is natural and locally sourced, including spices, local wine and chacha, churchkhela, jams, honey, compote, preserved fruits, cheeses and teas.

• 15 Anton Katalikosi Street (Old Tbilisi)
• Hours & info

Badagi is one of Georgia’s most popular churchkhela companies and is often name-checked by locals for selling the most reliably delicious rendition of the sweet. This company uses all-natural products with no added sugar. I love the fresh grapey taste and soft texture – exactly how it should be!

Their shop sells individual churchkhela, gift bags, boxes and hampers along with other dried fruit products, teas, spices, and tklapi fruit leather.

• 2 Roman Miminoshvili Street (off Rustaveli Avenue)
• Hours & info

This petite tea shop and museum dedicated to Georgian tea is run by the Bitadze family, who also manage the country’s only tea growers co-op. Giorgi (pictured above) is usually instore to offer commentary on the range of products, and the history of Georgian tea.

Loose leaf green, black and white leaves, plus herbal and fruit teas grown in Guria tea region, Adjara and Samegrelo are all available. The newest product on offer is cosmetic-grade tea seed oil, which is cold-pressed onsite. If you’re a tea lover, you can even join them for a Georgian tea ceremony on request.

• 15 Galaktion Tabidze Street (Sololaki)
• Hours & info

Fresh spices and herbs, huge wheels of Sulguni cheese and homemade adjika and chacha are just some of the offerings available at Tbilisi’s main central food market. Most people come here for grocery shopping, but all these items make for wonderful edible Tbilisi souvenirs – locally made and straight from the source.

For spices and cheeses, head into the building on the right-side of the market. Herbs and tea can be found outside. If you’re looking for Georgian spices, there is a terrific stall in the Pasaji part of the market off Abastumani Street. It is called Givi Papa.

You can find wooden utensils (including special rolling pins and dough cutters for khinkali) in the small shops under the arched walkway on Tamar Mepe Avenue (around this point).

If you’re into thrifting, there are dozens of second-hand and vintage clothing shops in the Bazroba market area, too. Dezerter Vintage is one of the best-curated.

• Abastumani Street (near Central Railway Station)
• Hours & info

With an estimated 60 varieties of artisanal cheese, Georgia truly is a turophile’s paradise. Cheese House stocks some of the nation’s finest hard and soft qveli, including specialty mountain cheeses such as Tushetian guda and tenili ‘pulled’ cheese, a culinary delicacy from Samtskhe-Javakheti. Everything is sold by weight.

Spices, wines and other natural products are on hand to accompany. Staff at this family-run shop don’t speak much English, but are are clued up on the history and makers behind every wheel. Free samples are abundant.

• 9 Abashidze Street (Vera)
• Hours & info

8000 Vintages

8000 Vintages is one of the best-stocked wine shops in Tbilisi. There are three branches around the city that double as wine bars, hosting formal wine degustations (a must-do activity for anyone interested in wine).

The shop stocks a monumental array of Georgian wines from Kakheti and beyond, plus chacha and wine accessories. They even have a special section dedicated to small-batch family wine cellars for anyone looking to support the little guys.

• 27 Revaz Tabukashvili Street (off Rustaveli Avenue) & elsewhere
• Hours & info
• Shop online

Warehouse is a relatively new wine shop and bar located on the ground floor of Stamba Hotel. To find it, walk through the cafe and make a right, heading towards the pink lights of the Space Farm vertical farm.

Warehouse was created by a team of talented winemakers and restauranteurs. Every bottle is hand-picked, and the curated range is very, very good. Half of the shelf space is devoted to natural qvevri and European-style Georgian wines, while on the other side there are international wines from France and beyond (including Loire Valley wines made in clay qvevri). Many of my favourite vintners from Imereti and Kakheti are represented.

Everything is labelled, and prices are very reasonable. You can also buy wine here by the glass, with half a dozen bottles open and chilling on the bar at any given time.

• 14 Merab Kostava Street (inside Stamba Hotel)
• Hours & info

Chacha Corner

Georgia’s first chacha specialty shop carries more than 200 varieties of locally made liquor, ranging from potent homemade distillations through to fancy modern concoctions such as ChaChaine’s ginger-infused chacha.

• 11 Giga Lortkifanidze Street (Sololaki)
• Hours & info

Bonus: Pop-up markets for Tbilisi souvenirs

In the warmer months, vendors set up shop along Rustaveli Avenue. This is a good place to find second-hand books.

There is also a small handicraft market daily on the stairs in front of the Mtatsminda cable car station where you can buy original artworks, Svan hats and knitted socks, and other cute souvenirs. It’s a bit touristy but worth pausing for a look if you happen to be walking by.

In late summer and fall you’ll often see pop-up handicraft markets on Rustaveli Avenue. Dates and times can be found here on the STALL Facebook Page.

Come December/January, Christmas Markets appear in the centre of the city. See this guide to Christmas in Tbilisi for more details.

→ Must-read: 9 best markets in Tbilisi.

What to buy in Tbilisi: Authentic Georgian souvenirs

Now that you know where to shop in Tbilisi, here are the items you should be looking to buy.

Here are just a few of my favourite ‘authentically Georgian’ souvenirs – items that carry the country’s heritage of craftsmanship and embody Georgia’s culinary traditions.

Shopping in Georgia – beyond Tbilisi

Tbilisi is definitely the best place in Georgia to do your souvenir shopping – the capital has the biggest selection of shops and goods by far. I always recommend giving yourself an extra day at the end of your Georgia itinerary to do last-minute shopping.

Outside of Tbilisi, there are a few places in particular that I recommend:

• ORKOL Ceramics in Zugdidi – for beautiful red and black-smoked clay pottery with traditional Megrelian designs.
• Giorgi Tatulashvili Ceramics Studio in Gori – for hand-thrown tableware and ceramics inspired by traditional Georgian drinking vessels.
• Pesvebi Art-Studio in Dedoplistskaro – for handwoven carpets and leather bags with carpet swatches (Pesvebi is the only studio in Georgia using 100% natural dyes for its wool).
• Guesthouses in Svaneti and Tusheti – many family run guesthouses in the mountains sell hand-knitted socks, wallhangings and other woollies.

You can find more shopping suggestions sprinkled throughout my city guides:

• Batumi City Guide
• Kutaisi City Guide
• Zugdidi City Guide
• Telavi City Guide