As you might have read in my annual review, 2021 was my first full year in Georgia. And what a year it was. So much has happened over the past 12 months, not least of all Georgia reopening its borders to tourists, recommencing trains to Armenia, and relaxing many restrictions.
While the pandemic remained front of mind throughout 2021 (and will still be the focus for the foreseeable future), there were plenty of things to get excited about as well.
To celebrate all the positive things that happened last year, I decided to write up a little list of my favourite new ‘things’ that came to Georgia in 2021 – restaurant openings, tourism projects, new museums, national parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and other developments. As 2022 rolls on, I will return to add more to the list.
This is by no means a comprehensive round-up… It’s just a collection of things that stand out to me as I look back over the year that was. If you’re a frequent traveller to Georgia, you live here, or you’re planning to visit in 2022, these are some of the things you should look out for.
→ Also see: Georgia cultural events calendar for 2022.
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New openings in Tbilisi
After seeing so many businesses shutter after the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, it was amazing to see life come back into Tbilisi’s streets in the second half of the year. In many ways downtown Tbilisi feels like a whole new city compared with the way it was a year ago.
On top of businesses that survived and reopened, there are a couple of fresh venues to highlight. The first is Bazari Orbeliani, which has its grand opening in December 2021. Located on the upper levels of the 1886-built market hall (with Carrefour downstairs), the new produce market and food court showcases Georgian produce, artisanal foods and international cuisine. It’s a gorgeous space and a great addition to the up-and-coming Orbeliani Square precinct.
Just outside, more cafes and shops opened up on restored Atoneli Street this year, giving us a taste of what Tbilisi’s new precincts will look like once complete. My favourite new venues in this area are Santino Modcoffee Bar and Ribs & Puri.
Though not quite finished yet, nearby Gudiashvili Square (which received a similar treatment to Atoneli Street) is starting to come into its own. The remodelled facades are stunning and will one day form a perfect backdrop for cafes and restaurants in the square.
Many parks around the city are in the process of getting a facelift, including Vake Park, Vera Park and the Hippodrome at Saburtalo (which will relaunch as Central Park).
The National Gallery on Rustaveli Avenue reopened in November 2021 with expanded exhibition spaces and a new look. The State Silk Museum and the Museum of Books both remain closed for renovations and will hopefully open their doors again later this year.
I also want to mention the new Tbilisi Wine Museum – even though it technically opened in 2020. Located near Sioni Cathedral, below the caravanserai and Tbilisi History Museum, it’s shot up the ranks to become one of my favourite institutions in the city, mostly thanks to the incredible guides.
The Wine Museum is the first part of a massive underground complex that will hopefully be completed in 2022 to include a restaurant and subterranean culinary workshop space.
A few new grassroots projects led by local artists popped up in 2021, a huge achievement given the difficult circumstances. After launching at the end of 2020, the Tbilisi Swimming Pool Project was nominated for the 2022 Mies Van der Rohe Prize.
Across town in Saburtalo, the Maglivi-Bagebi ropeway reopened for passengers in April, and in late 2021, work finally started on restoring the Mtatsminda cable car, which has been closed since June 1990.
New restaurants & cafes
There are too many to mention here, so I’ll just name a couple. Keep an eye out for my updated Tbilisi restaurant guide for more.
Ninia’s Garden, created by the same chef behind popular Shavi Lomi; Iasamani in Sololaki; Terracotta (which opened before the pandemic but only found its feet in 2021); Shavi Coffee Roasters, one of the best new cafes in Tbilisi; and The King and the Bird are among my favourites.
Weller, which opened in April alongside Communal Cafe and Communal Craft, is breathing new life into Plekhanovi district (Chugureti). This is definitely a neighbourhood to keep an eye on in the years to come as more projects move into the abandoned factories and German buildings.
New openings in Kutaisi
Since I lived in Kutaisi for the second half of 2021, I’m giving Georgia’s third-largest city the attention it deserves! I’ve seen first-hand how quickly it’s changing, led by the expansion of the international airport, which finished in late 2021.
In town, many of the major roads and footpaths have been relaid, and seemingly small things such as the refurbishment of the stairs that lead down to Agmashenebeli Avenue from the railway station are underway. (I can see the stairs from my apartment – they’re not quite finished yet. I believe this project is funded by Ramada because there’s a new hotel being built nearby.) Kutaisi also got its first Carrefour supermarket in the second half of 2021, something I was very excited about indeed.
Big things are happening in Kutaisi! You heard it here first.
Also one of my favourite restaurants in Kutaisi, Sisters, reopened in a new space, and a few new hotels appeared, including Memoir.
New openings around Georgia
First and foremost, in 2021 Georgia got a new UNESCO World Heritage site! The Colchic Wetlands and Rainforests, a corridor of national parks and protected areas in the Black Sea coast region, is the country’s fourth listing and the first UNESCO Site in the Caucasus under the ‘natural’ category.
Staying in Western Georgia, Glamping Tago launched in Tago village, setting a new bar for glamping which is still massively on-trend in Georgia. On the coast, Petra Fortress reopened after extensive renovations, giving visitors an insight into the 6th century Eastern Roman outpost of Lazica.
Just down the road from Petra, Seaside Shukura opened a swish cafe and swimming area on Tsikhisdziri ‘Hidden Beach’. As much as I love Batumi, it’s nice to see new projects popping up elsewhere on the coast.
Something I was personally looking forward to with much anticipation was the launch of the new Chiatura cable cars. Four new ropeways replace the old Soviet-era network that was in desperate need of an overhaul. Having been on both the old ‘metal coffins’ and the new cable cars, I can assure you it’s a big improvement. See my Chiatura guide for more details.
In Svaneti, the Hatsvali cable car was closed. A new line is now being constructed. It’s already passed its expected opening date, but it should be finished by the 2022 ski season at the latest.
In Samegrelo, the introduction of the first Enguri Dam tourist route opened the world’s second-largest concrete dam up to tourists. It’s a convenient place to break the journey between Zugdidi and Svaneti. I’ve not yet had a chance to visit, but it’s on my list for 2022.
Back near Tbilisi, Dashbashi Canyon near Tsalka reopened with its new (controversial) viewing platform – and a ticket booth. Three new national parks are in the works for 2022 in Tedzami, Kavturaand and northern Trialeti range, all in the nearby Shida Kartli/Kvemo Kartli regions.
The new Bolnisi Museum, which opened mid-pandemic in 2020, is proving to be one of the best new museums in Georgia. It even made the shortlist for the European Museum of the Year 2022. The new Vani Archaeological Museum near Kutaisi, which reopened around the same time, finally started seeing foot traffic in 2021. I saw the museum and the OG Tamada in summer and was thoroughly impressed.
In August, Tetra Cave near Tskaltubo opened and is now offering underground wine tastings. Cool. I visited some of the popular caves around Kutaisi for the first time recently, so I’m quite keen to check this new one out.
New infrastructure in Georgia
If, like me, you get excited about new roads and railways then you’d better strap in because 2021 was a doozy. (Yes I’m a nerd when it comes to this stuff, but road safety is a real issue in Georgia. As well as a huge win for locals, these infrastructure projects make life a lot easier for visitors and are bellwethers for tourism development.)
A new bypass opened in Kakheti, making it possible to reach Telavi and the wine region from Tbilisi in record time. On the other side of the country, a new mountain road between Sachkhere and Racha opened, reducing travel time from Tbilisi to Oni to around 3 hours.
That means it now takes roughly the same amount of time to get to Racha as Kazbegi – what a huge boon for this underrated mountain region. Racha is definitely a spot to watch.
Work on the east-west highway continued throughout 2021. Anyone who travelled across Georgia by road this year can attest that the traffic jams and hold ups around the Rikoti tunnel were atrocious (I experienced it at least half a dozen times). It will all be worth it once the project is complete: The finished sections of highway around Terjola and the Kutaisi bypass are like heaven to drive on. Eventually the new highway will connect Tbilisi and Batumi, making it easier and hopefully safer to get to the Black Sea coast by road.
One more project that got underway in 2021 – the Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel, which will make it possible to reach Kazbegi from Tbilisi in under 1.5 hours. I still might stick with the scenic route, but if it means less trucks travelling on the Georgian Military Highway, that’s another huge win for everyone.
Let’s hope 2022 sees even more projects and creative ventures happening in Georgia. What did I miss? What are you excited about for 2022? If you have any other updates or news from Georgia to share, please leave me a comment below.
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