Can you choose a property in three days?
You can, if the work happens before the flight. Three days are enough to see eight to twelve properties, meet a lawyer, open the conversation with a bank and leave with a clear first choice, provided the shortlist, the documents and the appointments were prepared in advance. Without that preparation, three days turn into a sightseeing tour with a few viewings in between.
This guide gives a plan for three ways of using the time: three days in Tbilisi, three days in Batumi, or both cities in one trip. It covers what to arrange before you travel, how to move between the two cities, what to check at each viewing and how to turn the trip into a decision rather than a list of impressions.
Before you book the flight
Set the brief
Budget including costs, city, purpose (home, letting, residence permit), size, and the three things you will not compromise on.
Build a shortlist of 15 to 20
From portals, agents and developers, then cut it to the ten that fit the brief on paper.
Check the owners before you travel
Use the cadastral codes to read the public registry extracts and drop any property with a mismatch or an encumbrance you cannot accept.
Book the people, not only the flats
A lawyer for an hour, a bank appointment if you will open an account, and the agents or developers in a fixed order.
Do one video viewing first
For any property you are unsure about, a live video call removes wasted trips across the city.
Choosing districts before you travel
Three days are too short to discover a city, so decide on two or three districts in advance and spend the trip inside them. In Tbilisi, buyers usually weigh the older central districts, such as Vake, Vera, Sololaki and the Old Town, against the newer residential areas of Saburtalo and Didi Dighomi, where many recent apartment blocks stand. In Batumi, the choice is mainly between the seafront along the boulevard, the older streets of the centre and the inland districts with lower prices and longer walks to the sea. Our guides to the cities and their districts help you narrow the list before the flight.
Getting between Tbilisi and Batumi
| Option | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Train | About 4 hours | Double-deck trains; time cut from about 5.5 hours after track works |
| Flight | 45 minutes | Four a week (Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun): 09:00 from Tbilisi, 19:30 from Batumi; GEL 295 one way when launched |
| Car with driver | Most of a day | Flexible, and lets you stop in Kutaisi or the coast on the way |
For a two-city trip, the morning flight on a flight day gives the most viewing time in Batumi; on other days, an early train leaves the afternoon free. Check current timetables when you book, because schedules change by season.
Three ways to use three days
| Day | Tbilisi only | Batumi only | Both cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Four viewings in two neighbouring districts; evening walk around the best one | Four viewings on and near the seafront; check the walk to the beach yourself | Tbilisi: four viewings; lawyer in the late afternoon |
| Day 2 | Four viewings in the other districts; lawyer and bank | Developers' sites and finished buildings by the same developers | Morning to Batumi; three or four viewings |
| Day 3 | Second visits to the top two; decision meeting | Second visits; talk to a management company about letting | Second visits in the city you prefer; decision meeting |
Two cities in three days is possible but tiring, and it leaves only one viewing day in each. If you have not yet chosen between Tbilisi and Batumi, consider a first trip to decide the city and a second to choose the flat.
What to check at each viewing
- The documents match the door. Address, floor and unit number as in the extract; the seller's passport name as in the registry.
- The building, not only the flat. Entrance, lift, stairwell, roof and basement show how the building is run.
- Water, heating and windows. Run the taps, ask what heats the flat, open every window and check the frames.
- Noise and light at the time you would live there. A flat seen at noon on a Sunday is not the flat at 8 on a weekday.
- Mobile signal and internet. Check on your own phone, in every room.
- The surroundings. Building sites next door, the walk to shops and transport, parking.
Photograph each property in the same order, starting with the entrance and the number on the door, so that the photos make sense when you compare them at night.
Turning the trip into a decision
Score each property the same evening, on the brief you set before the trip, while the details are fresh. On the last day, revisit the top two at a different time of day than the first visit, then ask the lawyer to look at the documents of your first choice. If you are ready, the next steps are a reservation and a preliminary agreement, explained in our guides on the reservation and deposit and the preliminary agreement. If you have to leave before signing, a power of attorney lets someone complete the purchase for you.
A sample viewing day
09:30 - first viewing
Start with the property you expect to like least, to calibrate your eye.
11:00 and 12:30 - two more viewings
Keep them in the same district so that travel does not eat the morning.
14:00 - lunch and notes
Score the morning's three properties before the details blur.
15:30 - fourth viewing or a meeting
A lawyer, a bank or a management company.
Evening - walk the district
The street at night tells you what the listing does not.
Budgeting for the trip itself
Add the cost of the trip to the cost of buying: flights, a few nights' accommodation, a driver for viewing days, an hour or two with a lawyer, translations of any document you want to read properly, and the train or flight between the cities if you see both. A driver who waits between viewings is often cheaper than it sounds once you count the time saved looking for taxis and addresses.
Plans that depend on your purpose
Buying for a residence permit. Check before the trip that the properties you will see are likely to be valued above $150,000 by an accredited assessor, and that each is registered as a separate unit. Count back from the end of your lawful stay: the application must be filed at least 40 calendar days before it ends. Our residence permit guide explains the sequence.
Buying to let. Add a meeting with a management company to the plan and ask how similar flats in the building have let over a full year, not only in high season. Use our short-stay income calculator with cautious figures before you fly.
Buying a home. Spend one evening in the district you prefer as if you already lived there: shops, a café, the walk home after dark.
Practical details
- Insurance: arrive with a travel health and accident policy; it has been a requirement for visitors since January 2026.
- Money: cards are widely accepted in both cities; do not carry cash for deposits.
- Phone: a local SIM makes calls to agents and drivers far easier than roaming.
- Documents: your passport, printed extracts for the shortlist and the list of questions for each property.
- Time: allow at least an hour per viewing, including travel, in Tbilisi traffic.
What to take home
- The scores for every property, made the same evening.
- Photos and short videos in a folder per property.
- The registry extracts of the top two, with the lawyer's notes.
- Contacts of every agent, developer and adviser you met.
- A short list of open questions, and who will answer each.
Risks and exceptions
- Arriving without checked extracts. Many viewings can be ruled out from home.
- Paying a deposit on the spot. Read the reservation terms and have the lawyer check them first.
- Too many viewings. More than five a day blur into each other.
- Letting the agent plan the route. Their order of viewings may favour the properties they most want to sell.
- Judging the city from one district. Walk the areas around your shortlist, not only the flats.
Frequently asked questions
How many properties can I see in three days?
Eight to twelve is realistic, with second visits to the top two on the last day.
Should I see Tbilisi and Batumi on the same trip?
Only if you already know roughly what you want in each. Otherwise, a first trip to choose the city works better.
Can I sign on the trip?
Yes, if the documents are checked. If not, sign a reservation or preliminary agreement only after the lawyer has read it.
What if I find nothing?
The trip still narrows the search: you will know the districts, the buildings and the price levels, and later viewings can be done by video.
Can my family join the viewings by video?
Yes. A short live call from the most promising flat lets a partner who stayed at home see it before the second visit.
Should I hire a driver?
For viewing days, yes: a driver who knows the city and waits between appointments saves more time than any other single arrangement.
Do I need a lawyer on the trip?
An hour with a lawyer to look at your first choice's documents is worth booking in advance; the full review can follow after you return.
When is the best time of year to visit?
Any time for Tbilisi. For Batumi, a visit both in season and out of season shows how the area changes, which matters if you plan to let.
If you would like us to prepare and run the trip, see our viewing trip service.
Sources
- Georgian Railway: Tbilisi-Batumi train time cut to four hours, Georgia Today, 6 August 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Georgian Airways launches direct flights between Tbilisi and Batumi, 1TV, 25 June 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from Georgian Railway and Georgian Airways information and AVI Estates practice notes.