What is Avlabari?
Avlabari is the historic quarter on the left bank of the Mtkvari, facing the old town across the river. From its cliff the Metekhi church looks down on Kala and Narikala, the gold cross of Holy Trinity (Sameba) Cathedral stands above its streets, and Rike Park and the Bridge of Peace link it with the right bank. For buyers it offers old houses with courtyards, small new buildings, a metro station on its main square and some of the best-known views in Tbilisi.
Officially Avlabari belongs to Isani district, not to Krtsanisi or to the Old Tbilisi district that existed from 2007 to 2013. Tbilisi City Council's decision No 16-35 of 2014 makes it part of unit 14, "Zemo Avlabari, Metromsheni", whose boundary starts at the Baratashvili bridge and follows the middle of the river downstream, so Rike Park, the Metekhi cliff, Avlabari square and Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue all lie in Isani. Kala and Abanotubani across the water are covered in our guide to Old Tbilisi.
Map and boundaries
Avlabari rises from the left bank of the Mtkvari between the Baratashvili bridge and the Metekhi bridge, with Rike Park on the riverside, Avlabari square and its metro station on the plateau and Sameba Cathedral on Elia hill to the north-east.
Open the mapThe official unit is much larger than the historic quarter: it runs east and south to Metromsheni, Navtlughi Street and the Kakheti Highway. Sameba and the former Presidential Palace stand on its northern line with Chughureti district; the council's text leaves their exact side open, and OpenStreetMap places both in Isani. Portals draw their own lines again. ss.ge files "Avlabari" under its own "Old Tbilisi" heading with streets such as Metekhi, Telavi, Irbakhi, Abuladze, Akhmeta and Gurjaani, while korter.ge uses the official name and tags listings Isani. Check the street before you compare prices.
Who Avlabari suits
Suits
- Buyers who want the old town on foot and a metro station on the doorstep.
- Short-stay investors who can manage guests and a heritage building.
- Buyers who want a view of Narikala and the river at a lower price than the right bank.
Does not suit
- Buyers who want a new building with parking and a lift as standard.
- Anyone unwilling to check the structure of an old house in detail.
- Buyers looking for green space and quiet streets away from visitors.
A quarter across the river
Medieval sources of the 11th to 13th centuries call this area Isani; the national tourism portal says the form "Avlabadi" first appears in a document of 1392. King Demetre II built the Metekhi church on the cliff in the late 13th century, on the site of an older church. In the 1770s Queen Darejan, wife of King Erekle II, built her palace with its round blue balcony on a bastion of the Avlabari wall, and it survived the sack of Tbilisi in 1795. For centuries the quarter lay outside the city across the river, and it was long the centre of Armenian life in Tbilisi, around the Echmiadzin church on Ketevan Tsamebuli square.
The newer landmarks are recent. Sameba Cathedral, designed by Archil Mindiashvili, was consecrated on 23 November 2004 and stands 86.1 metres high with its cross; part of its site was the former Khojivank Armenian cemetery. The Presidential Palace on Abdushelishvili Street opened on 12 July 2009, became the State Ceremonial Palace in 2019 and has housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since March 2026. The Bridge of Peace opened on 6 May 2010, and the cable car from Rike Park to Narikala followed in 2012.
What flats cost and rent for
Galt & Taggart has no Avlabari zone; its Isani zone covers the quarter together with Metromsheni, Navtlughi and Vazisubani, so it understates prices on the historic streets. Listings show the gap.
| Indicator | Figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Isani zone, new flats | USD 1,407 per m² | July 2026, range USD 900 to 3,800; USD 1,358 in 2025 |
| Krtsanisi zone, new flats | USD 1,671 per m² | July 2026, the right bank opposite, for comparison |
| Avlabari listings on ss.ge | GEL 3,950 to 9,570 per m² | 16 ads; old houses mostly GEL 4,000 to 5,300 |
| Avlabari listings on korter.ge | USD 1,680 to 3,680 per m² | Asking prices, new and resale flats |
| Asking rents on ss.ge | GEL 850 to 2,600 a month | Flats of 50 to 78 m² |
The listings fall into two groups. Flats in old houses asked GEL 4,000 to 5,300 per m²: a 38 m² flat needing full renovation on Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue at GEL 169,000, and a renovated 84 m² flat in a 3-storey historic house on the same avenue at GEL 442,000. Small new buildings near Metekhi asked much more: 43 m² on Abuladze Street at GEL 296,000, about GEL 6,884 per m², and 95 m² on Irbakhi Street at GEL 909,000, about GEL 9,569. Rents ranged from GEL 850 for an older 55 m² ground-floor flat to GEL 2,600 for a furnished 59 m² flat with a view of Narikala.
By our calculation, Galt & Taggart's Isani figures of USD 10.2 rent against USD 1,407 give a gross yield of about 8.7%, but that mixes white-frame prices with rents for the whole district; a renovated flat on the historic streets costs more and the yield is lower. District comparisons are in our page on rents by district.
New buildings
New building in historic Avlabari is small in scale. Avlabari Residence 2 by Mailin Group on Abuladze Street, 3 blocks of 5 to 6 storeys completed in 2025 and the second quarter of 2026, started from USD 1,600 per m² in black frame. Step Avlabari by Elisi-2015 on the same street, 8 flats on 4 floors, started from USD 1,800 per m² with delivery planned for the third quarter of 2026. Terrassa Avlabari by Terrassa Group on Akhmeta Street, 47 flats delivered in 2019, resold at about USD 2,288 to 2,442 per m². Taller buildings stand further from the cliff, such as a 20-storey block on Bochorma Street on the Metromsheni side. For any project, use our developer checklist.
Heritage, old houses and the Rike site
Historic Avlabari around Metekhi, the Darejan palace and Avlabari square contains listed monuments, and work on or near them needs heritage approval; we found no published map showing which plots lie in the protection zone, so ask the city before buying. Fines for unauthorised work in the zone are set out in our Sololaki guide. Disputes happen: in 2019 the Tolerance and Diversity Institute concluded that a permit for a house a few metres from the 18th-century Red Gospel Armenian church had been issued illegally.
Old buildings carry real risk. On 20 March 2024 part of a building in Avlabari collapsed and one person was taken to hospital. City Hall runs a programme that rehouses families from buildings in emergency condition, so ask whether the building has been assessed. On the riverside, the unused "Rike Tubes" music theatre and exhibition hall, sold by the state in 2022 for GEL 10.02 million, is being demolished under a permit issued in June 2026 with a deadline of 25 December 2026; a 2025 government decree mentioned a hotel, but no new plan had been filed, so flats facing Rike Park may look onto a building site.
Getting around
Avlabari station on metro Line 1 opened on 6 November 1967 and stands on Avlabari square; its upper hall was rebuilt under a GEL 4.2 million contract between 2022 and 2024. The next station, 300 Aragveli, serves the eastern end of Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue, which City Hall rebuilt for GEL 8.5 million and reopened on 14 November 2022. Rike Park is about 15 minutes' walk from the metro, according to the tourism portal, and the Bridge of Peace and the Metekhi bridge lead across to the old town.
By our measurement the Bridge of Peace and Sameba are each about 600 metres from the station in a straight line, but stairs and the cliff make the walk longer. The Tbilisi Transport Company's minibus zone 02 covers Avlabari; check bus and minibus routes in its planner.
Schools and daily life
- Public schools. A 2009 Ministry of Education order lists schools No 77 on Irbakhi Street, No 84 on Gurjaani Street and No 89 and No 96 on Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue; check the current register, as numbers and buildings change.
- Shops and markets. We found no current named food market in Avlabari; the Meidan Bazaar across the river sells mainly wine and souvenirs.
- Clinics and private schools. We found no reliable list inside the historic quarter, so check them for a specific address.
Air and noise
None of Tbilisi's five automatic air stations is in Isani district. The nearest, in the Park of Ilia on Aghmashenebeli Avenue, is about 2.2 km away by our measurement, and the city's air plan for 2024 to 2026 treats its particle readings as unreliable. Passive samplers stand in Rike Park and nearby, but their results are not published by site, so we quote no figures. We found no noise measurements either; Rike Park is a frequent venue for rallies and events, so visit in the evening if you are looking at a flat on the riverside.
Letting in Avlabari
Sameba, Metekhi, the Darejan palace, Rike Park, the Bridge of Peace and the cable car draw visitors to the quarter, and guest houses already operate here. We found no short-stay figures for the quarter itself, only city-wide data. Individuals who let their own home for short stays can choose a fixed tax of GEL 10 per m² of let area a month, available until 1 January 2028; compare the options in our page on long-term or short-term rental.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Metro on the square and the old town on foot | Many old buildings need structural checks |
| Views of Narikala, Metekhi and the river | Heritage rules on works near monuments |
| Isani zone prices below the right bank | Historic streets ask far more than the zone average |
| Steady visitor flow for short stays | No short-stay data for the quarter itself |
| Small new buildings on Abuladze Street | Rike site under demolition, future use unknown |
To be added by the team: photos for the team to take: Metekhi church from the bridge, the Darejan palace balcony, Avlabari square and the metro entrance, Sameba from Ketevan Tsamebuli Avenue, old courtyard houses on Metekhi rise, new buildings on Abuladze Street, Rike Park and the Bridge of Peace, and the Rike site.
Checking a flat in Avlabari step by step
Locate the street
Historic quarter or Metromsheni side.
Ask about heritage status
Listed building or protection zone.
Inspect the structure
Walls, beams, roof and foundations.
Check the registered area
Compare the extract with what you see.
Visit at night
Events, visitors and street noise.
Choose the tax regime
Fixed short-stay tax or long let.
Frequently asked questions
Which district is Avlabari in?
Isani district, unit 14 "Zemo Avlabari, Metromsheni", not Krtsanisi.
How much does a flat in Avlabari cost?
ss.ge listings asked about GEL 3,950 to 9,570 per m² on 21 October 2026.
What is the rent in Avlabari?
Asking rents ran from GEL 850 to 2,600 a month for flats of 50 to 78 m².
Is there a metro in Avlabari?
Yes. Avlabari station on Line 1 opened in 1967; 300 Aragveli is nearby.
Is Sameba Cathedral in Avlabari?
It stands on Elia hill at Avlabari's northern edge, consecrated in 2004.
What is happening at Rike?
The Rike Tubes are being demolished, with a deadline of 25 December 2026.
Can I let an Avlabari flat to tourists?
Yes. Until 1 January 2028, owners may opt to pay GEL 10 for each m² they let, every month.
Is Avlabari the same as Old Tbilisi?
No. Old Tbilisi's Kala and Abanotubani are across the river, in Krtsanisi.
Sources
- Tbilisi City Council decision No 16-35 on territorial units, 5 December 2014, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Avlabari, Georgian National Tourism Administration, and Avlabari, Georgian Wikipedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Avlabari: from the outskirts to the center, Georgia Today, 12 August 2021 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, Ceremonial Palace of Georgia and Bridge of Peace, Wikipedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Foreign Ministry moves to the former presidential palace, OC Media, 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Tbilisi residential real estate reports by Galt & Taggart: 2025 and July 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Flats for sale in Avlabari, with the rent section, ss.ge, and flats for sale in Avlabari, korter.ge (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Projects: Avlabari Residence 2, Step Avlabari and Terrassa Avlabari, korter.ge; Avlabari Residence 2 with TBC support, Georgia Today, 15 February 2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Construction next to a Tbilisi Armenian church illegal, OC Media, citing the Tolerance and Diversity Institute (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Part of a building collapses in Tbilisi, Georgia Today, 20 March 2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Rike Tubes to be demolished, 14 July 2026, and demolition begins, 30 July 2026, Georgia Today (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Avlabari metro station, Wikipedia; delayed metro projects, FactCheck Georgia, 23 December 2024; Queen Ketevan Avenue rehabilitation ends, 1TV, 14 November 2022 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Order No 934 of the Minister of Education and Science, 28 October 2009, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Air quality management plan for the Tbilisi agglomeration, 2024-2026, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia, Article 309, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Avlabari, OpenStreetMap (accessed 21 October 2026)
Change log
- - Area guide published from the Tbilisi City Council decision on territorial units, the national tourism portal, Georgian Wikipedia, Georgia Today, OC Media and FactCheck Georgia reporting, Galt & Taggart reports, ss.ge and korter.ge listings, the Ministry of Education, the air quality management plan and the Tax Code.