What is the Nutsubidze Plateau?
The Nutsubidze Plateau is a Soviet-era housing district on the high ground above Saburtalo, between Vake and Lisi Lake, known abroad for its "skybridge" towers. Officially it is part of Vake district, not Saburtalo: Tbilisi City Council's decision No 16-35 of 2014 makes it territorial unit 7, "Nutsubidze microdistricts", and transport and street records number its microdistricts from I to V. The name "plateau" does not appear in the decision, but it was already in use in the Soviet period: the National Parliamentary Library holds a photograph titled "Nutsubidze Plateau" dated 1986.
The area takes its name from Shalva Nutsubidze Street, renamed in 1969 after the philosopher who co-founded Tbilisi State University. Building on the slopes along it began in the 1970s, to designs by the architect Otar Kalandarishvili. Because the street forms the line between two districts, the lower houses on it, odd numbers 1 to 77 and even numbers 2 to 52, are in Saburtalo, and the rest in Vake, and some research and utility notices still file the whole plateau under Saburtalo. This page covers prices and rents, the skybridge complex, transport, schools, new projects and the slope and water questions a buyer should ask. The districts on either side have their own pages: Vake and Saburtalo.
Map and boundaries
The plateau rises west of Shalva Nutsubidze Street, from the crossing with Budapest Street up to the edge of Vake district and the road towards Kvemo Lisi, with Lisi Lake to the north-west and Vashlijvari below its northern slope.
Open the mapIts main streets include Besarion Zhghenti, Ramaz Chkhikvadze, Ermile Bedia, Paata Datuashvili, Konstantine Kapaneli and Avto Varazi streets. Listing portals use their own labels: ss.ge, for example, files the area as "Nutsubidze slope", with the IV and V plateau as separate entries, and aggregators often tag it as Saburtalo. Check a flat's cadastral address rather than the listing's district label, especially for tax and utility questions.
Who the Nutsubidze Plateau suits
Suits
- Buyers who want more space for the money than in Vake or central Saburtalo.
- Families who want schools and kindergartens within the microdistricts.
- Buyers who want Lisi Lake within reach.
Does not suit
- Anyone who wants to walk to a metro station from the upper streets.
- Buyers who want a historic setting or a central nightlife scene.
- Anyone unwilling to check slope stability and the state of an older block.
The skybridge: the Shatili complex
The plateau's best-known buildings are the three towers of the Shatili residential complex, built in 1974 to 1976 by Otar Kalandarishvili with G. Potskhishvili, according to the Georgian Encyclopedia; Kalandarishvili also designed the upper pavilion of Rustaveli metro station and the Hotel Iveria. The towers stand on a steep slope and are linked by footbridges at the 14th, 12th and 10th floors, so residents of the upper streets can walk down through the buildings; travel guides describe a public lift to the 14th floor of the lowest tower that takes a 20-tetri coin.
The complex shows both sides of the plateau's housing. Travel writers reported that the public bridges were repaired and reopened in 2025, with paved decks and new railings, but in August 2026 residents of the first microdistrict told Metronome that City Hall's rehabilitation of the towers had been done badly and that water was leaking into their flats. For a flat in any older block here, ask what works were done, by whom, and whether the roof and facade were part of them.
What flats cost and rent for
| Indicator | Figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Flats for sale, V plateau | GEL 3,142 to 4,844 per m² | 16 of 34 listings checked |
| Soviet "Czech project" flats | About GEL 2,950 to 3,450 per m² | Asking, older blocks |
| Renovated flats in newer buildings | About GEL 4,200 to 4,750 per m² | Asking |
| New projects, starting prices | USD 1,350 to 1,400 per m² | Apex Nutsubidze (bank offer) and Sphera Nutsubidze |
| New flats, all of Vake district | GEL 5,958 per m² | Geostat median, first quarter of 2026; not a plateau figure |
| Two-room flats to rent, IV plateau | GEL 1,200 to 2,600 a month | 46 to 60 m², asking |
No research firm publishes a price for the plateau, and the Geostat median for Vake mixes it with the much dearer central Vake, so listings are the best guide. On 21 October 2026 ss.ge showed a 120 m² flat in a Soviet "Czech project" block asking GEL 377,000, about GEL 3,142 per m², a 100 m² flat in a new building with rough finishing at GEL 338,000, and a renovated 51 m² flat at GEL 242,000, about GEL 4,746 per m². On the IV plateau, a 110 m² Czech-project flat needing renovation asked GEL 325,000 and a 93 m² new-build flat GEL 390,000. The Czech-project flats in these listings were large, 110 and 120 m², so compare them on total price as well as per m².
For rents, ss.ge listed 427 flats to rent on the IV plateau; three-room flats of 69 to 90 m² mostly asked GEL 1,100 to 3,120 a month. In the m2 at Nutsubidze 2 complex, at the foot of the slope on Nutsubidze Street, a 35 m² flat was offered at USD 550 and a 55 m² flat at USD 1,000. How these compare with other districts is set out in our page on rents by district.
Getting around
There is no metro on the plateau. The nearest stations are Delisi, Vazha-Pshavela and State University on Line 2, and travel guides put the skybridge's lower entrance on Nutsubidze Street about 450 metres from State University station; from the upper microdistricts the walk is much longer and steep. Buses fill the gap: according to the Tbilisi Transport Company's route data, routes 332, 347, 349 and 398 climb to the microdistricts from Station Square or Delisi metro, route 388 runs from the plateau past Vazha-Pshavela metro, Ilia State University and Vake Park to Baratashvili Street in the old town, and routes 107, 326 and 363 also cross the plateau. Several smaller routes link individual microdistricts with Delisi metro.
Schools and daily life
The microdistricts have their own schools. A 2010 Ministry of Education order lists public schools No 170, 171, 102 and 38 at plateau addresses, and bus stops on the plateau are named after schools No 102, 126, 128 and 171 and kindergarten No 201; check current school places for a specific address. Lisi Lake, with a surface of 0.47 km², lies next to the plateau and is used by newer projects as a selling point. We found no reliable source for named markets, clinics or parks on the plateau itself, so check daily shopping and health care for the exact block you are considering.
New building on the plateau
- Sphera Nutsubidze. 540 flats on Besarion Zhghenti Street in the second microdistrict; the first block was delivered in 2025 and the second is due in the fourth quarter of 2026, from USD 1,400 per m².
- Apex Nutsubidze, block III. On Paata Datuashvili Street next to Lisi, with enclosed parking on 4 levels and completion due in September 2027; Basisbank offered it at USD 1,350 per m² with a 15% down payment.
- Novo Nutsubidze. On a Zhghenti Street lane, financed by Basisbank and due in September 2026.
- m2 at Nutsubidze 2. 694 flats in 3 blocks delivered from 2023 to 2025 on Nutsubidze Street, below the plateau; resale asking prices were USD 2,487 to 2,756 per m².
Starting prices for new flats on the plateau were well below the resale asking prices at the foot of the slope. New construction also means the view from an older block can change, so check permits on the plots around the building. Before paying a deposit, use our developer checklist.
Slopes, water and earthquakes
The plateau's edges are steep, and the area below its northern side has a recorded landslide. In March 2021 a creeping landslide opened on the road between Vashlijvari and the Nutsubidze side, along Machavariani Street; the details and the repairs are set out in our Saburtalo guide. The National Environmental Agency's 2023 bulletin, as reported in June 2024, counted 49 geologically hazardous territories in Tbilisi and still listed the Vashlijvari-Lisi road along Machavariani Street as a high-risk landslide site, while no entry named the plateau itself. We found no reports of landslides on the plateau from 2022 to 2026.
Two practical points follow. Water: Georgian Water and Power lists "Nutsubidze Street and the microdistricts" in its notices of planned cuts, such as a 36-hour cut on 26 and 27 September 2026 for new mains, so ask the building whether it has a reserve tank and pump. Earthquakes: Georgia's seismic building code dates from 2009 and an update towards the Eurocodes is under way; for a 1970s or 1980s block, ask whether any structural assessment has been made.
Air and green space
No National Environmental Agency monitoring station stands on the plateau; the nearest on the national network appear to be in the Vaso Godziashvili garden in the Vedzisi part of Saburtalo and on Marshal Gelovani Avenue, so we do not quote readings for the plateau itself. We found no published figure for green space on the plateau either. Lisi Lake and the slopes around it are the nearest large open space.
Letting a flat on the plateau
Short-stay flats exist on the plateau, but no tracker publishes figures for it, so plan from the long-let asking rents above and compare a flat with others of the same size and building type on the same microdistrict. Our guide to long-term tenants in Tbilisi explains who rents what.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Large Soviet-era flats at lower prices per m² | No metro; steep walks from the upper streets |
| Schools and kindergartens in the microdistricts | Older blocks of uneven condition |
| New projects from about USD 1,350 per m² | New towers can change views |
| Lisi Lake nearby | A recorded landslide zone below the northern slope |
| Official Vake district address | Planned water cuts reach the microdistricts |
To be added by the team: photos for the team to take: the Shatili towers and their bridges, the public lift entrance on Nutsubidze Street, a Czech-project block, a new tower on Zhghenti or Datuashvili Street, the view towards Lisi Lake, a school courtyard, a bus stop on the plateau and the slope above Machavariani Street.
Checking a flat on the plateau step by step
Confirm the district
Vake or Saburtalo side of Nutsubidze Street.
Inspect the block
Roof, facade, lift and recent works.
Ask about the slope
Geology near the plateau's edges.
Check water supply
Reserve tank, pump and past cuts.
Test the bus route
To the metro at the morning peak.
Compare old and new
Per m² and as a total price.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Nutsubidze Plateau in Vake or Saburtalo?
Officially Vake district, unit 7 "Nutsubidze microdistricts"; the lower part of Nutsubidze Street is in Saburtalo.
How much does a flat on the Nutsubidze Plateau cost?
Listings asked about GEL 3,100 to 4,850 per m² in October 2026, older blocks at the lower end.
What is the rent on the Nutsubidze Plateau?
Two-room flats of 46 to 60 m² asked GEL 1,200 to 2,600 a month on the IV plateau.
What is the Nutsubidze skybridge?
The Shatili complex of 1974-1976: three towers linked by bridges at the 14th, 12th and 10th floors.
Is there a metro on the plateau?
No. Delisi, Vazha-Pshavela and State University stations are below it, reached by bus.
Is the Nutsubidze Plateau safe from landslides?
No landslide on the plateau itself was reported in 2022-2026, but the road below its northern slope is a high-risk site.
Which new projects are on the plateau?
Among them Sphera Nutsubidze, Apex Nutsubidze and Novo Nutsubidze.
Are there schools on the plateau?
Yes, among them public schools No 102, 170 and 171.
Sources
- Tbilisi City Council decision No 16-35 on territorial units, 5 December 2014, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Nutsubidze Plateau, photograph, 1986, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Shalva Nutsubidze Street, Georgian Wikipedia, citing "Tbilisi: streets, avenues, squares" (2008), and Shalva Nutsubidze, Wikipedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Otar Kalandarishvili, Georgian Encyclopedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Tbilisi skybridge, Wander-Lush, updated 28 April 2025 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Residents on the Shatili towers' rehabilitation, Metronome, 31 August 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Flats for sale, V plateau, IV plateau and rentals, IV plateau, ss.ge (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Residential real estate prices in Tbilisi, first quarter of 2026, 1TV, citing Geostat (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Sphera Nutsubidze and m2 at Nutsubidze 2, korter.ge (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Partner developers, Apex Nutsubidze block III, 22 October 2025, and Novo Nutsubidze, 28 February 2025, Basisbank (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Journey planner and route data, Tbilisi Transport Company (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Order of the Minister of Education and Science, 3 February 2010, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Lisi Lake, Wikipedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Landslide on the Vashlijvari-Nutsubidze road, Georgia Today, 18 March 2021, and Vashlijvari landslide, Civil.ge, 19 March 2021 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- The most dangerous territories in Tbilisi, Sputnik Georgia, citing the National Environmental Agency, 18 June 2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Parts of Tbilisi to lose water for 36 hours, Georgia Today, 24 September 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Georgia: seismic code, IISEE World List (accessed 21 October 2026)
- National Environmental Agency stations, IQAir (accessed 21 October 2026)
Change log
- - Area guide published from the Tbilisi City Council decision on territorial units, the Georgian Encyclopedia, Tbilisi Transport Company route data, listings on ss.ge and korter.ge, Basisbank, the Ministry of Education, National Environmental Agency data and reporting on the skybridge and the 2021 landslide.