Old Tbilisi: buying an apartment in the old town

What and where is Old Tbilisi?

Old Tbilisi is the historic heart of the city around the sulphur baths, below the Narikala fortress: Kala, Abanotubani, Meidan, Betlemi and the streets around Shardeni and Kote Afkhazi. Legend places the founding of Tbilisi here, at the warm springs of Abanotubani, in the fifth century. Most of the pre-nineteenth-century city was destroyed when Qajar forces sacked Tbilisi in September 1795, so what you see today is largely a nineteenth-century town of courtyard houses with carved and glazed wooden balconies, mixed with churches, a mosque and a synagogue, Soviet-era blocks and new infill.

"Old Tbilisi" is no longer an official unit. A district of that name existed from 2007 until the city was reorganised into 10 districts with effect from 1 March 2013. Today the historic core of Kala lies in Krtsanisi district, in its territorial unit 12, "Kala, Ortachala", under Tbilisi City Council's decision No 16-35 as amended in March 2022. Tbilisi Development Fund figures cited in 2021 put the number of cultural heritage buildings in the historic area at about 1,700, most in poor condition. This page covers what a buyer finds here: prices, the old houses and their rules, the rehabilitation record and its controversies, access, daily life and the risks. The neighbouring quarters have their own pages: Sololaki and Mtatsminda.

Map and boundaries

The official line between the old town's two halves runs along Baratashvili and Pushkin streets and across Freedom Square: Sololaki to the west is in Mtatsminda district, Kala to the east in Krtsanisi. Property portals draw their own map. On ss.ge, for example, the "Old Tbilisi" filter groups Abanotubani, Elia, Vera, Mtatsminda and Sololaki, so a listing marked "Old Tbilisi" can be on either side of that line, or well beyond it. Krtsanisi district itself also includes Ortachala and the newer complexes of Krtsanisi and Ponichala, so district statistics say little about the old houses of Kala.

Who Old Tbilisi suits

What property costs

No research firm publishes prices for the old town alone, and the Krtsanisi district figures mix Kala's old houses with new complexes in Ortachala and Krtsanisi, as the very wide Galt & Taggart range shows. Asking prices in Abanotubani itself, where ss.ge listed 21 flats for sale and 72 for rent on 21 October 2026, run from about GEL 4,700 per m² for an older flat to more than EUR 6,000 per m² for units in new projects, and a furnished 118 m² flat in a newer building asked USD 300,000, about USD 2,540 per m². Many listings show "Abano Street" by default, so confirm the exact address before comparing.

The spread matters more than the average. Look at whether the building is listed, its structural state and the flat's registered rights to the courtyard, and compare a flat only with flats in comparable buildings in the same lane.

The old houses and their rules

A typical Kala house stands around a shared courtyard, the "ezo", with wooden balconies, often glazed into the enclosed "shushabandi", facing it. Many balconies have been altered or removed by owners over the years, and residents of listed buildings told Chai Khana in 2018 that they were not allowed to repair them themselves, while City Hall said that rehabilitating listed sites was the Tbilisi Development Fund's job. In 1975 the Soviet authorities declared much of the old town a historical district but drew up no conservation plan for it.

Ownership is often fragmented. One old courtyard house on Ibrahim Isfahanli Street in Abanotubani, for example, had 24 registered owners in 2026, with flats and attic spaces held separately. Before buying, read the Public Registry extract for the whole building, not only your flat, and check what the extract says about the land and the common parts. Works on facades, balconies, roofs and extra floors need permits in the heritage zone, and unauthorised construction there can cost a private owner up to GEL 200,000, as our Sololaki guide sets out in detail. The Tbilisi Development Fund also says groundwater threatens historic buildings in the old town, which is why it replaces underground utilities before restoring them; ask about damp in the foundations and cellars.

Restoration: what has been done

• Betlemi. The terraced quarter above Kote Afkhazi Street was studied and planned by ICOMOS Georgia from 1999 to 2003 with the World Monuments Fund and UNESCO, and revitalised from 2004 to 2011 with Norwegian funding through Riksantikvaren; ICOMOS Georgia says it has kept its original residents.
• State programme, 2009. Government decree No 121 of 6 July 2009 approved a targeted programme for the rehabilitation of Old Tbilisi.
• "New Life for Old Tbilisi". A City Hall programme that had rehoused 450 families from buildings in emergency condition by November 2011. It drew heavy criticism for demolitions and "facadism", keeping only facades, and the writer Peter Nasmyth estimated in 2012 that a third of Old Tbilisi had been destroyed.
• "New Tbilisi". The Tbilisi Development Fund, created in 2010, was restoring Erekle II and Katalikosi streets in October 2021 under this City Hall-funded programme.
• Narikala. Listed among Europe's 7 Most Endangered heritage sites for 2021 because of hydrogeology, unstable seismic subsoil and visitor pressure; a second restoration stage of nearly USD 5 million began in November 2023 with completion targeted for 2025.

The record cuts both ways: public money has restored whole streets, but past programmes also demolished houses of historic value, and the rules on what an owner may do remain strict.

Expropriation and development disputes

Two cases show the pressures on the old town. On 3 April 2026 the Minister of Economy ordered the expropriation, as an "essential public need", of property belonging to 5 families in an old courtyard settlement on Ibrahim Isfahanli Street in Abanotubani, to make way for a 5,380 m² Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center with a concert hall and a children's theatre. Of the 24 private owners, 13 had already agreed terms with the state, and compensation was based on a valuation by the National Bureau of Forensic Expertise. For a buyer, the lesson is that state "public need" projects can override private ownership, so ask whether any project is planned around the building.

Above the baths, on Mirza Shapi Street, residents were evicted around 2009 and houses under the cliff razed, and permits were later issued for hotels, homes and offices, including a 9,200 m² "Royal Gardens" project. Heritage activists protested the cliff excavation, and a request to prosecutors to investigate the demolition of heritage buildings ended in 2015 when the statute of limitations expired. A 100-room hotel planned on the same street was due to open in early 2023 under an international brand. Before buying near a cliff or a cleared plot, check the permits for the neighbouring land.

Getting around

Kala has no metro station of its own. The nearest are Freedom Square on its north-west edge and Avlabari across the river, both on Line 1, and a GEL 1 fare covers 90 minutes on metro and buses. The cable car from Rike Park across the river to Narikala, built by Leitner and opened in 2012, is 500 metres long and runs from 10:00 to 22:00 in winter. Metekhi Bridge, linking Meidan with Avlabari, was rehabilitated by City Hall in recent years.

Driving is the hard part. Shardeni is a pedestrian street, parking in the old town is very limited, and parking on pavements is banned under the Law on Road Traffic, though Transparency International Georgia found enforcement weak. During the Narikala works, the vehicle road from Meidan up to the fortress was closed for about 18 months. Many flats are reached only on foot, up steps and lanes, so walk the route from the nearest drivable street before you decide.

Daily life

• The baths. Abanotubani had 65 baths in the twelfth century and has more than 10 today; the Orbeliani bath at the end of Abano Street dates from the seventeenth century, and the Tbilisi Balneological Resort, built in 1938, is at 9 Gorgasali Street.
• Shopping. Kote Afkhazi Street, formerly Leselidze Street, runs from Freedom Square to Gorgasali Square with souvenir shops, sweets, fruit stalls and designer boutiques; the Meidan Bazaar under Gorgasali Square sells wine, honey and crafts to visitors.
• Culture. The Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre on Shavteli Street, founded in 1981, has 80 seats and a clock tower with an angel that rings every hour; the Anchiskhati Basilica nearby is the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, from the sixth century.
• Nature. The Leghvtakhevi gorge behind the baths ends in a 22-metre waterfall on the Tsavkisistskali stream.

This is a visitor district first: we could not confirm any school inside Kala's streets, so families should check school places for a specific address before buying.

Short stays, nightlife and noise

Galt & Taggart found in 2019 that Tbilisi's Airbnb flats were mostly concentrated in Old Tbilisi, an area that had never been a long-let hotspot. Current trackers publish only city-wide figures; AirROI counted 6,080 active listings in Tbilisi with about 42% of nights booked. Visitor demand comes with nightlife: Shardeni Street is lined with bars and clubs, and on 2 October 2024 police raided 5 clubs there and arrested 14 people for defrauding foreign tourists with inflated bills. For a flat to live in, visit at night before buying; for a flat to let, price it from comparable listings in the same lanes. How short stays work in the city is set out in our guide to Airbnb in Tbilisi.

Natural risks

The hill behind the old town is the main concern. Europa Nostra's 2021 listing of Narikala cited hydrogeological problems and unstable seismic subsoil, and an earthquake in 1827 destroyed the fortress's inner walls. We found no published hazard map for rockfall or landslides affecting the houses below the fortress, so commission a structural and geological survey for any building against the slope. Water is the other risk: the Tsavkisistskali stream behind the baths has caused floods in the past, and in May 2012 a flash flood in neighbouring Ortachala swept cars onto Gorgasali Street and killed 5 people. We found no reports of flooding in Kala itself from 2023 to 2026.

Pros and cons

Checking an old-town flat step by step

1. Confirm the district

   Kala in Krtsanisi or Sololaki in Mtatsminda.

2. Read the whole building's extract

   All owners, land and common parts.

3. Check heritage status

   Listing, protection zone and permitted works.

4. Survey the structure

   Walls, damp, the slope behind.

5. Ask about plans nearby

   Public projects, permits on cleared plots.

6. Visit at night

   Noise, access and lighting.

Frequently asked questions

Which district is Old Tbilisi in?

Kala, Abanotubani, Meidan and Betlemi are in Krtsanisi district; Sololaki next door is in Mtatsminda.

Is Old Tbilisi still an official district?

No. It existed from 2007 until the 2013 reorganisation into 10 districts.

How much does a flat in Old Tbilisi cost?

Asking prices in Abanotubani ran from about GEL 4,700 per m² for older flats to more than EUR 6,000 for new projects in October 2026.

What is the rent in Old Tbilisi?

About GEL 1,200 to 1,300 a month for 58 to 60 m² in Abanotubani, as asked in October 2026.

Can I renovate an old house in Kala?

Only with permits in the heritage zone; unauthorised works carry heavy fines.

Is there a metro in Old Tbilisi?

Not inside Kala; Freedom Square and Avlabari stations are close by.

Can the state take property in the old town?

Yes, for a declared public need, as in the April 2026 expropriation in Abanotubani.

Is Old Tbilisi good for Airbnb?

Visitor demand is strong, but there is no neighbourhood data; price from comparable listings.

Sources

1. Tbilisi City Council decision No 8-18 amending decision No 16-35, 18 March 2022, and decision No 1-4 on Tbilisi districts, 28 January 2013, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
2. How to build an old town, Investor.ge, 18 February 2023 (accessed 21 October 2026)
3. Old Tbilisi and Siege of Tbilisi (1795), Wikipedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
4. New Tbilisi project, Georgia Today, 29 October 2021 (accessed 21 October 2026)
5. Flats for sale and for rent in Abanotubani, ss.ge (accessed 21 October 2026)
6. Residential real estate prices in Tbilisi, first quarter of 2026, 1TV, citing Geostat, and price index, second quarter of 2026, Geostat (accessed 21 October 2026)
7. Tbilisi residential real estate, July 2026, Galt & Taggart (accessed 21 October 2026)
8. The Tbilisi ezo, a neglected communal space, Chai Khana, 7 February 2018 (accessed 21 October 2026)
9. Betlemi Quarter revitalisation, ICOMOS Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
10. Government decree No 121 on the Old Tbilisi rehabilitation programme, 6 July 2009, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
11. New Life to Old Tbilisi, Caucasian Knot, November 2011, and Tbilisi, where restoration means redevelopment, openDemocracy, 4 July 2012 (accessed 21 October 2026)
12. Narikala among Europe's 7 most endangered sites, 1TV, and Narikala restoration, RFE/RL, 7 April 2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
13. Heydar Aliyev Center project: 5 properties face expropriation, Georgia Today, and homes to be seized, JAMnews, 8 April 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
14. Protests after development above the sulphur baths restarts, OC Media, and new hotel in Abanotubani, Georgia Today, 29 October 2021 (accessed 21 October 2026)
15. Tbilisi public transport fares, Madloba.info (accessed 21 October 2026)
16. Aerial tramway, Georgian National Tourism Administration, and winter schedule, Georgia Today, 31 October 2025 (accessed 21 October 2026)
17. Metekhi Bridge rehabilitation, CBW, and sidewalk parking, Transparency International Georgia (accessed 21 October 2026)
18. Abanotubani, Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, Meidan Bazaar and Leghvtakhevi waterfall, Georgian National Tourism Administration (accessed 21 October 2026)
19. Anchiskhati Basilica, Georgian Encyclopedia (accessed 21 October 2026)
20. Airbnb accounts for 11% of the accommodation market in Tbilisi, CBW, citing Galt & Taggart, 2019, and Tbilisi short-stay data, AirROI (accessed 21 October 2026)
21. Police raid five Tbilisi nightclubs, 1TV, 2 October 2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
22. Flash flood in Tbilisi, Civil.ge, 13 May 2012 (accessed 21 October 2026)

Change log

• 21 October 2026 - Area guide published from Tbilisi City Council decisions on districts and territorial units, Geostat and Galt & Taggart data, current listings, ICOMOS Georgia, the Tbilisi Development Fund, the 2009 government programme and reporting on restoration, expropriation and risks.