Alternative Tours in Tbilisi

What an amazing experience. My sister and I were invited into Levan's grandmother's home - several floors up in a tower block just north of the centre of Tbilisi. They asked us to let them know which dishes we would like to make the day before, and they gathered all of the ingredients and had spent time preparing things so it was all ready. We made a feast fit for a king! Operating out of a small kitchen, which was fun and traditional! Levan had homemade qvervi wine as well as chacha and soft-drinks, and we sat and talked, and drank and ate the food for hours. Further members of Levan's family turned up, his mother, and his grandfather, and it was quite magical to meet three generations of Georgians, surrounded by incredible food and drink!

If you are visiting Tbilisi and are considering this "tour", don't hesitate, it was heartwarming, memorable, and I even made my first Georgian walnut paste last week to great success.

Thanks guys
Dan & Emma.

We spend our last night in Georgia (our trip took two weeks) with Mariam and Levan and had a great time. Most Georgians are very hospitable, but because of the language barrier, having a more in depth conversation can be difficult. Mariam and Levan speak perfect English, so we really got the chance to discuss our observations and ask them about Georgian food, culture and history. We 'helped' with the cooking (meaning we mostly drank wine and cut some vegetables) so will hopefully be able to try some dishes at home.

Thanks again for a great night!

It was really magic day in magic places.
The Beka was more than local guide for us - we had a real friend for this trip.

We started early in Tbilisi, had a few stops to touch local culture, local cuisine, to have coffee break and the long way with talks.
We visited 3 impressing places, meet dinosaurs, walk glass Bridge, walk in long beautiful cave, had hiking in amazing Kanyon and finished with barbecue and long talks.
We also song songs together on our way in the car :-)

Highly recommended!

I booked this tour on my second day in Tbilisi and we saw almost went to every natural attraction within this tour which is done by one of the best tour guides I met beka 😊

He explained to us about the history of each place and helped us on some of the things while in Georgia.

I was surprised that I was invited to a small barbecue party he have arranged for our group which was really nice to sit together and chat.

If your looking to explore the nature of Georgia then this is the tour for you..

Mariam and Levan invite you into their home, they cook up the most delicious food for you and even travel to other regions of Georgia to get wine and ChaCha, which the Georgians drink themselves and which you can not buy in the supermarket.
About 5 min after you meet your two hosts, you feel as if you have known them for your entire life.
It was a fantastic and unique experience in Tbilisi and when I come back, I'll book dinner with them again. Yes- it was that nice and it was that good!!!!

I had some amazing foods prepared by the hosts at their place. They are both very friendly, great cooks, and good storytellers about Georgia and Tbilisi. It is such a unique experience to socialize with the locals and get a much better sense of their story and this great city of Tbilisi. I think it is well worth treating yourself to this tour. The food and wine were delicious!!!!

I had a wonderul opportunity to be invited by Marian and Levan for dinner.

We started at 4pm with dinner preparation to which I was able to learn how to make some of my favorite Georgian food - eggplant with walnuts, baje.

Had a delightful conversatiob with Mariam and Levan and I get a chance to drink from the horn.

What an amazing experience!!!

Levan and Mariam are such a lovely couple! We joined them for cooking and they taught us the secrets to perfect Georgian dishes. The food was exceptional and the company was even better. We had a great evening, learning about life and tradition in Georgia and just enjoying ourselves. A true authentic local experience. Don't miss out!

This experience is probably the most since and authentic experience we had in Georgia. Great food, but mostly its really about the warm welcome that Mari and Levan gave to us. Highly recommended to those seeking for everyday experience in Tbilisi, and those who seek for great conversations.

Mariam and Levan are a lovely example of a young Georgian generation: they are proud of their country, its history and love to present it to foreigners. Extra benefit is a fresh food prepared in front of you 👍
Thank you Levan and Mariam, kind regards from Slovakia 🙂

The trip to Kazbegi is definitely something you must do when visiting Georgia. The location is fantastic and the mini pit stops on the way are sites you shouldn't miss. Our guide was very friendly and knew all the best locations to stop, especially to take pictures.

went on this tour in April 2018.

Review of the tour operator:

I had a wonderful experience booking a tour with Marian. I decided to go to the Kazbegi Mountains about 24 hours before the tour; despite the short notice, Marian contacted me almost immediately to confirm the tour. She was friendly and very helpful in our correspondence - she wanted to make sure I got what I wanted out the trip. Because I booked the trip at short notice, she wasn’t to give the tour herself so she arranged for a colleague to handle the tour. Overall. Marian is lovely - friendly, knowledgeable, communicates well, passionate about her business and sharing her culture with visitors.

Review of the tour:

Overall, great experience.

I was picked up at my apartment on time. The tour consisted of a driver, a tour guide, and me. I needed to return to Tbilisi by 7pm, and we arrived on time back to my apartment. The total tour time was about 8 hours.

Car was clean and in good repair, and the driver very professional. Water was provided. The tour guide, Sofi, was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about all the various sites we visited. She was fluent in English.

The tour includes a variety of activities (paragliding, horseback riding) and sites to visit along the way to the mountain. Marian’s tour is designed to your preferences: for example, I didn’t want to do the outdoor activities, so the tour guide easily changed our itinerary to focus more on the historic sites. I also liked that we spent as much time (or as little) as I wanted at each site.

Marian checked in with the tour guide multiple times to make sure everything was going well. She also texted me after the tour to make sure I had enjoyed my day, which I really liked.

The only downside is that food is not included in the trip; we tried to go to a restaurant, but it was packed so we stopped at a gas station. I had to purchase my lunch, which was fine, but good to be aware of this.

Overall, this was a great day trip with a reputable tour operator. I’ve recommended Marian’s tours to my friends visiting the region, and they have had a wonderful with her.

What an extraordinary window into the mid 20th century, and a (then) futuristic industrial- residential complex that must confirmed in many Soviet citizens the inevitable victory of socialism was just around the corner. The extraordinary 3 dimensional public transport system, linking disconnected suburbs with mine sites, industrial plants, mine sites and the civic centre, in a setting of near-total dilapidation - yet somehow still clinging to some kind of “normal” life, has weirdly science-fictional feeling to it. Standing on one of the ruined hilltop “suburbs”, where even now a few shattered Soviet era flats are still occupied, one can see see the remaining operational cable cars, industrial and public transport, Criss crossing the valley and imagine how advanced the whole setup must have looked back in the early 1950s.
I approached the cable car ride with some trepidation, but it all worked fine. I would not have missed this for anything. Added extras included a very worthwhile visit to what would have been the cultural centre for the city, a performing arts theatre in a rather sophisticated style that linked bauhaus with art moderne. Although it is also worn down to the bone, the theatre continues to host intermittent musical & theatrical performances.
Bookends to the tour, the remarkable cave monastery and the Katskhi pillar, round out a very full, and fulfilling day.
All this is hosted by lively, whip-smart and very knowledgeable Maria, whose energy and passion for Georgia, and perhaps especially this aspect of its past, present and future, make this unusual tour one out of the box.
Don’t miss it,

We (2 Americans, late 20s) were not sure what to expect - but this turned out to be a wonderful addition to our trip itinerary! Mari and Levan are fabulous hosts who were excited to share their culture & experiences with us over the course of a delicious meal.

Levan picked us up from our hotel and brought us to Mari's home, where they had prepared an amazing meal - probably the best we had on our trip - with plenty of wine as well. We had requested a vegan menu, and they did a nice job of accommodating that request. We had a lovely evening chatting about their lives growing up in Georgia, sharing our questions & observations, and asking them a LOT of questions about their beautiful country.

At the end, Mari's father drove us to the funicula for an evening view of the city - it was a great way to cap off the evening. We can't recommend Mari & Levan more highly; they're genuine and hospitable hosts (with some awesome food too!). We were their first dinner guests, and we hope they get many more through this site!

Mari/Levan - Thanks again for a great evening!

Thanks to Mariam who was very supportive and cooperative to complete the tour with ease. Visitors should be careful while planning for this trip as the caves are closed on Mondays. Even though, we had booked the trip on Sunday and Monday, Mariam helped us to plan our tour to visit maximum places and achieved our target to visit all cave locations on Sunday. Tour to Okatse Canyons was on separate 4X4 vehicle arranged by the guide and is an experience different from Desert Safari. Really appreciate our guide who was very friendly and helped us to have best variety of Georgian dishes on the way to Kutaisi in a private car while enjoying the nature's beauty of the landscapes, hills and greenery. Be ready ready to walk for at least 2-3 kms per day and have a good trainer shoes preferably hiking shoes covering upto ankle. Don't your go pro or professional camera. However, in the caves best shots could be taken with a smartphone with good camera in night mode.

A day trip to Armenie ? I was not sure - Georgie is such a great country and so much to discover and one day in Armenia what will I learn and see anyway ? .... How wrong was I and how happy am I that I booked this tour ! Together with my partner we did the tour with Maria and her too funny driver (she is the best driver of Georgie and don´t worry she is also a nurse ...) and we did not stop talking the whole day - so many stories, questions, discussions, ideas and especially the most beautiful legends she can tell you. Do not even think about it - just book the tour and you really get an idea of Armenie - see the most beautiful monasteries - get an idea of USSR footprint in the country and will meet so many great people. For sure you end the day with the biggest smile !

We absolutely loved our evening with Levan and Mariam sampling several of the dishes we had tried on our two week trip around Georgia and helping out with the cooking too! We were also able to try out a couple of new things which was great as the walnut sauce was a delight.
Levan and Mariam were very accommodating and we were able to select the key dishes we wanted to make with them including churchkhela which was apparently a first request!
The whole experience was fantastic and with more food than we could ever eat and all washed down with homemade wine we left with full bellies and fond memories. We are so pleased we went for this experience and would fully recommend it to anyone staying in Tbilisi who appreciates Georgian food.

Since the weather forecast showed rain in the afternoon, I was worried that I won’t be able to see the great view of mountains, So I asked to skip Mutskheta. Mariam was very nice and flexible to accept it and even changed the order of the stops for me.

Thanks to her and the professional driver, David who had managed the bumpy dirt road up to the top of the mountain, I was able to see the spectacular view before it started to get cloudy. On the way back, the sun came out and I could see the beautiful color of water at the Jvari water reservoir, too.

I definitely recommend this tour full of picturesque places. You won’t regret even the weather may not be perfect, just meeting Mariam already is cheerful enough.

First time in Georgia and an amazing experience. Beka is a great guide and takes a pride in treating his guests as personal friends, showing them the best of his country. Very responsive and flexible adjusting to your schedule and accommodating your requests, and a very safe driver which is extremely important at this location.
The best part of it, Beka accommodates to your preferences and makes the tour as relaxing or adventurous as you prefer. His tours could take you off the beaten path to swim in a mountain stream in a hidden canyon, hike Daryal gorge to a waterfall, try local bread hot out of the tone (traditional Georgian oven). Highly recommended

It was an amazing dinner time. Mariam and Levan are not only highly knowledgeable of their city and heritage; but also of the importance to take visitors through a more in depth experience on Georgian flavours. They are both excellent guides and hosts, great people to hang out with.
We highly recommend this experience to those seeking a less touristy type of event, whereby you can experience the local culture full fledge through its culinary traditions. A great idea, greatly executed by Mariam and Levan.
Keep it up!