# Mtskheta Old Town and Arsukidze Street > Mtskheta Old Town is a handful of restored streets around Svetitskhoveli Cathedral: Arsukidze Street by the west gate, churchkhela and wine stalls, cafés and a path down to where the Aragvi meets the Kura. It is free and open around the clock; shops trade by day. An hour covers the walk, two with lunch. Bring cash in lari for the stalls. Web page: https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/mtskheta-old-town - City: [Mtskheta](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta), Georgia - YesGo score: 54/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 1 h - Opening hours: Open 24/7 — these are public streets; shops and cafés trade from morning to evening (unofficial) - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — public streets - Time needed: About an hour for the walk, two with lunch - Where: Around Svetitskhoveli Cathedral; Arsukidze Street runs past its west gate - From Tbilisi: Marshrutka from Didube bus station, 1.5–3 GEL cash (most often 2), 30–60 min - Payment: Visa and Mastercard in cafés and larger shops; cash in lari for stalls, marshrutkas and candles - ATMs: Several in the town centre near the cathedral - Train: Unofficially, Mtskheta station is closed for restoration — no trains from Tbilisi - Busiest: Roughly 10:00–13:00 with tour groups; 14 October (Svetitskhovloba festival) - Coordinates: 41.84227, 44.71897 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **2008–2010** — major rebuild of the centre: around 100 buildings and seven streets renewed (source: GHN news agency, 2010; Georgian Technical University, Faculty of Architecture) - **Aragvi and Kura** — the old town sits where the two rivers meet (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Mtskheta) - **1994** — the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (source: English Wikipedia: Mtskheta; YesGo’s Svetitskhoveli page) - **51 houses** — rebuilt on Gamsakhurdia, Arsukidze, Kostava and Kalandadze streets (source: Georgian Technical University, Faculty of Architecture; GHN news agency, 2010) - **Early 6th century** — Mtskheta stopped being the capital of Iberia when King Dachi moved it to Tbilisi (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Mtskheta) - **≈ 20 km** — north of Tbilisi (source: English Wikipedia: Mtskheta; Wander-Lush) - **2009–2016** — years Mtskheta’s monuments spent on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger (source: English Wikipedia: Mtskheta; travel guides citing UNESCO) - **Antiokia** — a tiny riverside church of St Stephen, one of the town’s earliest; its dating is disputed (source: Wander-Lush; Travelguide.ge; Eurasia Travel) - **Pompey’s Bridge** — ruins on the outskirts that legend credits to Roman legionaries of the 1st century BC (source: English Wikipedia: Mtskheta; Russian Wikipedia (Pompey’s campaign, 65 BC)) - **8 km** — to Natakhtari village, home of Georgia’s best-known bottled lemonades (source: Georgia.to; Georgia Today) ## Things to do in Mtskheta Old Town The old town is not a single monument but the lived-in centre of a small town that grew up around Georgia’s patriarchal cathedral, [Svetitskhoveli](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral). Most of what you will do here is walk, eat and shop between the churches — and that takes about an hour at an easy pace. Start at the cathedral’s west gate on **Arsukidze Street**, the main tourist strip of wine shops, churchkhela stalls and cafés with terraces facing the 18th-century fortress wall. Wander one block back to Gamsakhurdia and Kostava streets for quiet stone houses with wooden balconies, then drop down to the riverbank where the Aragvi flows into the Kura. From there, the tiny [Antiokia church](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/antiokia-church) of St Stephen stands on the bank, and the main street, Davit Aghmashenebeli, leads 10–15 minutes north to [Samtavro convent](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery). For the view of all of it — rooftops, walls and the river confluence — look up at [Jvari Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/jvari-monastery) on the hill opposite. > **Prices are higher by the gate, and stalls want cash** The stalls closest to Svetitskhoveli are aimed at tour-bus groups: churchkhela, wine and ceramics cost noticeably more than in Tbilisi, and some of the “handmade” goods are factory-made. Walk the whole street and compare before buying. Cafés and larger shops take foreign Visa and Mastercard; stalls, marshrutkas and church candles are cash only, in lari. There are ATMs in the centre. ## What to see on the walk - **Arsukidze Street** by the west gate — stalls, wine shops and terraces, plus the spot where local taxis wait. - **The cathedral’s fortress wall** with its towers, built in the 18th century — the best angles are from Arsukidze Street and the riverbank. - **Stone houses with carved wooden balconies** on Gamsakhurdia and Kostava streets, a block away from the souvenir crowds. - **The riverbank at the Aragvi–Kura confluence** — locals fish here in warm months, and there is a small jetty for river trips (unofficial). - **Antiokia**, a tiny sandstone church right by the water. The gate is sometimes locked; the outside is still worth the detour. - **Davit Aghmashenebeli Street**, the town’s main road, where marshrutkas stop and the walk north to Samtavro begins. ## Where to eat in Mtskheta Georgian cafés line Arsukidze Street and the lanes around the cathedral. Menus are aimed at visitors — khinkali, khachapuri, mtsvadi (grilled meat), lobio and walnut salads — and the terraces facing the fortress wall are the main draw. Fine for a quick lunch between churches; nothing you can’t find in Tbilisi. For the town’s best-known dish, go a little further. **Salobie**, a large roadside café below [Armaztsikhe](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/armaztsikhe) across the Kura, serves lobio — spiced kidney beans in a clay pot — with mchadi cornbread. Grab a table first, then order and pay at the counter. Order a Georgian lemonade with it: tarragon (tarkhuna) is the classic. There is no special “Mtskheta lemonade”, but Natakhtari, the best-known brand, is bottled in Natakhtari village 8 km north of town. Tip from YesGo: eat before noon or after 15:00 — tour buses unofficially arrive between about 10:00 and 13:00 and fill the terraces. ## Is Mtskheta Old Town worth visiting? Yes, as part of a trip to the cathedral and monasteries — which is the reason to come. On its own it is a pleasant hour, not a destination: the streets were heavily rebuilt in **2008–2010**, when around a hundred buildings and seven streets were renewed, so it looks neat and in places almost new. If you want genuinely old, lived-in lanes, Tbilisi’s Old Town has more of them. Plan half a day for Svetitskhoveli, the old town with lunch and Samtavro; a full day if you add Jvari by taxi and the ruins of Armaztsikhe. Come on a weekday morning or after 15:00, in spring or autumn. In July and August the cobbles are hot by noon, so arrive before 10:00. On 14 October, the Svetitskhovloba festival, the town is packed with pilgrims and roads jam. ## How to get to Mtskheta Old Town from Tbilisi 1. Take the metro to Didube. Leave the station, go through the underpass, cross the road and walk through the market alley to the vans signed Mtskheta. 2. Buy a ticket at the desk — 1.5–3 GEL, most often 2, cash only — or pay the driver. Vans leave from early morning every 15–30 minutes, when full. 3. The ride takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic leaving Tbilisi. Ask to be dropped in the centre, by the cathedral. 4. From the stop on the main street it is about 5 minutes on foot to Svetitskhoveli’s west gate on Arsukidze Street — the old town starts right there. 5. To return, flag down a Tbilisi-bound van on the opposite side of the same street. Don’t leave it too late: the last vans fill up. ## Taxi, train or tour? Bolt works between Tbilisi and Mtskheta and drops you at the gate, but it costs many times the marshrutka fare, and a car back is not always available — drivers in Mtskheta are thin on the ground. Skip the train: unofficially, Mtskheta station is closed for restoration and no trains run from Tbilisi. A guided day trip from Tbilisi usually bundles Svetitskhoveli, Jvari and the old town in half a day, with the legends that no sign on the street explains. It is the easiest way to see Jvari without arranging your own taxi up the hill. ## What to buy: churchkhela, wine and chacha The classic buy is **churchkhela** — walnuts or hazelnuts on a string, dipped in thickened grape juice. Fresh ones are firm and slightly springy, never rock-hard. Stalls also sell tklapi (thin fruit leather), honey, spices, Svan salt and green-walnut jam. Wine shops on Arsukidze sell wine and chacha (grape brandy), and some will pour a taste first. Mtskheta is in Kartli, and the Mukhrani valley in the same municipality makes wine from local grapes such as Chinuri, Goruli Mtsvane and Shavkapito. Choose factory-sealed bottles if you are flying. Ceramics, drinking horns, mini qvevri and cathedral magnets fill the open stalls, where gentle haggling is normal if you buy several things; shops with price tags are fixed-price. We found no produce market with market days in the old town — the souvenir rows by the cathedral are the market, and they trade daily. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Small lari notes for the marshrutka, stalls and candles - [ ] Covered shoulders and knees; a headscarf and skirt for women — for the churches - [ ] Comfortable shoes for cobbles and steps down to the river - [ ] Leaving Tbilisi early to beat the tour groups - [ ] It is not 14 October — unless I want the festival - [ ] Room in my bag for wine and churchkhela ## Old town, Svetitskhoveli or Samtavro? | | Old town | Svetitskhoveli | Samtavro | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Shopping and café streets around the cathedral | 11th-century patriarchal cathedral | Working convent | | Where | Central Mtskheta | Central Mtskheta, inside walls | North of the centre, 10–15 min walk | | Entry | Free | Free | Free | | Time needed | ≈ 1 h, ≈ 2 h with lunch | 40–60 min | ≈ 30 min | | Dress code | None | Headscarf and skirt for women, long trousers for men | Headscarf and skirt for women, long trousers for men | | Highlight | Churchkhela, wine, lunch, riverbank | Christ’s robe tradition, royal tombs | Tomb of King Mirian and Queen Nana | The old town doesn’t replace the churches — it links them. Short on time? See Svetitskhoveli first, then walk Arsukidze Street to lunch. ## Historic sites in Mtskheta compared Every historic site in Mtskheta rated by YesGo. - [Mtskheta Old Town and Arsukidze Street](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/mtskheta-old-town) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free — public streets - [Svetitskhoveli Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Jvari Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/jvari-monastery) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Antiokia Church](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/antiokia-church) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free - [Samtavro Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, donations welcome - [Armaztsikhe-Bagineti](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/armaztsikhe) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free or 6 GEL — sources disagree - [Bebristsikhe Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/bebristsikhe-fortress) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, no ticket office - [Zedazeni Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/zedazeni-monastery) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Shio-Mgvime Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/shio-mgvime-monastery) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Ananuri Fortress](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/ananuri-fortress) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Mtskheta on foot in half a day North to south: Samtavro convent, lunch in the old town, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and little Antiokia by the river. 1. [Samtavro Monastery](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/samtavro-monastery) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, donations welcome 2. [Mtskheta Old Town and Arsukidze Street](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/mtskheta-old-town) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free — public streets 3. [Svetitskhoveli Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/svetitskhoveli-cathedral) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free 4. [Antiokia Church](https://yesgo.io/georgia/mtskheta/antiokia-church) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free > **Buy your churchkhela on the way out** Walk the whole of Arsukidze Street and the side lanes first, compare prices and freshness, and buy on your way back to the marshrutka. You won’t carry bags round the cathedral and convent, and the wine won’t sit warming in your bag all afternoon. ## Good to know Mtskheta Old Town is not Tbilisi’s Old Town (Narikala, the sulphur baths) — they are 20 km apart. In 2026 the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia is rehabilitating Mtskheta’s streets, lighting and the Aragvi riverbank, so expect some roadworks in the centre. ## Tips - Arrive before 10:00 or after 15:00 to walk Arsukidze Street and photograph the cathedral wall without the crowds. - Step one street back from the cathedral — Gamsakhurdia and Kostava are quieter, and the balconied houses photograph better without stalls in front. - Dress for the churches from the start; there is nowhere to change at the gates. - For Jvari, take a taxi from the rank by the cathedral gate and agree the fare and waiting time before you get in. - Pick churchkhela that is firm but springy — dried-out ones crumble — and wine in sealed factory bottles. - Save half an hour for the riverbank at the confluence; it is calm after busy Arsukidze Street. ## Questions ### What is there to do in Mtskheta Old Town? Walk Arsukidze Street and the lanes around Svetitskhoveli, shop for churchkhela and wine, have lunch on a terrace and walk down to the river confluence and the little Antiokia church. ### Is Mtskheta worth visiting? Yes, for Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro and the view from Jvari — half a day to a day. The rebuilt old town alone isn’t worth the trip; Tbilisi’s Old Town is livelier. ### How long do you need in Mtskheta? About an hour for the old town, half a day with the cathedral, lunch and Samtavro, and a full day if you add Jvari and Armaztsikhe. ### How do I get to Mtskheta from Tbilisi? Metro to Didube, then a marshrutka to Mtskheta — 1.5–3 GEL cash, 30–60 minutes. Get off in the centre; Arsukidze Street is a 5-minute walk. ### Where should I eat in Mtskheta? Cafés on Arsukidze Street and around the cathedral are fine for a quick lunch. For lobio in a clay pot, head to Salobie on the main road below Armaztsikhe. ### What should I buy in Mtskheta? Churchkhela, tklapi, honey, spices, local wine and chacha, ceramics and drinking horns. Prices by the cathedral gate are higher than in Tbilisi. ### Can I pay by card in Mtskheta? Foreign Visa and Mastercard work in cafés and larger shops. Stalls, marshrutkas and church candles need cash in lari; there are ATMs in the centre. ### Is there a train from Tbilisi to Mtskheta? Not at the moment, by unofficial accounts: the station is closed for restoration. Take the marshrutka from Didube or a taxi. ### When is the best time to visit Mtskheta? Weekday mornings in spring or autumn. Avoid midday in high summer and 14 October, when the Svetitskhovloba festival packs the town. ## How we checked The 2008–2010 rebuild is confirmed by two independent 2010 sources, a news agency report and an architects’ project list. Marshrutka journey times differ — 25–35 minutes in The Georgian Guide, 45–60 in Wander-Lush — so we say 30–60 minutes. Guides quote the fare anywhere from 1.5 to 3 GEL, most often 2; we found no official tariff, so we give the range and mark it “checking”. The station closure comes from Wander-Lush, updated in autumn 2026; a 2025 Gotrip guide still listed two trains a day, and we found no official timetable, so it is labelled unofficial. Tour-group hours come from one source. Antiokia is dated anywhere from the 4th–5th to the 7th century, so we give no century. No source mentions a market with set market days, and we say so. Churchkhela and wine prices appear in guides but change fast, so they are not on the page. Apart from Salobie, named by three sources, we don’t name individual cafés. ## Sources - GHN news agency, 7 September 2010: the president inspects reconstruction in Mtskheta — about 100 buildings and 7 streets, works 2008–2010 - Georgian Technical University, Faculty of Architecture: reconstruction of 51 houses on Gamsakhurdia, Arsukidze, Kostava and Kalandadze streets, 2010 - English Wikipedia: Mtskheta — UNESCO, Danger List, Pompey’s Bridge; Russian Wikipedia: Мцхета; Wikidata Q180810 - Municipal Development Fund of Georgia, 24.08.2026: urban infrastructure rehabilitation in Mtskheta - Gotrip.ge: How to get to Mtskheta (2025) — train and marshrutka - Wander-Lush: Tbilisi to Mtskheta day trip — Didube marshrutka, train, taxis, payment, Antiokia, riverbank, Salobie - The Georgian Guide: Mtskheta guide — marshrutka, tour-group hours, souvenirs, Salobie - Travelto: What to bring back from Mtskheta — Arsukidze Street, churchkhela, Kartli wine, haggling - Georgia.to: Natakhtari; Georgia Today — Natakhtari lemonade’s 20th anniversary - Travelguide.ge and Eurasia Travel — Antiokia church - Sakhva Travel: Which cards work in Georgia --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.