Mtatsminda Park, Tbilisi

Is Mtatsminda Park free? Tickets and prices

Entry to the park is free, and it's open every day of the year. What you pay for is getting up there and the rides. The park doesn't publish its fares online; unofficially, the funicular costs about 10–12 GEL one way and the cable car from Rustaveli Avenue 12 GEL for foreign visitors (3 GEL for Georgian citizens and residents, under-6s ride free).

Each attraction — the Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousels, the Ghost Castle dark ride — is charged separately at its own price. If you only want the view, the lookout terraces along the edge of the plateau cost nothing and the view is nearly the same as from the wheel.

Mtatsminda funicular: price, hours and the middle stop

The funicular opened in 1905 and is a sight in its own right. The lower station is at 22 Daniel Chonkadze Street, a Moorish-style building in the Sololaki district. The 501-metre track climbs 267 m; two cars pass each other halfway, departing every 20 minutes and taking 3 minutes to the top. The middle stop is for the Pantheon and Mama Daviti church.

Hours are the murky part. Guides quote anything from 9:00 or 10:30 to 23:00, and one says it runs well past midnight. One guide also says the cars skip the middle stop after 19:00 — so visit the Pantheon by day. Before an evening trip, ask at the desk when the last car goes down.

At the top, the three-storey upper station houses a restaurant and café with a terrace looking straight over the city centre.

Rustaveli to Mtatsminda cable car

Since October 2024 a cable car also runs up the mountain. The lower station is at 52 Rustaveli Avenue, by the Georgian Academy of Sciences and a few minutes from Rustaveli metro. Its 1958 building by architect Vakhtang Lezhava is a listed heritage monument and has been restored.

According to the park, it runs every day from 11:00 to 22:30, with 21 eight-seat gondolas; the ride takes about 4–5 minutes. You pay with the same park card. It's the easier choice if you're staying near Rustaveli or Vake — no uphill walk to the station. The funicular is the better ride and stops at the Pantheon. Best of both: go up one way and come down the other.

Is Mtatsminda Park worth it?

Yes, for the view alone: from the edge of the plateau you see all of Tbilisi at once — the Old Town and Narikala Fortress, Sameba Cathedral, the river and the new districts out to the hills. Come about 90 minutes before sunset, watch the city light up, and ride down after dark.

With children it's the best half-day in the city: rides, a kids' zone and two fun ways up. Without kids, the rides themselves are a standard funfair and not why you come — skip them, enjoy the lookouts and the funicular, and you'll need about 90 minutes in total. In cold, windy weather many rides stop, and the summit feels noticeably colder than the streets below.

What to see at Mtatsminda

• The Ferris wheel on the cliff edge — the park's signature view over the whole city. It's paid and stops in strong wind.
• The free lookout terraces along the plateau — almost the same panorama, best at sunset and after dark.
• The rides — a roller coaster, carousels, the Ghost Castle dark ride and a kids' area; each paid from your card, some only in the warm season.
• The upper funicular station — a three-storey building with a restaurant, café and the classic terrace view.
• The TV tower from 1972, the red-and-white landmark visible across Tbilisi — not open to visitors, but great up close for photos.
• Mama Daviti church and the Pantheon halfway down, at the funicular's middle stop — quiet and historic, a complete change from the funfair.

Mama Daviti church and the Mtatsminda Pantheon

Halfway up the slope stands the Church of St David (Mama Daviti), built in the 19th century where, according to tradition, St David of Gareja lived in a cell in the 6th century. Springs run from the rock in the churchyard.

Around it lies the Mtatsminda Pantheon, officially opened in 1929 for the centenary of the death of the Russian writer and diplomat Alexander Griboyedov, buried here in 1829 beside his Georgian wife Nino Chavchavadze. Georgia's great writers rest here too: Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Vazha-Pshavela, Galaktion Tabidze. Entry is free; get off at the middle funicular stop or walk up the switchback path from Chonkadze Street.

Can you hike up Mtatsminda?

Yes. A paved switchback path climbs from Chonkadze Street to Mama Daviti church, and from there a steep trail through pine forest continues to the park. Other trails link the summit with Turtle Lake and the Sololaki ridge towards Narikala. Hike in daylight with proper shoes, and take the funicular down — the descent on loose paths is harder on the knees than the climb.

Mtatsminda vs Narikala vs Sameba for views

First evening in Tbilisi? Narikala — it's central and free. Give Mtatsminda its own evening, especially with kids or for the biggest panorama of the city.

Tbilisi viewpoints compared

Tbilisi's best viewpoints, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

42

Rustaveli Avenue

Tbilisi, Georgia

1 h · Free, 24/7 · 22 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Rustaveli Avenue

50

Dry Bridge Market

Tbilisi, Georgia

1 h · Free to browse · 29 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Dry Bridge Market

64

Bridge of Peace

Tbilisi, Georgia

20 min · Free · 35 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Bridge of Peace

61

Rike Park

Tbilisi, Georgia

45 min · Free; cable car 2.5 GEL · 38 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Rike Park

How to do it right

• Ride the cable car up from Rustaveli and the funicular down — you see both and finish in Sololaki.
• Arrive about 90 minutes before sunset to catch the wheel in daylight and the city lights after.
• Load the park card for your whole group at once — one card covers several people.
• Not into rides? Skip the wheel: the free lookouts give almost the same view.
• Visit the Pantheon by day — reportedly the funicular skips the middle stop in the evening.
• Bring a layer even in summer: the summit is breezier and cooler than the avenue below.

Questions