Rike Park, Tbilisi

Rike Park cable car: price, hours and how to pay

The lower station of the Rike–Narikala cable car is inside the park, by Europe Square. Cabins glide over the river and the Old Town rooftops to the ridge beside the fortress — 508 metres in under two minutes. A one-way ride is 2.5 GEL on the Tbilisi Transport Company tariff, and it is not part of the 90-minute fare that covers the metro and buses.

Pay with a Metromoney card: the ticket desk at the lower station and metro stations sell it for a refundable 2 GEL deposit, and you top it up with cash or a bank card. Guides disagree on whether contactless bank cards work at the cable car gate, so buy Metromoney and you won't be stuck. Elsewhere in Georgia, contactless Visa and Mastercard work on the metro and buses and in most cafés; carry some lari in cash for kiosks.

The cable car opens at 10:00. Last autumn City Hall announced that from 1 November it closes at 22:00 instead of midnight, with summer hours back to midnight. Nothing new has been published for this season, so treat those times as unofficial. The line also shuts a few times a year for scheduled maintenance, from a single day to a few weeks.

Is Rike Park worth visiting?

Yes — as part of a walk, not as a destination in itself. Rike is the pleasant middle stretch between the Bridge of Peace and the cable car: cross the bridge, spend 20–30 minutes by the river, then ride up to Narikala Fortress. Don't cross town just for the park; the lawns and sculptures are nice, not unique.

With children it is an easy win: soft-surface playgrounds, the giant chessboard, a hedge maze, a climbing wall and the cable car itself. In high summer skip the midday visit — there is almost no shade. In autumn 2026, factor in the demolition site around the tubes; by the river and at the cable car you barely notice it.

What to see in Rike Park

• The glass-and-steel Bridge of Peace, whose east end steps straight down into the park.
• The giant chessboard, with pieces nearly a metre tall — anyone can play.
• A white sculptural grand piano and metal artworks in place of trees, including a metal oak with little doors.
• The musical fountain near the centre — evening shows with music and lights in the warm months.
• A bronze Ronald Reagan seated on a bench.
• Playgrounds, a hedge maze and a climbing wall for kids.
• The view across the river to Metekhi Church, the sulphur baths and Narikala — best after dark, when it is all lit up.
• The Fuksas tubes, while they last — visible from the bridge and from the cable car.

What is Rike Park?

Rike is the newest park in central Tbilisi, opened in 2010 on the east bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) between the Bridge of Peace and Metekhi Bridge. It is less a garden than a broad riverfront: lawns, wooden boardwalks, grassy mounds and sculptures, with very few trees. That makes it scorching at noon in July and lovely in the evening.

The name means “sands”. In the early 20th century this was an island between the main river and a side channel; the channel silted up, and floods kept leaving sand and mud on the bank. The park was laid out on that reclaimed ground.

Above it rises the Avlabari district, crowned by the glass dome of the Presidential Palace; across the water are the Old Town and the walls of Narikala. So think of Rike as a viewpoint and a transfer point — you arrive over the bridge and leave by cable car.

Best photo spots

From the Rike riverside you can fit the Bridge of Peace, the Old Town domes and Narikala on its ridge into one frame. Go at blue hour, when the bridge lights come on and the fortress and Metekhi Church glow above the water.

The second angle is from the cable car cabin: the park, the bend of the river and the whole bridge from above — stand on the river side. The third is from the bridge itself, looking back at the lawns, the cable car station and Avlabari above. If you want the tubes in your shot, hurry: they are being dismantled now.

Rike Park vs Mtatsminda Park vs the Bridge of Peace

Rike and the Bridge of Peace make one easy evening in the centre. Mtatsminda is a separate trip, but the view is higher.

Tbilisi after dark, compared

Tbilisi places that are at their best in the evening, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

64

Bridge of Peace

Tbilisi, Georgia

20 min · Free · 3 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Bridge of Peace

57

Abanotubani Sulphur Baths

Tbilisi, Georgia

1 h 30 min · Private room ≈ 50–250 GEL/hour · 10 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Abanotubani Sulphur Baths

60

Narikala Fortress

Tbilisi, Georgia

1 h · Free; cable car 2.5 GEL · 10 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Narikala Fortress

52

Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)

Tbilisi, Georgia

40 min · Free · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)

How to do it right

• Arrive half an hour before sunset: stroll by the river, then ride up when the Bridge of Peace lights come on.
• Ride up, walk down to Abanotubani and the sulphur baths — less climbing and no second queue.
• The cable car queue peaks just before sunset; on a weekday afternoon there is hardly any.
• Keep your Metromoney card: on the metro and buses it gives you 90 minutes of travel for 1 GEL.
• Not keen on the climb at the top? Ride up and back — the view from the cabin is nearly as good.

Questions