Aghmashenebeli Avenue (New Tiflis)
The restored 19th-century avenue of the left bank — pastel facades, wrought-iron balconies and a lively pedestrian stretch.
- Time needed
- 1.5 h
- From Tbilisi
- 2 km · 0:10
- Road
- Paved
- Car needed
- Economy class
- Season
- All year
- Entry
- free
Aghmashenebeli Avenue is the Rustaveli of the left bank — nearly two kilometres of 19th-century neoclassical facades, wrought-iron balconies and painted hallways that have become one of Tbilisi's most pleasant strolls.
The street grew out of a German colony: Swabian settlers arrived here in 1817–1818 and their quarter was called Neu-Tiflis. The avenue later carried the names Mikheil Street (from 1851) and Plekhanov Street through the Soviet era, and since 1988 has been named after King David IV the Builder. Since 2010 around seventy buildings have been restored, and in 2016 the "New Tiflis" programme turned the lower stretch, from Saarbrücken Square to Marjanishvili Square, into a pedestrian zone.
What to look for:
- The car-free section with its restored facades and evening lighting
- Marjanishvili Square and the theatre district around it
- Classic Tbilisi courtyards — push open any unlocked hallway door
- A run of cafés, bakeries and Middle Eastern restaurants
The avenue comes alive after dark, when the terraces fill and the facades light up. It works in winter too — the street is fairly sheltered from the wind.
Practical advice
Come in the late afternoon so you catch the facades in daylight and the lights after dusk. Cafés on the pedestrian stretch charge tourist prices; the side streets are cheaper and more authentic. Marjanishvili metro station is right on the avenue, and Fabrika is a five-minute walk. Toilets are in the cafés. Pickpocketing is rare, but mind your bag on crowded evenings.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Freedom Square cross the Mtkvari on Baratashvili Bridge towards Saarbrücken Square — about 2 km, ten minutes without traffic. The pedestrian section is closed to cars, so park on the side streets in the zonal paid parking (Tbilisi Parking app) or in the Fabrika courtyard lot and walk. Expect jams near Marjanishvili Bridge at rush hour. An economy car is all you need; honestly, the metro is often quicker here.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Fabrika and the Marjanishvili District
A Soviet sewing factory turned into a courtyard of bars and studios, and the old German quarter around it.
Dry Bridge Market
An open-air flea market where two centuries of the country's household objects are laid out on folding tables.
Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre
The Zakaria Paliashvili State Opera and Ballet Theatre on Rustaveli Avenue.
Best car for this trip
Guides
- Driving in Georgia: What the Distances Actually Cost You Georgia is a small country with slow roads. Here is what 267 measured drives from Tbilisi say about how long y
Pickup locations
Car Rental in Tbilisi — 2 km (straight line)