Orbeliani Square
A colourful quarter renovated in 2019, with a flower market and pastel facades — the gateway to Sololaki, steps from Freedom Square.
- Time needed
- 1 h
- From Tbilisi
- 1 km · 0:05
- Road
- Paved
- Car needed
- Economy class
- Season
- All year
- Entry
- free
Orbeliani Square is the most colourful corner of Tbilisi — a quarter of pastel-painted, balconied houses that the 2019 renovation turned into one of the city's most photogenic spots.
The square has two centuries of trading history: in the early 19th century a produce market stood here, from 1828 the place was known as Post Square, and in 1876–1903 as the Soldier's Bazaar. The 2019 rehabilitation restored twenty buildings, thirteen of them listed cultural heritage monuments. A small garden and fountain occupy the centre, and remnants of the old city fortification wall show at the edge.
What keeps the square alive:
- The flower market in its arched pavilions — Tbilisians still buy their bouquets here
- The reborn covered bazaar with a food hall and local produce
- Pastel facades behind which the Sololaki district begins
From here it's an easy drift into Sololaki's Art Nouveau hallways or up to Rustaveli. In the evening the cafés and bars fill up and the square stays awake late; in December a Christmas market usually adds lights and mulled wine to the mix.
Practical advice
Come in the morning if the flower market matters to you — trade starts early and that's when the choice is best. The square itself is small, half an hour covers it, but with Sololaki's side lanes it easily stretches to ninety minutes. Café prices are moderate; toilets are in the market building. The best light for photos is in the morning hours, before the square falls into shade.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Freedom Square it's five minutes by car and seven on foot, so if your rental is already parked in the centre, just walk. If you do drive, there's an underground car park beneath the supermarket on the square's lower level, and zonal paid street parking around (Tbilisi Parking app). On weekdays Atoneli and Vekua streets clog at rush hour. Asphalt all the way; an economy car is entirely sufficient.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Freedom Square and the Old Parliament
The city's central square, renamed five times, each renaming marking the arrival of a different regime.
Sololaki and its Art Nouveau Entrances
A nineteenth-century merchants' district under the ridge, where the best of it is inside the stairwells.
Rustaveli Avenue
Tbilisi's main street: a kilometre and a half of plane trees, opera, parliament and political memory.
Georgian National Museum
The flagship museum on Rustaveli Avenue — Colchian gold, the Dmanisi hominids and the Soviet Occupation hall.
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 — 0 km (straight line)