Transportation and travelling

Transportation in general
Although the distances between major cities in Samtskhe-Javakheti are not huge, travelling can take time. For an actual distance of around 60 km, you should leave approx. 1.5 h, depending on the means of transportation. The speed limit within villages and cities is 60km/h, outside 80 km/h and on highways 110km/h, but the actual speed of driving is often limited by the unpredictable condition of the roads. Street signs are written in Georgian and Latin script, but they are rare.

In Georgia you drive on the right side of the road, being at all intoxicated and talking on mobile phones while driving is forbidden, and you must wear a safety belt. Well, these are the official rules. Georgian drivers seem to bend them pretty often, at least concerning speed limits and mobile phones.

Minibuses - "marschrutkas"
The most popular way to travel from A to B are the famous "marschrutkas". Marschrutkas are minibuses that go to almost every corner of the country. The Russian slang term "marschrutka" comes from the German word "Marschroute", which means "marching route".

Marschrutkas have more or less fixed travel times, but very often the driver will simply leave when his bus is full. On the way he may only stop, when somebody wants to get out and he can let somebody new in. So, if you wish to leave your marschrutka before its designated final destination, always say it loud and clear, yelling to the driver if necessary. And if you take a marschrutka to visit a remote tourist spot, always make sure that there will be another one to take you back later in the day. Prices for marschrutkas start at 2-3 GEL p.p., depending on the distance you wish to travel. A marschrutka can usually take between 16 and 20 passengers.

What you should know about travelling in a marschrutka:
Although travelling by marschrutka is the most popular means of transport in Georgia, it can be quite stressful for the average European. The drivers drive fast, often aggressively, honk their horns constantly and seem to pay more attention to their mobile phones than to the traffic around them. In addition, the roads are often very bad and on top of it most marschrutkas are in poor shape.

Taxis and 4x4 vehicles

You can also rent your own taxi. This is preferable, if you want to make a few stops on the way and travel at your own speed (in the truest sense of the word). Of course, this is much more expensive than taking a marschrutka  or even public transportation but hiring your own taxi is a good option, if you wish to visit many places within a limited amount of time and you do not want to worry about how and when to go back.

When you hire a private taxi, the price is often negotiable, as they don't drive by the clock. So, it is always preferable to agree on the price beforehand, in order to avoid discussions afterwards.

There are also shared taxis on some busy routes. Shared taxis usually leave, whenever they are full and prices are a lower than in a regular taxi, but a little higher than in a marschrutka. And don't always believe the driver of a shared taxi, when he tells you that the next marschrutka won't leavefor three hours and you‘re better off getting into his car.

It might even be necessary to rent a 4x4 vehicle with a driver, as many remote spots are only accessible via small, cobble roads like on the Javakheti plateau in the southeast of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Sometimes it is possible to hike (for hours), but in many cases 4x4 is the only way. Renting your own taxi for a whole day can easily cost 100-150 GEL, a 4x4 vehicle may be two or even three times as much.

Renting your own car
Of course you can also rent a car and drive yourself. But renting a car is only possible in the major cities and you will have to decide for yourself if you are willing to take the challenge of Georgian traffic in combination with the very often rudimentary condition of the roads.              

Public transportation
There is also public transportation. It is cheap, but also old and very slow. The few public trains and buses run irregularly and often have long delays. That's why most of the "public" transportation is done by marschrutka and taxi. 

Picture credits: beyondarts GmbH

Project “Increased regional added value in the tourism sectors of Georgia by Digital Heritage Tourism Guides” was funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of Austrian Development Cooperation.