Tbilisi Airport (the full official name is Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport) is located 17 kilometres south of the Georgian capital and is considered Georgia’s main airport in terms of passenger traffic.
The airport consists of just one terminal, which meets all modern requirements. It was opened in 2007 after a total renovation.
The official website of the airport is www.tbilisiairport.com.
From the airport to Tbilisi
There are several modes of transport to the Georgian capital for passenger convenience. Let’s start with the most obvious: a taxi ride to downtown Tbilisi costs 25 Georgian lari, which corresponds to €10. The travel time will take 20-30 minutes, depending on the volume of traffic.
The second option, the train, will cost you many times less and take the same 20 minutes. The stop is 70 metres from the airport building. The train connects the airport with Tbilisi Central Station and runs twice a day in both directions (view the schedule here – http://www.tbilisiairport.com/en-EN/Transportation/Pages/Train.aspx). And best of all, a single ticket costs only 0.50 lari.
Another cheap way to get to Tbilisi is to take city bus No.37. The ticket will also cost 0.50 lari. The bus stop on this route is located opposite the entrance to the arrivals hall.
Rounding out our transport guide is a 24-hour shuttle-bus service that connects Tbilisi airport with the city centre. The cost of the ride is 10 lari. Along the way the shuttle-bus makes 3 stops: 1) Freedom Square; 2) Heroes’ Square; 3) May 26th Square, Sports Palace.
Obviously if you want to get to the airport from Tbilisi you must take one of the above-mentioned means of transportation, the best of which is probably the city bus (runs from 7 am to 11 pm).
From Tbilisi airport to Batumi
Aside from the obvious options (by plane or by car), there are more budget-friendly ways to get from Tbilisi Airport to the resort town of Batumi.
As already mentioned, there is a special train connection between the airport and the central railway station. Once you arrive, you only have to wait for the train that will take you to Batumi. During the tourist season the train runs several times a day. You can buy tickets for the comfortable double-decker Tbilisi-Batumi train on the Georgian Railways website – https://ticket.railway.ge. Please note that there are two types of tickets on sale: first and second class. The prices start at 25 lari. The travel time is 5 hours.
It is also possible to use bus carriers at one of the bus stations in Tbilisi, the best known and largest of which is Ortachala Central Bus Station at 1 Gulia Street. Buses of Metro (http://metrogeorgia.ge) leave here for Batumi six times a day during the season. Ticket prices and travel time are similar to those of the railway carriers. The only problem is getting to Ortachala will be picking up decent buses and coaches. Therefore, due to the additional inconvenience, this method can be recommended as a last resort.