The mountainous terrain of the capital of Georgia predetermined the appearance of vehicles adapted for climbing along steep slopes - cable lifts and the Tbilisi funicular. The latter, unlike cable cars, in which the cabins are suspended on a cable, pulls them along the rails, which makes the trip more relaxed, but no less exciting. Each guest of Tbilisi needs to climb Mount Mtatsminda and inspect the city from a height on a foggy morning or in the rays of the setting sun, drink coffee at the top station, have a bite to eat with fresh pastries. On the way, you need to stop at the Temple of David and bow to the graves of famous Georgians in the pantheon.
The history of the Tbilisi funicular
The landmark landmark of the city, which allows you to look at all historical and modern areas from a height, was built at the beginning of the 20th century by an anonymous Belgian company and after forty-five years was supposed to cross the city for free. Many changes took place in Georgia in the first half of the twentieth century, and the funicular nevertheless became, as planned, the property of the city and the pride of Tbilisi.
Rails leading to Mount Mtatsminda raise trailers to a height of 740 meters above sea level. The route is about 500 meters. It was the first funicular in the Russian Empire. The Belgian Alfons Robi proposed the engineering part of the project at the end of the 19th century, and engineers from France took part in the construction. The project development took more than five years, the construction itself lasted from 1903 to 1905.
In the old photo of the Tbilisi funicular, the lower and intermediate stations are clearly visible . On the way to the top of the mountain, the cars depart at the Pantheon station, at this stop you can get down and see the St. David's Church (late 19th century) and the pantheon of Georgian celebrities - public figures, scientists, writers and poets. The Russian writer Alexander Griboedov, who was killed during the massacre in the Russian embassy in Tehran in 1829, is buried here. The body of the writer was transported to Tiflis and buried near the church of St. David. In the same grave with Griboedov lies his wife, Georgian Princess Nino Chavchavadze, who died in 1857.
Resumption of work in the 21st century
After the discovery in March 1905, the funicular worked properly until the end of the century, but in 2000 one of the cables broke, and traffic was stopped. Fortunately, the accident cost no casualties, but the mountain tram was stopped for more than a decade. In 2012, the line was resumed. The company Doppelmayr Garaventa (Austria-Switzerland) took part in the restoration of the funicular, the Tbilisi City Hall acted as a customer.
Historic cars were replaced by modern ones, the security system was brought into line with the requirements and capabilities of the technologies of the twenty-first century.
According to the description of the Tbilisi funicular on the site of the company that carried out the reconstruction, modern cars have a large glazing area and allow better viewing of the city from a height. They provide both seating and standing places, each car has 18 seats, and in total up to 60 seats. When traveling at a speed of 3 meters per second, the funicular can carry up to 750 passengers per hour.
A contractor from Austria performs a routine inspection of a restored and updated transport system every six months.
Funicular in works of art
Immediately after the construction of the funicular, the famous Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani painted a picture depicting a view of the mountain with the stations already built and the rails connecting them, along which the cars move. The original work of art is in Tbilisi, at the State Museum. After the trip, you can go down from the lower station to Rustaveli Avenue, go to the State Museum of Art of Georgia and compare your impressions and the look of the artist more than a century ago.
The famous hero of the work of Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov “12 chairs” by Ostap Bender, who almost fell out of the window of the trailer during a trip, went to Mtatsminda and in the book.
In art galleries and art salons you can find images of the funicular made by Soviet and modern Georgian artists.
Reconstruction of stations in the Soviet period
The upper station was rebuilt in the 1930s in the style of early Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau) and today it is noticeably different in size and architecture from the original structure. The expansion of the building was associated with the opening of the Tbilisi culture and leisure park, which nowadays is located on the top of Mtatsminda.
The lower station was also rebuilt during the Soviet era, but when restoring the line, it was brought into line with the original design of the Tbilisi architect of the early XX century, Alexander Shimkevich, made in the oriental style. It is to this renovated building that the signs for the Tbilisi funicular lead. Station address - st. D. Chonkadze.
Restaurant "Funicular"
The modern upper funicular complex is not only a cable car station, but also an observation deck and a restaurant complex consisting of a lower-level cafe-bakery, a traditional Georgian restaurant, and a gourmet restaurant with a banquet hall. Tourists are offered food for every taste and budget, the restaurant is open until the early hours of the morning, it is its lingering visitors who leave Mtatsminda on the last tram at four in the morning.
All establishments offer breathtaking views of the city, depending on the weather, you can sit both inside and on the open veranda. Reviews of tourists are full of gastronomic impressions of delicious national dishes - khachapuri of various kinds, cold appetizers, barbecue and hot dishes in a national pan - ketsi, as well as traditional drinks - mineral water, soft drinks and famous Georgian wines.
The funicular restaurant complex can accommodate up to a thousand people at a time.
Park "Mtatsminda"
A TV tower is installed on the top of the mountain, around it there is a park with attractions for children and adults, a cafe and kiosks with ice cream. You can ride the Ferris wheel and explore Tbilisi from an even higher point than the observation deck at the top funicular station. A walk along the shady alleys of the park around the fountains may precede the return road down to the center of Tbilisi.
A culture and leisure park was opened on top of the mountain during the Soviet Union, in the 1930s, since then many new entertainments have appeared in it for visitors of all ages. In 2007, the Wedding Palace was opened in the park, the wedding ceremony is often combined with a photo shoot on the park’s picturesque paths and observation deck.
How to find a funicular station
Everyone can choose how to get to the funicular in Tbilisi:
- on foot from the city center to the lower station, for example, following the signs from Rustaveli Avenue,
- buses 90 and 124,
- take a taxi right to the top, so that you can enjoy Tbilisi’s views from a height and go downstairs in a modern trailer with panoramic windows.
Buses and cars climb the mountain along a rather steep serpentine, such a trip is also breathtaking.
Funicular stations are easy to find on the map, there are only three of them:
- lower (located on David Chonkadze Street in the Sololaki area);
- "Pantheon" with a carriageway 70 meters long;
- upper (with access to the Mtatsminda park).
Opening hours and ticket prices
Any time of the year is good in its own way to visit the Tbilisi funicular. Opening hours of the route - every day, seven days a week, with one long break from 4 to 9 in the morning - allow you to conveniently plan your day. It is only necessary to take into account that there are stops at the middle station only during the day, from 9.00 to 19.00, at other times it will not be possible to get to the pantheon. The interval of movement of cars is about 10 minutes.
You can pay for the trip with a card, which is purchased at the box office and is not refundable after the end of the trip. The cost of the card is 2 GEL (about 50 rubles). In addition to acquiring a card, you must buy tickets. Passengers are offered the following fare options:
- day / evening ticket without an intermediate stop - 2 GEL (valid from 9.00 to 23.59);
- additional stop at the pantheon - 1 lari (from 9.00 to 19.00);
- night ticket - 3 GEL (valid from 0.00 to 4.00).
You can take the purchased card with you as a souvenir or give it to friends who are going on a trip to Georgia. It is not necessary to buy separate cards for each tourist - all tickets, even for a group of friends, can be recorded on one plastic. The same card can be used to pay for rides.
Recommendations for tourists
If you are traveling to Tbilisi, plan a trip on the city funicular. To fully enjoy such a pastime, we advise you to remember:
- at the height of the tourist season, the entrance line can take up to an hour;
- a regular ticket provides for one exit from the car, decide in advance whether to leave the tram at the intermediate station;
- to the middle station you can climb from below or go down from the observation deck;
- you can ride from bottom to top and top to bottom, the view of Tbilisi will be the same;
- in addition to a trip to the funicular, you need to plan time for a walk in the park and a visit to a restaurant or cafe.
At the entrance to the cab, select the window seats at the bottom of the car, from there there will be the best view of Tbilisi.
If you want to see sunset Tbilisi from a height of more than seven hundred meters above sea level, check the sunset schedule - it may not coincide with your usual latitude. When the sun begins to set, go to the Tbilisi funicular - the working hours of this attraction allow you to see the sunset on any, even the longest day.
Do not refuse to visit this attraction, even if you come to Georgia in the winter. An unforgettable experience guaranteed at any time of the year!