Kutaisi - Wikivoyage, the free collaborative travel and tourism guide - Koutaïssi — Wikivoyage, le guide de voyage et de tourisme collaboratif gratuit

Kutaisi ​((ka)ქუთაისი)
Bagrati Cathedral
Information
Country	Georgia (country)
Region	Rioni region
Altitude	Between 212.5 and m
Area	70 km²
Population	185 965 hab. (2002)
Density	2 656,64 inhab./km²
Postal code	4600–4699
Telephone prefix	995 331
Spindle	UTC 04:00
Location
42 ° 15 ′ 0 ″ N 42 ° 42 ′ 0 ″ E
Official site
edit

Kutaisi ((ka)ქუთაისი- Kutaisi) is a town in the Rioni region.

Understand

Story

The city of Kutaisi would have been called Eea, or Koutaïa. Archaeological evidence traces its foundation more than 3,500 years, during the same period as the beginning of the development of the Colche civilization. Ancient Greek authors cite the city as the capital of a wealthy country, Colchis. It is also there that Apollonius of Rhodes brings his Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece from King Eetes.

However, little is known about ancient Kutaya apart from Greek myths. Indeed, during this period, Vani, located further south, is much more famous. After the disappearance of Colchis following the repeated attacks from Ourartu, Koutaïa was replaced as the religious and cultural center of Western Georgia by Poti, on the shores of the Black Sea, and became a simple small town. Integrated into the kingdom of Iberia in III^e century BC AD, Koutaïa is subsequently conquered by Pompey the Great in -65.

Administratively, the city was then part of the Roman province of Colchis. But under the reign of Hadrian (117-138), the region is left to the local Georgian tribes, who however retain a special vassalage status both towards Rome and towards neighboring Iberia. Soon a kingdom, Lazica, is formed among these tribes and Western Georgia will be unified by this state. Koutaïa is then integrated into this kingdom but with the simple status of city.

The city, now known as Koutatissi, continued to deteriorate at the start of the 6th century. However, in 541, the Persians, who already occupied eastern Georgia, advanced to the west and began to annex Lazica, to the detriment of Byzantium. Soon, Koutatissi was taken by the invaders who fortified the old citadel in 550. The conflict ends with a Byzantine victory which returns Lazica to Constantinople, but Koutatissi comes out of its dark period to develop.

XV^e century to 1810 the city is the capital of the Kingdom of Imerethia. In 1810 the Kingdom of Imerethia was annexed by the Russian tsar Alexander I.

Before Georgia's independence in 1991, followed by an economic recession, Kutaisi was a major industrial center.

Weather

The city's climate is humid subtropical. Summers are hot and winters cool, with significant rainfall throughout the year. The city's average annual temperature is 14.5 ° C. January is the coldest month, with an average of 5.2 ° C, while July is the hottest, with 23.2 ° C. The average rainfall is 1 530 mm per year. The city regularly experiences heavy snowfall in winter (30 cm snowstorms are not uncommon), however, the snowpack generally does not last for more than a week. Kutaisi also experiences strong easterly winds in summer, which descend from the surrounding mountains.

To go

By plane

The company Wizz Air connects the city from Kiev.

• 42.1814742.465251 David IV International Airport (IATA : KUT, ICAO: UGKO, ქუთაისის საერთაშორისო აეროპორტი) (14 km southwest of Kutaisi) (last update Feb. 2018)

Airline company	Destinations
Belavia	Minsk-National
Georgian Airways	Moscow-Vnukovo, Tbilisi
Iraqi Airways	Baghdad
Pegasus Airlines	Seasonal: Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen
S7 Airlines	Seasonal:Moscow-Domodedovo
Ural Airlines	Moscow-Domodedovo
Wizz Air	Budapest, Vilnius, Warsaw-Chopin Summer seasonal:Katowice
Wizz Air Ukraine	Kiev-Žuliany

The company Georgian Bus offers trips between Kutaisi Airport and the city, as well as to Tbilisi and Batumi.

By train

All trains to and from the central station of Tbilisi depart and arrive at the new station Kutaisi I.

A daily express train (No. 18), departs from Tbilisi to 8 h 50, and reached Kutaisi I in six hours at 15 h. A ticket with a reserved seat costs at least 5 GEL. The train also stops at Mtskheta (former capital of Georgia), Gori (Stalin's birthplace) and Zestafoni.

In the opposite direction, a local but fast train connects Kutaisi I and Batumi (listed as "Makhinjauri" in the timetable), leaving town at 9 h 00 and arriving 3 h later. The cost is 4 GEL, payable on the train, in any case preferable to the bus.

Trains for Tskaltubo depart from the station Kutaisi II, located southwest of Kutaisi.

No more night or day trains connect Tbilisi to Rioni central station, a few kilometers south of Kutaisi.

By minibus

From Tbilisi to (or to) Kutaisi.

Reference bus station: Didube bus station located at the Didube metro station in Tbilisi.

Frequency:

• mini-bus (marshrutkas), roughly every hour,
• 54 passenger bus, every three hours.

The usual rate is 10 GEL (~2,4 € - course of 04/27/2021) (~ 2.65 Fr. - price of 04/27/2021) (~ C $ 3.59 - class on 04/27/2021) (~ $ 2.9 - class on 04/27/2021) (~ 1,573.96 F CFA - price on 04/27/2021).

The duration in marshrutka is approximately 3 h 30, and about 4 h for large buses, due to more frequent stops.

Circulate

To see

• 42.2773642.704251 Bagrati Cathedral (ბაგრატის ტაძარი) free. – Cathedral built in XI^e century, destroyed in 1692 and restored for half a century, it is a masterpiece of medieval Georgian architecture. It was withdrawn from Unesco World Heritage in 2017 because it "was the subject of a major reconstruction project undermining its integrity and authenticity." (last update June 2019)

Outside the city

• 42.297242.76112 Gelati Monastery (გელათის მონასტერი) (9 km northeast of Kutaisi) free. – The monastery is listed on the Unesco World Heritage. There is a minibus that leaves from behind the theater every two hours. (last update June 2019)
• 42.2822342.759013 Motsameta Monastery (მოწამეთა) (6 km northeast of Kutaisi) (last update June 2019)

Do

To buy

Eat

• 42.2705842.702671 Tea House Foe-Foe (ჩაის სახლი ფოე-ფოე) (at the corner of avenue Chota Roustavéli and rue Tsminda Nino, next to the central garden) – Not only a tea room, but also a restaurant with traditional food. (last update June 2019)
• 42.268874742.70202332 Palaty (პალატი) Pushkin Street 1 – Restaurant with traditional Georgian food and musicians. (last update June 2019)

Have a drink / Go out

• Coffee of Paris 13 Cminda Nino – Maintained by a French. Good French food. Tarte Tatin to recommend. (last update Feb. 2018)

Housing

Cheap

• Hostel Kutaisi Solomon I Street, 14 (next to the main square in the historic part of town),   995 431 25 38 73, 995 551 47 11 00 (cellphone), e-mail : [email protected] from 20 to 30 GEL per person. – In the Kutaisi hostel you will be served by experienced English speaking people. Facilities include wi-fi, internet, linens, towels, shampoo, coffee, tea, cable TV, maps, various guides, tips on Kutaisi and Georgia in general. (last update Feb. 2018)
• Suliko's Homestay (10 to 15 min walk south of downtown. Go to number 100 Tbilisi Street (one of the main streets in the city). Then, go up the alley that crosses Tbilissi Street at this address. This will be the third house on the right (n ° 6, green fence).),   995 8 231 4 30 07 between 20 and 30 GEL per person. – They will give you so many chacha, Georgian wine and Georgian food that you can swallow. The food is homemade and freshly prepared. It's astonishing, the hospitality is second to none and only the modesty of the facilities can put some back. The beds are clean and the house is ok by local standards. A new bathroom is expected to be completed since 2011. Internet is available and free and there is a computer available. Easy access. (last update Feb. 2018)
• 42.2644342.708831 Temi Hostel Tamar mepis kucha 60,   995 551 44 47 74 (last update June 2019)

Average price

• Hotel Oazis (behind the large round theater in the city center) – Small hotel in the center. The rooms are clean and comfortable with narrow beds, WiFi, air conditioning, heating. One of the few relatively inexpensive hotels in central Kutaisi. (last update Feb. 2018)

Luxury

• 42.2622442.701692 Rcheuli Palace  – Large bedrooms. Renovated and welcoming setting. Small outdoor swimming pool. (last update March 2015)

Communicate

Around

This article uses content from Wikipedia's Kutaisi article. See the history of this page for the list of authors.