Services for Foreigners in Georgia: Links and Daily Help

The important and interesting information presented in Madloba's directory will be useful for foreigners living and temporarily residing in Georgia. Here you'll find the best taxi and car-sharing services, supermarkets with farm produce, and other relevant links worth saving on your phone and bookmarking!

Shopping Centers and Shops

Tbilisi has four large shopping and entertainment centers: Gallery, City Mall, Tbilisi Mall, and East Point. These modern, European-style shopping centers offer shops and entertainment for children, including a bowling alley, a movie theater, a food court with a cafe, and children's rides. The clothing, footwear, and accessories from Georgian designers are especially noteworthy.

• The premium supermarket AgroHub offers high-quality farm-grown produce: seafood, meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, confectionery, and beverages.
• Goodwill, Carrefour, Fresko, and Europroduct offer a wide range of high-quality products from Georgian producers.
• Grocery and beverages are available at lower prices at Nikora, Spar, Magniti, and Ori Nabidji supermarkets.

Mobile Operators

Beeline, a mobile operator, offers low-cost internet and data services. Tourists appreciate its fast technical support in Russian. Due to poor coverage, mobile service quality deteriorates significantly in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Magti offers a wide range of high-quality plans. Unlimited internet, text messages, and calls to any number cost 45 GEL per month. Among the drawbacks, it's worth noting the lack of notifications from some foreign services.

Geocell, a mobile operator, has long been known for its excellent value for money. It's an excellent option for travelers and foreigners looking to move to Georgia.

Markets in Tbilisi

The Dezertirsky food market, located near the train station, offers a variety of goods at affordable prices. Fragrant spices, fresh vegetables and fruits, sweets, cheese, and farm-raised meat are on sale. The oriental flavor and Georgian hospitality are clearly evident here. The Kidobani electronics market is a great place to buy affordable spare parts, chargers, and cables. However, it's not the best place for smartphone repairs, and it's also not recommended to buy expensive items here, as low-quality equipment is common.

Banks

Currently, there are 15 commercial banks operating in the country. Two of the largest and most reliable institutions are Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank, whose financial services are used by over 80% of the population. Foreigners can open a personal account in a couple of days; all they need to do is visit the bank and present their passport.

Most purchases are paid for by bank card, including credit card, or by transfer to an individual via online banking and SMS banking. It is recommended to have cash in Georgian lari ready for currency exchange and payments at small retail outlets.

Housing

You can rent a furnished apartment through a realtor or independently by searching for real estate through the online services ss.ge and myhome. The websites' databases allow you to select a suitable home using filters such as building type, square footage, neighborhood, rental price, and other characteristics.

Food Delivery

The international service Glovo delivers groceries from supermarkets and meals from restaurants and operates in many European countries. For customer convenience, there's a mobile app available in Russian, English, and Georgian, where locals can order alcohol, pharmacy medications, cosmetics, and toiletries.

Wolt and Bolt Food are intuitive smartphone apps available in Russian. The menu includes restaurants with subcategories such as sushi, burgers, pizza, vegetarian cuisine, fast food, and more. Grocery stores offer orders for groceries, flowers, alcohol, and essential goods.

Taxi and Car Sharing

Three taxi services operate in Georgia: Yandex, Bolt, and Maxim. Fares vary slightly, but promo codes and discounts for new users are periodically offered. A ride in the city center costs 3-5 lari, and payment is accepted in cash and by credit card.

Car sharing and car rentals are popular among travelers looking to explore sights further afield. Consider Gotrip and Cityrentcar, which offer comfortable cars, competitive prices, and customer support. AiCar offers electric cars; a full charge is enough for a trip to the airport or Mtskheta.

Public Transportation in Tbilisi

Buses, minibuses, and the metro are paid for with a transport card. Special terminals for purchasing and topping up cards are available at metro stations. A ride on public transportation costs 1 lari. Unlimited transport cards are available for hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Trains and commuter trains from Tbilisi run to Batumi, Kutaisi, Kobuleti, and international destinations. Tickets can be purchased on the official Georgian Railways website or at the railway station ticket office. Tickets are also sold through intermediary services: tkt.ge, biletebi.ge, and matarebeli.ge.