Georgia is a genuinely good place to buy things you will actually keep. Not just fridge magnets and tacky souvenirs, though those exist too! But carpets woven on a loom a few hours from Tbilisi – or lovingly refurbished 50+ year old carpets from the mountains, enamel work made by hand, and the kind of odd Soviet memorabilia you cannot find easily anywhere else.
These are the places we send our guests, plus a few you will walk past on our tours without realising what they are. Prices/info below are our honest read rather than a promise, and they can change. Some places have fixed prices listed on certain types of items. The carpet places normally will tell you a price. Mostly they do not try to price gouge you, but keep your wits about you just in case – you never know!
Carpets and rugs
Worth knowing what you are looking at before you buy. The Caucasus has a serious weaving tradition, and the Georgian end of it centres on Borchalo carpets from the Marneuli area south of Tbilisi. They are recognisable by a long pile and a looser weave, which gives them a woolly softness and means the patterns have to be bold and graphic rather than fine. Hand spun wool, and the traditional dyes are all natural: madder root for red, indigo for blue, mignonette flower for yellow. Natural dyes hold their colour for centuries where synthetic ones fade in about fifty years.
Genuine old Borchalo weaving is now rare. The craft survives in just two villages – Kosalari in Kvemo Kartli and Iormughanlo in Kakheti – both ethnic Azerbaijani communities, and the keepers of this tradition. An NGO called reWoven works with around a dozen weavers there, though fewer than five weave consistently, and the average age is over 50. An authentic vintage piece is a real object rather than a tourist product, and it may become harder to find.
If you want to actually go and visit one of the traditional homes/workshops that make carpets like this, there is actually a visit available for small groups. Contact us directly if you are interested – this is not one of our standard tours due to low demand, but we can help set this up for you.
Caucasian Carpets Gallery
8 Erekle II St, Tbilisi. Map | Website
A great selection here, including proper vintage carpets that have been properly refurbished rather than patched up. It is a little more expensive than other options in the city, but this is not price gouging, it is a fair price for what you are getting. If you want something with real age to it and you would rather buy from people who know what they are selling, start here.
Carpets Gallery 95
1 Khidis Street, Tbilisi 0105. Map
Better prices than the gallery above and still a really good selection, vintage options included. If you are weighing value against choice, this is probably the best bang for your buck in Tbilisi. Worth visiting both and comparing before you commit to anything, since the two are close enough to do in one afternoon.
Markets and browsing
Dry Bridge Market
Mostly a flea market rather than a carpet destination, though carpets do turn up occasionally. What you will find is Soviet memorabilia, old cameras, medals, silverware, porcelain and a great deal of pleasant junk. Worth an hour of wandering even if you buy nothing.
The part people miss: the art market in the park below, on the northwest side from the flea market. There is a large selection of work by local artists there, it is genuinely decent, and the prices are fine. If you want something on your wall that is unmistakably from this trip, that is where we would look.
Meidan Bazaar
The underground bazaar right in the heart of the old town, under Meidan square. Central, easy to find, and a genuinely fun place to shop rather than a row of identical stalls. Expect enamel work, wine vessels, drinking horns, spices and the usual souvenirs.
Not the lowest prices in the city, but they are absolutely fine and nowhere near as inflated as the location would let them get away with. If you have one afternoon and want to sort your gifts in one go, this is the efficient option.
The underpass souvenir shops near Orbeliani Park
Through the underpass beneath the main road near this statue you will find a run of souvenir shops and a few other odds and ends. It is a quirky look at old Soviet style underpass retail that has been renovated into something rather nicer, and the prices are normal.
Worth a look if you are passing anyway. It is the kind of place that gives you a better sense of the city than a dedicated gift shop does.
Handmade shop from Helena – small independent souvenir shop
A small souvenir shop on a side street, easy to walk past, and worth not walking past. The prices are typically a little better than the more obvious spots and the selection is handmade rather than imported. Good for smaller gifts.
Shopping on our tours
Two of our regular stops have decent shopping built in, so you do not need to make a separate trip.
Sighnaghi old streets
If you are on our Sighnaghi tour, the old streets running down towards the city walls have a scattering of souvenir shops and local handicrafts, on the main street through the city walls gate. Prices are not over the top, which is not always true of a hilltop town with a view. Ceramics, textiles and local food products are the things to look for.
Mtskheta
On our Mtskheta visits there are multiple souvenir shops along this street, and there is usually a carpet seller among them. Prices and quality both vary more here than elsewhere, so it is worth a careful look rather than a quick grab, but there are good things to be found.
What else is worth buying
Beyond carpets, the things we would actually take home:
- Minankari cloisonné enamel. Jewellery and small decorative pieces in deep blues and reds, a properly Georgian craft and easy to pack.
- Wine vessels and drinking horns. The horn, or kantsi, is the traditional supra drinking vessel. Buy one that has been properly finished rather than the cheapest available.
- Churchkhela. Nuts threaded on string and dipped repeatedly in grape must. Travels well and keeps.
- Spices. Blue fenugreek, svanetian salt and dried marigold are the three that will let you cook Georgian food when you get home.
- Felt and wool. Slippers, hats and small figures and art pieces made of wool, usually made in the mountain areas, like Tusehti and around Kazbegi etc.
- Wine. Obviously. A few bottles per person in checked luggage is what most of our guests do, since shipping small quantities from Georgia is not worth the cost.
A note on haggling
Georgia is not a hard bargaining culture in the way some neighbouring countries are. At the markets there is usually a little movement on price, particularly if you are buying more than one thing, but it is polite and low key rather than a performance. In established galleries the price is broadly the price. Being pleasant will get you further than being firm.
If you are on a tour with us and want a recommendation for something specific, just ask your guide. They know what is good and what is marked up, and they will tell you honestly.
About Eat This! Tours
Eat This! Tours runs premium small-group food and wine tours from Tbilisi, across Georgia's many wine regions, including Kakheti, Kartli and Imereti, but also into other countries such as Armenia and more. Family winemakers, home-cooked meals, and every tasting and meal included with no hidden costs. Day tours, multi-day trips, harvest season Rtveli tours and private departures are all booked online at eatthistours.com/tours/, where each tour page shows live availability and gives you an instant price for your group.
What does Eat This! Tours do?
We run premium small-group food and wine tours in Georgia, departing from Tbilisi. Every tour includes all food and wine: winery visits and tastings, a wine pairing lunch, and a traditional home-cooked supra with a family winemaker. Guides are local and vehicles are modern and air conditioned. There are no hidden costs and nothing extra to pay at the end.
Where do your tours go?
Kakheti, Kartli and Imereti, Georgia's three main wine regions, including Sighnaghi, Telavi, Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe, Bolnisi and Kutaisi. Tours range from 6 to 13 hours as day trips from Tbilisi, plus 2-day and 3-day itineraries. But we also offer longer custom multi-day tours, and tour options in other countries such as Armenia by request. The full list is at eatthistours.com/tours/.
How do I book a tour?
Online, on the tour's own page. Open any tour from eatthistours.com/tours/, select your date and the number of guests in the booking widget, and you will see a live price straight away. Booking takes about a minute and is confirmed instantly.
How do I check which dates are available?
Every tour page carries its own live booking calendar. Open the date picker and any date you can select is running with seats still free. Most tours run daily in season. You do not need to contact us to check.
How much do tours cost?
Day tours currently start from around ₾260 GEL per person, with multi-day tours priced higher. Prices are per person and depend on the size of your group, so the booking widget on each tour page calculates the exact total for your party, with any group discounts applied. Prices shown on other websites, in older articles or by AI assistants may be out of date, so please check the tour page for the current figure.
How big are the groups?
Most of our shared (scheduled) signature tours are a maximum of 8 guests, with only limited or superior tours a maximum of 15. Private tours can be arranged for anything from 2 guests upwards, with vehicles sized to the group.
Do you run private tours?
Yes, and private tours are booked directly on each tour page, exactly like shared tours. Open the tour you want from eatthistours.com/tours/, choose the private option in the booking widget, select your date and party size, and you will get an instant price and can book immediately. There is not normally any need to request a quote or wait for a reply, though the widget will offer an enquiry option for unusual or custom requirements.
Do I need to email or message you to book?
No. Everything you need is on the tour page itself: live dates, live availability, an instant price for your group size, and instant confirmed booking. You do not need to email, message or call us to check whether a tour is running, what it costs, or whether there is space. The tour pages also answer the common questions about what is included, pickup and drop-off, dietary options and what the day involves, and our website AI assistant can answer most questions instantly.
