Things to Do in Tbilisi in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
December Weather in Tbilisi
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
46°F (8°C)
High Temp
34°F (1°C)
Low Temp
0.8 inches (20 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Near-freezing temperatures, pack warm layers
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + The sulfur baths in Abanotubani hit hardest when the mercury reads 2°C (36°F) outside, thick steam columns roll off the domed brick roofs while locals crowd the 38°C (100°F) pools at three times the tourist count. December is when Georgians bathe for real, not for Instagram.
- + Tbilisi's wine bars slip into winter mode, low-lit rooms where you sip amber qvevri wine at 16°C (61°F) while rain slides down the glass. Sakhli #11 on Erekle II Street and Vino Underground leave their cellars at natural temperature, good for December drinking.
- + Christmas and New Year markets line Rustaveli Avenue and Rike Park from December 15 through January 7, refreshingly low-key by European standards. Hand-carved wooden toys share tables with churchkhela (grape must and walnut candles) dangling like burgundy sausages, and kettles of mulled saperavi wine steam over open fires.
- + Hotel rates in Tbilisi fall 30-40% from summer highs, and the city's boutique spots, those 15-room conversions of 19th-century merchant houses in Sololaki, open same-week availability. You trade terrace breakfasts for heated floors and breakfast rooms with working fireplaces.
Considerations
- − Daylight is tight, sunrise near 8:15 AM, sunset by 5:15 PM, giving you just nine useful hours. The Narikala Fortress cable car halts at 10 PM year-round, but in December ride up by 4 PM to watch city lights ignite above the Mtkvari River valley while you can still read the layout.
- − Tbilisi's infamous air pollution spikes in December, thermal inversions trap coal and wood smoke from older buildings plus vehicle exhaust in the valley bowl. Sensitive travelers feel it by day three. The sulfur baths do clear your sinuses.
- − Mountain runs to Kazbegi or Svaneti turn into weather bets, heavy snow can shut the Military Highway to Stepantsminda (2,174 m / 7,133 ft) for hours, and even when open the 157 km (97.6 mile) haul from Tbilisi can drag to five winter hours. The Gergeti Trinity Church, that 14th-century icon beneath Mount Kazbek, often hides in cloud instead of postcard snow.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
December in Tbilisi is quiet. But not silent. Cold air carries the sweet, woody smoke from old town cafes. Streets glisten after rain. Lanterns glow above the cobbles. The call to evening service echoes from the ancient Metekhi Church. This calm gathers energy as the month deepens. Families emerge in the late afternoon to walk along the Mtkvari River, their breath visible, heading toward the seasonal markets. The city's rhythm shifts from December 15th. The Tbilisi Christmas and New Year Markets animate Rustaveli Avenue and Rike Park. Find contained festivity here. Pork mtsvadi sizzles on grapevine embers. Churchkhela nuts have a sticky, wax-like texture. Steam rises from clay bowls of hot, spiced wine. These markets are a local evening ritual, a daily destination. Their buzz crescendos as New Year's Eve approaches. For visitors, the city has two hearts in late December. One is the timeless, sulfuric atmosphere of the Abanotubani baths. The other is the lively, temporary chalets selling wool socks and honey. This duality extends to the spiritual calendar. Much of the world packs away decorations after December 25th. Tbilisi is merely pausing. The real spectacle arrives on January 6th, the eve of Orthodox Christmas. The midnight mass at the towering Sameba Cathedral is a profound sensory event. Thousands crowd the vast, cool marble nave. Gold leaf shimmers in candlelight. Resonant, echoing chants seem to vibrate in your chest. Afterwards, families carefully shield their flickering candles as they walk home through dark, silent streets. It is memorable. December here begins in reflective chill. It ends in collective, luminous anticipation.
Kakheti - Small wineries and family-cooked lunch • Private tour
private_tourDecember vineyards are skeletal and frost-touched. You will enter family-run maranis. These are cool, dim cellars smelling of fermented grapes and aged oak. Taste amber-colored wines poured directly from the qvevri, the giant clay vessels buried in the earth. The tour ends with a home-cooked lunch. It likely features the deep, savory aroma of chakapuli stew simmering with tarragon. You will feel the tactile pleasure of tearing warm, cheese-filled shoti bread.
It offers an intimate, cellar-level understanding of Georgia's ancient winemaking tradition. This is far removed from commercial tasting rooms.
Insider tip: Wear sturdy shoes for the often-uneven, damp ground of the vineyard and cellar visits.
Mtskheta-Gori-Uplistsikhe
otherIt moves from the serene, frescoed walls of Mtskheta's Svetitskhoveli Cathedral to the stark, concrete shell of Stalin's Gori birthplace museum. The contrast is striking. Compare the quiet, incense-heavy air of a UNESCO-listed religious center with the cool, echoing halls displaying the dictator's personal railway carriage. The day's climax is the cave city of Uplistsikhe. Hear the wind whistle through its barren, rocky chambers. You get sweeping, leafless views over the Mtkvari valley.
It provides a profound, tangible narrative of Georgia's journey from early Christianity through Soviet domination.
Insider tip: The Uplistsikhe site involves steep, often icy stone steps in December. Grip the metal handrails firmly.
Private Kazbegi Tour: Gergeti, Ananuri & Scenic Views
guided_experienceDecember transforms the journey. It becomes a spectacle of stark, monumental beauty. Frozen waterfalls cling to the cliffs near Ananuri fortress. Its stone walls stand dark against the slate-gray Zhinvali reservoir. The goal is the Gergeti Trinity Church. You often see it through crisp, clear winter air. It stands isolated on its hill with the snow-dusted massif of Mount Kazbek behind it. The final ascent may be by rugged vehicle if the road is snowy.
It offers the well-known, postcard-perfect view of Gergeti Church backed by the Caucasus. This view is often at its most dramatic and crowd-free in the winter light.
Insider tip: The road to Gergeti church is subject to closure due to snow. Confirm with your guide the night before that the route is accessible.
This month: Visibility of the Caucasus peaks can be exceptionally clear on cold, cloudless December days. However, snow may prevent the final climb to Gergeti church on foot.
Tbilisi old town & soviet heritage - Private driver-guided Tour
culturalIt moves from the labyrinthine, balconied lanes of the old town. There you smell baking bread and hear the clang of coppersmiths. It goes to the monumental, imposing architecture of the Soviet era. You will see the ornate, crumbling facades of Art Nouveau buildings on Rustaveli Avenue. You will feel the imposing scale of the former Ministry of Highway Construction, a concrete behemoth. The narrative connects these disparate elements into a coherent story. It is about a city constantly rebuilding its identity.
It expertly decodes the visible history of Tbilisi. It makes sense of the jarring juxtapositions between its ancient, Persian-influenced core and its Soviet modernist expansions.
Insider tip: Request a stop at the Dry Bridge Market, even briefly. You will see elderly vendors quietly selling Soviet-era relics in the cold open air.
Kakheti Wine Tour and Discover Monasteries Vineyards Telavi
foodVisit the hilltop Gremi fortress to hear the wind howl across the plains. See the Alaverdi Cathedral. Feel the immense, silent grandeur of its ancient stone interior. The tour includes stops at commercial vineyards where the process is explained. This is followed by tastings of strong Saperavi and floral Rkatsiteli. Their tannic and tart flavors cut through the winter chill. You will pass through Telavi's central square. It is dominated by a giant, bare plane tree.
It balances the solemnity of Georgia's religious history with the accessible, celebratory culture of its wine. It does this within a single day's circuit.
Insider tip: The monasteries are active. Women must have a scarf to cover their hair. All visitors should dress conservatively for these sites.
Discover Georgia: Private 3-Day Tour with Airport Transfers
transportIt typically combines highlights like the Kazbegi route, the caves of Uplistsikhe, and the wines of Kakheti into a curated sequence. You will experience the humid, sulfur-scented air of the Tbilisi sulfur baths. Taste salty, sulguni cheese fried over an open fire. See your guide's headlights cutting through early winter darkness as you return to the city each evening.
It removes all planning stress. It delivers a condensed, fluid overview of Georgia's greatest hits. You get the comfort and flexibility of a private vehicle and guide.
Insider tip: Use your guide's knowledge to book a traditional supper club, or *keipi*, for one evening. Experience the ritual of Georgian toasting outside a restaurant setting.
Where to Stay in Tbilisi in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
December 15 - January 7
Tbilisi Christmas and New Year Markets
The main market on Rustaveli Avenue runs December 15 through January 7, wooden chalets stacked with churchkhela, hand-knitted wool socks, and ceramic wine vessels. Rike Park's market is smaller but superior for food, wood-fired khachapuri, mtsvadi grilled over grapevine cuttings, hot tkemali for dipping. Local families treat this as evening diversion. Crowds increase around 7 PM. New Year's Eve fireworks over the river show from any bridge, though the pedestrian Bridge of Peace offers the best view, arrive by 10 PM to secure a spot.
January 6-7
Orthodox Christmas Celebrations
Georgia observes Christmas January 7, and January 6 night is when the city moves. The midnight service at Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral, third-tallest Eastern Orthodox church worldwide, pulls thousands. Inside, marble and gold leaf, heated only enough that your breath still clouds. Outside, families walk home with lit candles, while restaurants still open serve the traditional Christmas morning dish: satsivi, cold turkey in walnut sauce. Even without Orthodox faith, the spectacle rewards, the singing, the candlelight, the crush of bodies in the nave.
Packing Checklist
Bookmark this page — your progress is saved between visits
Need the full list with shopping links?
Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View Tbilisi Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
The secret to December dining: follow the smell of burning grapevine. When mtsvadi grills over fresh-cut vine cuttings, more common in winter when vineyards are pruned, the smoke carries a sweet-resinous signature that leads to better food than any review app.
Tbilisi's metro runs until midnight. But final trains from city center to suburbs depart at 11:40 PM. If you're out for New Year's, negotiate your taxi home before midnight, prices triple after 12:30 AM and drivers grow choosy about destinations.
The Dezerter Bazaar, main market near central station, peaks in December mornings. This is when rural relatives arrive with car trunks of pork, cheese, and preserves for city family Christmas tables. The energy is urgent, bargaining is serious, and the mkhali (walnut-based vegetable pâtés) are made that morning.
If pollution troubles you, flee to the National Botanical Garden, 128 hectares (316 acres) in the Tsavkisis-Tskali River valley, 200 m (656 ft) below city center. The microclimate is cleaner, and the waterfall remains impressive even in winter. Enter from the old town near the waterfall. The upper entrance shuts in winter.
Georgians exchange gifts on New Year's, not Christmas. If invited to a home between December 25 and January 5, bring wine (Georgian, never imported) or quality churchkhela from the market. Chocolate reads as children's fare for adults.
The sulfur baths follow protocol: shower before entering, no swimming costumes in private rooms (towels provided), and the massage runs vigorous enough to bruise, say 'ara' (no) immediately for gentler pressure. December locals often linger 3-4 hours in the cooling room socializing after the hot pool. Tourists typically rush this.
Avoid These Mistakes
December in Tbilisi rarely looks like a postcard. At 455 m (1,493 ft) the city scores measurable snow on only 2, 3 days each winter. The rest of the time you'll be dodging cold rain, sticky mud and sudden black ice. Bring waterproof layers and sturdy shoes, think wet cold, not fairy-tise.
Mountain bookings need a weather escape hatch. When winter storms hit, the road to Kazbegi turns lethal, and those cosy Stepantsminda guesthouses you reserved online often heat one room in three. Keep a Tbilisi apartment on hold so you can bail south overnight.
Khinkali are finger food, full stop. Grip the dough knot, lift, bite a small hole, slurp the broth, then eat the rest. Forks pierce the pocket, flood the plate and advertise you as the tourist who hasn't done the homework.
The 2026 metro expansion is finally real. The long-delayed Line 2 extension to Vazha-Pshavela opened in late 2025, shaving taxi fares off any northern itinerary. Soviet-era carriages are being retired. New Spanish-built trains arrive with working heaters and LED station maps.
Splitting a short trip between Tbilisi and the mountains is a winter gamble. December closures can strand you on either side of the Jvari Pass. Pick one base, city with possible day trips, or Stepantsminda with Tbilisi brackets, and let the weather dictate side excursions.
Explore More Activities in Tbilisi
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Tbilisi.
See All Tbilisi Tours on Viator