From Russia to Georgia (first hand)
I had a chance to travel to Georgia by different roads, all of them are quite good. Since I am from Samara, I will consider my hometown as the starting point in the route. The following describes the routes with the cost of the road.
1. Trip through Azerbaijan
1.1. From Russia to Azerbaijan by bus
1.2. From Russia to Azerbaijan by train
1.3. From Russia to Azerbaijan by plane
1.4. From Azerbaijan to Georgia by bus or minibus
1.5. From Azerbaijan to Georgia by train
1.6. From Azerbaijan to Georgia by plane
2. Travel directly (no transit countries)
2.1. From any city in Russia to Vladikavkaz
2.2. From Vladikavkaz to Georgia
2.3. From any city in Russia by plane to Georgia
3. A few words about Georgia
4. Small photo archive
1. [b] TRIP THROUGH AZERBAIJAN[/b]. This route includes an intermediate point in the journey - the city of Baku.
1.1. [b]From Russia to Azerbaijan by bus[/b]. The first version of the route includes a bus ride from Samara to Baku. The bus is not very comfortable, to put it mildly, it is also not very safe, especially in winter. Once I even had an accident on it. You will go in the company of Azerbaijanis, people are very friendly, at least they always were with me. The bus travels not only from Samara, but also from many other Russian cities, especially the southern ones.
The journey from Samara to Baku by bus takes two days, the first one and a half of them you travel through Russia, half a day to Azerbaijan. At the border, there are no problems with Russian border guards, usually with Azerbaijani ones too, but still there are cases of extortion of money. A common reason for extortion is the requirement of a customs declaration. My advice - do not give money under any pretext that they say there is no money or that all the money is on a plastic card. Well, of course, if you don’t mind, then you can give it. I repeat that the Azerbaijani border guards will not necessarily demand money from you, but such an option is possible. When crossing the border, you will have to get off the bus in both cases, both at the Russian border and at the Azerbaijani one. You will most likely have to take things with you, but if you are told to leave them on the bus, then do not worry about their safety, in my experience there were no thefts. Having crossed the border, already in Azerbaijan, you may have to wait several hours for the bus to be checked, so I advise you to remember your bus and your fellow travelers so that everything is fine.
So, when you arrive in Baku, you need to ask the driver to take you to the NEW bus station (if you plan to go to Georgia in the same way by bus, which I advise you to do). If he says that he can’t stop by, then ask him to drop you off closer to this very bus station, most likely he will drop you off near the metro. When you get off the bus, a bunch of taxi drivers will immediately fly at you, wanting to help you, accepting their help or not is up to you. From there, it is about 3 kilometers to the bus station, you can overcome them on foot, by taxi (paying 4 manats or 160 Russian rubles), by public transport for 0.4 manats. Direction where to go, ask passers-by. So, you will find yourself at the Baku bus station, it is quite large and similar in architecture to the Titanic.
Buses from Samara to Baku run every Wednesday and Sunday, however, the bus can be suddenly canceled, but on Sundays it runs almost always.
Ticket price Samara-Baku 3500-4000 rubles (buy a ticket from the driver)
Azerbaijani border guards may demand an average of 200 to 2000 rubles
Taxi from the metro station to the bus station 160 rubles.
Pros: low price, the ability to carry large luggage, a beautiful view outside the window.
Cons: uncomfortable, insecure (especially in winter)
1.2. [b]From Russia to Azerbaijan by train[/b]. Two trains travel from Russia to Baku: Tyumen-Baku and Moscow-Baku. Accordingly, without transfers, you can get from any point where these trains are. Trains run once a day. From Samara to Baku it is also two days to go. Many passengers go not to Baku, but to Dagestan, so after Derbent (Russia) about 20% of passengers will remain. There are no problems on the Russian border. But something is happening at the Azerbaijani border that makes the train journey one of the most undesirable routes. The Azerbaijani authorities are "combing" you to the fullest! First, the border guards, then the migration service, customs, and so on. A common reason for extortion is the requirement of a customs declaration. You don't have to get off the train. The train I traveled on (Tyumen-Baku) arrives in Baku late at night. When you exit the train, a bunch of taxi drivers will immediately fly at you, who want to help you, whether to accept their help or not is up to you. If you decide to travel from Baku to Tbilisi by bus or minibus, then you will either have to wait all night in the metro waiting room, or take a taxi to the bus station. The price can be broken by taxi drivers, because I did not use their services. If you want to go further by train, then you will probably have to hurry, because the Baku-Tbilisi train leaves almost at the same time as the Tyumen-Baku train arrives. But this train will be written in another chapter of this guide.
Ticket price for the train Samara-Baku (reserved seat) 4400 rubles
Azerbaijani border guards may demand an average of 500 to 5.000 rubles
Pros: low price, the ability to carry large luggage, a beautiful view outside the window, comfort, safety.
Cons: you have to pay a bribe, possibly more.
1.3. [b]From Russia to Azerbaijan by plane[/b]. Planes fly to Baku from many Russian cities, including from Samara once or twice a week. If your flight arrives during the day, then by bus you can get directly from the airport to the bus station or railway station, if you continue your journey to Georgia by plane, you don’t need to go anywhere. There should not be any problems with the Azerbaijani border guards at airports, in my experience there were none.
The price of a Samara-Baku ticket from Utair is about 8.000 rubles
Pros: comfort, safety, flight time is only 3.5 hours.
Cons: the price is higher, a load of 20 kg can be carried.
1.4. [b]From Azerbaijan to Georgia by bus or minibus[/b]. So, you have reached the bus station, which looks like the Titanic. From this bus station, a lot of transport goes from Baku to Tbilisi to Georgia, mainly to areas inhabited by Azerbaijanis. In other words, I want to say that there is no Baku-Tbilisi flight, but this is not a problem. On the third floor of the bus station there are buses and minibuses that travel in directions to Georgia and Russia. You need a minibus or bus to the "Red Bridge". If you ask people for a bus, then ask for the bus to the Red Bridge. You can buy a ticket at the box office or from the driver, it will be a little cheaper from the driver, but perhaps after you pay the driver, you will need to get off the bus and from the territory of the bus station so that the bus picks you up outside. This is so that you are not caught like a hare, because the bus is checked at the exit, and the driver keeps the money that you gave him. If you have to do this, don't worry, you won't be the only one waiting for the bus outside. This only applies to buses. If you are traveling by minibus, then you pay money only to the driver and you won’t have to get out anywhere.
All transport in the direction of Georgia travels in the first half of the day, that is, if you arrive at the bus station at 20:00, then there will be no buses. This was done due to the fact that accidents happened at night. Now all vehicles travel during the day. It will take about 10 hours to drive. When you find yourself at the border, you pick up your things and cross the border on foot, you don’t need this bus anymore. You cross the Azerbaijani border, in principle there should be no problems, but do not be surprised if they still demand money from you, it is up to you to give or not. A common reason for extortion is the requirement of a customs declaration. Leaving the territory of Azerbaijan, you need to walk about 500 meters and you will find yourself on the border of Georgia. You need to ask the border guards for a visa application form, you fill it out in Russian, a sample of filling is on the stand. After that, they conduct a short interview with you in order to understand whether you can be allowed into Georgia. Most likely, of course, they will let you in. After that, you will be sent to the cashier to pay for your visa. A visa costs 52 lari (about 1.100 rubles), rubles will be accepted as payment. After that, a visa for 30 days is pasted into your passport and allowed into the country. No illegal actions will be committed with you, no extortion and so on, the law in Georgia is at a high level. Then you can get to Tbilisi by taxi or minibus. The minibus runs 1 time per hour and costs 4 lari (80 rubles somewhere). Drive about 60 km. At the end of the journey you will find yourself at the Tbilisi railway station, but you can get off earlier, depending on whether you need it or not. The minibus runs along the whole of Tbilisi almost.
The fare from Baku to the border is 13 manats (520 rubles)
The price of a Georgian visa is 52 lari (1100 rubles)
Minibus from the border to Tbilisi 4 lari (80 rubles)
Pros: low price, no problems at the border, the ability to carry a large load.
Cons: it is not very comfortable to sit for 10 hours in one place, a small transplant is needed.
1.5. [b]From Azerbaijan to Georgia by train[/b]. So you ended up at the Baku railway station. You have already successfully fought off a bunch of taxi drivers. You have decided to travel to Tbilisi by train. At the box office you will need to buy a ticket, it costs 30 manats or more. The train runs once a day in the evenings. In the morning you find yourself at the border. First, Azerbaijani border guards come to you and, if you do not have a Georgian visa, they strive to drop you off the train. However, for a bribe in the amount of 1000 rubles or more, they will decide to leave you on the train. By the way, they have no right to drop you off. Having crossed the border of Azerbaijan, you get to the border of Georgia. You need to ask the border guards for a visa application form, you fill it out in Russian, a sample of filling is on the stand. After that, they conduct a short interview with you in order to understand whether you can be allowed into Georgia. Most likely, of course, they will let you in. After that, you will be sent to the cashier to pay for your visa. A visa costs 52 lari (about 1.100 rubles), rubles will be accepted as payment. After that, a visa for 30 days is pasted into your passport and allowed into the country. No illegal actions will be committed with you, no extortion and so on, the law in Georgia is at a high level. Then for another hour or so you get to the Tbilisi railway station.
The price of the Baku-Tbilisi train is 30 manats (1200 rubles)
Bribe for Azerbaijani border guards 1000 rubles
Georgian visa 52 lari (1100 rubles)
Pros: comfort.
Cons: the price of a train ticket is higher than a bus ticket; you have to pay a bribe.
1.6. [b]From Azerbaijan to Georgia by plane[/b]. I did not use this method, I can only say that the price is about 5.000 rubles for a ticket from Baku to Tbilisi.
2. [b]TRIP DIRECT (NO TRANSIT COUNTRIES)[/b]. The trip is carried out through the border checkpoint Upper Lars - Kazbegi. Under no circumstances should you try to enter Georgia through South Ossetia or Abkhazia.
2.1. [b]From any city in Russia to Vladikavkaz[/b] can be reached by train. From Samara I go to Tikhoretskaya (a day and a half of the journey), there I transfer to the train to Vladikavkaz (half a day's journey). I can’t say anything special here, because there is nothing.
The fare from Samara to Vladikavkaz on a reserved seat is a total of 2800 rubles.
Pros: low price.
Cons: long travel time.
2.2. [b]From Vladikavkaz to Georgia[/b]. So, you ended up in Vladikavkaz at the railway station. When you get off the train, you will surely hear offers to get to Tbilisi. The price will range from 1200 to 1500 rubles per person. If you want, you can go this way, but I will still tell you how to get there cheaper.
From Vladikavkaz by public transport you can get to Nizhny Lars (it's not far from the border) for 15 rubles. From Nizhny Lars you can walk to the border. Next is the most interesting. You cannot cross the border on foot. Only vehicles are allowed to cross. That is, you need to sit down with someone. You are looking for a companion and ask to be taken either to Tbilisi (ideal) or to Stepantsminda (not ideal, but also good) - this is the nearest Georgian city from which minibuses go to Tbilisi. You can offer a monetary reward to get you a ride, or if you're lucky, you can get a free ride. In principle, at the same railway station in Vladikavkaz, you can look for a taxi driver who will take you to Stepantsminda, it will cost about 500 rubles per person. However, we will work on a cheap option. You shouldn’t have any problems crossing the border; after crossing the Russian border, you and your fellow travelers go to the Georgian one. You need to ask the border guards for a visa application form, you fill it out in Russian, a sample of filling is on the stand. After that, they conduct a short interview with you in order to understand whether you can be allowed into Georgia. Most likely, of course, they will let you in. After that, you will be sent to the cashier to pay for your visa. A visa costs 52 lari (about 1.100 rubles), rubles will be accepted as payment. After that, a visa for 30 days is pasted into your passport and allowed into the country. No illegal actions will be committed with you, no extortion and so on, the law in Georgia is at a high level. If they agreed to take you only to Stepantsminda, then you need to find a minibus to Tbilisi. Depending on where your fellow travelers will drop you off, you need to find a way, ask the locals where the minibus to Tbilisi is located, they will tell you.
a. Simple option. The price of a taxi Vladikavkaz-Tbilisi is 1200-1500 rubles per person.
b. Cheaper. The price of a taxi Vladikavkaz-Stepantsminda is 500 rubles per person. Minibus Stepantsminda-Tbilisi 15 GEL (250 rubles)
c. The cheapest. Minibus Vladikavkaz-Nizhny Lars 15 rubles. Further with fellow travelers either free of charge or at a negotiated price.
Pros: great view from the window.
Cons: hassle with transport.
2.3. [b]From any city in Russia by plane to Georgia[/b]. There are regular flights Moscow-Tbilisi. That is, you can fly to Tbilisi with a transfer in Moscow. There is also information about the opening of Tbilisi-Samara flights, and other cities will also have a direct connection with Georgia.
Arriving in Georgia, you need to ask the border guards for a visa application form, you fill it out in Russian, a sample of filling is on the stand. After that, they conduct a short interview with you in order to understand whether you can be allowed into Georgia. Most likely, of course, they will let you in. After that, you will be sent to the cashier to pay for your visa. A visa costs 52 lari (about 1.100 rubles), rubles will be accepted as payment. After that, a visa for 90 days is pasted into your passport and allowed into the country. No illegal actions will be committed with you, no extortion and so on, the law in Georgia is at a high level. If they agreed to take you only to Stepantsminda, then you need to find a minibus to Tbilisi.
The price of a ticket for a Moscow-Tbilisi plane is 9334 rubles.
The price of a ticket for the Samara-Tbilisi plane is 10.000 rubles.
Pros: speed and comfort.
Cons: None found.
3. [b]A few words about Georgia[/b].
3.1. First of all, I want to say that in Georgia there is practically no crime, law and order at a high level, so do not be afraid of the Georgian police, if everything is in order, there will be no complaints against you. Also, do not hesitate to contact the police for help.
3.2. Second: do not hesitate to go to Georgian restaurants, almost everywhere there is very good and most importantly cheap cuisine, do not deny yourself the pleasure.
3.3. Find time to travel around Georgia, do not sit in one place, there really is something to see all over Georgia.
P. S. If you have already been on the territory of South Ossetia or Abkhazia and drove there from Russia, then you are booked to go to Georgia - change your passport. And definitely do not try to enter Georgia through South Ossetia or Abkhazia.
