Georgia first-time visitor guide

Khachapuri: Cheese-filled bread boat. $3-8 per boat. Adjaruli style has an egg in the middle. National dish.

Khinkali: Georgian dumplings filled with meat or cheese. $8-12 per plate (6-10 pieces). Pick up by the top handle, bite a hole, suck the juice.

Mtsvadi: Grilled pork skewers. $5-10 per plate.

Churchkhela: Candy made of nuts coated in grape must. $1-3 each. Walkways strings of them.

Pkhali: Vegetable paste balls (spinach, beetroot). $2-4.

Lobio: Kidney bean stew. $5-10.

Georgian Wine: World's oldest wine-producing country (8,000 years). Local cellars $5-15 per bottle. Try Saperavi (red) and Rkatsiteli (white).

Chacha: Grape brandy, Georgian vodka. ~40% alcohol. $5-10 per bottle.

Café food: Tbilisi cafe scene is good. Coffee $2-4, pastries $1-3.

Language: Most people in Tbilisi speak English. Outside Tbilisi, only Georgian and Russian. Download offline translation.

Driving conditions: Mountain roads are narrow, unmarked, potholed. Svaneti roads are gravel. Hire a driver — it's cheap.

ATM: Works everywhere but some charge foreign transaction fees. Use Bank of Georgia ATMs for zero fees.

Church etiquette: Cover shoulders and knees. Women may need a head scarf (provided at most churches). No photos inside some churches.

Pickpockets: Mostly in Tbilisi Old Town and Mtskheta. Keep wallets in front pockets.

Cash: Many rural guesthouses and restaurants don't take cards. Carry lari.

Season: May-October best for hiking. December-February cold (snow in mountains).