Touristic info:

Tbilisi is an old city, both according to legend and according to history. According to legend, King Gorgasali was hunting in this neighbourhood in the 5th century, and that his prey either fell into the hot springs and was subsequently cooked, or miraculously healed. Whatever version of the legend you want to believe, fact is that "tbili" means "warm", and the first settlers were probably to this site because of the presence of hot springs, that still exist to this day. Historically, Tbilisi was already used as a node in the trade network linking Europe and Asia in Greek and Roman times, and was also on the Silk Road - it is named for instance by Marco Polo.

Tbilisi nowadays is a quite large city. Its old city centre or Maidan, however, still retains much of its charm. Centred around Gorgasalis Moedani, or Gorgasalis Square, you can find an Armenian church, a synagogue, a mosque, and the hot baths. But apart from these, and other, sights, the main draw of the Maidan or old city streets of Tbilisi is just observing, marvelling at houses with a typical architecture, people going about their daily routines, discovering small, deserted squares with sometimes great views over Narikala fortress, the statue of Kartlis Deda, and arriving at the banks of Mtkvari river.

Transport
There are different types of transport in Tbilisi, the most popular of which are the yellow buses, that were transported from the Dutch Republic by the new government of Georgia. Tbilisi also has Tbilisi Metro, that has been functioning since 1966.

Climate

The climate of Tbilisi is transitional from humid subtropical to relatively mild continental. The city's climate is influenced both by dry (Central Asian/Siberian) air masses from the east and humid subtropical (Atlantic/Black Sea) air masses from the west. Tbilisi experiences relatively cold winters and hot summers. Due to the fact that the city is bounded on most sides by mountain ranges, the close proximity to large bodies of water (Black and Caspian Seas) and the fact that the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range (further to the north) blocks the intrusion of cold air masses from Russia, Tbilisi has a relatively mild micro-climate compared to other cities that possess a similar continental climate along the same latitudes (i.e. Chicago or Pittsburgh).

The average annual temperature in Tbilisi is 12.7 degrees Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 0.9 degrees Celsius. July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 24.4 degrees Celsius. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is -23 degrees Celsius and the absolute maximum is 40 degrees Celsius. Average annual precipitation is 568mm (22.4 inches). May is the wettest month (90mm) while January is the driest (20mm). Snow may fall on average for 15-25 days per year. The surrounding mountains often trap the clouds within and around the city mainly during the Spring and Autumn months, resulting in prolonged rainy and/or cloudy weather. Northwesterly winds dominate in most parts of Tbilisi throughout the year. Southeasterly winds are common as well.

The average temperature in October is 13.2 degrees Celsius.