Tbilisi Cable Cars: Prices, Opening Hours and How to Pay

Prices, line status and opening hours were checked on 10 August 2026.

For the bigger picture, see our Tbilisi travel guide.

Which cable cars run in Tbilisi

Timetables can change temporarily because of maintenance, strong wind or the switch to winter hours — especially in the evening. Check the operator's latest announcements before you go.

Rike – Narikala cable car

The Rike–Narikala Ropeway is the easiest way to get from Old Tbilisi up to Narikala Fortress. When people talk about "the Tbilisi cable car", this is usually the one they mean.

Where the lower station is

The lower station is in Rike Park, next to Europe Square and the Metekhi Bridge. On maps, look for Rike–Narikala Cable Car Lower Station.

From Europe Square it's about two minutes on foot. From the Bridge of Peace, cross into Rike Park and walk to its southern end — about five minutes.

The nearest metro station is Avlabari. From there it's a 10–15-minute walk downhill towards Europe Square and the Metekhi Bridge.

How the metro and buses work is covered in our guide to public transport in Tbilisi.

Where it takes you

The upper station is on the ridge next to Narikala Fortress. It isn't the fortress entrance itself, but the walls and viewpoints are a few minutes' walk away.

From the upper station, it's also easy to walk:

• to the Mother of Georgia monument — about 5–10 minutes;
• to the upper entrance of the Botanical Garden;
• to the paths around Narikala;
• down to the Abanotubani sulphur bath quarter.

See our Old Tbilisi walking route for a way to combine all of this, and day trips from Tbilisi for what's further afield.

Fare and payment

One ride costs 2.5 GEL one way. The trip down is paid separately, so a return trip costs 5 GEL per person.

You need a Metromoney card. It costs 2 GEL and is sold at metro ticket desks and at the ticket desk of the Rike–Narikala lower station, where you can also top it up.

A regular bank card doesn't replace Metromoney at this line's turnstile. You can't pay cash at the turnstile either: cash is only useful for buying or topping up the transport card at the desk.

Metromoney isn't personalised, so you can use one card to pay for several people one after another — 2.5 GEL will be deducted for each passenger. If you also want free transfers on city transport, it's more convenient for each person to have their own card or bank card.

How long the ride takes

The ride up takes about two minutes. In that time the cabin crosses the river and passes over the rooftops of Old Tbilisi.

The best views are usually on the Old Town side: the Metekhi Bridge, Metekhi Church, Rike Park, the domes of the sulphur baths and the dense historic quarters.

Opening hours

The line runs on a seasonal timetable. According to the latest official announcement from Tbilisi Transport Company (TTC), winter hours apply from 1 November: 10:00–22:00 instead of closing at midnight. In summer, expect roughly 10:00–00:00.

The line may be paused in strong wind or for scheduled maintenance. If you plan to go up late in the evening, check TTC's announcements on the day.

When the queues are shorter

Queues are longest in the afternoon, at weekends and before sunset. It's usually calmer in the morning, soon after opening, or in the evening after the main wave of tour groups.

For a daytime panorama, go up before noon. For sunset, arrive about an hour beforehand to allow for the queue. In summer the cabins can get hot, so avoid the middle of the day.

You don't have to go up and down the same way. A practical option is to ride up, walk to Narikala and the Mother of Georgia, then walk down to Abanotubani or Sololaki.

Vake – Turtle Lake cable car

This line connects Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue with Turtle Lake — Kus Tba in Georgian. It sees far fewer tour groups than Narikala.

Where the stations are

The lower station is at 76 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, at the top end of Vake Park. On maps it's labelled Turtle Lake Ropeway — Lower Station Vake Park.

Use the memorial section of Vake Park as a landmark; from the main park entrance, you'll need to walk uphill. Plenty of buses along Chavchavadze Avenue stop near the park. It's easiest to route to the Vake Park stop, as bus numbers and routes can change.

The upper station is right by Turtle Lake. The ride takes about six minutes.

Fare and payment

The fares are:

• 1 GEL per person one way;
• 2 GEL return;
• 1 GEL per bicycle one way.

In TTC's official fare list, this line is listed separately from the standard 90-minute fare. You pay with a Metromoney card. As on the Rike–Narikala line, one non-personalised card can pay for several passengers if there's enough money on it.

You can't pay cash at the turnstile. Paying with a foreign bank card directly at the turnstile isn't confirmed in the official fare list, so it's safer to have a Metromoney card.

Opening hours

The current guide is 08:00–22:00 daily. In the past the line has switched to seasonal hours and closed temporarily for cable inspections, so double-check the timetable if you plan to come back late.

If the cable car has already closed, from Turtle Lake you can:

• walk down to Vake Park;
• call a taxi;
• walk to the road and head back through Vake.

The walk down requires comfortable shoes and isn't a good idea after dark if you don't know the route.

What to do at the top

Turtle Lake is a place for a quiet stroll, a rest by the water and a break from central Tbilisi. There's a path around the lake, a café and places to sit. Close by is the Open Air Museum of Ethnography, but check its opening hours separately.

This cable car is especially good if you've already been to Narikala, you're travelling with children, or you want to combine Vake Park, the lake and a walk without crowds of tour groups.

For a full day plan, see One day in Tbilisi; for the Vake area as a base, see where to stay in Tbilisi.

Bagebi – University cable car

This line goes by several names:

• Bagebi – University;
• University – Bagebi;
• Bagebi – Maghlivi;
• University–Bagebi Ropeway.

They all refer to the same cable car across the Vere river valley.

What "Maghlivi" means

The Georgian word maghlivi means "high-rise". It's the name for Tbilisi State University's high-rise building, officially TSU Building No. 10.

One station is next to this building, on the university side of the gorge in Saburtalo. The other is on the Bagebi side, near the former student dormitories.

From State University metro station it's about a 10-minute walk to the TSU-side station. On maps, look for University–Bagebi Cable Car and TSU Building 10 / Maglivi Building.

Can visitors use it?

Yes. It isn't just for students — it's ordinary municipal transport, open to any passenger.

The line, about 320 metres long, reopened on 19 April 2021. The cabin crosses the gorge in about four minutes. For Bagebi residents, it's a shortcut to the metro and the university campus.

Fare, payment and hours

The ride is part of the municipal transport system and costs 1 GEL. You can pay with:

• a Metromoney card;
• a suitable contactless bank card;
• a transport pass.

The integrated 90-minute fare applies. If you pay with the same card, transfers between the metro, municipal buses and the Bagebi–University cable car within 90 minutes don't require a new fare.

For the transfer fare to work properly, each passenger should use their own card. If you pay for several people one after another with a single Metromoney card, the system can't apply the transfer discount to the whole group.

Official hours are 08:00–20:00 daily.

Is it worth a special trip?

For most visitors, no. There's no major sight at the upper station, and the views don't match Narikala or Mtatsminda.

It may appeal to anyone interested in Soviet architecture, the history of urban transport or seeing less touristy neighbourhoods. Otherwise, it's mainly a handy link between Bagebi and Saburtalo.

Rustaveli – Mtatsminda cable car

This is the newest of Tbilisi's working cable cars — or rather, a restored historic line: after a long break, it took its first passengers on 18 October 2024.

Important: don't confuse it with the Mtatsminda funicular. They are different routes with different lower stations.

Where the lower station is

The address is 52 Shota Rustaveli Avenue. The station is housed in a historic building next to the Georgian National Academy of Sciences and the Radisson Blu Iveria hotel.

It's about five minutes on foot from Rustaveli metro station. On maps, look for Rustaveli–Mtatsminda Cable Car Lower Station.

Where it takes you

The upper station is on the Mtatsminda plateau, next to the park of the same name. From the exit to the park grounds is about two minutes on foot.

The line is about 845 metres long, with 21 eight-seat gondolas; the ride takes about 4–5 minutes.

Fare and payment

For foreign visitors, a ride costs 12 GEL one way. The return trip is paid separately, so up and down costs 24 GEL.

You need a separate rechargeable Mtatsminda Park card, which costs 2 GEL. The same card is used for the funicular and the rides in the park.

Metromoney doesn't work here, and you can't transfer a Metromoney balance to the park card.

Mtatsminda Park cards are sold and topped up at the ticket desks of the lower and upper stations. According to current practical information, you can pay at the desk in cash or by bank card, including foreign cards. However, you still go through the turnstile with the park card — you can't tap a bank card directly.

One Mtatsminda Park card can be used for several people if there's enough money on it.

Opening hours

The official page of the Georgian National Tourism Administration lists daily hours of 12:00–21:00.

In summer the operator sometimes extends hours, and in strong wind service may be suspended. So don't count on the cable car after 21:00 without checking first.

What's at Mtatsminda

At the top you'll find:

• an amusement park;
• a Ferris wheel;
• viewpoints;
• cafés and restaurants;
• the upper funicular station;
• the Tbilisi TV Tower, which you can see from the outside.

Entry to the park itself is free; rides are paid separately with the Mtatsminda Park card.

For more ideas, see One day in Tbilisi.

How the cable car differs from the funicular

The cable car starts on Rustaveli Avenue, next to Rustaveli metro. Passengers travel in small suspended gondolas.

The funicular starts at 22 Daniel Chonkadze Street. It's a rail system: the carriage runs up the slope and makes an intermediate stop at the Pantheon and Mama Daviti Church.

The cable car is more convenient if you're staying near Rustaveli, in Vera or around First Republic Square. The funicular is closer to Sololaki and the upper part of the Mtatsminda district.

You can go up by cable car and come down by funicular, or the other way round. Just check the closing times of both in advance.

Cable car or funicular: which to choose

On your first visit to Tbilisi, choose Rike–Narikala. For an evening panorama and the park, take the Rustaveli–Mtatsminda cable car or the funicular. The Turtle Lake cable car works best as part of a separate walk around Vake.

How to pay for Tbilisi's cable cars

There's no single card for all lines.

Where you need Metromoney

Metromoney is used on:

• Rike – Narikala;
• Vake – Turtle Lake;
• Bagebi – University.

The card costs 2 GEL. You can buy it at metro station ticket desks, at Rike–Narikala and at Bank of Georgia Express branches. No ID is needed: the card isn't personalised.

You can top it up in the metro, at cable car ticket desks and at Bank of Georgia terminals.

Metromoney can be returned within one month of purchase. To get the 2 GEL back, or to restore the card if you lose it, keep the receipt.

Where a bank card works

A contactless bank card is officially accepted as payment for the municipal fare on the Bagebi–University line.

On Rike–Narikala and the Turtle Lake line, it's safer to rely on Metromoney. Whether you can buy or top up the card with a bank card at a particular desk may depend on whether the terminal is working.

On Rustaveli–Mtatsminda, you use a bank card or cash to buy and top up the Mtatsminda Park card. You go through the turnstile with the park card itself.

Where free transfers apply

The 90-minute fare covers Bagebi–University, the metro and municipal buses when you use the same payment method.

Rike–Narikala and Vake–Turtle Lake have separate fares. A metro ride paid just before them doesn't make the cable car free.

Rustaveli–Mtatsminda isn't part of TTC's municipal fare system at all.

A one-day route with two cable cars

This route combines neatly with Old Tbilisi and Rustaveli Avenue.

In the morning, start at Europe Square and Rike Park. Ride up to Narikala before the daytime queues build. Explore the fortress, walk to the Mother of Georgia, then walk down to Abanotubani.

After lunch, walk through the Old Town and Freedom Square to Rustaveli Avenue. From Freedom Square to the lower station of the second cable car is about 20–25 minutes on foot.

Towards evening, ride up to Mtatsminda from 52 Rustaveli Avenue. Allow at least an hour and a half for the park. You can come back the same way, by funicular or by bus.

The route works without extra transfers, but don't leave Mtatsminda until late in the evening: the cable car's confirmed standard hours end at 21:00.

For a full walking day, see One day in Tbilisi.

Historic and closed cable cars

Older articles mention other city lines:

• Didube – Saburtalo;
• Nutsubidze – Lisi Lake;
• Samgori – Vazisubani;
• an old line to the student dormitories in Bagebi.

These mentions don't mean the lines are open to passengers today. Didube–Saburtalo, Nutsubidze–Lisi and Samgori–Vazisubani are not operating.

The historic Bagebi–University line was restored and has been running again since 2021. The Rustaveli–Mtatsminda line was effectively rebuilt and opened in 2024.