With its dramatic valley setting, picturesque Old Town, eclectic architecture and superb eating and drinking opportunities, Tbilisi is the vibrant, beating heart of Georgia and home to more than one in three of its citizens. Add to that the pull of the city’s hipster culture, its techno scene and general air of cool, and Tbilisi is confidently sealing its reputation as the South Caucasus’ most cosmopolitan city.

Narikala

Dominating the Old Town skyline, Narikala dates right back to the 4th century, when it was a Persian citadel. Most of the walls were built in the 8th century by the Arab emirs, whose palace was inside the fortress. Subsequently Georgians, Turks and Persians captured and patched up Narikala, but in 1827 a huge explosion of Russian munitions stored here wrecked the whole thing, and today it’s a rather picturesque ruin, with only its walls largely intact.

The Church of St Nicholas, inside the fortress, was rebuilt in the 1990s. The choice way to reach Narikala is by cable car from Rike Park. Or you can walk up from Meidan or via the Betlemi St Stairs, which lead off Lado Asatiani qucha in Sololaki. The views over Tbilisi from the top of the fortress are superb.

Tbilisi’s most exhilarating ride is its massively popular cable car, which swings from the south end of Rike Park high over the Mtkvari River and the Old Town up to Narikala Fortress. To ride it, you need a Metromoney card, available at the ticket offices if you don’t have one. Expect to wait in the summer months, though the line moves fairly quickly.

For most visitors the highlight here is the hall of wonderful canvases by Georgia’s best-known painter Pirosmani (Niko Pirosmanashvili, 1862–1918), ranging from his celebrated animal and feast scenes to lesser-known portraits and rural-life canvases. There’s also a good selection of work by other top 20th-century Georgian artists Lado Gudiashvili and David Kakabadze. Enter from the park beside Kashveti Church.