Georgia: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Georgia feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 100 written places.
A guest is a gift from God, says the proverb - and the supra feast proves they mean it.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept supra invitations - the toasting feast is the culture's heart, led by the tamada toastmaster
- Toast properly - wait for the tamada, drink to the toast's theme, never toast with beer
- Dress modestly in churches - headscarves for women at monasteries, often lent at the door
- Try qvevri wine - eight thousand years of winemaking in clay vessels, UNESCO-listed
✗ Better avoided
- Refuse hospitality outright - deflect gently or accept a symbolic amount
- Rush a supra - it runs hours and leaving early needs a warm excuse
- Confuse Georgia with the US state in conversation - the joke is worn thin
- Underestimate chacha - the grape spirit is 50-60% and flows freely
Worth knowing
- Cash for markets and villages; cards fine in Tbilisi and Batumi
- Tipping is around 10%
- Marshrutka minibuses are the transport backbone - cheap, frequent, cosy
- Khinkali dumplings are eaten by hand - hold the topknot, never eat it
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.