With the number of tourists coming to Georgia growing by an incredible 26% last year and that number being expected to increase by 40% in the next, more and more people are wanting to come to experience the capital city through the eyes of the people who live here.
Anna Deviata from Ukraine established her company ‘Tbilisi Hack Free Tours’ almost two years ago and has been providing the chance to do exactly that ever since. She now employs seven other guides who are as passionate and well informed about the city as her.
Anna is one of many foreigners who have fallen in love with Georgia and decided to stay. “Three years ago, I travelled to Georgia and stayed. I used to visit in my childhood and have some very romantic memories of the place. I met Georgians everywhere I went and began to want to learn the language. I just loved the sound of it,” she told GEORGIA TODAY.
So, how (and why) do they do it for free? They are an independent, non-profit organization who have a passion for this beautiful city, and for sharing it with others. They love it so much that they work purely for tips. They say, “we give you a great tour, and you decide how much it is worth.” With most conventional tours, the guide gets paid no matter how good or bad their performance was, but with this company you will be sure to receive a great performance.
As the city tour increased in popularity, Anna decided to introduce two additional tours; the Fabrika Tour and the Pub Crawl. The Fabrika Tour is a unique adventure away from the tourist track. The two-and-a-half hour walking tour covers the main sights of the Left Bank of the city. You will hear stories that other guides would never share with you “because they might lose their jobs and you’ll get an injection of energy to further explore the city yourself.” The pub crawl introduces you to the liveliest drinking holes in the city. Georgia is a wine country, so they start from a sophisticated winery where you are offered an unlimited amount of wine, helped down with some delicious khachapuri. After that you visit three other bars with a free shot in each and end up in one of the liveliest clubs in town.
Anna highlighted some of the best moments from the last two years. “I’ve made lots of new friends. I was numerous times named "the best guide in the world.” Nine people stayed to live in the city for a while after they fell in love with it on our tour; two of them became our guides!”
The Grand Tour starts every day at Freedom Square, in front of the Old Town Hall at the Burberry store. See their website to book yourself a place!
http://tbilisifreewalkingtour.com/
tbilisifreewalkingtour@gmail.com
+995 599 922 937