Tourists rolling suitcases dash for trains, old ladies selling lemons, candles and individual cigarettes sit at the entrance steps, groups of men stand around smoking in the afternoon heat, t-shirts hoisted above their belly buttons. Tbilisi Central may not be the prettiest area of Tbilisi, but it is a vital artery of life in the city. Shaped like a Soviet Chinese Pagoda, Tbilisi Central serves as the central train station, a hotel, and shopping center.

On the first two floors, you can buy anything from a television set to gold jewelry and fabrics to blenders. On the second floor, you will find Tbilisi’s central train station. From here, trains depart to Borjomi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, and even Baku and Yerevan. Finally, the top floor of the unusual shopping and travel center is a hotel. However, you may prefer to make the short trip into the center of Tbilisi to more picturesque neighborhoods.