Old Tbilisi (Kala)

Old Tbilisi, often called Kala after the walled town that once stood here, is the historic heart of the city. It covers the streets between Freedom Square, the Mtkvari river and the ridge of Narikala, and it is where most visitors spend their first day. Within a few hundred metres you pass Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, the Great Synagogue, the Jumah Mosque and the brick domes of the sulphur baths. Many houses keep their 19th-century carved wooden balconies and shared courtyards; some have been carefully restored, while others lean at alarming angles.

The best way to see it is on foot, without a fixed plan. From Freedom Square, walk down Kote Afkhazi Street past the Great Synagogue, cut across to Sioni Cathedral, then follow Erekle II and Shardeni streets for cafes before reaching the Bridge of Peace and Abanotubani. Take the cable car or climb to Narikala for the view, and drop into Sololaki, just west, for its grand 19th-century entrance halls and quieter streets. Stop by the Gabriadze clock tower near Anchiskhati, where a small angel strikes the bell on the hour.

Old Tbilisi grew on the right bank of the Mtkvari below Narikala, around the hot springs that gave the city its name. It was walled for much of its history and was burned many times, most destructively by Agha Mohammad Khan's army in 1795, so most of what stands today dates from the 19th century, when the city was rebuilt under Russian rule. Its mix of Georgian, Armenian, Persian, Jewish and European influences reflects Tbilisi's long role as a trading town on the caravan routes of the Caucasus.