Narikala Fortress, Tbilisi: Getting Up, What Is Open and When to Go

Narikala is the ruined fortress on the ridge above Old Tbilisi, the line of walls you see from every bridge and balcony in the center. It is free, the cable car gets you to the top in about 2 minutes, and the view over the river and the bath domes is my favorite in the city. Here's what you need to know about what is open in 2026, the ways up and down, and when to go.

Is Narikala Fortress open in 2026?

Partly. The upper fortress, with the towers and the highest stretch of wall on the rocky crest, has been behind construction fencing since late 2023, and there is still no reopening date as of October 2026. Everything around it is open: the cable car, the ridge path along the outside of the walls, the lower section by St Nicholas Church, the viewing terraces and the Mother of Georgia statue a short walk along the ridge.

So a Narikala visit in 2026 is a ridge walk with a fortress beside it, rather than a scramble along the ramparts. I still think it's the best hour you can spend in Old Tbilisi, because the view never depended on the towers.

The fencing changes what you photograph more than what you see. You still stand right under the walls, you still look down on the whole Old Town, and the fortress still looks complete from the river.

A short history of Narikala

Narikala is older than almost everything around it. A citadel stood on this ridge by the 4th century, when Persian rulers held the town, and it went by the name Shuris-tsikhe, roughly "the fortress of envy". Arab emirs extended the walls in the 7th and 8th centuries, Georgian kings rebuilt and added to them for centuries after that, and the name used today is usually traced to Narin Qala, "little fortress".

The walls carry a layer from almost every power that held Tbilisi, from the Persians and Arabs to the Mongols and the Russians, and an hour along them makes the city's long run of sieges and rebuilds easier to picture than most chapters of Georgian history.

Most of what stood inside the walls was lost in 1827. The Russian army kept its ammunition in the fortress, and an explosion tore through the inner buildings; whether an accident or an earthquake set it off depends on who tells the story. The outer walls survived, which is why the silhouette from the river still reads as a whole fortress.

The one building inside that looks new is new. St Nicholas Church was rebuilt in the 1990s on the site of a much older church, and its pale stone stands out against the brown walls from anywhere in the Old Town.

What to see at Narikala

The visit has four parts, all within a 10-minute walk of the cable car's top station: the lower walls, the church, the terraces and the statue at the far end of the ridge.

The walls and the lower fortress

The fortress runs along the ridge in two sections, a lower one above the baths and an upper one on the rocky crest. From the ridge path you walk right under the lower walls and their round towers, and in places you can step through the old gateways onto the terraces inside. It's a ruin, with uneven stone, steep drops and very few railings, so watch your footing and keep children close.

St Nicholas Church

St Nicholas sits inside the lower walls, a short walk down from the cable car station. From outside it looks plain; inside, the walls are painted from floor to dome, and it is a working church where people come to light candles and pray. It is usually open in the daytime, roughly 11:00 to 18:00, and it's quiet enough that a 10-minute stop feels like a pause in the middle of the climb.

The viewing terraces and the view

This is why you came. From the terraces you look straight down on the brick domes of Abanotubani, across the Kura river to Metekhi Church on its cliff, the glass curve of the Bridge of Peace and the gold dome of Sameba cathedral on the hill behind. My favorite spot is the terrace just below St Nicholas, where the church dome sits in the corner of your photo and the Old Town falls away under it.

Narikala tops my list of Tbilisi viewpoints for one reason: it is the only one where the Old Town is right under your feet rather than across a valley. You can pick out the lanes you walked that morning, the bathhouse you booked and the bridge you'll cross for dinner.

The Mother of Georgia statue

Follow the ridge path away from the river for about 5 minutes and you reach Kartlis Deda, the Mother of Georgia statue: a 20 m aluminum woman first put up in 1958, holding a bowl of wine for friends and a sword for enemies. It's how Tbilisi likes to describe itself, and up close she is bigger and plainer than she looks from the river. The path past her keeps going toward Sololaki, which makes her the natural turning point or the start of the walk down.

How to get to Narikala

There are three good ways up, and they all land on the same ridge. I'd ride the cable car up and walk down, which keeps the steep part downhill and leaves you at the baths or in Sololaki rather than back where you started.

The cable car from Rike Park

The cable car leaves from Rike Park on the left bank of the Kura, a few minutes' walk across the Bridge of Peace from the Old Town. The cabins run 686 m over the river and the bath district to a top station on the ridge, a ride of a little over 2 minutes. A one-way ride costs 2.50 GEL, paid by tapping a Metromoney card at the gate, and it runs daily from about 10:00 to 22:00, later on summer weekends.

It is one of several cable cars in Tbilisi, and the only one that crosses a river and an old town in the same ride. Grab a window spot: the cabin passes right over the domes of Abanotubani on the way up.

Walking up from Abanotubani

From Meidan Square at the bottom of the Old Town, walk up Orbiri Street with the bathhouse domes below you, past the minaret of the Jumah Mosque, and keep climbing as the lane turns into stairs and switchbacks. It joins the ridge path just below the walls. It's steep and paved, about 20 minutes at a steady pace, and in July and August I'd only do it before 10:00 or in the early evening.

There's a second, steeper staircase that climbs straight up behind the blue-tiled Orbeliani bathhouse, Chreli Abano. It's shorter and harder on the legs, and it's the one I'd use going down rather than up.

Walking up from Sololaki

From Lado Asatiani Street in Sololaki, climb Betlemi Street and its 120 steps to Betlemi Church, then follow the path up through the trees to the Mother of Georgia and along the ridge to the fortress. It takes about 20 minutes, it gets more shade than the Abanotubani side, and you pass old Sololaki houses with carved wooden balconies on the way. This is the route I take on a hot afternoon.

Walking down from Narikala

Coming down is where Narikala earns its time, because each side of the ridge drops you somewhere different.

To the waterfall. The paths and stairs on the river side come down into Abanotubani, quicker than the climb. At the bottom, follow the walkway into the gorge behind the bathhouses to the small Leghvtakhevi waterfall, about 10 minutes on foot.

To the baths. Back at the bathhouses, book an hour in the sulfur baths, where private rooms start at 130 GEL an hour. After the climb and the walk down, it's the best way to end the day.

To Sololaki. Walk past the Mother of Georgia and take the Betlemi stairs down into Sololaki's lanes, which puts you a short walk from the cafes and wine bars around Asatiani and Leselidze streets.

Into the Botanical Garden. The National Botanical Garden fills the gorge on the far side of the ridge, with an entrance near the fortress. Entry is 4 GEL and it closes at about 17:30, so do it first if you're coming up after lunch.

My half-day loop puts all of it together. It's about 3 hours with the bath, or under 2 without it.

Best time to visit Narikala

Go in the hour before sunset. The light comes in low over Sololaki, the river turns gold, and once the sun drops the walls light up and the Bridge of Peace starts glowing below you. It is the busiest hour on the ridge, and still the one I'd pick.

Early morning is the other good slot: cooler, softer light and almost nobody on the terraces. The cable car starts at about 10:00, so a morning visit means walking up, which is no hardship before the heat.

Night is underrated. The walls are floodlit, the terraces empty out after the sunset crowd leaves, and the Old Town lights spread out under you. Walk down on the main paths to Abanotubani rather than the steeper side tracks.

By season, spring and autumn are the best time to visit Tbilisi, and Narikala is a big reason: the terraces have no shade, and on a July afternoon the ridge can pass 35°C. Winter is quiet and clear, and a cold, bright day gives the sharpest view of the year.

The best views of Narikala from below

Narikala looks its best from a distance, especially at night when the walls are lit. These are the spots I'd use to see the fortress rather than the view from it.

If you only have time for one, stand on the Metekhi side of the river after dark. The floodlit walls, the church on the ridge and the domes of the baths line up in a single frame, and it's the picture of Tbilisi most people take home.

Tips for visiting Narikala

• Wear proper shoes. The stone paths are steep and polished smooth by centuries of feet, and they turn slippery after rain.
• Bring water. There's very little to buy on the ridge, and none of the terraces have shade.
• Carry a scarf. It covers shoulders or hair for St Nicholas Church without a second trip to the hotel.
• Take the cable car both ways if walking is hard. The paths along the walls are stepped and uneven, so stay on the terraces nearest the top station.
• Pick Narikala over Mtatsminda for a daytime view. Mtatsminda Park is higher and takes in the whole city, but Narikala puts you right above the Old Town; save Mtatsminda for an evening.