Tbilisi to Kutaisi: Train, Marshrutka, Bus and Car in 2026

Kutaisi is known as Georgia's former capital and its second-largest city, 226 km west of Tbilisi along the main highway, and most ways across take about 3.5 hours. Here's what you need to know about the train, the marshrutka, shared taxis, transfers and driving, which of Kutaisi's three train stations to aim for, what each option costs in 2026 and how to get back to Tbilisi.

Tbilisi to Kutaisi at a glance

Kutaisi sits 226 km west of Tbilisi on the E60, the highway that crosses Georgia from the capital to the Black Sea. There are no flights between the two cities, so every option is on the ground, and almost all of them land in the same 3.5 to 4.5 hour window. The real choice is price, comfort and where in Kutaisi you end up, because the fast trains and the minibuses all stop outside the center.

Which way I'd go from Tbilisi to Kutaisi

Every option works, so I'd decide by who's traveling and what comes after Kutaisi.

• On a budget, traveling light: the train to Rioni. 14 GEL buys a soft seat with air conditioning, and even with an 8 to 12 GEL Bolt into town it costs about the same as the cramped 20 GEL minibus.
• Plans made this morning: the marshrutka. One leaves Didube every hour from 07:00 to 20:00, nothing needs booking, and a van at 10:00 has you in Kutaisi by about 14:00.
• Flying out of Kutaisi or carrying on to Batumi: the Stadler to the airport station. It's the quickest train, the station is 2 km from the terminal, and the same line runs to the coast.
• 3 or 4 people with luggage: a private transfer. From about 212 GEL a car, that's 53 GEL each for four, door to door, with stops where you want them.
• Starting a road trip in the west: drive, and break the trip for hot bread in Surami and pottery in Shrosha.

The one I'd skip is the slow train to Kutaisi I. It's the only train that ends in the center and the cheapest at 9 GEL, but about 5 hours 40 in a seat is a long price for saving a Bolt fare.

Tbilisi to Kutaisi by train

Every train west leaves from Tbilisi Central Station, beside Station Square, the one stop where both Tbilisi metro lines meet. The platforms are on the upper floor, and the station has luggage lockers for 15 GEL a day, open 07:30 to 20:00. The train is the comfortable way to Kutaisi. The catch is that Kutaisi has three stations, and none of the quick trains stop in the center.

Which Kutaisi train station to choose

This is where most first-timers go wrong, so here are the three side by side.

For a stay in Kutaisi town, Rioni is my pick. It's the cheapest of the quick options, the ride into the center is short, and the total with a Bolt still lands close to the marshrutka fare.

Rioni station

Rioni sits about 10 km outside Kutaisi and gets 4 trains a day from Tbilisi, the fastest taking about 3.5 hours. Fares are 14 GEL in economy, 26 GEL in first class and 41 GEL in business, the lowest of any quick way across the country.

The station is small and plain. What facilities there are take cash only, and at Rioni you cross the tracks on foot to reach your train, so give yourself a few minutes on the way back. From the station, a Bolt to the center costs about 8 to 12 GEL, and city bus 3 also runs into town.

Kutaisi International Airport station

Kopitnari station serves Kutaisi International Airport, about 2 km from the terminal and 22 km from the center. Every east to west train has stopped here since May 2022, including the double-deck Stadlers between Tbilisi and Batumi, which run at least 3 times a day and take about 3 hours 25 minutes. Second class costs 33 GEL, first 71 GEL and business 121 GEL.

It's the fastest train, but for Kutaisi town it's the priciest way in: a Bolt from Kopitnari to the center runs about 25 GEL, which makes the trip close to 60 GEL a person. I'd use it when you're flying out of Kutaisi, when you're carrying on to the coast, or when the timetable gives you nothing else that day.

Kutaisi I, the slow train into the center

Kutaisi I is the old station in the middle of town, and it's the only one you can walk out of into the center. One slow train a day runs there from Tbilisi, taking about 5 hours 40 for 9 GEL. It's the cheapest ticket on this route and rarely the right one, unless a slow ride through the Imereti countryside is the point of your day.

Booking train tickets on TKT.ge

Tickets are sold on TKT.ge about 20 days ahead, with a 1 GEL card fee, and the QR ticket arrives by email. On most trains your seat is assigned automatically; the fast Batumi Stadler, the one that stops at Kutaisi Airport, lets you choose. You can also buy at the ticket counters in Tbilisi Central Station, and the process works the same for every train in Georgia.

In June, July and August the Stadler fills up with people heading to the beach, so book it as soon as your dates are fixed. The Rioni trains are less of a scramble, but I'd still buy a few days ahead in summer.

What the train is like

The trains are clean, air-conditioned and comfortable, with soft seats and charging points at the window seats. The air conditioning runs cold, so keep a layer handy. There is no dining car, and snacks and Wi-Fi on board are unreliable, so bring water and something to eat for 3.5 hours.

On the Stadler you can bring up to 30 kg of luggage a person, nobody checks it, and big suitcases go on the racks on the lower deck. Seat direction isn't guaranteed even when you pick your seat, so if riding backwards bothers you, ask a neighbor to swap rather than counting on the seat map.

Tbilisi to Kutaisi by marshrutka

The minibus is the easiest way to go on short notice. Marshrutkas for Kutaisi leave from Didube bus station, next to Didube metro on Line 1, every hour from 07:00 to 20:00. The fare is 20 GEL, paid in cash to the driver, and the ride takes 3.5 to 4 hours with one stop about halfway.

Didube is a big, busy yard, and it sends vans to most of the north and west of the country, so look for the card in the windscreen that says Kutaisi. Turn up about 20 minutes before you want to leave to get a seat on that hour's van. Of Tbilisi's bus stations, Didube is the one for every western town except the coach routes.

The van drops you at Kutaisi bus station, which sits on the E60 highway by a McDonald's and the Grand Mall, not in the old center. City bus 1 runs from there to the Colchis Fountain in the middle of town, or a Bolt takes a few minutes.

Cash is the one thing to sort before you go. Money in Georgia mostly moves by card in Tbilisi, but marshrutkas, shared taxis and the small kiosks at both bus stations still want lari.

Shared taxi from Didube

Shared taxis wait at Didube too, with the destination on a sign behind the windscreen, and they leave when every seat is sold. A seat to Kutaisi costs about 45 to 55 GEL, more than twice the marshrutka fare, for a car instead of a van. The ride takes about as long as driving yourself, 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on traffic.

I'd only pick one when the next van is full and you'd rather not wait an hour, or when you want more space without paying for a whole car. Agree the price and the drop-off point before you get in.

The Kutaisi Airport bus from Tbilisi

Two companies, Georgian Bus and Omnibus, run coaches from central Tbilisi to Kutaisi International Airport for 25 GEL one way or 45 GEL return, in about 3.5 to 4 hours. Georgian Bus leaves from Pushkin Park by Freedom Square, and Omnibus from Javakhishvili Street near the Radisson Blu, close to Rustaveli metro. They run to the flight schedule and wait for late planes, which is why the bus is the usual ride from Kutaisi Airport to Tbilisi after a budget flight; heading the other way for a flight home, you leave Tbilisi about 7 hours before departure.

For Kutaisi town, this bus only makes sense when you're flying out. Georgian Bus does run on from the airport into Kutaisi for another 10 GEL, but at 35 GEL and two legs it costs more than the train and takes longer than the marshrutka. For most travelers, the "bus to Kutaisi" is the Didube van.

Private transfer from Tbilisi to Kutaisi

A prebooked private transfer costs from about 212 GEL per car and takes about 3.5 hours. The driver picks you up at your hotel, drops you at your door in Kutaisi and takes payment in cash at the end.

For one person that's more than 10 times the marshrutka. For four people it's 53 GEL each, and you skip both Didube and the Bolt from the bus station at the other end. The bigger draw is the stops: a driver will pull over at the pottery stalls or the bread ovens on the way, which turns a transfer into a slow half-day across the country. Agree the stops when you book so the price doesn't change on the road.

Driving from Tbilisi to Kutaisi

The drive is 226 km on the E60, almost all of it on the main highway, and takes about 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on traffic and roadworks. The Rikoti Pass in the middle, the slow, twisting part of the old road, now runs through the new expressway's tunnels and bridges, and that has made the trip easier than it was a few years ago.

If you're renting a car in Georgia, dropping it in a different city costs extra, so driving makes most sense when Kutaisi is the start of a loop through the west rather than a one-way hop. The drive also passes Gori, and an early start leaves time for the cave town on a combined Gori and Uplistsikhe stop on the way.

Arriving in Kutaisi

Kutaisi is the main city of Imereti, built along the Rioni river, and it's compact enough to walk once you're in the center. How you get there depends on where you land:

• Rioni station: a Bolt for 8 to 12 GEL or city bus 3, about 10 km.
• Kutaisi Airport station: a Bolt for about 25 GEL, about 22 km.
• Kutaisi bus station: city bus 1 to the Colchis Fountain, or a short Bolt.
• Kutaisi I: you're already in the center.

Once you're there, the sights of Kutaisi and around fill two days easily. Bagrati Cathedral stands on the hill above the river in town, and Gelati Monastery, a UNESCO site, is a short ride out, along with Motsameta Monastery, Sataplia Cave and Prometheus Cave. The spa town of Tskaltubo is 13 km away, and the Martvili and Okatse canyons are the usual day trips. I'd give Kutaisi at least two nights rather than treating it as a stop on the way west.

Kutaisi to Tbilisi: the trip back

Every option runs in reverse, with the same fares:

• Train: 4 trains a day from Rioni (14 GEL in economy) and at least 3 Stadlers from Kutaisi Airport station (33 GEL in second class), both on TKT.ge. Pick "Tbilisi-pass" as your destination; you arrive at Tbilisi Central by Station Square metro.
• Marshrutka: hourly from Kutaisi bus station, by the McDonald's and the Grand Mall, from 07:00 to 20:00, 20 GEL in cash, ending at Didube by the metro. City bus 1 from the Colchis Fountain or a Bolt gets you to the station.
• Shared taxi: from the same Kutaisi bus station, 45 to 55 GEL a seat.
• Private transfer: from about 212 GEL a car, pickup at your guesthouse.
• Flying home from Kutaisi: stay in Kutaisi the night before and go straight to the airport, rather than riding 3.5 hours from Tbilisi on the morning of your flight.

Going on from Kutaisi

Kutaisi is the hinge of western Georgia, and in most Georgia itineraries I'd plan, it sits between Tbilisi and either the coast or the mountains.

• Batumi: Kutaisi Airport station is the only train link from the Kutaisi area to the coast, on the same Stadler line that runs from Tbilisi to Batumi.
• Svaneti: a marshrutka from Kutaisi to Zugdidi costs 10 GEL and takes about 2 hours, and from Zugdidi the vans climb on to Mestia, which makes Kutaisi a good night's break on the long trip from Tbilisi to Mestia.
• Back east: the same trains, vans and cars run back to Tbilisi all day.