Turtle Lake, Tbilisi: Cable Car, Swimming and What to Do

Turtle Lake, Kus Tba in Georgian, is the small lake in the forest above Vake where Tbilisi goes to cool off on a hot afternoon. It's known for the old 1 GEL cable car up from Vake Park, an easy lap of the shore and summer swimming from a little beach. Here's what you need to know about getting up there, what to do at the lake, the walks that start on its shore and when to go.

What is Turtle Lake?

Turtle Lake is a small lake at 686 m on the northern slope of the Mtatsminda ridge, in the woods above Vake in the southwest of Tbilisi. It sits in a hollow left by an old landslide, fed by a small stream and the rain, and it measures about 180 m long and 50 m wide. It's shallow too: about 2.6 m at its deepest.

The name is a straight translation of the Georgian Kus Tba. Turtles once lived here in large numbers, which is where the name comes from, though you'd be lucky to spot one today. You'll also hear that the lake looks like a turtle from above. Neither story changes the visit.

Around the shore you get a paved path, cafes and terrace bars, a small beach, boats, a zip line, playgrounds, an outdoor gym, a mini football pitch and a floating stage that hosts concerts and events in summer. It's a city park built around a lake, more than a sight. My verdict: with only two days in Tbilisi, skip it. With three or more, or in a heat wave, it's my favorite half day outside the center.

How to get to Turtle Lake

There are three ways up, and the cable car is the one I'd pick almost every time. It's quick, it costs 1 GEL and the ride over the trees is half the fun. No bus or minibus climbs to the lake itself.

The cable car from Vake Park

The Turtle Lake ropeway starts at the top of Vake Park, by Chavchavadze Avenue. It first opened in 1965, closed in 2009 when it fell into bad shape, and reopened in 2016 after a renovation that kept the old blue cabins. Two cabins shuttle up and down, each holding 10 to 12 people with an attendant on board, and there are no seats. A cabin leaves once enough people have gathered, so expect a short wait at quiet times.

The ride lasts about 5 to 6 minutes. You lift off past the tall Victory statue in the park, climb over the treetops and watch Vake and the Axis Towers spread out below. It costs 1 GEL one way, tapped with a Metromoney card at the gate, and runs daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Like all Tbilisi's cable cars, it stops in strong wind and closes for a few days or weeks of maintenance most years.

There's no metro in Vake. City buses along Chavchavadze Avenue cost 1 GEL, and a Bolt from Rustaveli Avenue to the bottom of Vake Park takes about 20 minutes and costs 10 to 12 GEL.

By taxi

A road winds up the back of the hill to a parking area beside the lake. A Bolt from the center takes 10 to 15 minutes and costs about 8 to 12 GEL; type "Turtle Lake" or "Kus Tba" as the destination. Ordering one of the taxis in Tbilisi through an app fixes the price before you get in, which matters more on a hilltop with no meter in sight. This is the way down after the cable car stops at 22:00, and the way up when the line is closed.

Walking up

A marked trail climbs from the upper end of Vake Park through the forest to the lake in 30 to 40 minutes. It's steep in places, so wear trainers with grip. A longer route climbs past the Open Air Museum of Ethnography and reaches the lake in 45 to 60 minutes. I'd ride up and walk down: you get the cable car ride, and the forest is much nicer going downhill.

Things to do at Turtle Lake

The lake is small, and a visit is a mix of a stroll, a coffee and whatever the season allows. Here's what fills an hour or two.

Walk the lake loop

A paved, flat path of about 1.2 km circles the shore, with benches, small lookouts and a playground along the way. A lap takes 20 to 30 minutes at an easy pace. In the evenings it fills with joggers, cyclists, dog walkers and families with strollers, and it's the best way to see how Tbilisi spends a free afternoon.

Boats and the zip line

In the warm months you can hire a paddle boat or a rowboat and potter around the lake, which takes about as long as the walk. Above the water runs the Flying Turtle zip line, launched from a tower on the shore, the one thing up here that gets anyone's heart rate up. Both are seasonal, so don't count on them in winter.

Coffee, lunch and a picnic

Cafes and terrace bars line the side of the lake nearest the parking area, with seats indoors and out. A coffee costs about 5 to 8 GEL and lunch at a lakeside restaurant about 25 to 40 GEL, a little more than you'd pay in Vake below. Stalls near the entrance sell shawarma, grilled corn and ice cream.

I'd bring a picnic instead. Wooden gazebos stand among the trees near the shore, and a bag of bread, cheese and fruit from a Vake supermarket makes a better lunch than most of the lakeside menus.

The view over Tbilisi

Climb the slope above the lake for a lookout over the water with the apartment blocks of Vake and Saburtalo behind it. A monument near the viewpoint marks the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival, which Tbilisi hosted. It's a quieter, greener view than Narikala or Mtatsminda, and on my list of the best viewpoints in Tbilisi it's the one for a slow afternoon rather than a sunset crowd.

Summer events

The floating stage on the lake hosts concerts and events through the summer season, and sports events are held around the shore. Nothing runs on a fixed calendar that I'd plan a trip around, but if you see a stage set up when you arrive, stay for the evening.

Can you swim in Turtle Lake?

Yes, from June to September. The swimming season opens with the summer, there's a small pebble beach with sun loungers, and lifeguards work the beach during the season. Summer water temperatures run around 22 to 25°C, and the lake is shallow, so it warms up fast.

My honest take: it's a small, still forest lake rather than a clear mountain one, and locals disagree about the water. On a 38°C August day I'd happily get in. For a proper beach day with room to swim, I'd pick the Tbilisi Sea on the other side of the city (compared below).

Hikes and walks from Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake is the top of a hill, and every way off it is downhill or along the ridge. These are the walks I'd do from the shore.

The Open Air Museum of Ethnography. Follow the road about 20 minutes downhill from the lake to the gate of the Open Air Museum of Ethnography, where farmhouses, watchtowers, churches and wine cellars were taken apart in Svaneti, Kakheti, Adjara and other regions and rebuilt on the slope. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, tickets are 25 GEL, and it deserves about 2 hours. It's my favorite museum in the city, and coming in from the lake means you never walk uphill.

The ridge to Mtatsminda. Marked forest trails leave the lake and follow the ridge east to Mtatsminda Park, the hilltop with the TV tower and the Ferris wheel. Allow about 3 hours with stops. Finish at the park and ride the funicular down into the center, and you've crossed half the city on foot without touching a road. It's the easiest of the day hikes near Tbilisi to fit around a city day, since it needs no bus or driver.

The spring waterfall. About 15 minutes along the trail toward Mtatsminda, a small seasonal waterfall drops 3 to 4 m through the trees. It runs from about March to June and dries up in summer, so it's a spring bonus rather than a reason to come.

A half day at Turtle Lake

This is the loop I'd do on a free morning, with the museum in it. Allow about 5 hours, and it costs around 32 GEL a person before lunch.

On a Monday, swap the museum for the ridge walk toward Mtatsminda, or for a long lunch on the lake and a swim in summer.

What a visit to Turtle Lake costs

Turtle Lake is one of the cheapest outings in the city. Bus and cable car both ways come to 4 GEL, and the lake itself charges nothing, which earns it a place among the free things to do in Tbilisi if you walk up.

Best time to visit Turtle Lake

Summer is the season Turtle Lake was made for. When the city bakes at 35 to 40°C in July and August, the hill is greener and a little cooler, and the beach and boats are open. Plan the rest of Tbilisi in summer around mornings and evenings, and put the lake in the afternoon. Just avoid summer weekends if you can, when families pack the shore and the cable car line grows.

Spring brings the waterfall, fresh green woods and empty paths, the best time for the ridge walk to Mtatsminda. Autumn might be my favorite: from October the trees around the lake turn yellow, the light is soft and the crowds are gone. Winter is quiet, with the boats and beach shut, and fine for a short walk and a hot drink.

Time of day matters more than the season. A weekday morning, right after the cable car starts at 10:00, often gets you a cabin to yourself. The hour before sunset gives the best light on the water and the city.

Turtle Lake with kids

Turtle Lake is one of the easiest outings with children in Tbilisi, and the cable car alone wins most of them over.

• The cable car feels like an adventure for 1 GEL, and the old cabins have big windows.
• Playgrounds and an outdoor gym sit along the shore path, with a mini football pitch nearby.
• Boats and the zip line run in the warm months, the zip line for older children.
• The beach has a shallow edge for paddling from June to September, with lifeguards in season.
• The loop path is paved and flat, good for scooters and small legs.

The hill around the lake is steep, so with a stroller ride the cable car both ways and stick to the shore path. Pair the lake with Vake Park below, and you have most of a day of Tbilisi with kids for a few lari.

Turtle Lake or the Tbilisi Sea?

Tbilisi has two lakes people swim in, at opposite ends of the city. They suit different days.

For a stroll, a coffee and a ride on an old cable car, pick Turtle Lake. For a real swim and a lazy beach afternoon, pick the Tbilisi Sea, and climb the hill above it to the giant bronze pillars of the Chronicles of Georgia while you're out there.