Dry Bridge Market Tbilisi: Flea Market and Opening Hours

There's a place in Tbilisi that's always crowded. It's home to locals, visitors from other parts of Georgia, and many tourists. What kind of place is this?

The Dry Bridge was built in the mid-19th century, between 1849 and 1851. Over the course of its history, it has had several names: initially, it was called the Small Mikhailovsky Bridge, the Madatovsky Bridge, the Nikolaevsky Bridge, and the Small K. Marx Bridge. It connected an island between the main channel of the Kura River and a tributary. Gradually, this part of the river became shallow, was drained, and the island became a bank. But the bridge remained, and people began calling it the Dry Bridge. Today, this spot is part of the bridge structure across the Kura River.

The flea market of the same name is located here. The first traders appeared here in the difficult early 1990s. Initially, people sold a few things to earn money and survive. When the hardest times passed, some of the traders left the market. Those who enjoyed trading remained, and then others joined them. Now the selection of goods is quite wide. Some of them are mementos of bygone times. You can find badges with Soviet symbols, vinyl records, books, carpets, and more. Genuine antiques are also found. Local artisans sell their products, and artists exhibit their paintings.

The Dry Bridge is a unique landmark of Tbilisi. To understand the country and the city, you need to visit the flea market and interact with the vendors and other buyers. You might even find a truly interesting souvenir as a reminder of Georgia and Tbilisi.

The Dry Bridge is located near Rustaveli Avenue and Freedom Square. Open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It's said to be best to arrive around 11:00 AM on weekends. There are more vendors then, meaning there's a wider selection.

There's a bus stop nearby, served by buses 20, 23, and 95. It's a 10-minute walk from the Ploshchad Svobody metro station.