Security, transport and etiquette in Georgia - how much to tip and how to behave in the country - tourist guide to Georgia.
Going to an unfamiliar country for the first time, you need to roughly imagine the rules of the society you will get into. We have prepared a small tourist guide to Georgia from which you can find out how much to tip, how to order a taxi in Georgia and etiquette
A useful guide for tourists in Georgia⬇️
Georgia is famous for the purest mountain air, unique coniferous forests, beautiful meadows, lakes and healing mineral springs, as well as shrines and monuments of early Christian culture.
Local resorts are known all over the world: Borjomi, Sukhumi, Gagra, Batumi and others.
In total, several hundred tourist locations of various types are located on the Black Sea coast of Georgia.
It is worth admitting that it is impossible to visit all of them in one tour visit.
But you will definitely want to return to Georgia again!
Language
Georgian is the only official language on the territory of Georgia. English is used to communicate with foreigners, but do not expect to meet English-speaking people somewhere in the outback. In the central part of the country, the older generation mostly understands Russian well.
The Georgian language belongs to a separate Kartvelian group. It is based on the written language based on the ancient Eastern Aramaic type of writing. Given the abundance of local dialects, even a superficial knowledge of Georgian language tourists usually do not help.
In Abkhazia, residents speak their native language, which is not even remotely similar to Georgian - it belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of languages of the North Caucasian family. But almost everyone understands Russian, and those who serve the tourism sector speak English fluently.
Etiquette
Everyone has long known how hospitable Georgians are towards their guests. Often, assistance is provided here absolutely free of charge, and in addition to what they asked for. Unfortunately, in the field of tourism, you can still encounter an undisguised consumer attitude, but in everyday life, any Georgian considers it an honor to take a guest to a place of interest or give some advice.
Do not be surprised if you ask for directions somewhere in the village, and you will immediately be invited to georgian feast. In this case, it is impolite to refuse, because people do it absolutely sincerely, and the centuries-old traditions of hospitality are one of the main features of the Georgian people.
- Inviting you to their table, no one expects any response from your side, except for sincere communication and the exchange of compliments expressed in the form of toasts. Guests of the Georgian feast should adhere to a simple etiquette:
- In no case should they pour out the wine - this is considered a sign of disrespect.
- Do not interrupt the person making a toast or toastmaster.
- Respectfully treat the hosts and other guests, especially older people (the first toast is traditionally dedicated to them).
- Do not drain your glass if you do not want the host to fill it again (an empty glass from a guest is an unacceptable phenomenon).
- Avoid harsh judgments or jokes on the national theme about both Georgians and other peoples.
- Do not be afraid of increased attention to your person, just show reciprocal signs of attention.
If we talk about the rules of behavior at the table, then in this regard they are quite democratic. You can eat as you like, for example, take meat or poultry with your hands, or use cutlery. Bread is taken only by hand and used as a spoon for scooping sauces and gravies.
Greens, which are an addition to absolutely all dishes, are taken by hand. If you smoke, then finding a suitable place for this will not be a problem, since smoking is allowed almost everywhere in Georgia. But in another case, if, for example, you ask the person next to you not to smoke in front of you, he will certainly treat your request with understanding.
Safety
Basically, the security measures are the same as when visiting any other European country. However, there are some points that are worth paying attention to:
- Not all georgian hotels equipped with safes in the rooms or luggage storage at the reception. This question is best clarified when booking a room, and in the absence of a safe, think about how to keep all valuables with you.
- Georgian drivers are distinguished, to put it mildly, by an expressive and peculiar driving style - keep this in mind if you are going to travel around Georgia by yourself behind the wheel of a car. Be especially careful on the roads in large cities.
- Unfortunately, in Georgia it is not customary to let pedestrians pass on a zebra - remember this when you cross the road. And when you drive, keep in mind that people can cross the road anywhere they want.
- Don't drink tap water-but you weren't going to, were you?
- Do not overdo it with local wine and other types of alcohol - this will help you avoid unpleasant situations. It's a sin not to try the products of local winemaking here, but keep in mind that for Georgians it's not enough, about 5 liters.
- It is better for representatives of sexual minorities to openly demonstrate their affiliation - despite the general tolerance, Georgians are extremely conservative on this issue.
- Special vaccinations are not required to visit Georgia.
- There are no particularly dangerous moments for tourists in Georgia. On the contrary, every resident tries to help a foreign guest and surround him with attention.
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Transport
Formovement on the territory of Georgia planes, trains, buses, minibuses are available. The parking lots of the latter two are usually located near markets or at city stations. There are metro, buses and minibuses in Tbilisi, as well as many taxis - both official and private. It is recommended to agree on the price of the trip in advance: counters in cars are rare.
Currency
The national currency "lari" (GEL) was put into circulation in 1995. 1 lari = 100 tetri. Tourists coming with any foreign currency can easily make an exchange at specialized points and banks. Exchange rate as of July 2020:
- 1 USD = 3.07 GEL
- 1 EUR = 3.45 GEL
- 100 RUB = 4.3 GEL
Credit cards, traveler's checks
In Tbilisi, you can use VISA, Eurocard / Mastercard and Cirrus /Maestro credit cards in major hotels and supermarkets. Large banks also accept checks. Do not count on the fact that you will be able to use an ATM in the province or exchange checks there.
Tips
In restaurant invoice you can see the "Service Tax" section. However, the state duty will be indicated there, and the waiter, as one might think, will not receive this money.
This means that the service staff will probably expect a tip from you, but as a token of gratitude, you can leave about 10% of the total bill - of course, if you liked the service.
What to bring
Among the most popular Georgian souvenirs are homespun carpets, jewelry with precious stones, national daggers, clay, glass and horn vessels for wine, ceramics, enamel, shawls and shoes, as well as traditional dolls. Cheeses, herbs and spices, wines and cognacs, as well as grape vodka Chacha are considered national delicacies.
You can also buy reproductions of famous paintings: art works "a la Pirosmani" and other interesting canvases are presented in the galleries of Tbilisi.
Kitchen
Georgian cuisine it begins, as you know, not with dishes, but with wine and toast. And the main ingredient of the dishes is, perhaps, the friendly and hospitable atmosphere of the hosts who arranged the holiday. Fresh food and large portions complete the picture. Both khinkali and shish kebab in Georgia are eaten with their hands.
The national cuisine consists of various types of meat and poultry, cheeses and dairy products, vegetables, herbs and herbs, as well as sauces. A mandatory attribute of each meal is a bottle of wine.
The most popular traditional dishes are khinkali, khachapuri, kharcho soup, suluguni, satsivi, mivadi kebabs, ajabsandali vegetable stew, smoked sausages, dolma, chakhokhbili, lobio, kutabs. Instead of bread, they like to serve mchadi corn tortillas or thick Gomi corn porridge.
Summarizing all of the above, a vacation in Georgia is quite safe for tourists. You can go outside after dark, observing, of course, the basic precautions - do not take a lot of money with you, wear provocative jewelry for a walk and leave things unattended.
It is recommended to drink bottled or boiled water. Of course, you should definitely try the world-famous Borjomi mineral water, as well as Nabeglavi and many other brands.
In conversations, it is better not to touch on the topic of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and the events of 2008 in South Ossetia.
Therefore, for those who want to try at least a dozen varieties of excellent homemade wine, taste delicious barbecue in old Tbilisi and bring a picture a la Pirosmani as a souvenir, welcome to Georgia!
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P.S. а статья очень полезная и познавательная)