Abanotubani — literally "bathhouse district" — is the historic quarter at the southern edge of the old town where the natural sulphur springs that gave Tbilisi its name still bubble up. The area is defined by its extraordinary roofscape: the domed brick caps of the underground bathhouses rise from the ground like giant beehives, the steam sometimes visible in cooler weather.
The district clusters around a small square at the foot of the Narikala ridge. Apart from the bathhouses themselves, there are several good restaurants and wine bars in the area, a couple of small hotels, and the Orbeliani Baths with their famous blue-tiled Persian-style facade. The narrow lanes of Abanotubani connect the bath district to the botanical garden ravine — a good walking route that takes you from steaming springs to cool greenery in about twenty minutes.