Mtatsminda Park

Soviet-era amusement park on the hilltop above the city with panoramic views

Mtatsminda — "Holy Mountain" — rises above the city's western edge and is reached by a funicular from the foot of the hill near Rustaveli Avenue. At the top, a Soviet-era amusement park with a Ferris wheel and other rides sits beside a television tower. The views from the summit over the whole city are the main draw: on a clear day you can see the Greater Caucasus mountains to the north.

The funicular station is on Chonkadze Street, a short walk from Freedom Square. Rides run regularly throughout the day and into the evening. The park at the top is a little run-down but charming in a retro way; families come up in the evening and the Ferris wheel provides good aerial photographs of the city. The Panteon cemetery on the hillside, with its mix of Georgian literary and political figures, is worth a stop on the way down.

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The funicular that climbs Mtatsminda was first built in 1905, making it one of the oldest funicular railways in the former Soviet Union. It was rebuilt and extended several times; the current cars date from 2012. The Pantheon of Georgian Writers on the mountain slope — where famous Georgians including the poet Akaki Tsereteli are buried — has been a place of national pilgrimage since the 19th century.