Akhalkalaki

Akhalkalaki (Georgian: ახალქალაქი, Armenian: Ախալքալաք) is a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia.

Understand

The transit city is located about 30 km from the Armenian border and 90 % of its 7500 people (2024) are ethnic Armenians.

Get in

By bus

• 1 Akhalkalaki bus station (on the northern outskirts of the city near the castle ruins). Buses arrive here from other towns and cities in the region, from Tbilisi (Didube), Armenia (Gyumri and Yerevan) and Russia (Vladikavkaz, Armavir, Rostov-on-Don, even Moscow). 

By marshrutka

• From Tbilisi (Didube station) via Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe – 09~10:00, 12:00, (15:00), and 18:00.
• From Tbilisi (Samgori station) via Tsalka – 08:00, and 17:30.
• From Akhaltsikhe – 09:30, 11:00, 13:30, and 16:30. 1¼ hr. 6 lari. Also to Ninotsminda and thus by Akhalkalaki at 08:15, and 15:00.

The return journeys should be equally frequent.

• From Gyumri, Armenia – There marshrutkas that leave to Akhaltsikhe (4,000 dram) in the morning at 10:00 (going by Akhalkalaki), and to Akhalkalaki (2,000 dram) directly at 14:30. If you arrive at the Gyumri bus station after the morning marshrutkas leave but before 14:30 (for example, if you are coming from Dilijan), do not believe the taxi drivers that try to tell you that there will be no more marshrutkas to Akhalkalaki (in order to get you to ride with them for a high price). Many taxi drivers collude with the marshrutka drivers not to divulge the schedule to tourists to funnel them into high priced taxis. Your best strategy is to ask about the schedule in a store or restaurant nearby, from your hotel/guesthouse, or from other passengers.

By train

Akhalkalaki lies close to the Kars-Tbilisi route, with just one train per week at the beginning of this connection.

See

• 1 Akhalkalaki Castle. Ruins of a 9th- to 10th-century castle.  
• 2 Achalkalaki-Kuulgumo pedestrian bridge. Across the deep gorge of the Paravani River. 

Buy

• 1 Market. The market is north of the city center along Nalbandiani Street. In addition to Georgian lari, Russian rubles and Armenian dram are sometimes accepted there, even though in Georgia, payment in foreign currencies is prohibited. 

Go next

• Vardzia
• Akhaltsikhe

... or try straight to Bakuriani.

• Gyumri, Armenia
• Kars, Turkey

Routes through Akhalkalaki

Vale/Türkgözü ← Akhaltsikhe ←

W  E

→ Ninotsminda/Bavra → Gyumri