Tbilisi in 3 days: the Old Town, Rustaveli and Mtskheta

On the left bank, Rike Park is modern Tbilisi's face directly opposite the Old Town. Wandering among a giant piano, a chessboard with metre-tall pieces and a ten-metre metal oak tree with 25 doors, you look across at the old houses, domes and the fortress on the hill. The cable car up to Narikala leaves from here, making it a natural starting point.

Location: 41.69807, 44.80564

The short cable-car ride gives a bird's-eye view of the river, the Old Town and the bath domes. Looking over the city from the Sololaki ridge, Narikala is first mentioned in Tbilisi's records at the end of the 4th century; with its walls and towers it is now one of the city's symbols. A short walk from the fortress brings you to Kartlis Deda, holding a bowl of wine for hospitality in one hand and a sword for defence in the other, the quickest way to understand Georgian hospitality. On a clear day the view reaches the Caucasus.

Walking down from the fortress you reach Abanotubani and its domes rising from the ground: "abano" means bath and "ubani" district. According to the legend told by the city, Tbilisi's name comes from "tbili", meaning warm, and the story is set right in this bath district. The baths are fed by naturally hot sulphur water; there were more than 60 of them in the Middle Ages, and fewer than a dozen work today. Chreli Abano, with its blue mosaic façade, is the best known. After lunch, an hour in a private room can be the perfect break on a walking day.

Old Tbilisi's street names still carry the crafts once practised there: Silver Street, Iron Row, Bread Square, Wine Rise. In the Kala district Georgian and Armenian churches, mosques and a Catholic church stand side by side, the clearest sign of a city that has held many faiths for centuries. Shardeni Street, known for its bars and restaurants, is named after Jean Chardin, the French traveller who introduced Tbilisi to Europe. The crooked Gabriadze clock tower on Shavteli Street, next to its puppet theatre, is one of the Old Town's best-loved corners.

End the day at the point that best shows the contrast between old and new Tbilisi. The glass-and-steel footbridge linking Erekle II Street with Rike Park lights up at night with thousands of lamps; standing over the river you see domes and the fortress on one side and modern buildings on the other. Afterwards walk back into the Old Town for dinner.

Rising on the Avlabari hill, Sameba is one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world. Begun in the mid-1990s and completed in the early 2000s, it is a modern national symbol of independent Georgia. Its courtyard and steps offer a wide view of the city; early morning, amid the sound of services, is the right time for a quiet visit.

Location: 41.69755, 44.81652

The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia on Rustaveli Avenue tells the country's archaeology and cultural history under one roof; the national tourism administration strongly recommends it to anyone interested in Georgian culture. Allow two hours: millennia of finds bring together the long story behind the churches, fortresses and crafts you see around the city.

Location: 41.69604, 44.80022

From the museum, walk along the city's main avenue. The Parliament, the Opera, the National Gallery, the Rustaveli Theatre and Kashveti Church line the same axis, and the tree-lined squares, cafés and shops between them show 19th- and 20th-century Tbilisi in a single walk. Have lunch around the avenue.

Set up on and around the bridge between Saarbrücken Square and 9 April Garden, this open-air market is a window into the city's memory. Antiques, Soviet-era objects, medals, old books and records sit alongside crafts, ceramics and felt work, and the painters' section shows local artists. Bargain, but take your time: browsing the stalls is as much fun as buying.

Cross the Galaktioni Bridge to the other bank and Tbilisi's young, creative side. Fabrika, a former Soviet sewing factory, comes alive in the late afternoon with its cafés and bars, artists' studios, shops and big open courtyard. Then stroll along nearby Aghmashenebeli Avenue and its restored façades and pick a place for dinner.

On a rocky hill east of Mtskheta, Jvari is a cross-domed church that became a model for Georgian church architecture. Tradition says Saint Nino raised her wooden cross here; the present monastery was built at the turn of the 7th century. The view from the hilltop over the meeting of two rivers and the old capital below explains why Mtskheta is seen as Georgia's heart.

Known as a "city-museum" and "Little Jerusalem", Mtskheta was the capital of an ancient kingdom and the place where Christianity became the state religion. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the centre of town was built in the early 11th century; the relic of Christ's robe believed to be kept here makes it one of the Orthodox world's important centres. Stalls of craftspeople and wine sellers line the road up to the cathedral; have lunch in town.

Back in Tbilisi, the last stop is the city's highest point. The funicular takes you on a short ride up to forest-ringed Mtatsminda Park, whose view the national tourism administration counts among the city's most striking. At sunset everything you have explored over three days appears together below: the fortress, the bath domes, the river, Sameba and the lights of Rustaveli. The park has restaurants and cafés, so you can have the trip's last dinner looking out over the city.