I’ve driven in a lot of countries. Renting a car and driving around a foreign country is one of my favorite things to do while traveling. But nothing quite prepared me for driving in the country of Georgia.
While technically in Europe, it feels a lot more like Asia when you’re on the road. Georgian driving is intense. You can’t take your eyes off the road for even one second. There are obstacles everywhere. It was tiring but an awesome way to explore the country.
In this post I’ll explain everything you need to know before you rent a vehicle and attempt driving in the country of Georgia.
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Renting a Vehicle in Georgia
Most of the big rental companies operate out of Tbilisi airport, so if you want a name brand you can go with them. You can search for a rental car with rentalcars.com using the search bar below.
But there are also a lot of local rental companies that offer far better rates that the big international companies. On top of that, the local companies have more options for 4×4 vehicles that can go off road with. You really want to consider paying extra for a 4×4 for your road trip around Georgia. More on that later.
I went with a local company, Royal Car Rent. They have an office downtown but they had a guy meet me at the airport with the Mitsubishi Pajero 4×4 I had reserved for 13 days.
He basically just parked the car in the airport parking lot and gave me the keys. No license check or anything. He didn’t have the credit card payment machine so he had to meet me the next morning for me to pay. The representative was available whenever I needed by text, which was nice. Very different from renting with Avis!
Returning the vehicle was even easier. I asked if he could meet me at my hotel in Tbilisi instead of the airport and he was there waiting for me. Overall, the car rental experience was much more personal than anything I have experienced in the past. I assume the other local companies will operate in a similar fashion but I can’t vouch for any of them.
Another thing you want to strongly consider when driving around Georgia is having a good travel insurance plan. We use World Nomads when we travel to Georgia. World Nomads provides coverage to travelers in over 100 countries. You can find a great policy on World Nomads by using the link below.
Rules of the Road
In general, the rules of the road are the same as any western country. You drive on the right and pass on the left. Road signs are in Georgian and English so you can understand them (though I found it funny that a stop sign is only in English). There’s nothing special about driving in the country of Georgia when it comes to road rules. Now seeing if anyone follows the rules is a whole other story…
Speed limit signs are often not encountered. The general rule is 60 kmh unless there is a sign saying higher. But I found that the speed limit is basically just as fast as the road can be safely driven.
You will hardly ever get over 100 kmh driving in Georgia. Going seemingly short distances takes a while. You might think Google Maps is being conservative when it says it will take you 4 hours to go 160 km, but it’s usually pretty damn accurate.
Road Conditions
The road conditions in Georgia vary greatly. There is only one motorway (what you’d consider an interstate highway if you’re American). It’s 2 lanes in each direction and runs east to west from Khashuri to Tbilisi, not even 100 miles total.
Outside of that you’re on standard 2 lane highways with varying conditions. Some are recently paved and quite nice to drive on. Others are littered with potholes and bumps. There are also a lot of speed bumps. While most are called out with warning signs some are not and are not clearly marked. You only see them at the last minute with faint white paint.
It’s also very common for the paved road to just end and a bumpy gravel road to appear. Some roads actually go back and forth like this for a while. As soon as you’re comfortable on the paved part the gravel road is back. Many roads in small towns are also gravel roads. Most of the roads that have gravel parts are accessible by standard 2WD cars, you just have to go really slow and be very careful.
Georgia also has many mountain roads that are in horrible condition and should only be driven by a 4×4. There are no specific signs that say which roads require a 4×4 but it should be pretty obvious. If there are huge rocks in the road, giant bumps, and obvious landslide damage, you shouldn’t attempt it in a 2WD.
Another key indicator is to look at the other cars that are driving on the road. If you don’t see any sedans then it’s probably a 4×4 only road. If the road only appears wide enough for one car it’s also almost certainly a 4×4 road.
Georgian Drivers
Without meaning to offend anyone from Georgia, I can say that Georgian drivers are flat out crazy. Speed limits and road signs are merely suggestions in Georgia. You will be driving up a steep hill on a mountain pass about to round a 135 degree bend and a suicidal driver will overtake you without even thinking twice about what might be on the other side of that blind corner. This will happen more than once as you drive through Georgia.
I once had to legit slam on my brakes and swerve to the right to avoid a head on collision with some lunatic passing a truck in the opposite direction. And oftentimes when you get passed the driver will come literally within 1 inch of clipping your front bumper. Before they pass you they will also make it pretty clear you are going too slow by riding your ass until they have room to pass.
Georgians are some of the nicest, most hospitable people in the world. But it’s like when they get behind the wheel everything changes. I almost had a taxi driver run me off a narrow 4×4 road in the mountains. He refused to go in reverse about 10 meters so I could pass him at the widened spot in the road, instead forcing me into a very dangerous situation as he slithered by my vehicle. I don’t know what it is about being behind the wheel for Georgians, but it was quite scary sometimes with some of the drivers.
Trucks
Central Georgia is on a highly trafficked shipping route between Turkey and Russia. The route that runs from the Turkish border to the Russian border features numerous winding mountain passes. This road is full of large trucks, many of them barely reaching 20 kmh going up a steep mountain incline.
If you’re driving to Kazbegi you will get stuck behind a row of trucks at some point. And there is not much you can do. Eventually there will be a straightaway long enough to safely pass them. Until then you’re just stuck. Even though you’ll see Georgian drivers passing these trucks on blind corners I don’t recommend you try that.
Animals on the Road
I wasn’t expecting to have to maneuver around cows on the road while driving in the country of Georgia. I thought that was really just India. But apparently I was wrong.
Herds of cattle roam freely around Georgia and these cows love to just stand in the road. This is especially problematic in the Caucasus Mountain regions. You will get blocked by cows at some point on your drive. Nudge slowly ahead and they will move on.
The other animal danger on the road is stray dogs. I was expecting this one. There are tons of stray dogs all over the country and they like to run into the roads. Always be on the lookout for dogs on the side of the road that may jump in front of the car. Unlike with the cows, the dog won’t destroy your car, but you don’t want to kill a dog. In towns and cities also lookout for stray cats.
People on the Road
You also have to be constantly aware of people walking on the road. Like literally walking in the middle of the road sometimes. Most towns don’t really have sidewalks so people walk on the road. It’s expected that you will move over to avoid hitting them. Hitting a cow is bad, but hitting a human is far worse.
There are also often times many people just loitering on the side of the road too. Many people sell things – such as fresh produce or honey – from the side of the road and some of them might actually be on the road. Another danger with this is that when people stop to buy something they might just stop in the middle of the road and you have to go around them.
Cars in Georgia
There is a wide range of vehicles on the road in Georgia. There are some fancy new cars, but by far the most common vehicle is something straight out of 1975. The majority of cars on the road would not pass inspection in the US. They are old and damaged and spitting toxic fumes. It’s actually amazing that they still work. Georgian mechanics are miracle workers.
It’s also very common to see cars without bumpers. Georgia is a poor country so I’m assuming these cars had accidents and the owners could not afford to replace the bumpers. So there is just no bumper. A few times I saw cars missing both front and back bumpers. Many other cars have dents and scratches and various other damages. On your first day driving around Georgia you’ll understand why.
You actually don’t see as many 4×4 vehicles as you’d expect with the condition of the roads. I assume this is because they are far more expensive. Seeing some of these old cars driving in the bumpy gravel roads was shocking. But I guess they get to where they’re going slowly but surely.
The other thing you will see a lot of is cars with the steering wheel on the right side. Georgia used to get a lot of old used cars from Japan but apparently they don’t anymore so in time there won’t be any right-side steering wheels. You shouldn’t have to deal with this as a tourist though. I can’t imagine any of these cars have been made into rental cars.
Driving at Night
Outside of cities I don’t recommend doing this. In summer it’s light till about 20:00-21:00 so try to be where you are going by then. It’s fine driving in the towns after dark but the various dangers I’ve mentioned in this post are even more unexpected at night.
Off-Roading
By off-roading I don’t necessarily mean just driving wherever you want. But there are many “roads” that won’t appear on Google Maps but can still be considered a 4×4 road. These are the one lane treacherous gravel and rock roads I mentioned earlier.
There are also a ton of unofficial 4×4 roads in Vashlovani National Park in the southeast corner of the country, the Georgian desert. In fact, the only way to see this amazing park is by off-roading or taking an organized tour. I highly recommend renting a 4×4 vehicle if you plan to drive around Georgia.
If you’ve never driven off road in a 4×4 before I can say that no experience is necessary, but some experience will definitely help. It was my first time ever driving on 4×4 only roads and the first time I got to a tough spot I was definitely nervous. I actually had to ask help from an off-road taxi driving monk to show me how to navigate a particularly dangerous spot in the road to the Gergeti Trinity Church.
But after driving on a few crazy roads I became more comfortable. And this was beneficial because some of the “roads” in Vashlovani were particularly terrifying. If you’re not up for a little risk then going to some of the 4×4 only spots in the country might not be for you.
Final Word on Driving in the Country of Georgia
Driving in the country of Georgia is fun but super tiring. You can’t ever take your eyes off the road. You must pay attention constantly and be on the lookout for hidden bumps, wandering cows, and reckless drivers. Should you master Georgian driving though, you will be rewarded with seeing some amazing places the country had to offer!
