Union Post No. 2, 1 November 2026

Tipping in Georgia: Who, How Much, and Is It Necessary?

A restaurant at the upper funicular station in Tbilisi. Photo: Andrew Milligan sumo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Tipping was never mandatory in Georgia, but it is slowly becoming the norm in areas popular with visitors. The main rule is to check the bill first. Many restaurants in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kazbegi already include a service charge, usually 10–15%, and leaving anything extra is a pleasant gesture, not an obligation. If the bill is only in Georgian, ask your waiter if service is included. If there is no such line item, a 10% tip is customary. The service charge does not always reach the waiters, so regulars often add a few lari in cash for good service. In a café or bakery, it is sufficient to round up the total or leave 1–2 lari. If invited musicians are playing for guests at a supra, the ensemble is tipped 20–50 lari separately.

A guide’s or driver’s fee on a private tour is payment for a day’s work and does not include a tip. A driver on a group tour is usually tipped 10–20 lari. For a full day of work, a personal driver or city guide receives 20–40 lari, while a guide on a wine or hiking tour gets 30–60. On a multi-day trip, the total amount is given at the end, divided between the guide and the driver.

In family guesthouses, even in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, tips are not expected, though they are always welcome if the hosts were especially attentive. Large hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi follow international norms: 2–5 lari per bag for a porter, 5–10 lari per day for housekeeping, and 10–20 lari for a concierge for a complex request.

Bolt and Yandex Go show the price in advance, and tipping is not part of their culture; you can round up the fare or add 2–5 lari for help with luggage. With a street taxi, the price is agreed upon before the trip, and nothing extra is needed. In the Abanotubani sulfur baths, the attendant who performs the traditional kisi scrub is handed 10–20 lari per person. Tips should only be left in lari: staff have nowhere to exchange euros or dollars, and card terminals rarely have a tip line, so it is best to keep small bills on hand.

How to Transfer Money to Georgia

Following the final ban on the Zolotaya Korona system, the volume of transfers from Russia to Georgia has fallen by tens of times, but a few methods still remain. It is possible to send rubles from Raiffeisenbank or OTP Bank to a ruble-denominated account at a Georgian bank, for example TBC, where they can be exchanged for lari either at the bank’s internal rate or through online services.

Peer-to-peer transfers from Sberbank and T-Bank using private accounts in third countries are still an option, as are the Avosend, Unired, Multitransfer, Kwikpay and Teleport applications. However, any of these services can stop working for a period ranging from several hours to a week, and the exchange rate can be unfavorable. Many people find acquaintances who need rubles in Russia or lari in Georgia and exchange money with them directly. Another route is cryptocurrency: money is transferred via an exchange, most often Bybit, to an account with a licensed Georgian exchanger and received in lari on a local card or in cash.

Patriarch Baptizes 1,300 People

On October 25, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Shio III held a mass baptism in Upper Adjara. At the Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Khichauri village, some 1,300 children and adults became his godchildren. It was his first visit to mountainous Adjara since his enthronement.

In his sermon, the patriarch recalled that Georgia’s conversion to Christianity began in Adjara in the 1st century, adding that in recent decades its residents have been returning to the Orthodox faith. “If we stand firm on the foundation of our faith and our national values, God will always be with us,” he said.

The service was attended by President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Adjara’s head of government Zurab Pataradze. The Patriarchate clarified that this baptism is not related to the tradition where the patriarch baptizes the third and subsequent children of church-wedded couples; those rites are held in Tbilisi.

Stalls Removed from Marjanishvili

Tbilisi’s Municipal Inspectorate dismantled the market stalls near the Marjanishvili metro station late one night. For many years, vendors selling secondhand books, flowers, jewellery, and various trinkets had their stalls at the metro entrance, and for many city residents they were a familiar part of the neighbourhood. The Mayor’s Office reported that the area has been completely put in order.

According to the city authorities, the vendors failed to comply with the law despite repeated warnings. Officials stated that illegal street trading and unauthorised structures disfigure the city’s appearance, obstruct the passage of pedestrians, and create unsanitary conditions. The Inspectorate promised that no case of illegal street trading or seizure of public space would be left without a response.

The overnight dismantling of the stalls caused discontent among the vendors. Some of them told journalists that selling their goods near the metro had been their only source of income.

New substance warning issued in Batumi

Narcologist Zurab Sikharulidze has reported five cases of overdose in Batumi over the past week, coinciding with the emergence of a new substance in the city. This substance is a pink powder being passed off as methadone, a medication used for substitution therapy. While the powder’s composition remains unknown, the doctor speculates it may contain dangerous synthetic opioids, as available data suggests its effects are extremely potent.

Dr. Sikharulidze urges people to refrain from using unknown substances. In the event of overdose symptoms, he advises calling 112 immediately and, if possible, administering naloxone, a medication used as first aid for opioid poisoning. The state’s drug policy, he stated, must be one that protects human lives in practice and not just on paper.