About Kutaisi Intl. Airport
Kutaisi International Airport provides air transportation to Kutaisi which is one of the metropolitan cities of Georgia. In 2011 the airport was closed for renovation and completely renewed. The Airport adds privilege to the city and with only a single terminal building, it is used by almost 300 thousand passengers every year. Thanks to Kutaisi International Airport which re-opened its doors again in 2012, there are opportunities to fly to many European countries and especially the major cities in Ukraine and Russia.
Getting to the City Center from Kutaisi Intl. Airport
There is the Rioni river at the entrance of Kutaisi, which is the second largest and most developed city of Georgia, and this river literally divides the city into two. Kutaisi is located in the Imerati Region in the western part of Georgia and its distance to the country’s capital, Tbilisi, is approximately 221 kilometers. The city’s population is around 201.000. Kutaisi’s urban transportation is mostly composed of buses, trolleys, taxis and mini-buses called marshrutka. There is also a big train station in the city. But from this train station, daily express trains from Kutaisi to Georgia’s other major cities depart. As the area of the city is small, majority of the visitors walk or use taxis for transportation. Kutaisi railway terminal is directly connected to Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi. All of the trains leaving from this terminal are operated by Georgian Railways. You can travel to Tbilisi from Kutaisi in around 5.5 hours by taking the train #18, which departs from Kutaisi I station. There are also daily express trains. The train starts its trip at 08.50 every morning and arrives at Tbilisi in 6 hours. This train also stops in Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia. There are also regular bus trips from Didube bus station in Didube, where the metro station in Tbilisi is located at, to Kutaisi. Price for this bus trip is only 10 Lari. In addition to the marshrutkas and buses, you may also consider using car rental services or taxis for transportation to city centre from the Kutaisi Airport. After arriving at the Kutaisi Airport, take the exit from the arrival terminal and proceed to the bus stops. As well as the buses, marshrutkas also depart to Kutiasi city centre or suburbans from the bus stops at the area in front of the terminal building. Marshrutka drivers may not accept paying with dollar or euro, so do not forget to stop by the exchange office in the airport just in case. Marshrutkas leaving from Kutaisi Airport go directly to the Kutaisi bus station just behind McDonalds. Marshrutkas, which run in every 20 minutes, provide transportation services to the town of Samtredia from Kutaisi Airport for a fee of 2 Lari. There are also vehicles named ‘direct marshrutkas’, which have a fare of 5 Lari. These direct marshrutkas will take you to your destination as well. There are direct marshrutkas running between Kutaisi Airport and Tbilisi, and fare is currently 20 Lari. Likewise, there are also marshrutkas going directly to Batumi, another major city of Georgia, for a fare of 18 Lari. Bus service timetable are usually updated according to the flights' arrival times. You don’t need to worry if you forget to get Georgian currency, as it is possible to buy bus tickets with euro or dollar as well. Taxi is the most economical vehicle you can use for traveling to the city centre from Kutaisi Airport. Traveling to the city centre from the airport by taxi costs around 25 Lari, but you can drop the price to 20 Lari by bargaining with the taxi driver. The only thing that you need to do to go city centre from Kutaisi Airport by your rented car is to take the highway, which passes right by the airport, and follow the direction signs to the city. You can reach the city centre in around 20 minutes by your vehicle. As well as you can find several rent a car services at the exit of Kutaisi Airport terminal, you can also make benefit of discounts by making an online reservation. People visiting Kutaisi often prefer renting a car as they usually include visiting other Georgian cities such as Tbilisi and Batumi in their travel plans.Marshrutka
Bus
Taxi
Rent a Car
Getting to Kutaisi Intl. Airport from the City Center
Urban transportation in Kutaisi is usually provided by large buses with 50-60 passenger capacity and marshrutkas which have more number of routes than the other public transports.
Marshrutka
Currently, the price of a one person ticket for Kutaisi minibuses, whose other name is marshrutka, is 0.20 Lari. It is quite easy to get to Kutaisi Airport from any location in Kutaisi by marshrutka. Kutaisi minibuses provide the most comfortable, cheapest and most convenient way for urban transportation in Kutaisi.
As they are not connected with any business, ticket fares vary according to their line number. But this has an advantage, as the number of routes and lines is increasing day by day in the city centre.
Bus
In Kutaisi, buses are the most popular means of transport. If you don't have any cash on you, you can buy bus tickets with your credit card. You can also buy your ticket in advance by making an online reservation at www.georgianbus.com.
Currently in 2015, bus fares in Kutaisi are 0.10 Lari in average. City bus I, a private bus line, provides transportation service between Kutaisi I and II railway stations and the city centre.
Taxi
It is quite possible that you will see taxis very often in Kutaisi. Because taxis form a major part of urban transportation. The reason for this is that the taxi fares are reasonable and transportation by taxi is very convenient due to the small size of the city. You can travel to the Kutaisi airport in a short time from any location in the city at a price of 20-30 Lari.
Rent a Car
There are more rent a car companies in the city centre than in Kutaisi Airport. If you are considering making daily trips to the other major cities of Georgia such as Tbilisi or Batumi by your own vehicle, you can rent a car from the city centre and then deliver it to Kutaisi Airport on the day of your return.
Airport Information
Kutaisi Airport, whose other name is David the Builder Airport, is located 31 kilometers west of Kutaisi city centre. There are direct flights to Kutaisi Airport, which served 183.000 passengers in total in 2015, from many cities and countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Minsk, Belarus, Tbilisi.
Airport is located approximately 230 kilometers away from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Kutaisi Airport is one of the major international airports that are in active service in Georgia.
There is an information center at the exit of the airport arrival terminal. You can discover the Georgian cuisine at Mimino Cafe, which is located right next to the information office in the terminal building. There is also Georgian Bus transfer point, where buses to Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi depart from. You can get the updated information about the bus tickets from the information office in the terminal building.
Additionally, there are services in the airport building such as free internet access, smoking area, exchange office, souvenir shops, ATM and so on.
