The airport is served by intercity buses and trains from a station 2 km away. There are also car rental companies and local vans, called marshrutka, run along the nearby main road.
Car rental
There are several car rental stands at the airport, including multinational brands such as Avis, Enterprise and Alamo.
If you don't mind the lively and wild traffic on Georgia's roads, then travelling by car is by far the most flexible mode of transport. The lowest prices for a weekly rental start at around 250 eur.
Transport to Kutaisi
Over 26 km away, Kutaisi usually serves as the first stopover point for travelling around Georgia, at least for 1 night. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes.
Minibus
Fixed-route vans that stop wherever you ask are the cheapest mode of transport.
They don't go all the way to the terminal, but stop on the main road 50 metres away across the car park. Minibuses run irregularly, usually at least one every 20 minutes during the day (about 6am - 8pm), at night the chances of catching a van are significantly lower.
There is a charge 3 gel on exit and in cash only.
Minibuses usually only go to the main bus station about 3 km from the centre of Kutaisi, which can be reached in 1 gel by bus line 1.
Taxi / Bolt
Taxi is the most common form of transport. At any hour of the day or night there will be plenty of taxi drivers outside the terminal to chase you to their cars.
There are no taxi meters here, so it depends purely on your bargaining skills. The normal price to the centre should not exceed 35 gel.
It will be significantly cheaper to use a taxi via the Bolt app, which is popular in Georgia. Depending on the peak time of day, Bolt to the city centre costs 20 gel to 27 gel.
Bus
The regular Georgian Bus service to Kutaisi has been cancelled. There is also no Omnibus service to Kutaisi at the moment. Both companies now only run to Tbilisi or Batumi.
Kutaisi public transport buses do not go to the airport.
Search the cheapest hotels in Kutaisi
Transportation to Tbilisi
The fastest way is by buses of 2 carriers without changing directly from the terminal. The price of the connection is not inflated and therefore it is not worth travelling through the centre of Kutaisi with a transfer. There is also a train connection.
Buses
Although there are kiosks for both carriers in the arrivals hall, we definitely recommend buying tickets online. There may not be seats available on site.
The direct bus journey takes approximately 4 hours.
- Georgian Bus - booking at georgianbus.com, price 25 gel / 45 gel return
- Omnibus - booking at omnibusexpress.ge, price 25 gel (return is not discounted), specific seats on the bus can be selected
Train
About 1,800 metres from the terminal is Kopitnari station, which is referred to as "Kutaisi International Airport" on the Georgian Railways website. A free shuttle bus runs from the airport terminal to the station and vice versa.
It leaves the airport about 20 minutes before the train departs.
Trains run at a very irregular interval averaging 6-9 times a day. The trip to Tbilisi is not worth the time or cost, however the ride is mostly on modern Stadler units and allows for breathtaking views.
- Prices range from 9 gel on old slow trains to 33 gel on modern trains
- the journey takes from 3 hours on modern trains to 5.5 hours on older trains
- timetables and ticket booking (after registration) on tickets.railway.ge
Transport to Batumi
The coastal city of Batumi is also the quickest to reach by direct buses and alternatively by train.
Bus
Although there are kiosks for both carriers in the arrivals hall, we definitely recommend buying tickets online. There may not be seats available on site.
The direct bus journey takes approximately 2 hours.
- Georgian Bus - booking at georgianbus.com, price 20 gel / 36 gel return
Train
Approximately 1,800 metres from the terminal is Kopitnari station, which is referred to as "Kutaisi International Airport" on the Georgian Railways website. A free shuttle bus runs from the airport terminal to the station and vice versa.
It leaves the airport about 20 minutes before the train departs.
The trains run at a very irregular interval averaging 5-6 times a day.
- Price 31 gel
- the journey takes approximately 2 hours
- Timetables and ticket booking (after registration) on tickets.railway.ge