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Every trip we plan ends the same way. The last full day arrives, and someone asks us where they should go to buy something actually Georgian before they fly home.
Most guests have already walked past a dozen souvenir stalls by that point, all selling the same magnets and keychains. What they are really asking is where locals shop, not tourists.
This guide comes from Travel Door, a DMC in Georgia since 2017. We move guests through Tbilisi and the regions every week, so we see firsthand what people actually pack home, what gets left in a hotel drawer, and what things really cost.
What Should You Buy in Georgia?
The most authentic Georgian souvenirs are churchkhela, wine and chacha, cloisonné enamel jewelry, hand painted ceramics, and textiles like the Blue Table tablecloth. Prices are low by international standards, a bottle of decent wine runs roughly 10 to 40 GEL, and churchkhela costs 2 to 5 GEL per piece. For the best value, shop at Dezerter Bazaar or Dry Bridge Market rather than stalls near major attractions.
Quick souvenir snapshot with typical prices
| Category | Example items | Typical price (GEL) | Where to find them |
| Edible | Churchkhela, honey, spices | 2 to 10 GEL | Dezerter Bazaar |
| Drinks | Wine, chacha | 10 to 40 GEL/bottle | Wine shops, Kakheti cellars |
| Craft | Cloisonné jewelry, ceramics | 15 to 50 GEL | Leselidze Street, Fabrika |
| Textile | Blue Table, felt items | 20 to 80 GEL | Artisan shops, Sighnaghi |
| Bigger items | Carpets, antiques | Varies widely | Dry Bridge Market, dealers |
Prices shift with season and negotiation, so treat these as a starting point, not a fixed number.
Edible and Drinkable Souvenirs Worth Packing
Churchkhela
Churchkhela is a candle shaped snack made by dipping a string of walnuts repeatedly in thickened grape juice called badagi, then letting it dry. It keeps well, packs flat, and needs no refrigeration. Expect to pay roughly 2 to 5 GEL per piece. Badagi is a well known producer with several Tbilisi locations if you want consistent quality rather than whatever a street stall has that day.
Georgian Wine and Chacha
Georgia is widely considered one of the birthplaces of wine, using the qvevri method, fermenting in large clay vessels buried underground. A decent bottle from a Kakheti producer runs 10 to 40 GEL, and 8000 Vintages on Leselidze Street is a reliable city shop if you are not making it out to the wine region itself.
Chacha, a strong grape brandy, typically runs 10 to 15 GEL per litre for the homemade version sold at markets.
On the export question, here is the part most guides get wrong. Georgia places no export limit or duty on alcohol leaving the country, export and re-export are exempt from customs duties entirely. The number that actually matters is your destination country’s duty free import allowance and your airline’s checked baggage rules, which vary by country and carrier. Check those, not Georgia’s rules, before buying a case of wine.
Craft Beer, Lemonade and a Kantsi to Drink It From
Bottled Georgian beers like Kazbegi, Natakhtari and Argo travel fine and make an easy gift for someone who does not drink wine. Georgian lemonade, sold in flavors like pear, tarragon and feijoa, is another light, affordable option from any supermarket.
A kantsi, a drinking horn used in traditional toasts, is a more unusual find. It cannot be set down once filled, which is exactly the point in a Georgian supra.
Honey, Spices, Cheese and a Cookbook
Svan salt and khmeli suneli, Georgia’s signature spice blends, run 3 to 8 GEL per bag and pack light. Honey, particularly from Kakheti or the mountain regions, is another easy addition. Fresh cheese does not travel well and is best eaten here, not packed. A Georgian cookbook, sold at several Tbilisi bookshops, is a good option if you want to recreate the meals rather than just remember them.
What we tell guests: the souvenirs that survive a trip best are the dry ones, churchkhela, spices, tea and bottled drinks within your airline’s limit. Fresh cheese and anything liquid beyond what your airline allows is where people run into trouble.
Craft, Textile and Decorative Souvenirs
Cloisonné Enamel Jewelry
A distinctive Georgian craft, enamel fused onto metal in traditional patterns, typically priced from 15 to 50 GEL depending on size and detail. It reads as clearly Georgian rather than generic.
Hand Painted Ceramics and a Qvevri Replica
Tbilisi has a strong ceramics tradition. Hand painted bowls, plates and cups are widely available on Leselidze Street and at Dry Bridge Market, generally 15 to 50 GEL. A small decorative qvevri replica, some functional enough to actually hold wine, is a specific version worth looking for if you want something tied directly to the wine tradition.
The Blue Table (Lurji Supra) and Pardagi Wall Carpets
The Blue Table, a tablecloth printed or embroidered with Georgian ornament patterns, is one of the most recognisable textile souvenirs and also one of the most commonly faked.
A Pardagi is a different item entirely, a lightweight wool wall carpet woven without long pile, hung on walls or used as a room divider rather than placed on the floor. It costs more than a printed tablecloth, but it is entirely handmade.
How to tell an authentic textile from a mass produced import
Look at the stitching or weave up close, ask where it was made, and expect a higher price than the generic version at tourist stalls. A shop that cannot tell you where an item was produced is usually selling an import.
Wood Carved Crafts and a Decorative Kindjali
Georgian woodworking, including instruments like the panduri and chonguri, traces back roughly a thousand years to carving techniques used on church doors. A decorative kindjali, a traditional dagger, is a striking wall piece if you want something with more presence.
Fashion and Museum Reproductions
Samoseli Pirveli sells contemporary clothing built around Georgian motifs, including prints of old photographs, which works well as a wearable souvenir rather than a shelf item. The Georgian National Museum’s own shop sells jewelry reproductions based on archaeological pieces dating back to the 3rd century BCE, a good option if you want something with real historical grounding behind the design.
Bigger Souvenirs: Carpets and Antiques
Georgian and Kakhetian Carpets
Hand woven floor carpets and kilims, particularly from Kakheti, are a serious purchase, not an impulse buy. Prices vary widely with size, age and origin, so ask the dealer directly. Reputable dealers usually offer worldwide shipping, which solves the luggage problem entirely.
Antiques and Cultural Items
Dry Bridge Market is the main destination for antiques, Soviet era coins, cameras and memorabilia, an open air flea market running daily except state holidays. Bargaining is normal here, and you can generally secure a better price than the first number offered.
One thing almost no souvenir guide mentions: Georgia has a specific law governing the export of cultural valuables, and genuinely old or historically significant items can require a permit from the Ministry of Culture before they leave the country. This rarely affects a small souvenir, but if something looks genuinely antique rather than reproduction, ask the seller directly, and keep your receipt, since the Revenue Service of Georgia can request documentation for higher value goods at the border.
Where Locals Actually Shop in Tbilisi
- Dezerter Bazaar, the market locals use for everyday shopping, and one of the best spots for edible souvenirs at real prices rather than tourist markup.
- Leselidze (Kote Abkhazi) Street, where several of the shops named above, wine, ceramics, jewelry, sit within a short walk of each other.
- Fabrika, a converted industrial space hosting small Georgian design brands and ceramics under one roof.
- Dry Bridge Market, for antiques, and worth visiting even if you are not buying.
What we tell guests: the closer a shop sits to a major landmark, the more likely its stock is generic and its prices inflated. The best finds are usually a street or two back, or at a market rather than a shopfront built for foot traffic.
Regional Souvenirs Beyond Tbilisi
Shopping does not stop in the capital, and several regions we regularly take guests through have their own specific items worth watching for.
Kakheti and Sighnaghi. Wine bought straight from a family cellar, often at a third of city prices, is a different experience from a bottle picked up in a shop. Sighnaghi is also known for handmade felt crafts. Our Sighnaghi and Kakheti tour usually builds in time for both.
Telavi. As the heart of Kakheti’s wine country, Telavi has cellars that sell direct. Our Telavi tour includes stops where this is possible.
Mtskheta. Near Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, small stalls sell silver crosses, icons and candles, tied closely to the site’s religious significance. This comes up naturally on our Mtskheta tour.
Svaneti. The wool Svan hat is one of the most distinctive regional items in the country, along with Svan salt, a herb infused spice specific to the region.
Kutaisi. Imereti’s walnut based sauces and pastes are a good, packable food souvenir. Our Kutaisi tour usually passes a local market where these are sold.
Batumi. Adjara has its own small tea growing history, and dried Adjarian tea makes a lighter, less common souvenir than the usual wine bottle. Our Batumi tour can work in a stop for this on request.
Gudauri and Kazbegi. Mountain regions mean wool. Hand knitted socks and felt slippers from Khevi are practical and genuinely local. Both our Gudauri tour and Kazbegi tour pass villages where these are sold directly.
Borjomi and Bakuriani. Borjomi mineral water is, in a sense, the region’s own souvenir already, bottled and recognisable well beyond Georgia. Our Borjomi and Bakuriani tour often ends with guests picking up bottles and local honey.
Gori. The Kartli region is known for good honey and preserved fruit, quieter finds than Tbilisi’s busier shopping streets. Our Gori tour can include a stop at a small local producer on request.
Dashbashi Canyon. This newer route passes rural villages where roadside stalls sell homemade preserves and honey, a genuinely local find. It fits naturally into our Dashbashi Canyon tour.
How to Spot an Authentic Georgian Souvenir
- Handmade over mass produced. Ask directly if you are unsure, most honest sellers will tell you.
- Local production over imported. A genuinely Georgian item usually has a story, a family workshop, a named maker, a specific village.
- Original design over identical shop stock. If the same item sits in five different stalls, it is not handmade.
What to Avoid Buying (or Buy Carefully)
- Mass produced Blue Table tablecloths sold as handmade. The pattern is often printed rather than woven or embroidered, and the price should reflect that.
- Assuming Georgia limits how much wine you can take out. It does not. The real limit comes from your destination country’s duty free allowance and your airline’s baggage rules, so check those instead.
- Overpriced tourist shop versions of market staples. Churchkhela, honey and spices are often marked up well above Dezerter Bazaar prices near major attractions.
A Note from Our Team: What Guests Wish They Had Bought
“The regret we hear most often is not about what someone bought, it is about not buying more churchkhela, or skipping a proper wine cellar because the schedule felt tight. Our advice is the same every time. Build fifteen minutes into the day for this, even on a packed itinerary. It rarely disrupts anything, and it is usually what people remember fondly once they are home. For guests visiting from the Gulf who do not drink, we point them toward churchkhela, honey, ceramics and jewelry first, since those work as gifts regardless of dietary preference.”
Travel Door Operations Team, Tbilisi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Georgia famous for that I should buy?
Georgia is best known for its wine, made using the ancient qvevri method, along with churchkhela, cloisonné enamel jewelry, hand painted ceramics and traditional textiles like the Blue Table tablecloth.
Where can I buy souvenirs in Tbilisi?
Dezerter Bazaar is best for edible souvenirs, Dry Bridge Market for antiques, Leselidze Street for wine, ceramics and jewelry, and Fabrika for design and craft items in one place.
Can you bring Georgian wine home on a flight?
Georgia itself places no export limit on wine leaving the country. What actually limits you is your destination country’s duty free alcohol allowance and your airline’s checked baggage rules, both of which vary, so check those before buying several bottles.
What is churchkhela and where can I buy it?
Churchkhela is a traditional snack made from walnuts dipped repeatedly in thickened grape juice. It costs roughly 2 to 5 GEL per piece. Badagi is a well known producer with several Tbilisi locations.
Is Dry Bridge Market worth visiting?
Yes, even if you are not buying. It is an open air flea market for antiques, Soviet era items and collectibles, running daily except state holidays, and bargaining is normal.
What are good edible souvenirs from Georgia?
Churchkhela, wine, honey, Svan salt and khmeli suneli spice blends, and dried tea travel well and do not need refrigeration.
Are Georgian carpets expensive?
Prices vary widely with size, age and origin. A Pardagi wall carpet costs less than a full floor kilim. Reputable dealers typically offer shipping, often more practical than carrying one home yourself.
What should I avoid buying as a souvenir in Georgia?
Watch for mass produced textiles sold as handmade, and check whether a genuinely antique item requires an export permit under Georgian cultural heritage law before assuming you can carry it out freely.
Plan Your Georgia Trip with Time to Shop Like a Local
Good souvenir shopping rarely happens by accident. It works best when it is built into the itinerary, not squeezed in on the way to the airport.
If you are planning a trip, our team can build shopping stops into your route, whether that means a Kakheti wine cellar, a Tbilisi market morning, or a quiet stop in a mountain village. Pair this guide with our Georgian Food Guide for what to eat while you shop, and browse our Tbilisi tour or Kakheti wine region tour for a starting point.
Send us your travel dates and we will help you plan the rest.
