Currency: the Georgian Lari (GEL)
Best for understanding what you'll actually be paying with
Georgia's currency is the Lari, written ₾ and abbreviated GEL, split into 100 tetri. It's a fully convertible, floating currency, so there's no black-market exchange rate to chase and no benefit to bringing foreign cash beyond what you'll change on arrival. Euros and US dollars are the easiest currencies to exchange; British pounds are accepted at fewer bureaus outside Tbilisi. Prices in cities are almost always quoted and settled in Lari — a shop or restaurant quoting in dollars is rare and worth double-checking before you pay. In wine regions like Kakheti and mountain towns like Mestia or Kazbegi, small guesthouses and family-run wineries may not display prices at all until you ask, and settling in Lari is the norm and the polite default. Carrying a mix of small and large notes helps: rural shops and older taxi drivers often can't break a 100 GEL note for a small purchase.
SIM cards and mobile data
Best for staying connected from the airport onward
Georgia has three main mobile operators — Geocell, Magticom and Beeline — all offering inexpensive prepaid tourist SIMs with generous data allowances, sold openly at kiosks inside Tbilisi International, Kutaisi International and Batumi International airports with your passport as the only requirement. Activation is quick and staff at the airport kiosks are used to tourists, so this is the easiest practicality to solve the moment you land. Coverage is strong across Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and the main highways, including the Georgian Military Road up to Kazbegi. It thins out in the high Caucasus: expect patchy or no signal on the higher stretches of the Mestia–Ushguli road, in much of Tusheti beyond Omalo, and in remote pockets of Racha and Svaneti's side valleys — plan accordingly if you're relying on GPS or need to reach a guesthouse host. An eSIM booked in advance is a reasonable alternative for travellers who want data working the second they land, though physical SIMs remain the cheaper option for a longer stay.
ATMs and card payments
Best for cities, towns and anywhere with a bank branch
ATMs from TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia and Liberty Bank are common throughout Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Telavi and Sighnaghi, and reliably dispense Lari with reasonable fees for foreign cards — look for the bank's own machines rather than standalone currency-exchange ATMs, which tend to charge worse rates. Card payments, including contactless, are widely accepted in city restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and fuel stations. The picture changes fast once you leave the main towns: family guesthouses in Svaneti, Tusheti and Racha, most rural wineries in Kakheti, and roadside grocery shops nationwide are cash-only, and the nearest working ATM to a village like Ushguli or Omalo can be a genuine drive away. The safe habit is to withdraw enough cash in Mestia, Telavi or Kazbegi before heading into the surrounding villages, rather than assuming a card will get you through the day.
Currency exchange bureaus
Best for getting a fair rate without the airport markup
Licensed currency-exchange booths (marked 'Currency Exchange' or Exéange) are everywhere in central Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, and rates between competing booths on the same street can vary enough to be worth a quick comparison — there's no need to settle for the first one. Bank branches also exchange cash at posted rates with no surprises. Airport exchange counters are convenient for a small amount to cover a taxi and your first meal, but rates there are consistently the weakest in the country, so changing more than that at the airport isn't necessary. Avoid anyone offering to change money informally on the street; it isn't a common scam in Georgia the way it is in some countries, but licensed bureaus with visible rate boards are simply the safer and equally convenient choice everywhere from Rustaveli Avenue to Batumi's seafront.
Tipping and everyday etiquette
Best for not over- or under-tipping
Tipping in Georgia is appreciated but not obligatory the way it is in some countries. In Tbilisi and Batumi restaurants, 10% is the norm for good service, and some city restaurants now add a service charge automatically — check the bill before adding more. In smaller taverns and family-run guesthouses, rounding up the bill is common and welcome rather than expected. If you're hosted for a supra (the traditional Georgian feast) in a private home or a rural guesthouse in Kakheti or Racha, a tip isn't the custom at all; a small gift, genuine thanks, or buying a bottle of the host's own wine matters more. Taxi drivers generally don't expect a tip beyond rounding the fare up to a convenient number. As a general courtesy, greeting older Georgians and toastmasters with respect at the table goes further than any amount of cash — hospitality here is a point of pride, not a transaction.
Paying for transport: marshrutkas, taxis and trains
Best for budgeting the actual cost of getting around
Marshrutka minibuses, the backbone of intercity travel, are cash-only — pay the driver directly in Lari as you board or when you disembark, in small notes since drivers rarely carry much change. Georgian Railway's intercity trains, including the Tbilisi–Batumi and Tbilisi–Kutaisi lines, can be booked and paid by card online in advance, which is worth doing in high season. In cities, ride-hailing apps such as Bolt and Yandex Go are the safer and cheaper way to get a taxi than hailing on the street, and both accept card payment inside the app, removing any haggling over fare. Hiring a driver for a day trip — common for reaching Kazbegi, the Kakheti wine road, or Svaneti's back roads — is usually agreed and paid in cash, with the price settled before you set off. Keep a cash reserve for any of these; a dead phone battery or a marshrutka that only takes coins can otherwise strand a card-only traveller.
Safety and the emergency number
Best for genuine peace of mind, especially in the mountains
Georgia is, by most measures, one of the safer countries in the region for travellers, with low rates of violent and petty crime even in busy tourist areas of Tbilisi and Batumi. The single number to know is 112, Georgia's unified emergency line for police, ambulance and fire, staffed with English-speaking operators and free to call from any phone, including with no SIM or credit. The more realistic risk for visitors isn't crime but terrain and weather: mountain roads to Tusheti's Omalo (over the Abano Pass), the higher Svaneti routes toward Ushguli, and passes on the Georgian Military Road toward Kazbegi can close with snow or landslide outside the main season, and mobile signal to call for help is exactly where it's weakest. Check road and weather conditions locally before setting out to these areas, travel with a local driver where the route calls for one, and let your guesthouse host know your plans — it's standard practice here, not an overreaction.
Language, connectivity gaps and packing basics
Best for the parts a guidebook usually forgets
Georgian is written in its own unique script (Mkhedruli) and isn't closely related to any neighbouring language, so street signs and menus outside Tbilisi and Batumi's main tourist strips won't always have English transliteration. A translation app downloaded with offline Georgian support is genuinely useful, especially in rural Kakheti, Racha or Guria where English is less common than in the capital; Russian is still widely understood by an older generation nationwide. Georgia uses the European-style Type C and F electrical sockets at 220V, so UK and North American travellers need an adapter, though most laptop and phone chargers handle the voltage automatically. Pharmacies (marked with a green cross) are common in every town and well stocked, but in remote areas like Tusheti or upper Svaneti the nearest one can be a real distance away, so a basic travel medical kit is sensible for anyone heading into the high Caucasus rather than sticking to Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi.