Bookshopping isn’t only about acquiring new reading materials; moving from store to store can give a different look at familiar streets as you carve out new paths across the city while in search of some exciting literature. Here's a list of the lesser-known book destinations across five Tbilisi neighborhoods—from small curated spaces to the lavish antique shops lost in the old city—that will be sure to appease those looking for a good read and a good walk.
MTATSMINDA—VERA
Another bookstore situated on the ground floor of the same building on Giorgi Akhvlediani Street—but with a very different character. It is a conceptl store with books, café, and accessories. They Said Books offers a curated selection of books and magazines on contemporary art, photography, and design. The space also hosts exhibitions of young Georgian artists.
Books from Past| 10 Giorgi Akhvlediani St / გიორგი ახვლედიანის ქუჩა, 10
A bookstore tucked away on the second floor of a residential building. It is only accessible by intercom during opening hours and houses a large collection of books in English—rare editions, autographed books, art albums, and classic paperbacks. Be sure not to miss their frequent sales and promotions and check the website for picks from the owner. In addition to the store, there is a small café, and during the warm season a veranda that overlooks a historic courtyard.
Stamba Bookstore / სტამბის წიგნები|14 Kostava St / მერაბ კოსტავას ქუჩა, 14
A bookstore situated in the Stamba Hotel. They have a great selection of contemporary fiction and non-fiction in Georgian, English, and Russian, a lot of books on Western European art as well as some on Persian miniatures. For those who are learning Georgian, the store offers manuals and dictionaries. Be sure not to miss the store if you are in search of Georgian academic and fictional texts translated into English and Russian.
Book House / წიგნის სახლი|4 Shalva Dadiani Str / შალვა დადიანის ქუჩა, 4
An old second-hand bookstore hidden in the heart of the Tbilisi touristic old city. An inconspicuous door to the left of the wine store leads to a room filled with bookshelves. Here you can find books in Georgian and Russian, as well as in English, French, and other languages. The choices are impressive, ranging from old Soviet books on art and ethnography to the latest bestsellers in Georgian and English. Apart from books, the store sells maps and other printed matter including some very uncanny items, such as Soviet Georgian passports and Party membership cards.
VAKE
A charming bookstore founded by Grandpa Shaqro in Vake that features a collection of contemporary Georgian and translated fiction, ethnography books, and children's illustrated literature—mostly in Georgian, but with some findings in English and Russian. The store also offers a selection of postcards and posters, and even chacha tastings, if you get lucky
Parnassus Bookstore / წიგნის მაღაზია პარნასი | 22 Ilia Chavchavadze Ave / ილია ჭავჭავაძის გამზირი, 22
A two story bookstore with a great selection of books in Georgian, English, and Russian. The store offers quite a lot of fiction and university publications, and a large selection of material in social theory, political science, gender studies, and history.
Book Corner / ბუკინისტური კუთხე | 22 Ilia Chavchavadze Ave / ილია ჭავჭავაძის გამზირი, 22
A second-hand bookstore at the corner of the same 22 Chavchavadze Avenue building. You can spend hours digging into the huge selection of books in Georgian and other European languages—German, English, French, Russian. Regular supplies include rare art books, fiction, sometimes even unique items such as a type-written copy of a screenplay from 1981 based on Nodar Dumbadze’s texts.
Ligamus / ლიგამუსი | 22 Ilia Chavchavadze Ave / ილია ჭავჭავაძის გამზირი, 22
A two-story bookstore by the Ilia State University with the city’s largest selection of books in English. The first floor is dedicated to the books in Georgian, the second—to the books in other languages. The selection includes university publications, fiction, children’s books, and others. There is a café, a student reading space, and a children's room.
SABURTALO
Another independent bookstore, situated in Saburtalo. It offers a great selection of fiction, books on business, and translations of Western European classics in Georgian and English, as well as stationery and souvenirs. There is an inhouse café that hosts lectures, classical music concerts, and book launches.
CHUGURETI
A second-hand bookstore with a great selection of rare books on Georgian ethnography, Kartvelian linguistics, and winemaking in both Georgian and Russian. Apart from books, they offer posters, block prints, and everyday artifacts.
Posta da Kona | 10 Giorgi Mazniashvili St / გიორგი მაზნიაშვილის ქუჩა, 10
A curated selection of books on contemporary art, photography, and architecture from two Tbilisi independent publishers, Posta Press and Kona Books. It is a neatly decorated space that offers albums and zines from Georgian and global publishers with a focus on interdisciplinary works by artists and researchers from all over the world written in Georgian and English. The store hosts book launches, artist talks, and temporary exhibitions together with LC Queisser gallery.
Second-hand book house / ბუკინისტური წიგნის სახლი | 77 Davit Agmashenebeli St / დავით აღმაშენებლის გამზირი, 77
An emblematic second-hand bookstore with a huge selection of books in Georgian, Russian, and other European languages: fiction, world classics in Georgian, linguistics, physics, children’s books—there’s virtually nothing that you couldn't find.
Bookstore on Agmashenebeli / წიგნის მაღაზია | 96/22 Davit Agmashenebeli St / დავით აღმაშენებლის გამზირი, 96/22
Apart from a great selection of second-hand items, there is a number of antique books, as well as a separate room with Soviet artifacts—pins and badges, postcards, portraits of Soviet leaders, and other objects from a reality long gone.
Cover photo © EastEast. Set Design: Nastya Indrikova. Lighting and photography: Ilyas Hajji. Studio Surat, 2024
All other images from Google Maps profiles of bookstores
