Quick answer
Going to Tbilisi or Batumi: take the coach. Georgian Bus, OmniBus and Metro Georgia all wait outside arrivals, leave 30 to 60 minutes after each flight lands and wait for delays; 30 GEL (about $11) to either city, 3.5 to 4 hours to Tbilisi and about 2 to Batumi. Going into Kutaisi: the airport shuttle is 5 GEL every two hours around the clock, a Bolt is 25 to 30 GEL. Landing in the small hours with luggage or a group: a GoTrip driver is 39 GEL per car to Kutaisi, 199 GEL to Batumi and 290 GEL to Tbilisi, and the driver tracks your flight.
- Coach to Tbilisi
- 30 GEL
- Coach to Batumi
- 30 GEL
- Shuttle to Kutaisi
- 5 GEL
- Driver to Tbilisi
- 290 GEL
Kutaisi International Airport (KUT, officially David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport) is Wizz Air's Georgian base and the reason a return from Warsaw, Milan or Budapest can cost less than a night in a Tbilisi hotel. It handled 1.7 million passengers in 2024 and it's still a single small terminal in farmland 24 km by road west of Kutaisi, 124 km from Batumi and 253 km from Tbilisi. Nothing about it is complicated, but most flights land at unsociable hours, and the wrong choice outside the door costs you either a wasted night or a 300 GEL taxi. Our flights guide covers whether to fly here at all; this page starts at the baggage belt.
Which option, in one table
Every price below was read from the operator's own site or timetable on 14 September 2026 unless the row says otherwise; conversions use the National Bank of Georgia rate of 2.61 GEL to the dollar.
| Going to | Best option |
|---|---|
| Tbilisi | Coach, 30 GEL, 3.5 to 4 hours, leaves after every flight. Train from the airport station is 34 GEL and 2 h 35 min but only when a train happens to be due. Driver 290 GEL per car. |
| Batumi | Coach (Georgian Bus or Metro), 30 GEL, about 2 hours. Fast train 1.5 hours for 32 to 36 GEL when one is due. Driver from 199 GEL per car. |
| Kutaisi city | Airport shuttle 5 GEL by card, every two hours, 40 minutes. Bolt 25 to 30 GEL. Driver from 39 GEL per car. |
| Mestia (Svaneti) | Shared minibus 80 GEL per person at 08:20, May to October only; otherwise a driver from 335 GEL per car, about 4 hours. No coach. |
| Zugdidi | Driver from 152 GEL per car, 1 h 20 min. OmniBus sells a Zugdidi route; the single-decker train stops here too. |
| Gudauri | Georgian Bus winter transfer, 60 GEL, about 6 hours with a change of vehicle near Tbilisi, roughly mid-December to March (wander-lush, 2026). |
Coach to Tbilisi: three operators
Three companies run the airport to Tbilisi route, all leaving from the car park you walk straight into from arrivals, all at 30 GEL one way, and the airport's own transport page lists all three as 24-hour operators, with Georgian Bus and OmniBus desks in the arrivals hall. They're near-identical on the road. The differences that matter are where they drop you in Tbilisi and whether you can pick a seat.
| Operator | Tbilisi stop and notes |
|---|---|
| Georgian Bus | Ends at Station Square, behind the central railway station on the Dadiani Street side. Best stop for most hotels: Station Square metro is next to it and both metro lines run from there. No seat selection; unlimited seats (a second coach is added if the first fills). Also runs Batumi and winter Gudauri. |
| OmniBus | Stops at the Okriba yard at Didube first, then ends at Ortachala bus station. Seat selection online; tickets also sold on tkt.ge. Its site notes that since 1 January its coaches may no longer stop on Aghmashenebeli Alley, so Didube (metro) and Ortachala (no metro) are the only stops. |
| Metro Georgia | Ends at Ortachala bus station (1 Dimitri Gulia Street). Seat selection online. Its timetable for 14 September showed departures from 04:00 through the evening, each 3.5 to 4 hours, all at 30 GEL. Ortachala has no metro; budget an 8 to 12 GEL Bolt to the centre. |
Our pick is Georgian Bus for the Tbilisi arrival point alone. Station Square puts you on the metro; Ortachala is a Soviet-era coach station in the south of the city that our bus stations guide describes as the place everyone ends up by mistake. If you're staying near Didube or want to go straight on to Kazbegi or Kutaisi by marshrutka, OmniBus's first stop at the Okriba yard next to Didube station is the useful one.
How the timing works
Georgian Bus's published timetable for the week of 14 September 2026 is not a clock timetable but a list of flights: each departure is attached to one or more Wizz Air arrivals (Larnaca, Paris Beauvais, Frankfurt Hahn, Memmingen, Warsaw, Prague, Poznan and the rest of the week's schedule), with the Tbilisi arrival four hours later. Buses leave roughly 30 to 60 minutes after the scheduled landing to let passport control and baggage clear, and the operators state plainly that if the flight is delayed, the bus waits. When you book you enter your flight number rather than a departure time, which is the whole point.
- 1
Book online, or at the desk
Georgian Bus sells on georgianbus.com up to two hours before departure (sales open around ten weeks out), OmniBus on omnibusexpress.ge and tkt.ge, Metro on metrogeorgia.ge and its app. All take foreign cards. If you land without a ticket, the desks in arrivals sell them until the bus leaves; Georgian Bus also sells on the bus itself.
- 2
Walk out and turn to the coaches
The buses wait in the car park directly in front of the arrivals door, each with the company name on it and an English-speaking member of staff. Large luggage and skis go in the hold free; Georgian Bus charges 20 GEL for a bicycle and needs advance notice for a wheelchair.
- 3
Settle in for 3.5 to 4 hours
Coaches on this route are full-size, with USB charging and free Wi-Fi that works most of the time, and one or two 20-minute stops at a service area. Arrive at Station Square (Georgian Bus) or Didube then Ortachala (OmniBus, Metro), and book a Bolt from there rather than taking the taxis that circle the stops.
Coach to Batumi and Zugdidi
The airport is west of Kutaisi, so the coast is the natural direction: you don't double back through the city. Georgian Bus runs the airport to Batumi service, usually a minibus rather than a coach because demand is lighter, timed to leave about an hour after each flight lands and to wait if it's late. It's 30 GEL for an adult and 20 GEL for a child under 12, about 2 hours with one rest stop. Both Georgian Bus and Metro Georgia give the same Batumi address for their stop, 11 Giorgi Tsabadze Street (the former Gogol Street), which is the city's new bus station about 4.5 km from the boulevard; a Bolt to the centre from there is a few lari.
For Zugdidi, the gateway to Svaneti, OmniBus lists an airport to Zugdidi route on its booking form and tkt.ge quotes 1.5 to 2 hours for it; check the date you land, because departures are far fewer than to Tbilisi. The alternative is the once-a-day single-decker train from the airport station (see below) or a driver at about 152 GEL per car. Read our Svaneti guide before you commit to a same-day push to Mestia from a night flight; it's a long day.
Train from Kutaisi International Airport station
Since May 2022 every east to west train stops at Kutaisi International Airport station in Kopitnari, 1.8 km from the terminal, and the airport runs a free shuttle between the arrivals hall and the platform timed to the trains. There's no dedicated airport train: you ride the ordinary timetabled services, so this only works when your landing and a departure line up.
Trains calling at the airport station
| Route | Fare | Details |
|---|---|---|
| To Tbilisi (double-decker) | 34 / 72 GEL | Second / first class, 2 h 35 min non-stop to Tbilisi Central. Two to four a day by season on the Batumi to Tbilisi service; sales open 20 days ahead on tkt.ge and the railway site |
| To Tbilisi (single-decker) | 15 / 27 GEL | Two slower trains a day, about 3 hours, on the Zugdidi, Poti and Ozurgeti services |
| To Batumi | 32-36 GEL | Second class on the same double-deckers, about 1.5 hours to Batumi Central, calling at Ureki and Kobuleti; the railway’s own site is 2 GEL under tkt.ge |
| To Zugdidi, Poti or Ozurgeti | see tkt.ge | One slower single-decker a day on each line (Ozurgeti every second day), passing the airport late morning westbound |
Prices checked September 2026. Ranges reflect season and operator.
The fares and timings are the ones we verified for the train guide earlier this month. The honest verdict: the train is the calmest way to Batumi and the nicest way to Tbilisi if it's due within an hour of your landing. If not, the coach that's already waiting wins. Summer double-deckers sell out days ahead, so book the moment your flight is confirmed, and don't expect to buy a ticket at the airport station for a train leaving in ten minutes.
Into Kutaisi city
Kutaisi deserves a night rather than a rush past it; the Kutaisi guide makes that case. Getting in is the cheapest leg of the whole trip.
Airport to Kutaisi centre
| Option | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Airport shuttle bus | 5 GEL | Every two hours around the clock from the arrivals exit: 01:00, 03:00, 05:00 and so on to 23:00, 40 minutes to the Kutaisi Tourism Center stop in the centre (by the Red Bridge, near the Green Bazaar), with two stops on the way. Card only, tapped on the driver’s terminal; no cash |
| Bolt | 25-30 GEL | Drivers wait on the road nearby for every arrival. Install and verify the app before you fly; the airport Wi-Fi is enough to book |
| GoTrip driver | 39 GEL | Per car, fixed before you book, meets you in arrivals with your name; see the block below |
| Passing marshrutka | 2-3 GEL | Daytime only. Vans from Batumi and Samegrelo pass on the highway outside; cross the road and flag one. Cash, and no guarantee of a seat |
| Airport taxi desk | ask | Bene Exclusive is the licensed desk in arrivals. We use Bolt or GoTrip instead and never take a ride from anyone who approaches you in the hall |
Prices checked September 2026. Ranges reflect season and operator.
The shuttle is the bargain, and the timetable on the airport's site is the one to trust: departures on the odd hours, 24 hours a day, reaching the centre 40 minutes later. Two things trip people up. It takes bank cards only, so a traveller with cash and no card is stuck, and it runs every two hours, so a 03:20 landing means a 05:00 bus. Back to the airport it runs on the same two-hourly pattern from the Tourism Center stop; check the board there or the airport's site the day before.
A fixed-price driver for late landings
Many Wizz Air arrivals into Kutaisi land after dark, plenty of them after midnight. For a couple with two bags, a family, or four friends splitting the fare, we book a driver on GoTrip: you choose the car and driver from photos and reviews, the price is fixed per vehicle before you book, there's no deposit, you pay the driver in cash at the end, and the driver monitors your flight and waits in the arrivals hall without charging for delays. Child seats are free on request. The prices below are the cheapest listings on gotrip.ge on 14 September 2026; the route length and time are GoTrip's own.
A driver to Mestia was listed from 335 GEL per car (a Nissan Quest, 213 km, about 4 hours) on the same day. If you're in a rental-car frame of mind instead, Localrent's Kutaisi agencies had 741 cars listed on 14 September 2026 with no-deposit compacts from about $38 a day (a Volkswagen Passat at $37.84, a Ford Fusion at $39.60, a Toyota Prius at $39.72), and pickup at the airport is one of the delivery options. Our car rental guide explains why we book through Localrent and what the insurance lines mean.
On to Mestia and Svaneti
There's no coach from the airport to Mestia. In summer (May to October) the Kutaisi tour operator Budget Georgia runs a shared minibus from the airport at 08:20 for 80 GEL per person, about 6 hours, with private cars at 400 GEL for one to three people; its own page carries the schedule. Because most flights land at night, the practical version is to sleep in Kutaisi and join the next morning's departure from the operator's office at 2 Gelati Street. The other route is the train or a driver to Zugdidi and a marshrutka up the Enguri gorge from there, which the Mestia to Ushguli trek page walks through with 2026 fares.
What's at the airport
- ATMs. Bank of Georgia and TBC machines are on the right as you leave baggage reclaim; both dispense lari to foreign cards and both charge a withdrawal fee (3 GEL and 5 GEL respectively in August 2026, per wander-lush). Take 100 GEL for the day and use cards for the rest; our money guide covers the fee-free banks in town.
- SIM cards. The mobile operators' kiosks in arrivals are open around the clock and sell tourist packages that cost more than the same operators' shops in Kutaisi. An eSIM installed at home means Bolt works the moment you land.
- Wi-Fi. Free and open throughout the terminal, behind an activation page that sometimes hides the connect button under an advert.
- Food and shops. A Smart supermarket with a bakery counter in arrivals, a coffee shop and a sandwich chain airside, and a few wine and souvenir shops. Eat in town.
- Lounge. A 24-hour business lounge after passport control, 70 seats, $35 at the door per the airport's page, children under six free with an adult. Worth it for a 04:00 departure with a long wait; not otherwise.
- Parking. 2 GEL for an hour, 10 GEL for 5 to 24 hours, per the airport's price list; about 300 spaces.
- Car rental desks. International brands have counters at the airport; Localrent's local agencies deliver to it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Booking a Tbilisi coach for a departure time instead of a flight. The booking forms ask for your flight because the bus is attached to it. Pick the right flight and the timing takes care of itself.
- Landing at 02:00 and heading into Kutaisi with nowhere to check in. Almost nothing in the city is open at that hour. Book the previous night at your hotel so you can check in on arrival, or take the coach on to Tbilisi and sleep on it.
- Counting on the airport train. Two to four fast trains a day by season, none of them timed to flights. Check tkt.ge before you assume.
- Getting off OmniBus or Metro at Ortachala without a plan. No metro there. Either alight at Didube (OmniBus's first stop) or book a Bolt from the yard.
- Cash for the shuttle. It's card only. Everything else at the airport takes cash.
- Accepting a ride in the hall. The licensed desk is Bene Exclusive; everyone else who offers is freelance. Bolt or a pre-booked GoTrip driver is cheaper and traceable.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Kutaisi Airport to Tbilisi?
How much is the bus from Kutaisi Airport to Tbilisi?
How do I get from Kutaisi Airport to Batumi?
Is there a train from Kutaisi Airport?
How do I get from Kutaisi Airport into Kutaisi?
What should I do if my flight lands at 3am?
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