By car to Bakuriani

We have 49 cars on this route page, from $39 a day, and we deliver the car to any address in Tbilisi or to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) before you set off.

Car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani: the distance

Distance, the towns on the way and the climb at the end of the route decide which car makes sense — and how early you should leave.

The distance and driving time from Freedom Square to the resort

Bakuriani sits 184 km from Freedom Square by road (OSRM), a drive of about 2¾ hours by OSRM in good conditions.

Past Borjomi the road climbs the last 24 km to the resort.

Why the drive decides which car you book

Book the class by the season you are driving in, not by the number of passengers.

Winter cars for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

What matters in the vehicle is all-wheel drive, ground clearance, torque on the ascent and tyres that hold on ice — not the badge on the bonnet.

All-wheel drive and why it matters on the climb

The Nissan Pathfinder carries 284 hp and 7 seats at $69 a day; the Mazda CX-9 runs 277 hp with the same seat count for $90; the Toyota RAV4 brings 203 hp to a 5-seat body at $69. Higher up the range sit the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4MATIC (367 hp, 7 seats, $140), the Audi Q7 (333 hp, 7 seats, $150) and the Cadillac Escalade (409 hp, 8 seats, $160). All-wheel drive helps you move off and climb, but it does not shorten braking distance on ice — winter tyres do that, and Georgian law requires them in season.

Diesel or petrol for a mountain route

The Discovery 3.0 Diesel delivers 245 hp from a 3.0 L engine at $140 a day; the GL 350 CDI BlueTEC pushes 367 hp to all four wheels at $120; the Volkswagen Touareg adds 286 hp at $140, and the Range Rover Sport 3.0 Diesel Autobiography Sport 306 hp at $150.

Automatic transmission across the fleet

Every one of the 49 cars on this page has an Automatic transmission.

• Snow and ice: no clutch to slip and no stall to recover from on a gradient.
• Long descents: engine braking through the selector, without riding the brakes.
• City start: the same car handles Tbilisi traffic before you reach the mountains.

On a long climb with switchbacks, an automatic lets you keep your attention on the road rather than on gear changes.

Prices by class for the winter run

Weekly bookings run from $234 and monthly from $819, calculated as the daily rate multiplied by six and by twenty-one respectively. The full range on this page is $39 to $250 a day.

Prices for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

Self-drive car hire in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani starts at $39 a day and runs to $250, with weekly rates from $234 and monthly rates from $819. The 49 cars on this page split into four classes, and the class you pick decides both the price and how the climb to the resort feels.

What each class costs and what you get

• Crossover — 11 cars from $39: Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, BMW X1, Hyundai Tucson and Hyundai Santa Fe, most of them all-wheel drive with 5 seats.
• SUV & 4x4 — 34 cars from $69: the biggest group on the page, from the Nissan Pathfinder at $69 up to the Porsche Cayenne S at $250.
• Minivans — 1 car from $190: a single 7-seat option for a large group travelling together with luggage.

Why the SUV & 4x4 class carries the Bakuriani route

The class runs in four price steps: $69 for the Nissan Pathfinder; $90 to $120 for the Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz ML350, Hyundai Palisade, Lexus RX350 and Porsche Cayenne; and $130 to $160 for the BMW X5, Jaguar F-Pace, Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Land Rover Range Rover Vogue and Cadillac Escalade; and $190 to $250 for the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 and Land Cruiser 300, Land Rover Defender, BMW X7, Lexus LX570, Mercedes-Benz G 5.5 AMG and Porsche Cayenne S. Diesel versions sit in the same band — the Land Rover Discovery 3.0 Diesel and Range Rover Velar 2.0 Diesel both at $140, the Mercedes-Benz GL 350 CDI BlueTEC at $120.

Working out the weekly and monthly figure

Longer bookings are calculated on fixed multipliers: a week costs six daily rates and a month costs twenty-one. That puts a week in a $39 Crossover at $234 and a month at $819; the same arithmetic on a $69 SUV & 4x4 gives $414 a week and $1,449 a month, and on the $250 top of the range it reaches $1,500 and $5,250. The deposit, the insurance excess, delivery fees and any discounts are set out in the rental agreement, and the booking itself is agreed with a manager.

Which class suits which group

• Two travellers, winter, one suitcase each: a Crossover at $39–$69 covers the route comfortably, and all-wheel drive is the feature worth paying for.
• Six or seven people: the single 7-seat Minivan at $190, or a 7-seat SUV such as the Nissan Pathfinder, Mazda CX-9 or Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4MATIC; for eight, the Cadillac Escalade or Lexus LX570.
• A long stay of more than three weeks: the monthly rate from $819 keeps the daily cost down while the car stays with you for the whole trip.

Model choice for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

Matching a car to the Bakuriani run comes down to three things: how many people are travelling, what the upper road looks like on your dates, and how much luggage goes in the boot. Our fleet of 49 cars covers all of it — from a $39 crossover for two travellers to a seven-seat 4x4 for a family with ski bags.

Group size first

• Five or six people: the Nissan Pathfinder or Mazda CX-9 at $69–$90 a day brings 7 seats, All-wheel drive and 284–277 hp.
• Mixed group with heavy winter kit: the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4MATIC or Audi Q7 at $140–$150 a day pairs 7 seats with 367 hp and 333 hp.

Drivetrain and clearance

The Crossover class is not a compromise on paper: the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Mini Countryman F60 ALL4 all run All-wheel drive at $39–$69.

Fuel, seats and the long-stay maths

Tell us the group size and dates when you book and we will match the model to the road rather than the other way round.

Winter tyres for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

Georgia's winter-tyre rule is calendar-based, not weather-based: from 1 December to 1 March tyres are compulsory, and in zones the government defines, chains on at least two front wheels are required in specific weather conditions. The rule came into force on 01.01.2024.

What the law actually says

• Chains: required on at least two front wheels in government-defined zones under specific weather conditions.
• Status of the rule: approved in committee on 10.11.2023 and in force since 01.01.2024.

Chains, snow and the climb past Borjomi

Chains are not a general licence to drive faster. All-wheel drive helps you move off and hold a line on the climb, but it does not shorten braking distance on ice; tyres and chains do that. If you have never fitted chains, practise once in daylight at the bottom of the climb rather than on the gradient with traffic behind you.

Fuel and timing on a winter run

Fill up in Tbilisi or Borjomi before the climb.

Documents for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

Driving from Tbilisi to Bakuriani stays entirely inside Georgia, so the paperwork question is simpler than it looks. A foreign driving licence is accepted, no international permit is needed if your licence already carries Latin or Cyrillic script, and the drive itself is a straightforward run from the capital up to the resort.

What you need to carry

• Passport: the document you booked with, kept with you rather than in the luggage.
• Driving licence: a valid foreign licence works; if yours has neither Latin nor Cyrillic characters, bring an International Driving Permit or a notarised translation, since Georgia follows the 1968 Vienna Convention.
• Insurance option: collision damage cover is chosen as an option, so keep the confirmation with the agreement.

The licence rule is worth checking before you fly rather than after. What we can say plainly is that Georgia accepts foreign licences under the Vienna Convention framework, and the recognition and exchange procedure is set by Georgian law and an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. If your licence is purely Arabic, Chinese or Japanese script, an IDP or notarised translation is the practical answer. Minimum age and driving experience are agreed when booking — not stated here, because they are a condition of hire rather than a rule of the road.

The rules that actually change your driving

• Speed: 60 km/h in built-up areas, 20 km/h in residential zones, 90 km/h outside them, 110 km/h on motorways, and 80 km/h with a light trailer.
• Seat belts: required for the driver and all front-seat passengers; rear belts are not compulsory under Georgian law.
• Phones: hands-free or speaker only — both hands stay on the wheel.
• Alcohol: 0.3 ‰, so effectively nothing before you drive a mountain road.
• Children: under three, a child seat or restraint matched to height and weight on the rear seat; under six, never left alone in a parked car.

Fines are modest but real: 50 ₾ for exceeding the limit by 15–40 km/h, 150 ₾ above that, 30 ₾ for a phone, 40 ₾ for a belt, 500 ₾ for driving without a licence. The rule that matters most for this route is seasonal — winter tyres are mandatory from 1 December to 1 March, and in government-defined zones chains are required on at least the two front wheels in special weather conditions.

Booking car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

Delivery, the fuel rule and the booking itself are three separate conversations — here is how each one works.

Where we deliver the car

• Any address in the city: your hotel, guesthouse, apartment or office — the car is brought to the address you give us when booking.
• Tbilisi International Airport (TBS): 17 km south-east of the city centre, for travellers landing and driving straight out.
• Kutaisi International Airport (KUT): 241 km away, for arrivals on the western route who want the car waiting on landing.
• Elsewhere: delivery beyond the city and these two airports is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site.

The address, date and time are agreed with a manager

Nothing is fixed until a manager confirms it. You tell us where and when you want the car, we confirm what is possible, and only then does the booking hold. Deposit, insurance excess, delivery fees and any discounts are set out in the rental agreement, not quoted over the phone.

Fuel: full tank out, full tank back

The car is supplied with a full tank and must be returned with a full tank — full-to-full, with no other option offered. If the tank comes back short, the missing fuel and a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement. On the Bakuriani route the arithmetic is easy: 184 km each way from Freedom Square. Fuel in Georgia is 4.06 ₾ a litre for petrol and 4.76 ₾ for diesel.

Checklist for car rental in Tbilisi for a trip to Bakuriani

The last hour before a mountain drive is the one that decides how the trip feels. Nothing on this list is complicated — it is the order that matters, and a few of these items cannot be fixed once you have left the city.

• Fuel: the car leaves with a full tank and comes back full — full-to-full is the only option we offer, and the missing fuel plus a refuelling fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement.
• Winter tyres: they are required from 1 December to 1 March, and in zones the government designates, chains on at least two front wheels when conditions demand it.
• Parking: budget from 1 ₾ an hour on city streets, with the first 15 minutes free, and keep the payment inside the Tbilisi Parking app rather than relying on a windscreen note.
• The agreement: deposit, insurance excess, delivery fees and any discount are set out in the rental agreement, so read them before the keys change hands.

Snow tyres are a legal requirement in Georgia between those two dates, not a courtesy the company extends.

Chains deserve their own line. Georgian rules require them on at least two front wheels in designated zones when weather demands, and fitting them for the first time at the roadside in falling snow is a poor introduction to the technique.

The deposit, the insurance excess, the delivery fee and any discount are set out in the rental agreement; the delivery address, date and time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.