Saburtalo, Tbilisi: the practical district on the metro
Saburtalo, Tbilisi: its own metro line, Pekini and Vazha-Pshavela avenues, universities and new towers. Three addresses, street by street.
Contents 9 sections
What the district is like
Saburtalo is a large residential district in the north-west of Tbilisi. Its frame is three wide avenues: Pekini, Kazbegi and Vazha-Pshavela. Along them stand Soviet apartment blocks, university buildings, hospitals and a growing number of new towers.
Nobody praises Saburtalo for beauty. People pick it because it works. It is where many newcomers land when they want an ordinary city life: a shop downstairs, a metro nearby, a rent they can explain.
On foot
Saburtalo has a metro line of its own. Medical University, Delisi, Vazha-Pshavela and State University stations are strung along the main avenue, and the centre is a few stops away.
Shops, markets, pharmacies and cafes are everywhere on the avenues, and there are large malls. No other district has as many schools and universities. Green space is thinner: a big park on the old hippodrome, and Lisi Lake up the hill.
What we measured
We took one address on each of the three avenues: Vazha-Pshavela, Pekini and Kazbegi.
| Address | Score | Groceries | Station or stop | School | Park | Noise and air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vazha-Pshavela Avenue, 41, Tbilisi | 81.5 | 1 min | 1 minDelisi | 5 min | 2 min | −6.0 |
| Pekini Avenue, 14, Tbilisi | 81.4 | 2 min | 1 minTeknikuri Universiteti | 9 min | 4 min | −7.4 |
| Alexander Kazbegi Avenue, 24, Tbilisi | 85.1 | 1 min | 5 minDelisi | 4 min | 4 min | −2.5 |
Map numbers match the table rows. Use the plus button to zoom in.
All three buildings face a big road, like most housing here. What the method takes off for that is set out on How the score works.
Who it suits
- Remote workers who value practicality.
- Students and university staff.
- Families who want a school and a clinic nearby.
- Anyone asking whether the Saburtalo neighbourhood is a sensible first base in the city.
The trade-offs
The avenues are full of cars and the air by the road is heavy. New buildings go up tight against old ones. Streets with character, of the Sololaki or Vera kind, are rare.
The housing
Mostly panel and brick blocks from the sixties to the eighties, often with home-made extensions. New concrete towers rise on every spare plot, and their finish and soundproofing vary a lot.
What to check
Test the lift: in older Tbilisi blocks it can be coin-operated and unreliable. Ask whether the flat has its own gas boiler. See how far the station is and whether the walk is uphill, and ask what is being built next door.
Without a car
Saburtalo is one of the best districts in Tbilisi for living without a car. Metro, buses and minibuses run along every avenue.
Neighbours
Vake lies to the south across the Vere ravine, greener and dearer. Towards the centre the district meets Vera.