Autumn in Georgia: Life, Wine, and Golden Days for Expats
- Tinatin Tolordava
- Sep 26
- 9 min read
Table of contents
TL;DR: Autumn in Georgia for Expats
After Tbilisoba, the season continues with grape harvests at Rtveli and the Gurjaani Wine Festival.
Join locals in making churchkhela and tatara during vineyard tours.
Explore autumn nature: Sabaduri Forest, Lisi Lake, Turtle Lake, and the renovated Vake Park.
In Tbilisi, enjoy sunny walks in the Botanical Garden, snacks like churchkhela, and evenings at Fabrika.
Taste autumn flavors: khinkali, mtsvadi, kharcho, and seasonal fruits like persimmons and pomegranates.
Meet fellow expats in co-working spaces, rooftop bars, and cafés across Vera and Sololaki.
Thinking of staying longer? Gegidze helps with residency in Georgia, the 1% tax system, and banking setup.
What To Expect in Autumn in Tbilisi?
If you’ve been in Tbilisi for a while, you already know the city loves a good party.
Tbilisoba, that annual celebration of culture and harvest, fills the streets with music, wine stalls, and the energy of an entire country packed into two days.
But here’s the secret: autumn in Georgia doesn’t end when Tbilisoba is over. In fact, for many expats, this is when the season really starts.
The weather in Tbilisi in October and November is a dream.
Warm enough to sit outside with a coffee, cool enough to go for a run without melting, and often drenched in the kind of golden light that makes you stop mid-walk just to take a photo.
The days get shorter, yes, but they also get cozier.
If you’re an expat in Georgia wondering how to spend this season, you’re in luck: autumn here is a mix of festivals, food, nature, and little city rituals that make you feel like you belong.
After Tbilisoba: What’s Next?
Think of Tbilisoba as Georgia’s opening act. It’s loud, colorful, and full of energy. But after the stages come down and the wine barrels roll back home, you’ve still got months of things to enjoy before winter hits.
Rtveli - Georgian Grape Harvest
The first word you’ll hear everywhere is Rtveli. That’s the grape harvest, the time when Georgians head to the vineyards to pick grapes, stomp them with their feet, and then sit down for a feast that usually ends in polyphonic songs and way too much wine.
For an expat, joining a Rtveli isn’t just a touristy thing.
It’s a real chance to get invited into Georgian life. Some families will literally welcome strangers into their vineyards, but if you want something a bit more structured, there are wineries across Kakheti and Kartli that run Rtveli harvest tours.
You get to pick grapes, stomp around in the winepress (don’t wear white), taste qvevri wine straight from the clay jar, and eat at a proper Georgian supra table.
Churchkhela
And here’s where it gets even better: many of these tours also teach you how to make churchkhela (the famous Georgian “snickers” made from nuts and grape must) and tatara (the thick grape jelly that becomes the base for churchkhela). It’s messy, sticky, and absolutely worth it.
Rolling walnuts onto a string, dipping them into hot grape juice, and hanging them to dry in the autumn air is something you’ll talk about long after you’ve left the vineyard.
It’s not just about eating, you will enjoy the ancient tradition of creating a traditional Georgian candy.
If festivals are more your style, mark October 11, 2025 in your calendar: the Gurjaani Wine Festival. It’s one of the biggest public wine gatherings in Georgia, with everything from boutique natural wine makers to major wineries, plus music, food, and plenty of energy.
It’s less rustic than a private vineyard harvest, but it’s also more accessible if you don’t want to plan a full day trip.
Autumn Nature: Where I Go to Walk, Run, or Just Breathe
After a weekend of grape picking and too much wine at Rtveli, people usually crave something quieter. That’s when you are reminded that you don’t even have to leave Tbilisi to feel wrapped in autumn.
One of the best-kept secrets about Tbilisi is how quickly it lets you escape. Autumn sharpens that gift, five minutes after leaving the traffic and noise, you can be somewhere that feels like another country.
Take Sabaduri Forest. In October it doesn’t just change color, it glows. The road snakes through canopies of gold so bright it feels like someone turned up the contrast on the world. Expats who’ve been here a while will tell you: bring a camera, but don’t expect it to capture what your eyes see. Some things just won’t fit into a frame.
Closer to home, there’s Lisi Lake. On a quiet weekday, you’ll find joggers circling the path, kids chasing dogs, and couples balancing thermoses on the rocks by the water. The cafés around it somehow manage both worlds: one table digging into khachapuri and kebabs, another ordering Caesar salad and cappuccinos. It’s where Georgian comfort and European familiarity sit side by side, and expats slip easily into both.
Turtle Lake is smaller, but no less loved. On a bright Saturday you can almost guarantee you’ll bump into someone you know from the expat WhatsApp chats. A walk around, a coffee by the water, a bit of people-watching, it’s the kind of ritual that feels small but adds up to “life here.”
And then there’s the Vake Park, which doesn’t really feel like just a park anymore. It sprawls into a forest now: trails where you can run until your legs give out, benches that make you linger longer than you meant to, and crisp air that feels like a reset button. A few streets away, Mziuri Park plays a different tune: sun-drenched lawns, a café buzzing with students and families, and a sense that you stumbled into a neighborhood living room.
And just when you think you’ve ticked all the boxes of Georgian autumn, a Tolia ice cream truck rolls into view.
Yes, ice cream. In October. It’s cheap, it’s oddly perfect against the cool air, and it’s the moment you realize: autumn here doesn’t mean giving things up, it means adding more layers.
City Walks and Little Rituals
Botanical Garden
Some afternoons call for something simpler. That’s when the Botanical Garden works best.
Hidden just behind Narikala Fortress, it’s a quick escape without leaving the city.
Autumn paints the paths in deep reds and yellows, and the crowds thin out compared to summer.
On the way in, you’ll pass locals selling churchkhela: walnuts and hazelnuts threaded on strings and dipped in grape juice. They’re cheap, filling, and somehow taste better when eaten while walking under the changing leaves.
Fabrika
And then, when the day fades, there’s always Fabrika, which most expats discover quickly and keep coming back to.
What was once a Soviet sewing factory is now one of the most social corners of Tbilisi.
It’s not just a bar or a hostel, it’s a whole complex.
By day, freelancers set up in the cafés with laptops and flat whites, the concept stores sell Georgian-made clothes and crafts, and art studios quietly open their doors.
By evening, the courtyard transforms into one of the most social spots in the city. You can grab dinner at one of the casual restaurants (burgers, ramen, Georgian fusion), order cocktails at the bars, or just sit at the long shared tables where conversations tend to start on their own.
It’s also a hub for events: open-air movie nights, live DJ sets, art exhibitions, even vintage markets.
The mix of locals and internationals is what makes it click. You’ll hear four or five languages floating around at any given time, but you’ll also notice how naturally people cross those language barriers.
In autumn, when the air is crisp but not yet cold, the courtyard stays packed well into the night. Fabrika is one of those places where you don’t need a plan: just show up, and the night fills itself in.
Seasonal Food and Autumn Flavors
Autumn in Georgia is just as much about food as it is about scenery.
Walk through any neighborhood market and you’ll see piles of persimmons, bright orange and sweet. Pomegranates spill open with ruby seeds. Grapes overflow from crates, ready for wine or snacks. Seasonal fruit here isn’t just decoration: it’s everyday life.
Georgian comfort food feels perfect in cooler weather. Try mtsvadi, pork skewers grilled over open fire, or khinkali, dumplings filled with spiced meat or mushrooms. Soups like kharcho (beef with rice, tomato, and walnuts) or chikhirtma (chicken with egg and herbs) are autumn staples.
But if you want a break from heavy meals, you’re covered. Around Lisi Lake, Vera, and Vake, cafés serve pasta, sushi, burgers, and lighter salads. Many expats like to balance a Georgian supra with something more familiar the next day.
That mix, Georgian tradition and international options, makes food in Tbilisi feel both exciting and comfortable.
Social Life Beyond Fabrika
Fabrika is the expat landmark, but it’s not the only social hub.
Co-working spaces like Impact Hub Tbilisi, Terminal, and Digital Jungle bring together freelancers, startups, and remote workers. They’re great for networking and also for making friends outside the party scene.
Rooftop bars in Mtatsminda and Vera stay open well into autumn. The views over the city are incredible when the evenings are still mild.
If you enjoy music, Tbilisi has options: jazz clubs, small rock venues, and late-night DJ sets. Expats often mix Georgian folk concerts with modern club nights, the variety is real.
Cafés are another favorite.
In Sololaki, Marjanishvili, and Vera, small coffee shops double as community spots.
Order a flat white, open your laptop, and chances are you’ll meet another newcomer doing the same.
Living Well, Settling In
Autumn has a way of convincing people to stay in Georgia longer than they planned. You come for the wine festivals, the golden parks, and the food, but somewhere between a walk in Vake Park and a night at Fabrika, you start thinking: maybe I should stick around for a while.
That’s when the practical questions show up:
How do you make your stay official?
Should you apply for residency in Georgia?
If you’re freelancing or consulting, does it make sense to register as an Individual Entrepreneur and benefit from the 1% tax system?
And if you’re planning to work or run a business here, what’s the easiest way to open a bank account in Tbilisi and stay compliant with local rules?
The good news is that Georgia keeps things simple compared to many countries. But simple doesn’t mean you won’t run into surprises. A missed tax filing or the wrong registration can still cost you.
We help expats handle the legal and financial side: from business registration and small business status to payroll and compliance.
The idea is simple: you focus on building your life here, we make sure the paperwork doesn’t get in the way.
Wrapping Up: Why Autumn Works
For expats, autumn in Georgia feels like the season when everything clicks.
The weather in Tbilisi is mild. Parks glow with color. Vineyards open for Rtveli. The city has just the right pace: busy, but not overwhelming.
You can pick grapes in Kakheti one weekend, picnic at Turtle Lake the next, and spend an evening at Fabrika in between.
You’ll taste churchkhela, sip wine at the Gurjaani festival, and find your own small rituals in the cafés and parks.
If you’re ready to enjoy Georgia longer, make sure your legal and financial setup matches your lifestyle.
Gegidze handles the details so you can focus on the part that matters: living well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can expats stay in Georgia legally after enjoying autumn events?
After festivals like Tbilisoba or Rtveli, many expats want to extend their stay. To do so, you’ll likely need to apply for residency in Georgia. Gegidze guides you through the process, ensuring you meet all legal requirements without stress.
Can expats work or freelance in Georgia during their stay?
Yes. Georgia allows foreigners to register as Individual Entrepreneurs and benefit from the 1% tax system if eligible.
Do expats need help with banking in Georgia?
Opening a bank account in Tbilisi is straightforward, but requirements vary between banks. Gegidze works directly with local banks and can set up your account efficiently, whether you’re freelancing, starting a company, or just planning to stay longer.
What tax obligations do expats have while living in Georgia?
Expats are subject to Georgian tax laws once they become residents or register businesses. This includes income tax, monthly filings, and sometimes pension contributions. Gegidze provides ongoing tax compliance and payroll services, so you don’t miss deadlines or risk penalties.
How does Gegidze support expats who fall in love with Georgia and decide to stay?
From the first wine festival to your first khinkali dinner, autumn might convince you to stay. When that happens, Gegidze becomes your local partner, helping with residency, small business registration, payroll, and banking setup. We take care of the legal and financial side, so you can keep enjoying Georgia.
