Zugdidi

Zugdidi (Georgian: ზუგდიდი; Mingrelian: ზუგდიდი or ზუგიდი) is the capital of Northwestern Georgia.

Understand
Zugdidi is a city of about 43,000 (2014) inhabitants. While Zugdidi is not a very popular city with tourists for itself, many pass through it on their way up to Mestia in Svaneti. It does have a few things to see, though, and is located near a national park. Zugdidi is also the gateway to Abkhazia.

apparently lived in Zugdidi for a while somewhere between 1876 and 1885, and some locals will proudly mention this fact to you.

By train
Trains run to Tbilisi and all stops on the way. Night trains are also available, and are the most popular way to get from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, since the marshrutkas to Mestia are coordinated with them. Arrival in Zugdidi is at 06:25 (as of 2014). Marshrutkas and buses are also available to most major cities in Georgia.

From Kutaisi (Kutaisi I station) you can take the 13:45 train arriving at 17:05 in Zugdidi. Price 2 lari. You can buy the ticket on the train using coins or at the counter in the second floor of the train station beforehand.

By bus or marshrutka
There seem to exist separate bus stations for Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Batumi, and/or Mestia&mdash;ask around.

Marshrutkas from nearby destinations:
 * Kutaisi (ქუთაისი) – 8 lari, 2 hr. Every 40 min to hourly between 06:00-17:40, from Kutaisi II train station.
 * Samtredia (სამტრედია) – 6 lari
 * Abasha (აბაშა) – 5 lari
 * Senaki (სენაკი) – 4 lari
 * Kvaloni (ქვალონი) – 3 lari
 * Khobi (ხობი) – 2.5 lari
 * Kheta (ხეთა) – 1.5 lari
 * პირ. მაისი – 2 lari

Besides getting in by marshrutka, there is a bus line from Tbilisi: Metro Bus departing three times a day (5 hr, 20 lari). Tickets can be purchased online. Same from Zugdidi to Tbilisi.

Get around
Walking.

Buy
There is a 24/7 small supermarket just at the crossroad with the road to Mestia.

The bazar in the center of town next to the main bridge sells all kinds of fresh food, home produce and sundry. There exist other market in Zugdidi as well.

There are a number of second hand shops here selling good quality clothes at a fraction of the cost of what they sell for in the bigger cities.

Sleep
There are a few hotels and one hostel in this town.



Connect
It can be hard to find Wi-Fi access in town, except in a few cafés.

Go next

 * Tsaishi – Hot mineral sierra springs (not so much for taking a bath though), the Museum of Iona Meunargia, a Georgian poet and well known public person, the Old Tsaishi Church, picnic on the mountain Urta with amazing view to the Great Caucasus chain.
 * Jvari – A small town with a couple of great attractions nearby, namely Enguri Dam and Silver Lake. The latter is one of the most impressive alpine treks that you can do in Georgia.
 * Martvili – Popular for canyoning and white water rafting.
 * Mestia – The "capital" of Svaneti and a UNESCO World Heritage site. 25 lari for marshrutka.
 * Kutaisi – At least one marshrutka per day, or you can catch the train for 2 lari.