The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia is the best place in Tbilisi to understand the country’s deep past, and one ticket covers it all. Its highlight is the Archaeological Treasury in the basement, a room of astonishing ancient gold: diadems, necklaces, figurines and jewellery worked by the goldsmiths of Colchis and Kartli, mostly from burial grounds in Kakheti, Kartli and Trialeti, dating from the third century BCE to the fourth century CE. Upstairs, the finds from Dmanisi, in the south of the country, include fossil skulls of some of the earliest humans known outside Africa, around 1.8 million years old, shown with reconstructions of the pair nicknamed Zezva and Mzia. The top floor holds the Museum of the Soviet Occupation, covering 1921 to 1991, where a railway carriage used in executions after the 1924 uprising is among the most striking objects. Temporary exhibitions, coins, manuscripts and ethnography fill the rest of the building, which sits right on Rustaveli Avenue near Freedom Square.
How to visit: the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Mondays. Tickets are sold at the box office or online through the national ticketing site, and booking is not required; the last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing. Foreign visitors pay a moderate fee, with discounts for students and pensioners, and children under six enter free. Guided tours in foreign languages can be booked at the museum for an extra charge.
What to expect: the Treasury is the busiest room, so go there first, when it is quiet, and take your time with the tiny, detailed gold work. The Dmanisi gallery is small but fascinating, and the Soviet occupation floor is powerful and sombre, worth an hour on its own. Signage is in English. There is a cloakroom for bags, and the building is easy to reach on foot from Freedom Square or Rustaveli metro station.
Making the most of it: allow two hours, combine it with a walk along Rustaveli Avenue past the parliament and the opera house, and save it for a rainy day or a Kazbegi day that falls through because of snow.
What to expect
The experience
A self-guided visit through several floors of galleries, from the basement gold treasury to the Soviet occupation museum at the top.
Best time
Opening time on a weekday, or any rainy afternoon; never on a Monday, when it is closed.
How long
About two hours, or longer if you linger on the occupation floor.
Tips
Head to the Archaeological Treasury first, and leave bags in the cloakroom.
Quick picks
- Best for
- History lovers and anyone who wants context before the day trips to Mtskheta and Kakheti.
- Families
- Children are wowed by the gold and the early human skulls; under-sixes enter free.
- Couples
- A good rainy-day pick close to the cafes of Rustaveli Avenue.
- Pair with
- A stroll down Rustaveli Avenue, or the Mtskheta tour for the story in stone.
- Time needed
- Two hours.
Good questions
When is the Georgian National Museum open?+
The Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. It is closed on Mondays.
Do I need to book tickets for the museum?+
No, booking is not required. You can buy tickets at the box office or online, and the last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing.
What is in the Archaeological Treasury?+
It holds ancient gold and silver jewellery and ornaments from burial grounds across Georgia, dating from the third century BCE to the fourth century CE. It is the museum’s highlight.
What are the Dmanisi skulls?+
They are fossil skulls of some of the earliest humans found outside Africa, excavated at Dmanisi in southern Georgia. The museum shows them with reconstructed busts.
Is the Museum of Soviet Occupation in the same building?+
Yes, the Soviet occupation hall is on the top floor of the Museum of Georgia and is included in the ticket. It covers 1921 to 1991.
