Help center · Georgian Railway travel
Everything travellers ask about the matarebeli: railway tickets, booking on matarebeli.ge, comfort on board and planning routes across Georgia.
The simplest way is matarebeli.ge — an English-friendly booking service for Georgian Railway. Search your route, pick a seat on the carriage map, pay by Visa or Mastercard and receive your e-ticket by email instantly.
It's Georgian for 'train tickets' (მატარებლის ბილეთები). Matarebeli = train, biletebi = tickets. If you see these words, you're in the right place to book Georgian Railway travel.
No. E-tickets bought online are valid on a phone screen. Show the booking (PDF or email) together with the ID document used for purchase when the conductor checks.
For Tbilisi–Batumi in summer and Zugdidi night-train berths: as early as sales open, ideally 1–2 weeks ahead minimum. For regional trains like Tbilisi–Gori, a day or two ahead is usually fine.
Yes — booking on matarebeli.ge includes an interactive seat map for every carriage. For Black Sea views on the Batumi route, choose the right side of the train, upper deck.
Generally yes, before departure, under Georgian Railway's refund rules — conditions and deadlines are displayed during booking. The earlier you cancel, the larger the refunded share.
The flagship Tbilisi–Batumi route uses modern Stadler KISS double-deckers with air conditioning, power sockets and a buffet. Regional routes use simpler but reliable rolling stock. Night trains to Zugdidi offer berths for sleeping.
Double-decker intercity trains have power sockets at seats; mobile signal covers most of the line, with gaps in mountainous stretches. Download entertainment and your e-ticket in advance.
Standard luggage travels free within reasonable limits, stored on racks and shelves. Bulky items and bicycles may need arrangement — check current Georgian Railway rules when booking.
Yes — Georgian Railway is widely used by solo travellers, families and locals alike. Carriages are staffed, and the night train to Zugdidi is a backpacker staple.
Tbilisi–Batumi is the flagship: five hours from the capital to the Black Sea on a panoramic double-decker. For mountains, the Zugdidi night train feeding into Svaneti is the classic adventure route.
Gori is the perfect rail day trip — about an hour each way, with the fortress, the Stalin Museum and the Uplistsikhe cave city. Frequent regional departures make timing easy.
Take the Tbilisi–Zugdidi train (the overnight service is most popular), then a marshrutka from Zugdidi station up to Mestia, about 3 more hours. Book the train portion on matarebeli.ge.
On comfort, almost always: reserved seats, A/C, sockets, no highway traffic. On the Tbilisi–Batumi corridor in summer the train is usually faster door-to-door too.
Check live Georgian Railway schedules, pick your seat and buy your railway ticket online in a couple of minutes — matareblis biletebi without the station queue.