Detailed answers to the most common questions from Arab travelers to Georgia
Booking and payment
- Is there a prepayment or deposit to book?
- No, with Hawa Georgia there is no prepayment and no deposit. If you book the driver only, you pay him daily in cash at the start of each day; if you book the car with hotels, you pay the full amount on arrival in Georgia in cash in dollars or lari, or by transfer to the company's official account if you prefer to pay by card. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before arrival for the driver only, and up to 72 hours with hotels.
- How can I book a trip with Hawa Georgia?
- Choose your package on our website and price it for your family, then confirm the booking on WhatsApp at +995 550 000 663, with no prepayment. Our team is available to answer your inquiries and help you choose the right trip.
- Do you book hotels and apartments, and can I see the accommodation before I confirm?
- Yes, and accommodation is optional: 4- or 5-star hotels from our approved list with breakfast, or serviced apartments, chalets, villas and cabins, priced as a whole-stay total. Once you have the total, we send two or three options per city at the same price, hotels with their Booking link and apartments or chalets with their page and real photos on our site; you rank them and we book the first one available at confirmation.
- Can we book only the car and driver, or just some days or a single transfer?
- Yes. Hotels are optional, and many of our guests book their own accommodation and take only the car with a driver. You can also book just the days you need the car, or a single transfer from the airport or between two cities, priced for the whole car, and you pay the driver in cash at the start of each day, with no prepayment.
Entry and visas
- Do I need a visa to travel to Georgia?
- Citizens of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year, Gulf residents with a valid residence permit for up to 90 days on showing the original residence card, and Israeli passport holders from the Arabs of the interior need no visa, while most others need the e-visa from evisa.gov.ge. Since 2026 every visitor also needs health insurance, and the border officer has the final say, with the official portal as the reference.
- Is health insurance mandatory to enter Georgia?
- Yes. Since 1 January 2026 every tourist entering Georgia needs health and accident insurance covering the whole stay, arrival and departure days included, with at least 30,000 lari of cover, on paper or in electronic form, in English or Georgian; the rule covers every traveller, children included, and visa-free entry does not exempt you. Insurance is not included in our price, so buy it before you travel: the border officer may ask for it, and entry may be refused without it.
- I live in the Gulf on a non-GCC passport. Do I need a visa for Georgia?
- With a valid Gulf residence permit you enter Georgia visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180, on showing the original residence card, and holders of some passports, including Yemeni, Syrian, Sudanese and Moroccan, need at least a year of validity left on the permit on the day of entry. Without such a permit you will usually need the e-visa from evisa.gov.ge. Since 1 January 2026 every visitor also needs health insurance covering the whole stay; the official portal is the reference and the border officer has the final say.
- Do you welcome travellers from Palestine and the Arabs of the interior flying from Ben Gurion?
- Yes, warmly. The flight from Ben Gurion to Tbilisi is about two and a half hours, our driver waits in the arrivals hall with a name sign, sedan and minivan drivers speak Arabic, and you pay on arrival with no prepayment. Israeli passport holders enter visa-free, Palestinian Authority passport holders should check the entry conditions on the official portal evisa.gov.ge or with the Georgian embassy before travelling, every visitor has needed health insurance since 2026, and the border officer has the final say.
- Which documents are needed to enter Georgia?
- You need a passport valid for your whole stay with some margin, your mandatory health insurance policy, and the original residence card if you live in the Gulf or the e-visa approval if your nationality needs one. Also keep at hand your return ticket, your accommodation address or our booking confirmation, and proof that you can cover the trip's costs, because the border officer may ask for them and has the final say; the official portal evisa.gov.ge is the reference for visa requirements.
Money
- What is the cost of traveling to Georgia?
- The car with a driver is priced per day for the whole car, not per person, and the hotel is optional, 4 or 5 stars from our approved hotels, shown as a whole-stay total, with a discount for longer trips. Price your own package for your family on any programme page. There is no prepayment: you pay on arrival in Georgia.
- How is a car with a driver priced in Georgia, and what does it include?
- The price is per day for the whole car, not per person, by car class in our price list, and covers the driver for 8 to 10 hours a day, fuel, parking and road fees, all transfers and tours, the driver's lodging, airport pickup with a name sign and drop-off, a week's SIM with internet, and free child seats and strollers on request, with no other fees even if your flight is late. Flights, health insurance, meals other than hotel breakfast, and entry tickets and optional activities are not included.
- What currency is used in Georgia?
- The official currency in Georgia is the Georgian Lari (GEL). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and exchange offices, and credit cards can be used in most places.
- Should we bring dollars or riyals, and do cards, including mada, work in Georgia?
- Bring undamaged US dollar notes, the easiest currency to change, and change them into lari at exchange offices in the city centre rather than at the airport, where the rate is worse; riyals and dirhams are harder to change. Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, malls and most city restaurants, cash is needed in markets and villages, and a mada card works through the Visa or Mastercard network, so check that your card carries one of these logos.
When to travel and for how long
- What is the best time to travel to Georgia?
- It depends on what you want from the trip: April to June, then September and October, are the best months for mild weather and nature, July and August bring Batumi's sea season and cool mountain air while Tbilisi is hot, and mid-December to March is the snow and ski season in Gudauri and Bakuriani. November is a quiet month with fewer visitors, though cooler and wetter.
- Is Georgia hot in summer, and where can we find cool weather?
- Tbilisi is hot in July and August, often above thirty degrees by day, but the mountains are fresh: Kazbegi and Gudauri run at roughly 15 to 22 degrees by day, Bakuriani and Borjomi are much milder than the capital, and mountain nights call for a light jacket. Batumi is less hot but humid, with swimming from late June to late September, and in summer snow stays only on the high peaks.
- When does it snow in Georgia, and where can we see snow and ski?
- Snow usually settles from mid-December to late March in Gudauri, Bakuriani and Kazbegi, peaking in January and February, while in Tbilisi it rarely stays. Gudauri is higher and suits serious skiing, Bakuriani is calmer and better for families and beginners, and when snow sometimes closes the Kazbegi road, the driver switches the tour to an open destination at no extra cost.
- How many days are enough for Georgia?
- Seven to ten days is ideal for Tbilisi, the Caucasus mountains, Kakheti and Borjomi, then Batumi on the sea without rushing; five days cover Tbilisi, the mountains and Kakheti without Batumi; and in winter the trip turns to the snow in Gudauri and Bakuriani. With two weeks you enjoy it all at an easy pace, with more nights at the main stops, and we send a suggested day-by-day programme as soon as you tell us how many days you have.
- How long is the flight from the Gulf to Georgia, and are there direct flights?
- Direct flights run from most Gulf cities to Tbilisi, and to Batumi in summer as well, taking about two and a half to four hours depending on your city. We do not book flights, but our driver meets you at Tbilisi, Batumi or Kutaisi airport, and Georgia's clock is one hour ahead of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain and the same as the UAE and Oman.
Safety, food and prayer
- Is Georgia safe for families?
- Yes, Georgia is generally safe, Gulf families visit it in large numbers, and people are friendly and hospitable. Normal care is enough: watch your bag and phone in crowded places, keep cash and jewellery out of sight, stay away from gatherings and demonstrations, and with our driver beside you on every day's tours you never have to arrange transport yourself. The emergency number is 112.
- Is food in Georgia halal, and where can we find halal restaurants?
- Not all of it, but halal food is easy to find: Tbilisi and Batumi have Arab and Turkish restaurants serving halal meat, and the driver knows them and can take you to the nearest one. Pork is common in Georgian restaurants, so ask what the meat is and where it comes from before you order, or choose vegetable or fish dishes.
- What are the famous Georgian dishes?
- The best known are khachapuri, bread baked with cheese (the Adjarian kind with egg and butter), khinkali, boiled dumplings filled with minced meat and broth, Georgian grilled meat, satsivi, chicken in walnut sauce, and churchkhela, walnuts coated in thickened grape juice. In Georgian restaurants khinkali and grilled meat are often pork or mixed with pork, so ask about the meat before ordering, or order them in a halal restaurant.
- Are there Muslims and mosques in Georgia, and where can we pray on Friday?
- Yes. Georgia has a native Muslim community, many of them in Adjara around Batumi and south of Tbilisi, with mosques holding Friday and Eid prayers, though most of the population is Orthodox Christian. In Tbilisi the historic Juma Mosque stands in the Old Town near the sulphur baths, Batumi has its central mosque, and the driver stops for you at prayer times.
Getting around and the driver
- How do we get around Georgia: does Bolt work, or should we rent a car and drive?
- Inside Tbilisi and Batumi the Bolt app works and shows the fare before you ride, which suits short trips around town. Driving yourself is possible, but mountain roads need experience and can close in winter, so for a family the easiest way between cities and on tours is a private car with a driver who waits at every stop, priced per day for the whole car.
- In which cities of Georgia is the driver available?
- In every city of Georgia: Tbilisi, Batumi, Kazbegi, Gudauri, Borjomi, Bakuriani, Kutaisi, Kakheti and Mestia. Our strongest presence is Tbilisi, Batumi and the Caucasus. The driver meets you at Tbilisi, Kutaisi or Batumi airport and stays with you for the whole programme. The price is per day for the whole car, not per person, with no prepayment.
- Which car fits our group and luggage?
- A sedan takes three passengers and three large bags, a minivan up to six passengers and eight bags, a van (Vito) up to eight passengers and ten bags, and a Sprinter up to twenty passengers. Sedan and minivan drivers speak Arabic, while van and Sprinter drivers are Georgian with basic English, backed by Arabic support from our office throughout the trip. On request we send you photos of cars in the same class on WhatsApp.
- Is Arabic understood in Georgia?
- Arabic is rare in Georgia outside Arab restaurants: Georgian is the official language, English is common in hotels, restaurants and tourist areas, and Russian among older people. With us language is no worry: sedan and minivan drivers speak Arabic, van and Sprinter drivers are Georgian with basic English backed by Arabic support from our office, and the driver knows the roads and sights and makes suggestions, but he is not a tour guide.
- Do you have English-speaking drivers?
- Yes, van (Vito) and Sprinter drivers are Georgian and speak basic English, while sedan and minivan drivers speak Arabic. The daily price follows the car class, not the driver's language, and our office stays with you on WhatsApp throughout the trip.
- How far are Batumi, Borjomi and Bakuriani from Tbilisi by car?
- From Tbilisi by car, Batumi is about five to six hours, Kutaisi three to three and a half, Borjomi two and a half, Bakuriani three, Gudauri and Sighnaghi about two, and Mtskheta half an hour. We order your programme along the map, from the capital to the north, then the east, then west to the sea, so your days are not lost driving back and forth.
- Can I use my mobile phone in Georgia?
- Yes, and every booking with us includes a SIM with open internet for a week, handed to you by the driver at the airport. For a second SIM or a stay of more than a week, tourist SIMs from Magti, Silknet and Cellfie are sold at the airport and in city shops on showing your passport, eSIMs work on phones that support them, and you can also use roaming from your own provider.
Places and family
- What are the best places to visit in Georgia?
- The highlights are Tbilisi and its Old Town, Mtskheta, the old capital with Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Kazbegi and Gudauri in the Caucasus mountains, Borjomi with its mineral springs and forests and nearby Bakuriani, Sighnaghi in Kakheti, Kutaisi with its caves and canyons, and Batumi on the Black Sea. We fit the ones that suit your number of days into one programme, in a sensible order along the road.
- Which is better, Tbilisi or Batumi, and can we combine them?
- The best plan is to combine them if your trip is a week or longer, as each has its own character: Tbilisi for the Old Town, the markets and trips to the Caucasus mountains, Batumi for the sea, its long boulevard and the green countryside around it, best from June to September. We usually start with Tbilisi and the mountains, then head west to Batumi, where two or three days are normally enough, while a shorter trip stays with Tbilisi and the mountains.
- How far is Kazbegi from Tbilisi, and is one day enough?
- Kazbegi is about 155 km away, roughly three hours on the Georgian Military Highway, and one day is enough, with stops at Ananuri, Gudauri and the Friendship Monument and a return to Tbilisi in the evening. If you prefer a calmer pace you can stay a night, and if snow closes the road in winter the driver switches the tour to an open destination at no extra cost.
- Where can we shop in Tbilisi and Batumi, and what should we buy in Georgia?
- Tbilisi has modern brand malls such as East Point and Tbilisi Mall, the Lilo bazaar with wholesale prices on clothes, shoes and toys, the Dry Bridge market for antiques and silver, and the Dezerter bazaar for spices, honey and nuts, while Batumi has malls and markets in the city centre. The best things to take home are churchkhela, Georgian spices, honey, enamel jewellery and woollen crafts.
- Is Georgia good for travelling with children?
- Yes, Georgia is very good for travelling with children: Tbilisi has Mtatsminda Park, the cable car, the zoo and water parks, Batumi has its seaside boulevard and dolphin show, and winter brings sledging in Bakuriani. We choose family-friendly days and pace the programme to suit the children, child seats and strollers are free on request, and children under five stay free in the hotel.
Registered in Georgia · registration No. 415120808