For most of its history the Mtkvari was something you crossed on old stone bridges. Then, in 2010, a wave of glass and steel arrived: the Bridge of Peace, a pedestrian crossing designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, its curving canopy studded with thousands of lights that pulse in slow patterns after dark.
It was controversial when it opened — too modern, some said, for so old a city — and it has since become one of the things people photograph most. By day it is a bright, transparent ribbon over the water; by night it glows, and the light runs across it in waves.
The bridge links the Old Town to Rike Park, a modern riverside green laid out on the far bank with fountains, walking paths, and an open chessboard. From here the aerial cable car lifts off for Narikala, gliding up over the rooftops to the fortress — which makes Rike the natural starting point for the climb.
It is all within a short, flat walk of the centre. Cross the bridge in the evening for the light show, let the children run in the park, then take the cable car up to the fortress as the city switches on. A neat hour that gathers up old Tbilisi and new in a single loop.
