Planning a trip to Tbilisi and wondering how to stay connected in Georgia? Make sure you don't get stuck with high roaming charges or slow overseas data plans. This is a complete guide for buying a sim card at Tbilisi Airport in 2024.
Find out everything you need to know about buying a sim card on arrival at Tbilisi Airport with up to date prices as per January 2024, info about the best e-sim cards for Georgia, my recommendation, information about international sim cards and more.
Traveltomtom recommends buying a prepaid sim card at Tbilisi Airport or getting an e-sim card for Georgia to stay connected.
If for some reason you were not able to buy a sim card for Georgia at Tbilisi Airport then get yourself a prepaid sim card in the city center of Tbilisi and check out my article about buying a sim card for Georgia in 2024.
Georgia is one of my favorite countries to crash in and between my trips around the world. It is a great digital nomad country with fantastic places to visit and things to do.
Finding the best way to stay connected is the first thing I do when I get in a new country. Mostly these days I use e-sim cards, but if I need a lot if Gigabytes then I prefer to buy a local prepaid sim card.
As I am continuously traveling around the world since 2012 and also aiming to visit every country in the world you can already find more than 200 sim card guides on Traveltomtom from all around the world: Europe, Germany, Frankfurt, United Kingdom, London, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Istanbul, Turkey, USA, New York, Vietnam, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Manila, Philippines and many more.
So next time when planning your trip abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark me!
When traveling to Georgia I am sure you will love the vibe and the people. The quality of life and the value for money is amazing in Georgia. Check out my complete travel guides for Tbilisi or Batumi with all my travel tips, things to do, places to visit, best restaurants and more.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying a Magti sim card at Tbillisi Airport on arrival. Although Cellfie has some great prepaid sim card deals for tourists, Magti has much better 4G/5G mobile network coverage in Georgia.
E-sim cards for traveling to Georgia are the fastest and easiest way to get connected as you simply order them on the internet and you are online as soon as the plane lands. E-sim card plans already start from just $5.5 USD, which also makes e-sim cards the cheapest way to stay connected when traveling to Georgia.
Traveltomtom recommends using either Airalo or SimOptions to order your e-sim card for Georgia.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible and the idea of buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival in Tbilisi sounds like too much hassle then check out international physical prepaid sim cards for traveling in Georgia. These travel sim cards with data have coverage in multiple countries. Have a look at my comparison of the best world travel sim cards with global coverage in 2024.
Best e-sim cards for Georgia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Georgia in 2024 is an e-sim card. Keep your own phone number from home and use an e-sim card for Georgia at the same time. Within a couple minutes you can arrange everything online and there is no need to swap a physical sim card or visit a sim card store.
You order an e-sim card for Georgia on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Georgia e-sim card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Georgia it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Airalo
Airalo is a trusted e-sim provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo in more than 50 countries around the world. Check out the Airalo e-sim card plans for Georgia for 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5.5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $10 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $13.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $20 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $35 USD
Click here for more info or to directly order an Airalo e-sim card for Georgia.
All the above data-only e-sim cards are only valid in Georgia. Both the SimOptions and the Kargi Mobile e-sim cards operate on the Cellfie (former Beeline) 4G/LTE mobile network in Georgia.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another trusted e-sim provider. They offer the following e-sim cards for traveling to Georgia in 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $7.90 USD
- 3 GB data for 15 days = $14.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 15 days = $19.90 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $39.90 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $69.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order a SimOptions e-sim card for Georgia directly online.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Georgia.
You can also still order a physical prepaid sim card for Georgia that will be delivered to your home address before your trip. For example an international sim card from Orange with 10 GB data for $49.90 USD valid in 124 countries. Click here to order this Georgia prepaid sim card deal via SimOptions.
Tbilisi Airport
The biggest international airport in Georgia is located about 17 kilometers away from the city center of Tbilisi. There are arrivals and departures all night long and the airport is open 24 hours. One time I arrived around 4.00 am local time and it was pretty busy. All the car rental shops, cafe’s and sim card shops were open.
The airport is fairly small for international standards and it is easy to buy a prepaid sim card for Georgia. Also important: there is fast and reliable free wifi at Tbilisi Airport!
Where to buy a sim card at Tbilisi Airport
As soon as you walk out of arrival you will find all the mobile phone shops right in front of you. There are three mobile internet operators in Georgia and all three have a shop at the airport. Right in front you will see Cellfie (former Beeline), on your right there is Magti and next to the exit on the left there is Geocell/Silknet.
Prices sim card at Tbilisi Airport in 2024
As a tourist traveling to Georgia I can understand that you want to get connected to the internet straight away. Buying a sim card at Tbilisi Airport is also the first thing I did. But what is the best sim card available?
Prices below are in Georgian Lari and as per January 2024: $1 USD = 2.68 GEL and 1 GEL = $0.37 USD.
Geocell/Silknet
There is a Geocell kiosk selling Georgia sim cards for tourists. The following packages include unlimited calls/text in Georgia:
- 1 GB data = 25 GEL - $9 USD
- 5 GB data = 35 GEL - $13 USD
- 7 GB data = 40 GEL - $15 USD
- 20 GB data = 65 GEL - $24 USD
- 35 GB data = 95 GEL - $35 USD
All the above sim card packages are valid for 30 days, only within Georgia. Coming from a western country I am sure these prices are very affordable.
Magti
On your right hand side when walking out of arrivals there is Magti Georgia. The two ladies at the booth seemed a little tired this early in the morning but were very helpful finding me the perfect tourist sim card for Georgia. These are the 2 plans they offer:
- 3 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 30 minutes international calls for 15 days = 30 GEL - $11 USD
- 5 GB data + free texting for 15 days = 15 GEL - $5.5 USD
Cellfie (former Beeline)
A Georgia prepaid sim card for tourists from Cellfie costs:
2 GB data + Unlimited calls/sms in Georgia + 50 minutes international calls for 15 days = 20 GEL - $7.5 USD
If you need more data there are add-on data packages avaiable:
- 1 GB data = 4 GEL - $1.5 USD
- 4 GB data = 9 GEL
- 8 GB data = 16 GEL - $6 USD
- 30 GB data = 25 GEL - $9 USD
The above data packages are valid for 30 days, calls and sms are not included. These Beeline/Cellfie data packages are really good value if we compare them with the Magti and Geocell.
Best sim card at Tbilisi Airport in 2024
Comparing all the Georgia sim cards for tourists available at Tbilisi Airport I can come to the conclusion that Magti is the best prepaid sim card for tourists at Tbilisi Airport in 2024.
However, if you are a fan of big data bundles you might want to consider Cellfie with a 30 GB data package for $9.5 USD. Keep in mind that Cellfie has the weakest 4G/5G mobile data network coverage in Georgia. Check out my comparison of the best sim cards for Georgia in 2024 for more info.
Why choosing Magti as the best sim card for Georgia? This is based on my own experiences, advice from locals and expat friends and my comparison of the 4G/5G coverage maps of all the mobile internet providers in Georgia.
Local prepaid sim cards are cheap in Georgia and e-sim cards are more expensive. That said, it is very tempting to order an e-sim card for Georgia on the internet. It is simple, fast and easy and there are great e-sim card deals for Georgia.
There are Airalo e-sim cards for Georgia from $5.5 USD and SimOptions has Georgia e-sim cards with 20 GB data.
Order a prepaid sim card for Georgia online
Although many people in Georgia consider themselves part of Europe, the reality is that Georgia is NOT part of the EU and that also means there is no free EU roaming available and sim cards from Europe don't work in Georgia unless paying for roaming charges.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible but buying a sim card at Tbilisi Airport sounds like too much effort then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Georgia with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Georgia, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards valid in 124 countries including Georgia:
- 10 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international physical prepaid sim card for Georgia via SimOptions.
Also a last reminder that if your phone is e-sim compatible you can also order an e-sim card for Georgia. It is simple, fast and easy. Recommended Georgia e-sim card operators are Airalo and SimOptions.
Travel tips for Tbilisi
Georgia is striving to be one of the most tourist friendly countries in the world and has opened its borders to a many international visitors. There is a big chance your country is also listed for staying up to 365 days in the country. Yes the stamp in your passport is valid for 1 year! Tbilisi tourism is picking up fast and the city has a lot to offer. Not only is traveling around the city easy and cheap, there are many things to do and places to see in Tbilisi.
To catch up with work I lived a little more than 3 weeks in Tbilisi. Have a look at my all my Tbilisi travel tips here.
Take for example the ferris wheel on top of the hill with magnificent views or the cosy Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue with its many bars and restaurants. Eat out for just a couple dollars and drink a good coffee for 1 euro!
There are many reasons to visit Tbilisi in Georgia. And when traveling to Georgia also don't miss the second biggest city on the west coast, check out my Batumi travel tips here!
Best ways to get around in Georgia
Ever heard of a transportation search engine? Since I started using 12Go Asia finding bus, train and flight tickets became much easier. If you are looking how to travel around Georgia or even international to Yerevan in Armenia or Baku in Azerbaijan this is a great tool.
Powered by 12Go system
Try the search engine above yourself and find all bus, train and flights in one overview including: travel duration, price, seat availability, reviews and you can of course directly book your ticket online.
How to get from Tbilisi airport to the city
There are 3 ways to get to Tbilisi City Center: bus, train, taxi.
The bus runs 24/7 and cost only 1 GEL = $0.4 USD. It takes around 30 - 40 minutes to reach the city center. Busses are modern. Look for bus route nr. 37.
The train does NOT run that often and stops running at night. It is very comfortable though. The train also cost 1 GEL only and takes 20 minutes. The train is my preferred way of transportation from Tbilisi Airport to the city center.
As usual there are of course many taxi drivers waiting for you when you arrive. Within 20 minutes depending on traffic they will drop you in front of your hotel. These guys ask between 25 - 60 GEL. As a modern traveler I would like to suggest to download the Yandex app, this is the Uber for Georgia. I arranged a taxi through Yandex and paid 20 GEL, where the taxi drivers at the airport were asking 40 - 50 GEL.
I hope the above tips for buying a prepaid Tbilisi sim card were helpful for your upcoming Tbilisi holiday. In case you have any questions don't hesitate to leave me a comment below. I am happy to help you out!
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of January 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Georgia!
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