Tbilisi

This 20m-tall aluminium symbol of Tbilisi holds a sword in one hand and a cup of wine in the other – a classic metaphor for the Georgian character, warmly welcoming guests and passionately fighting off enemies. It's a short walk along the ridge from Narikala Fortress and the cable-car station.

The major highlight of the impressive national museum is the basement Archaeological Treasury, displaying a wealth of pre-Christian gold, silver and precious-stone work from burials in Georgia going back to the 3rd millennium BC. Most stunning are the fabulously detailed gold adornments from Colchis (western Georgia). On the top floor, the Museum of Soviet Occupation has copious detail on Soviet repression and local resistance to it.

The popular Chreli Abano boasts an impressive Persian-style facade and has been comprehensively renovated in recent years. Although it now looks inside much like any sauna in the world, this is probably the most comfortable place to enjoy a sulphur bath in Tbilisi. Booking ahead online is advisable.

The amusement park on top of Mt Mtatsminda will interest children, but can also be a lot of fun for adults (check out the enormous Ferris wheel) and the views over the city are nothing short of spectacular. Get here from the city centre by using the funicular.

Fêted as one of the best techno clubs in the world and mentioned breathlessly in a thousand magazine articles, Bassiani is the Berghain of the Caucasus and an absolute highlight of Tbilisi's famous nightlife. Housed in a former swimming pool under the Dinamo Stadium, the incredibly lit space features a Funktion-One sound system, two dance floors and numerous chill-out areas.

Tbilisi's beautiful opera house, in a 19th-century neo-Moorish building, finally reopened after years of renovation in 2016 and is looking gorgeous. Opera, ballet and classical concerts play to full houses here, but in the summer months you may find that there are more people filming performances than watching them. The box office is rather hidden around the right-hand side.

You’ll find all kinds of knick-knacks and intriguing miscellanea at Tbilisi's best and most popular open-air flea market – original art, shaggy shepherds' hats, accordions, jewellery, silver, glass, daggers and Soviet memorabilia. It's best at weekends when there's an almost carnivalesque atmosphere.