Upper Lars to Orange Cat Tbilisi by car
From the border road to Orange Cat: prepare for the mountain journey, changing conditions and the final approach to Orange Cat.
Evergreen arrival guidance. Check dated road and border information separately.
What this route is
Upper Lars, also called Verkhny Lars, is the Russia–Georgia border crossing used by overland travellers heading towards Tbilisi. On the Georgian side, the road corridor is known as Mtskheta–Stepantsminda–Larsi.
This page follows the journey to Orange Cat near Technical University Metro. It is not a border-queue service or a promise of a crossing time.
Road context before Tbilisi
The mountain section includes the Stepantsminda and Gudauri–Kobi areas before the approach towards Mtskheta and Tbilisi. Follow the route and restrictions in force on your travel day rather than an old saved itinerary.
Sergey has extensive first-hand experience driving this route. Ask him through your booking-platform conversation if you need route context before arrival; his experience is not confirmation that the road is open today.
The road through the mountains
Photos on this page are from our own trips through the Upper Lars route.
Snow beside the river and on the surrounding cliffs.
Checkpoint lanes beneath the mountains.
The river valley, photographed on one of our trips.
Snow on the mountain section; this photograph is not a road-status update.
These photographs show past trips, not current crossing or road conditions. Check dated restrictions before setting out.
What can change on the day
Border queues, checkpoint delays, weather closures and temporary road restrictions can change quickly. Check current official, dated sources before departure and again before continuing from the border area.
Georgian Roads Department publishes road restrictions. Check the publication time, named road section and vehicle class. A road notice does not establish the border queue or checkpoint waiting time.
No live border or road status is published on this page. Host, community and driver reports are observations at a particular time, not substitutes for official restrictions.
Before you leave the border area
Check that your navigation destination is Orange Cat in Tbilisi, not simply the city centre. Keep your confirmed reservation destination and host conversation available for the final approach.
Send Inessa or Sergey an updated approximate arrival time when your plans change. Avoid treating a navigation estimate as a guaranteed arrival time after a border crossing.
Reaching Tbilisi
Orange Cat is at 24 Vakhtang Bochorishvili Street, Tbilisi. Carrefour and Aversi Pharmacy are in the building and are useful public landmarks when you are close.
There is no private, assigned or guaranteed parking. Free and paid street parking may be available nearby, but finding a space can be difficult. Allow around 15–20 minutes to look; you may need to walk roughly 250–300 metres. Tight spaces may require reversing or parallel parking.
Allow time for parking before the final walk to the building. There is no assigned private parking space.
The final public approach
Use the location section and map to orient yourself towards the building. Confirm that the destination matches your reservation before following the final guest instructions.
Entrance, access sequence and credentials remain private and are sent only to confirmed guests. They are not published here.
Continue planning
Guest Guide · How to book · Metro to Orange Cat · Airport arrival
Route geography is supported by the Roads Department corridor description. This is a geography reference, not a current-status assertion. Host-experience context was supplied by Sergey on 5 October 2026.