Perched on the forested slopes above Tbilisi's old town, Mtatsminda Park sits at roughly 770 metres above sea level and offers one of the most dramatic urban panoramas in the Caucasus. Getting there is half the pleasure: the Mtatsminda Funicular, which has been hauling passengers up the hill since 1905, deposits you at a mid-station near the Pantheon cemetery — a sombre, ivy-covered spot where Georgia's most celebrated writers, composers and national heroes are buried, including the poet Nikoloz Baratashvili. The upper station opens onto a proper Soviet-era amusement park that has been partially modernised but still carries a wonderfully retro atmosphere, with a Ferris wheel, thrill rides and a television tower rising improbably from the treeline.
Park