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CultureThe Bridge of Peace is a glass-and-steel pedestrian bridge that arcs across the Kura River (Mtkvari in Georgian) in the very heart of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
Design & Architecture
Opened on 6 May 2010, it was designed by the celebrated Italian architect and designer Michele De Lucchi, while its lighting scheme was conceived by the French lighting designer Philippe Martinaud. The 150-metre bow-shaped deck is crowned by a transparent glass canopy often likened to a great wave or a jellyfish; its steel skeleton was fabricated in Italy and shipped to Tbilisi in some 200 trucks before being assembled on site. The bridge's real magic emerges after dark. Embedded in its canopy are 1,208 custom LED fixtures that come alive from 90 minutes before sunset until 90 minutes after sunrise, cycling through four different lighting programs every hour and mirroring their glow on the river below. Running along the two parapets is an illuminated message in Morse code that spells out the periodic table of chemical elements, symbolising the building blocks of life and peace and giving philosophical weight to the bridge's name.
Location & Surroundings
The structure links the narrow cobbled lanes of Old Tbilisi and its historic core, including Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica, with Rike Park, the cable-car station and the riverside promenade on the opposite bank. This position makes it a natural anchor of any Tbilisi city tour. Rike Park lies barely 200 metres away, the cable car up to Narikala Fortress about 240 metres, and Sioni Cathedral roughly 190 metres, so the bridge is typically folded into the same half-day walk that takes in Metekhi Church, Narikala and the sulphur bathhouses.
Visiting, Access & Tips
Turkish agencies who route the Black Sea-Georgia extension across the Sarpi border via Batumi tend to make Tbilisi the hub of days two and three, and they slot the Bridge of Peace into free evening time as a photo and stroll focus, because it is free of charge, suitable for all ages, and delivers a strong visual memory in a short time. The average visit lasts 20 to 40 minutes. For photographers the ideal moment is sunset, when the steel-and-glass form fuses with blue-hour light and its reflection on the water. The Rike Park terrace and the quay on the far bank yield the strongest frames.
Route & Best Time
Although accessible for most of the year, the most pleasant seasons are mild spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October), while summer evenings see the heaviest visitor traffic.
Visit & Logistics
Visit & Logistics- Getting thereIn central Tbilisi; about a 10-minute walk from Avlabari metro station, with direct pedestrian access from the Old Town (Meydan) side. About 6 hours by road from Batumi (via the Sarpi border); tour coaches drop passengers in the city centre, with the final approach to the bridge on foot.
- ParkingThe bridge has no parking of its own; the nearest options are paid street/car parks around Rike Park and the old town ring road. Tour coaches drop passengers at a nearby set-down point.
- Coach accessTour coaches cannot pull up directly to the bridge; after set-down at Rike Park or the old town edge, the approach is entirely on foot. Buses require a separate parking area.
- AccessibilityThe bridge is entirely pedestrian with a largely flat or gently sloped deck, accessible for wheelchairs and prams. However, the paving stones and stepped connections on the old town side can be challenging; the Rike Park side is flatter and more accessible.
- Photo spotsThe Rike Park terrace (framing the bridge's full length and wave canopy), the river quay on the opposite bank (a symmetric evening frame with Narikala Fortress as backdrop), the perspective beneath the glass canopy from mid-bridge, and night shots at sunset/blue hour when the LED programme is active.
- Suggested routeThe evening anchor of the Tbilisi city tour: as the start/end loop of the Meydan/old town walk to Bridge of Peace to Rike Park to the Narikala cable car route; best timed to the sunset-blue hour window.
Nearby Places
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