Prepare a Caucasus traffic guide before traveling in the Caucasus.

There must be few people who know the scenic spot of Caucasus. Today, Bian Xiao is going to tell you about this scenic spot. You can learn more about this scenic spot. Let's take a look.

About route arrangement

Because my holiday time is limited, I took annual leave and spent three days in the Mid-Autumn Festival together. A day is nine days, but the day before and after is basically on the road. So the real time is only seven days, and time is still precious. Therefore, how to arrange the route is really a problem, especially since I am only interested in Georgia, but I want to stay in Baku. Generally speaking, I gave up Kutaisi, Batumi and Armenia. After all, Mestia was the first reason why I decided to come to Transcaucasia. In fact, geographically speaking, only Georgia can be regarded as a real Transcaucasian country. So my route is Baku-Tbilisi-Stepanzminda-Mestia-Baku. Maybe this route is not very suitable, but in retrospect, I am quite satisfied with my arrangement. If there is a long vacation in the future, maybe my route will be more reasonable and make me fantasize.

About the time of ticket purchase

After purchasing tickets through three different channels and comparing their prices, I chose to buy them in official website of China Southern Airlines, almost four or five months before departure. Because the flight time from Xi 'an to Tbilisi was always inappropriate, I missed the big promotion and other activities, and the ticket price was higher than my psychological price. Finally, I chose the flight from Xi to Baku and made a connecting flight in Urumqi. The average transit time is about 3 hours, and the air ticket is about 3000 yuan. If you feel uncertain about your time, it is recommended to buy a refund insurance, which can slightly reduce some losses. It is suggested that you can still find your ideal price ticket by using Skyscanner application or searching for the fare on its website and setting the price change reminder.

On trans-regional transportation mode

I have read many guidebooks in Canada. For the modes of transportation in these countries, there are planes, trains and buses. Originally, I wanted to fly to save time and effort. Later, I thought about it, but I rarely came back to experience the cross-border train. Although I still didn't forget the fear that the train from varanasi to Agra was delayed 18 hours last year. After confirming the train from Baku to Tbilisi, and whether Tbilisi is a train or a plane, I wrote to customer service to learn about vanilla air Company. After there were no flights in September, I had no choice but to buy train tickets. The trains from Baku to Tbilisi all leave at 9: 50 pm and arrive at 10: 30 the next day. They were purchased on the official website, Azerbaijan Railway System. The second-class seat is a box with four beds, and the first-class seat is a box with two beds, but the space is quite narrow. I bought a first-class seat with VISA Euro Single-currency Credit Card of China CITIC Bank at a price of 58.4 manat. After purchase, you will receive a pdf file with train information printed on it, print it out, and take your passport to the ticket office of Baku Railway Station to change it into a bus ticket. From Tbilisi to Stepan Minda, in addition to chartered bus, if you want to take a bus, you have to take the subway to Didibi bus station first, and then take a bus to Stepan Minda town center bus station when you come back. Ticket price 10~ 15 lari, if several people spell minivan, it is 20 lari. It should be noted that the bus runs every hour, but it is not, the driver. Besides vanilla air Company, the train from Tbilisi to Mestia is the most convenient. Take the train to Zugdidi first, and then carpool with some tourists to Mestia. Carpooling is generally 20~25 lari. Train tickets to Zugdidi have to be bought in advance, especially first-class seats. Because it was late, I only bought a second-class ticket on the way and a first-class ticket on the return trip. The ticket is purchased in official website, and the second-class ticket leaves at 2 1 larry, 2 1: 45, and arrives at around 6: 00 the next morning. The first-class ticket returns at 35 larry, leaving at 22: 15 and arriving at 6: 29 the next morning. Print out the received electronic tickets and show them to the flight attendants when you get on the bus. Don't forget what is the reason for choosing a train with your passport? Joan, of course. If you think it's too much trouble to buy train tickets in official website, no problem, X Bao will solve it perfectly.

About urban transportation mode

Because I stayed in Baku for a short time and lived near the scenic spots, I basically chose to walk, and I didn't know the city's transportation card and other information. In Tbilisi, it is very convenient to buy a transportation card. There are self-service recharge or card processing facilities in the city every once in a while. There is a subway station next door to the railway station. There are facilities for card processing at the door, and there are English options. If I don't understand, I can also ask the staff next to me to apply for the card. Traffic cards can be used on subways and buses, but yellow minibuses can't. You have to pay cash. I recharged 10 Larry. On the last day, I took the bus to the airport to check the balance, and there was still 8 lari, which is also because I only took the subway three times and took the bus three times. . . . . .

About currency exchange

This trip involves two countries, but because poor travel is the foundation, I only brought 400 dollars. At present, the exchange rate between Azerbaijani currency Manat and China RMB is 1: 4.0474, while the exchange rate between Georgian currency Larry and China RMB is 1: 2.6352. MANET: I changed it at a bank near the hotel. It's a 24-hour outlet, which is very convenient, but because it was late at that time, I didn't care much about how much I changed. . . . . . The old town of Tbilisi and Didibi bus station are full of foreign exchange shops, so it is very convenient to exchange money, but I have to find a shop where I can exchange Azerbaijani money, because I have to exchange more manats. You can always find a store with a better exchange rate through comparison. About accommodation

I booked the accommodation in Baku by booking tickets. Because I was going to the railway station the next day, I chose a hotel near the railway station, and of course it was also close to other old towns and Binhai Avenue. 200 RMB a night, contacted the hotel owner to pick me up, 20 manat, which was satisfactory on the whole and the service was quite thoughtful. In Tbilisi, couchsurfing, the landlord I contacted before, told me temporarily that I couldn't receive it because of work, so I changed to airbnb to find accommodation, and finally finalized a small apartment near the old city with a bus stop nearby. The landlord was patient and met my various needs. Mestia is also booked. The rating and evaluation are good, and the surrounding scenery is also very pleasing to the eye. The only drawback is that it is on the edge of town and needs to climb mountains, but everything else is perfect.

About visas

Both Azerbaijanis and Georgians can apply for electronic visas through their official websites. The cost is about 20 dollars, and it will be signed within one week. However, Azerbaijan is a single visa and Georgia is a multiple-entry visa. Therefore, if I travel to and from Baku in this way, I can only choose to fly from Tbilisi to Baku, because only planes can apply for visas on arrival. Baku airport has self-service electronic visa facilities, which are very convenient. If you really can't operate, the staff will take the initiative to help you complete it, either in cash or by credit card.