Green Bazaar

"It is open every day of the week from morning until the early evening. I recommend visiting no earlier than 10am. The covered part of the market is divided into several sections. On the main floor, you’ll find stalls selling bundles of herbs, wreaths of dried chillies, marigold flowers and persimmons, and mountains of seasonal fruit and veg. The elevated level of the covered section contains more stalls and a very photogenic spice shop selling paprika, adjika, Svanetian salt, Imeretian tea leaves and other treats. The central hall is home to the cheese, dairy and flour section, and several outdoor corridors on the periphery have more fruit and honey shops If you need a caffeine hit, I recommend the Cafes Richard coffee stand on the corner. If you want a bite to eat, there is a sit-down cafe inside the Green Bazaar called Bread and Wine. They sell Lagidze natural lemonade and delicious lobiani and khachapuri. Another must-see is the ‘Kolkhida‘ or ‘Kolkheti’, an imposing Soviet-era bas-relief on the market facade. Created by artist Bernard Nebieridze in 1982, the rust-coloured panel references the Kingdom of Colchis, with scenes of Medea, Jason and the Golden Fleece interwoven with other Kutaisi-related imagery. It took 10 years to complete and following the artist’s untimely death, was completed by his colleagues. Walk around the rear of the market, through the bustle of stalls on Paliashvili I Alley, to Varlamishvili Street where you’ll see cheese and chacha vendors in their sweet little hole-in-the-wall shops."