There wasn't much special about this street. A few shops and a church here and there. Not worth the walk in my opinion.
One get a feel of the run down side of Tbilisi .... beggars, old folks selling at the stairs of Academy of Science, men gathered near McDonalds.... side by side with expensive brand name stores. Folks we talked to did not give a rosy picture of the country's economy.
it is 1,5 km long and so cute with many shops, old buildings, offices, cafes. This is one of the central streets in Tbilisi beloved by its citizens and the guests.
This street has a lot of trees, very good. This street has a LOT of traffic and exhaust . And noise.Here's what it doesn't have, a lot of interesting things to look at. A few, but not a lot. You will walk on it if you go to the museum or Prospero's books and coffee. That's enough.
This avenue is the heart of Tbilisi. There are many restaurants, shops, souvenir shops, cafes and so on. You should see there on foot and take photos!
Along this street, the central street of Tbilisi, , are several metro stations, the art museum, and a number of architecturally attractive buildings. There are also several blocks comprised of of galvanised iron. You need to choose in advance what you want to see on this street rather than simply wander its length optimistiically,.
Rustaveli Avenue is worth a visit, if only to see the mix of old and new in Tbilisi. There are high-end shops interspersed with old and interesting buildings and monuments. There's a great stretch of street vendors selling Georgian-made souvenirs and goods, many being sold by the artisans themselves.
We were very pleasantly surprised at our first sight of Tbilisi town centre. The Christmas/New Year lights were fantastic. Probably the best lights we've seen anywhere. Our apartment was just off the Avenue so we walked along it several times a day and never got bored. Late afternoon and until late at night it was filled with stalls selling toys, food and even candy floss. There were several Santa Claus! Lots of shops, restaurants, churches etc.
I was in Tbilisi in the fall of 2010, so things might be different, but there were nice restaurants, night clubs where you could dance, places to shop, an art scene, and lots of beautiful people. Don't expect the "American" items on the restaurant menus to taste American though, because some ingredients just aren't available. For instance, my Greek salad had chunks of cream cheese rather than feta, little things like that. Overall awesome place to walk around and explore.
Shops, people, street markets, the opera, the house of parliament, underground corridors, etc. This avenue is really lively.