Chughureti neighbourhoods we visit every day
The administrative district of Chughureti brings together several historic quarters, and each has a character of its own. When taking a call, the operator asks not just for the street but for the quarter too, because that decides which side the driver approaches from.
- Chughureti proper - the old quarters between the embankment and the avenue, with low houses and deep courtyards.
- Kukia - the quarter at the foot of Mount Makhata, above which lies the old cemetery of the same name.
- Svanetisubani and Ivertubani - a web of narrow streets where an old single-storey house stands beside a later tower block.
- Arsenali - the northern part of the district, with a convenient road through to Didube.
- Around Marjanishvili Square and Aghmashenebeli Avenue - the main axis of the district, a large part of the avenue now pedestrianised.
- Station Square - the central railway station, the busy markets around it and the interchange between the two metro lines.
The crew's route: from Vake to the left bank
The funeral home and its vehicles operate out of Vake, from 10 Zakaria Paliashvili Street. To reach Chughureti the driver crosses the Kura by one of the bridges, choosing whichever is clearer at that hour. The crew is usually there within thirty-five minutes, sometimes sooner at night. If the entrance has a code lock or the courtyard gate is locked, we phone the family from the car so the door can be opened in advance and nobody has to stand freezing at the entrance.
The hearse cannot drive onto the pedestrian section of Aghmashenebeli Avenue. In that case the vehicle stops in the nearest side street, by the gate of the right courtyard, and the crew carries the coffin over the last few metres. The operator clarifies this in the first minutes of the conversation.
Old courtyards with shared galleries
The houses in the old part of Chughureti were mostly built in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The picture is a familiar one: an archway from the street, a courtyard behind it, two or three storeys around, and on each a long wooden balcony-gallery onto which the doors of several flats open. The staircase is often added on the outside, narrow and steep, sometimes spiral.
Bringing the deceased out of such a flat calls for technical care. Old gallery boards cannot always take six people with a heavy load standing at one point, so the crew leader first inspects the balcony and decides where the team may stop and where it may not. The coffin stays in the courtyard, and the crew goes up with a soft stretcher.
Houses without a lift: bringing the coffin down the stairs
The old buildings of Chughureti hardly ever have a lift, and stairwell turns are so tight that a coffin cannot be turned while level. So our pallbearers come for the removal - a team of six, from 300 GEL. They bring the body down on a stretcher, transfer it to the coffin below and accompany it to the hearse.
For the funeral itself, the same six carry the coffin out of the courtyard to the street, and at the cemetery they carry it from the vehicle to the grave. On the steep paths of Kukia this is especially important: vehicles rarely get close to the plot there.
Narrow side streets and where to park the hearse
The lanes of Svanetisubani and Ivertubani are often one-way and tightly packed with parked cars. The driver chooses a spot in advance where the hearse will not block traffic, and when necessary we ask the neighbours to clear a small patch in front of the courtyard for an hour. Hearse hire starts at 150 GEL, and a difficult route within the city does not affect the price.
A refrigerated coffin in a high-ceilinged room
Old flats have high ceilings and thick walls, and in summer they stay cooler than the street, but that is not enough to preserve a body. A refrigerated coffin, at 80 GEL a day, makes a two- or three-day farewell safe. On a wooden floor we set the unit on a broad base, and we route the cable so that guests cannot catch it with a foot.
Home or hall: choosing the place of farewell
Chughureti itself has no hall belonging to us. The nearest option is in Didube, not far from the northern edge of the district: there a family hall for sixty people is let for 300 GEL per day, and the building has a cold room. The full list of halls and their terms is set out on our funeral halls page, and you can read about the adjacent district on the Didube and Dighomi page.
| Option | Why families in Chughureti choose it | What to think about in advance |
|---|---|---|
| Your own flat and courtyard | neighbours close by, elderly guests do not have to travel, lower costs | a narrow staircase, the state of the gallery, room in the courtyard for visitors |
| Family hall in Didube | a cramped flat, many guests expected, heating and parking | 300 GEL per day, transfer from the flat to the hall and from the hall to the cemetery |
Kukia cemetery: old family graves
Kukia cemetery lies on the slope of Mount Makhata above Chughureti and is one of the old cemeteries of Tbilisi. Its hillside still holds headstones inscribed in many languages, reflecting the city's colourful past, and many families have ancestors resting here.
In a historic cemetery like this a new plot cannot always be allocated, and we check each case separately with the cemetery office. If the family's ancestors are buried here, a loved one can be laid beside them by opening the existing grave, provided the office confirms it. Our family grave opening service costs from 350 GEL and includes the permit, careful lifting of the slab or headstone and putting it back in place.
Opening a family grave, step by step
- Finding the papers: the family gives us the old grave certificate, the date of the previous burial or at least a photograph we can use to locate the plot.
- Permission: at the cemetery office we confirm that opening is permitted and that enough time has passed since the last burial.
- On-site inspection: the crew checks the path, the railing and the headstone, since on the slope some graves have been affected by subsiding ground.
- Preparation: the grave is opened the day before the funeral or that same morning, and we put an awning over it.
- Restoration: after the burial the slab and decorative details go back in place, and the family receives photographs of the finished work.
Other cemeteries for Chughureti families
If there is no room at Kukia, or the family wishes otherwise, the most common choice is Mukhatgverdi. From Chughureti it takes roughly twenty to thirty minutes via Didube, avoiding the congested avenues of the centre. We arrange the purchase of a new plot and the preparation of the grave in a single day, and the family pays the cemetery fee against a receipt.
Meeting relatives at the central station
One advantage of Chughureti is that the city's main railway station is inside the district. A relative from Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi or another town could even walk from the station to many Chughureti courtyards. But with luggage, after a night train or an early one, and especially for an elderly person, making your way alone across the crowded square is hard. So one of our staff meets arrivals on the platform, helps with the suitcases and walks them to the house or the funeral hall. And on the day they leave, once the memorial meal is over, we see them right to the carriage door.
If the children live abroad
In old Chughureti families it often happens that a parent lives here, in the old flat, while the children have settled in Europe or America. The main difficulty then is time: tickets and travel take a day or two. We shape the farewell so the family can make it:
- the refrigerated coffin stays in the flat for as many days as needed, or the body is moved to the cold room at the hall;
- the coordinator keeps in touch with the children by video call or messenger and agrees every decision with them;
- we prepare the documents with the relative who is on the spot, so those arriving do not lose time on bureaucracy;
- if someone cannot come, the ceremony can be streamed online.
The neighbourly tradition of the courtyard
A shared galleried courtyard in Chughureti is still a living space. In the days of mourning, chairs, dishes and offers of help pass from balcony to balcony, and neighbours spend the night alongside the family. Our job here is organisational: to help divide up the courtyard so that other residents' doors stay clear, and so the procession leaves the courtyard without any fuss when the funeral morning comes.
Cost guide for a Chughureti family
| Service | Price | Why it matters in Chughureti |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated coffin | 80 GEL per day | while the children fly in from abroad |
| Funeral hall in Didube | 300 GEL per day | when the old flat cannot hold all the visitors |
| Hearse | from 150 GEL | round the pedestrian zone of the avenue, via a side street |
| Pallbearer team (six people) | from 300 GEL | spiral staircases with no lift and the Kukia slope |
| Opening an ancestral grave | from 350 GEL | burial beside ancestors in an old cemetery |
| Budget package | 1,200 GEL | the core services for one sum, no surcharges |
The final total is shaped by the length of the farewell, whether a hall is needed and where the burial takes place. We put together a written estimate during the first conversation.
Budget package or full arrangement
For many families, especially when burying a lonely elderly neighbour, the budget package at 1,200 GEL is enough: a basic coffin, transport and the crew's work. If, however, you want everything in one pair of hands, from the documents to the memorial meal, it is better to choose full funeral arrangement: one coordinator handles every step, and the family is left with only the main decisions.
First steps after a death at home in Chughureti
- Doctor or ambulance: a medic confirms the death, and all later documents are built on that.
- Call the funeral home: give the street, the courtyard entrance, the floor and whether the flat opens onto a gallery.
- The crew arrives: within thirty-five minutes we are there, we prepare the body and set up the refrigerated coffin.
- Decisions: together with the coordinator you choose the place of farewell, the cemetery and the date.
You can compare conditions in other parts of the city on the general Tbilisi districts page.
Frequently asked questions
From Vake, how long is the drive to Chughureti?
The vehicle leaves from Vake and arrives in about thirty-five minutes, often faster at night. On the way the driver checks with you which gate to use to enter the courtyard.
The flat is on the second floor and the staircase is narrow and spiral. Can you manage?
Yes. In houses like this we use a soft stretcher while the coffin waits in the courtyard. Six pallbearers cost from 300 GEL, with no extra charge for the floor or a tricky staircase.
Grandfather is buried at Kukia. Can Mum be laid to rest beside him?
If the grave is a family one and the cemetery office confirms it may be opened, yes. We handle the permit, the work costs from 350 GEL, and the headstone and slab go back in place afterwards.
Do you have a hall in Chughureti itself?
Not in the district. The closest is the family hall in Didube, 300 GEL per day, with a cold room. That said, many families still choose their own flat and courtyard.
Relatives are arriving on the night train. Who will meet them?
One of our staff will meet them on the platform, help with their bags and drive them to the address. The station is in the district itself, so the journey is short.
Our son is flying in from America in two days. Will he be in time to say goodbye?
Yes. At 80 GEL a day, a refrigerated coffin lets the farewell be safely extended, and we set the funeral date around his flight.
We live on the pedestrian part of Aghmashenebeli Avenue. How will you get to us?
The hearse will stop in the nearest side street, and the crew will carry the coffin the last stretch. This does not raise the price.
The wooden galleries of Chughureti, its spiral staircases and the paths on the Kukia slope are all familiar ground to us. The senior on duty picks up within seconds of a ring to +995 568 33 03 18, whether by day or deep into the night, and dispatches a crew at once, while looking after relatives off the train and children flying in from abroad becomes our job.