Popular Airport | Kutaisi Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 6 hour 30 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 5220 Km |
There are different sea and air transportation options to go from Male city center and other Maldivian islands to Male Airport. You can choose speedboat and sea plane as a means of sea transportation, or you can choose regional airplane service as a means of airway transportation.
The speedboat called the Dhoni in Maldives is one of the vehicles that will provide you with quick access to Male Airport. You can reach Male Airport quickly thanks to the speedboats which are mostly used for shorter distances.
You can reach Male Airport while enjoying a bird's-eye view with the sea planes. If you want to enjoy the unique natural beauty of Maldives and to have a pleasant and comfortable journey, you can choose sea planes.
You can choose to go to Male Airport with regional airplanes from other islands in Maldives. There are 6 regional airports to choose from in Maldives. These are Dharavandhoo Airport, Kadhdhoo Airport, Fuvahmulah Airport, Kooddoo Airport, Kaadedhdhoo Airport and Hanimaadhoo Airport.
Male Airport, which is the largest airport in the Maldive Islands, is also the Maldives' only international airport. Male Airport on Hulhule Island, which is only one kilometer from Maldives' capital, Male, brings tourists from all over the world to the Maldives every year. Male Airport has three different terminal buildings where international and regional flights and sea plane flights are held from.
The airport has a health center where you can find all the health services and a pharmacy where you can get your medicines. There is also a babysitting room at the airport, where children are also considered. There is a computer room with internet access for those who need it, shower rooms, a mosque for Muslims, a private room for smokers at the airport, where wheeled luggage carrying vehicles make it easier for passengers.
In addition to these, bank ATMs, where you can make your money transactions, are located at the terminal where the regional flight are held from. In the main terminal, there is a mail office where you can post your mail. Services at Male Airport also include shopping and eating and drinking places. These places include Liquor & Tobacco, Perfumes & Cosmetics, Souvenirs, Confectionery, Courtvision Spice Shop, The Coffee Club, Tahi Express, Dome Male International Airport and Burger King.
There is the Rioni river at the entrance of Kutaisi, which is the second largest and most developed city of Georgia, and this river literally divides the city into two. Kutaisi is located in the Imerati Region in the western part of Georgia and its distance to the country’s capital, Tbilisi, is approximately 221 kilometers. The city’s population is around 201.000. Kutaisi’s urban transportation is mostly composed of buses, trolleys, taxis and mini-buses called marshrutka.
There is also a big train station in the city. But from this train station, daily express trains from Kutaisi to Georgia’s other major cities depart. As the area of the city is small, majority of the visitors walk or use taxis for transportation.
Kutaisi railway terminal is directly connected to Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi. All of the trains leaving from this terminal are operated by Georgian Railways. You can travel to Tbilisi from Kutaisi in around 5.5 hours by taking the train #18, which departs from Kutaisi I station. There are also daily express trains.
The train starts its trip at 08.50 every morning and arrives at Tbilisi in 6 hours. This train also stops in Mtskheta, the former capital of Georgia. There are also regular bus trips from Didube bus station in Didube, where the metro station in Tbilisi is located at, to Kutaisi. Price for this bus trip is only 10 Lari.
In addition to the marshrutkas and buses, you may also consider using car rental services or taxis for transportation to city centre from the Kutaisi Airport.
After arriving at the Kutaisi Airport, take the exit from the arrival terminal and proceed to the bus stops. As well as the buses, marshrutkas also depart to Kutiasi city centre or suburbans from the bus stops at the area in front of the terminal building. Marshrutka drivers may not accept paying with dollar or euro, so do not forget to stop by the exchange office in the airport just in case.
Marshrutkas leaving from Kutaisi Airport go directly to the Kutaisi bus station just behind McDonalds. Marshrutkas, which run in every 20 minutes, provide transportation services to the town of Samtredia from Kutaisi Airport for a fee of 2 Lari. There are also vehicles named ‘direct marshrutkas’, which have a fare of 5 Lari. These direct marshrutkas will take you to your destination as well.
There are direct marshrutkas running between Kutaisi Airport and Tbilisi, and fare is currently 20 Lari. Likewise, there are also marshrutkas going directly to Batumi, another major city of Georgia, for a fare of 18 Lari.
Bus service timetable are usually updated according to the flights' arrival times. You don’t need to worry if you forget to get Georgian currency, as it is possible to buy bus tickets with euro or dollar as well.
Taxi is the most economical vehicle you can use for traveling to the city centre from Kutaisi Airport. Traveling to the city centre from the airport by taxi costs around 25 Lari, but you can drop the price to 20 Lari by bargaining with the taxi driver.
The only thing that you need to do to go city centre from Kutaisi Airport by your rented car is to take the highway, which passes right by the airport, and follow the direction signs to the city. You can reach the city centre in around 20 minutes by your vehicle.
As well as you can find several rent a car services at the exit of Kutaisi Airport terminal, you can also make benefit of discounts by making an online reservation. People visiting Kutaisi often prefer renting a car as they usually include visiting other Georgian cities such as Tbilisi and Batumi in their travel plans.