Tblisi. Georgia

Tbilisi has come a long way since it ousted the post-Soviet Shevardnadze government. To its dramatic setting in the valley of the swift Mtkvari River, with picturesque architecture, an ever-lively arts and cultural scene, and the welcoming Georgian lifestyle have added a whole new dimension of cafes and restaurants serving ever better food, updated lodgings, funky bars, refurbished museums, galleries, parks, plazas and whole streets, and a sprinkling of eye-catching contemporary architecture.