Driving from Tbilisi/Georgia to Russia via the Upper Lars border: how long does the crossing take and what practical road pitfalls should travelers expect?
Based on 2 discussions with 3 participants · Last activity: 13 days ago
TL;DR
Recent reports suggest the Upper Lars crossing by car can take about 3.5 hours from the traffic queue to clearing Georgia, but much longer if you arrive late at night when trucks are backed up. On Georgian roads, stepping into the roadway can lead to a 200 GEL fine, even if you stop because of an animal.
What the community said
If you also need to move a pet onward from Georgia to Europe, travelers report using private road carriers, for example to Germany. One recent quote was $1,000+ for a dog, not including paperwork.
13 days ago Germany, $1,000+
One recent Upper Lars crossing went like this: arrival at the traffic queue at 13:45, Russian border at 16:20, out of Russia at 16:50, Georgian border at 17:09, and fully through at 17:26. That gives a practical estimate of about 3 hours 40 minutes from queue to completion.
13 days ago Upper Lars, 13:45–17:26
At night, especially when trucks are lined up, the crossing can be much slower: one car arrived around 23:00 and only got through by 04:00 Georgia time. Another practical warning on Georgian roads is stopping behavior: police issued a 200 GEL fine after travelers got out because of a dog on the roadway.
13 days ago 200 GEL fine