All itineraries Updated May 2026

🇬🇪Georgia

Tbilisi as a base, the Military Highway up to Kazbegi, wine country in Kakheti, and the medieval tower villages of Svaneti — with room to extend.

At a glance

Duration: 10-14 days
Best time: late spring (May–June) & early autumn (Sep–Oct)
Budget: 💰

Essentials

Currency: Georgian lari (GEL, ₾)
Hello: Gamarjoba (გამარჯობა)
Thank you: Madloba (მადლობა)

Map

Every stop and day trip on one map.

Stops

Tbilisi — base for the first few days; start and end the trip from here
- Old Town — don't miss on a first feast of khinkali and Saperavi red wine here
- Abanotubani — the sulphur-bath district
- Chreli Abano — one of the prettiest bathhouses - online bookings are available
- Leghvtakhevi Waterfall — at the end of a short gorge behind the bathhouses
- Mother of Georgia
- Narikala Fortress
- Rike Park — get the cable car to the Mother of Georgia statue from here
- Gabriadze Clock Tower
  🎭 There is a free 15-minute puppet performance at the Gabriadze clock tower at 12pm and 7pm. To catch a performance at the Gabriadze Marionette Theatre (not just the clock-tower show), book well ahead - tickets sell out weeks in advance.
- Chronicles of Georgia — a monumental ring of carved pillars on the city's northern edge - get a Bolt there
- Fabrika — a converted Soviet sewing factory, the area is now full of cafés and independent shops
- Holy Trinity Cathedral — the largest in the Caucasus
- Meidan Bazaar — souvenir shopping
- Mtatsminda Park — views of Tbilisi from the highest point with amusement park
🍷 Go to the Tbilisi Wine Museum, take the guided tour - it's free and it's what makes the visit. A glass tasting costs a little extra and is worth adding - and it's nice sipping it whilst having the tour.
Georgian Military Highway & Kazbegi — day trip or stay overnight for the morning light
- Ananuri Fortress — a castle complex on the Zhinvali reservoir
- Georgian Military Highway — historic road connecting Georgia and Russia
- Gudauri View Point — Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument - curved mosaic terrace
- Stepantsminda (also known as Kazbegi) & Gergeti Trinity Church — hilltop church, amazing views of Mt Kazbek
💡 You can do this as a day trip from Tbilisi, or stay the night in Kazbegi - sleeping over means you get the church and the mountain to yourself once the day-tour crowds have left.
Kakheti wine region — Georgia's ancient wine heartland
- Sighnaghi — walled hilltop town, walk the 18th-century walls for views over the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus
- Bodbe Monastery — the hillside convent where St Nino, Georgia's patron saint, is buried
- Telavi — the main city of the region
Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe & Gori — day trip from Tbilisi or stops on the drive to Kutaisi
- Jvari Monastery
- Mtskheta — Georgia's ancient royal capital, a UNESCO site, visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
- Uplistsikhe — ancient cave city carved into the rock
- Gori — Stalin's birthplace and museum
Kutaisi
- Kutaisi Central Park
- Bagrati Cathedral — go for the sunset views over the city
- Gelati Monastery — check the opening times before you go
- Martvili Canyon — turquoise river gorge with rowboat rides
- Prometheus Cave — a vast network of lit chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites
- Tskaltubo — abandoned Soviet spa sanatoriums, if you visit - go to Sanatorium Medea
🥙 Dinner at Bikentia's Kebabery, a Kutaisi institution barely changed since Soviet times. One thing on the menu: beef kebab in a punchy tomato satsebeli sauce, with a wedge of white bread and a beer or lemonade — around 12 lari, cash only. No chairs, mostly locals, lightning-fast, and a portion easily feeds two.
Svaneti — remote valley of medieval stone towers
- Mestia — main Svan town, starting point for lots of hikes
- Ushguli — one of Europe's highest inhabited villages, UNESCO site
🎬 In the afternoon or evening, go to Pub & Cinema Dede. Dede is a locally-produced drama that shows the Svan traditions such as the blood feuds. Screenings run several times a day (around 20 lari, about 1h40) — check the day's times when you arrive, and stay for a drink in the pub.

✈️ The Mestia flight cancels in bad weather, so don't pin it to the same day as an international connection — leave yourself a night in Tbilisi as a buffer.

Good to know

Before you go

Travel insurance is compulsory for all visitors (since January 2026) — buy a policy (min. 30,000 GEL cover) before you fly, and check it covers hiking if you're heading to the mountains.
A local SIM is cheap with fast data — grab one at the airport, or get a Magti eSIM (cheaper than Airalo).
The high mountain roads (Ushguli especially) stay rough until summer, which is also the best time to hike.

Getting around

In Tbilisi, the Bolt app is the easy, fair-priced way to get taxis.
Marshrutkas (shared minibuses) are the cheap way between towns.
Book the Mestia flights (Vanilla Sky) as far ahead as you can — it's a tiny plane and seats sell out fast.
The Kutaisi–Mestia flight doesn't run daily, and any Mestia flight can be cancelled by weather — leave yourself a road backup so you're not stuck.

Extend the trip

Worth adding with more time

Batumi: Black Sea resort city — lively, palm-lined, architecturally eclectic. Add a couple of nights if extending to 13+ days; best in summer.
David Gareji: Remote cave monastery carved into a semi-desert cliff on the Azerbaijan border; a dedicated day trip from Tbilisi. Check road conditions.
Armenia: Bonus day trip to another country or go for 2-3 days. The medieval hilltop Haghpat Monastery, Lake Sevan, Dilijan and Yerevan are one of the day trip options. Or stick to the monasteries in the north only - less driving time. Remember to carry your passport.; 🤔 Our honest take: trying to see all four in a day is rushed and tiring, with more hours in the car than anywhere else. If we did it again, we'd skip it and spend the day back in Tbilisi instead — catching the bits we missed and eating our way through a little more of the food.