Georgia is a relatively small country, but despite that, it offers magnificent, impressive, and adventurous destinations. And the best way to explore the country and get the feel of what Georgia is all about, here’s the perfect two-week itinerary for your road trip across the country.
Day 1-3: Kakheti region
Photo Source: Food Fun Travel
Start your trip with Kakheti region, located at the eastern part of the country. Drive to David Gareji, a rock-hewn monastery complex on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareja. There are hundreds of cells, chapels, churches, and living quarters dug out of the rock. Additionally, the monastery has one of the well preserved medieval frescos depicting saints.
Then, continue your way towards Sighnaghi, one of the smallest towns of Georgia and stay there for two nights. Pastel color houses with red tile rooftops, picturesque view of Alazany Vellay with the Caucasus Mountains as its backdrop, cobblestone streets, and its defensive wall, makes it a popular destination for many travelers coming to Georgia. A full day is more than enough for sightseeing.
Apart from gorgeous landscapes, Kakheti is also famous for its wine. Therefore, a trip to the region is not complete without tasting one or visiting a local winery.
Day 4: Gori and Uplistsikhe
Photo Source: Advantour
Start your day early by driving to the town of Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. The city itself has limited sites to explore. History lovers will enjoy a visit to Stalin’s House Museum displaying his memorabilia, photos, personal train carriage, and the exact house he was born. Those you are interested in WWII can visit the Great Patriotic War Museum that showcases Georgia’s involvement in the war as well as the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia in 2008.
Once you are done here, continue your way to Uplitsikhe, an ancient rock-hewn town. Located only 9 km from Gori, it is the oldest settlements in Georgia covering around 8 ha of land. Back in the day, Uplistsikhe was a strategic town of Kartli Kingdom, which led to many invasions and reconstruction of the city. Therefore, you can find different architectural styles here, including Christian, Anatolian, Persian, and pagan.
The majority of those caves lack any decorations, although some more significant buildings have tunnel-arched ceilings. Christian basilica stands at the peak of the complex, built from brick and stone in the 9th-10th centuries. Unfortunately, the earthquake in 1920 has destroyed many parts of the complex.
After you are finished with sightseeing, continue driving to Borjomi to stay overnight. The drive takes around 1:15 minutes.
Day 5-7: Borjomi – Vardzia – Akhaltsikhe
Photo Source: Lonely Planet
Borjomi is a resort town known for its mineral spring waters that are believed to have therapeutic purposes. Nested in the picturesque Borjomi Gorge, next to the Borjom-Kharagauli National Park, the town doesn’t have much of the sights to explore. The primary purpose of people coming here is to try Borjomi mineral water at its natural state right on its source before it gets bottled or to take a dip in the public bath of hot spring water located in the park of the town. Apart from this, Borjomi is an ideal place to relax, unwind, and breath fresh air after all those exploration and driving.
Next day, drive to Vardzia, another cave town of the country. Unlike Uplistsikhe, Vardzia was built during the 12th century as a “hiding” town during the massive invasions from the Eastern states. The caves extend along the cliff for 500 meters and 19 tiers. There are hundreds of cave dwellings with more than 400 rooms, 12 chapels, reception chamber, Queen Tamar’s room, 25 wine cellars with 185 qvevri (clay jars used for winemaking in Georgia) buried into the ground, and a bakery to name just a few. It should be noted that some of those rooms lead nowhere on purpose, to stray the enemy before the inhabitants managed to escape through a secret tunnel leading to Mtkvari River. Vardzia was entirely abandoned after the Ottoman invasion in the 16th century.
If you feel overwhelmed with driving and wandering through this vast complex, stay here overnight, or continue your way to Akhaltsikhe.
This small city of Samtskhe-Javakheti region is famous for recently renovated Rabati Fortress, a medieval castle complex that dates back to the 9th century. Akhaltsikhe had a strategic location and was often a subject of many invasions. Due to this, Rabati features various religious sites next to each other. Here, synagogue, mosque, and churches of both Catholics and Orthodox perfectly co-exist, making it one of the most tolerant spots of the country.
Day 8-9: Kutaisi and it’s surroundings
Photo Source: Gallop Around The Globe
Kutaisi is the second biggest city and former capital of Georgia. The geographical location of the town makes it a perfect base to explore the marvels of the Imereti region. Take a day to wander through Kutaisi: walk up to Bagrati Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a masterpiece of medieval Georgian architecture; visit its History Museum to learn about the life of its citizen in ancient times, and see some iconic handwritten books; get closer to Colchis Fountain dedicated to the Colchis Kingdom and a Greek myth of Golden Fleece.
On the day 9th, drive towards Chiatura, a manganese town famous for its still-operating-without-any-renovation cable cars. However, before you drive in the city, there’s a natural wonder you need to see – the Katskhi Pillar. This 40-meter high limestone monolith is around 1:15-minute ride from Kutaisi. There’s a monastery on top of the limestone which is not accessible by any visitor; you can only enjoy it from the bottom.
Once you are done here, drive to Chiatura and ride those cable cars. During the Soviet times, the town was a mass producer of manganese in Transcaucasia. In 1954, the government built dozens of cable cars to get workers to the mines from any district of the town. Today, several of them still operate, even though Chiatura isn’t producing as much manganese as it used to.
Day 10-13: Svaneti
Photo Source: Tika Tours
Next day wake up early and drive to Svaneti. It’s going to be a long ride, taking around five hours to reach Mestia, the main town of the region. You’ll be quite exhausted, so take the day off.
Svaneti is one of the most rural areas of Georgia, home to four highest peaks of the Caucasus: Shkhara, Tetnuldi, Shota Rustaveli, and Ushba. It’s gorgeous mountainous landscape, and medieval defense tower won’t leave you disappointed. Make sure you visit the Museum of History and Ethnography in Mestia to see everyday items used in daily life as well as some of the treasures of Georgian culture.
Then, drive to Ushguli, one of the highest settlement points of the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to get a magnificent view of snow-covered Skhara mountain. And if you are up for a short hike, make sure you visit alpine lakes of Koruldi located at the foot of Mount Ushba.
