Tbilisi
5
Day Itinerary •
Georgia
Five days in Tbilisi and its surrounds gives you the complete extraordinary range of Georgia's capital and the remarkable landscapes radiating from it, from the layered old town and Mtskheta spiritual capital to the ancient cave city of Uplistsikhe, the extraordinary David Gareja monastery on the Azerbaijani border, the wine country of Kakheti and a final day in the extraordinary hill town of Sighnaghi. This route uses Tbilisi as a hub for day trips covering 2,000 years of Georgian civilisation. The old town, sulphur baths and Narikala fortress, Mtskheta and Jvari, Uplistsikhe and the Stalin Museum, the David Gareja cave monastery complex on the semi-desert steppe, and the extraordinary wine country of Kakheti with its qvevri wine tradition and the finest natural wine in the world.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Tbilisi (TBS), 20 min from city centre
Getting Around
City walkable; rental car for day trips
Budget Per Day
Approx 40 to 90 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, walking and driving
DAY 1
TBILISI OLD TOWN
MORNING
TBILISI OLD TOWN, THE LAYERED CAPITAL OF THE CAUCASUS
Tbilisi old town is one of the most extraordinary cities in the Caucasus, its extraordinary mix of Georgian, Persian, Ottoman, Russian and Soviet architecture compressed into the gorge of the Kura river. The carved wooden balconies of Abanotubani, the Metekhi Church on its cliff above the river, the Armenian Surb Gevorg church and the Sioni Cathedral are all within a short walk. The Narikala fortress above gives the finest panorama over the old town rooftops and the Kura gorge. Cable car from Rike Park 2.5 GEL. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
THE SULPHUR BATHS AND ABANOTUBANI DISTRICT
The Abanotubani sulphur bath district below the Narikala fortress is the finest traditional bath quarter in the Caucasus. The hot sulphur springs have given Tbilisi its name since the 5th century. A private bath room with sulphur water costs 10 to 15 USD per hour and is one of the finest experiences in Georgia. The distinctive domed bath rooftops of the district are the most photographed image in Tbilisi. Several baths have been recently restored to extraordinary condition. Drive: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
FABRIKA AND THE NEW TBILISI CREATIVE SCENE
The Fabrika creative hub in a converted Soviet textile factory is the finest place to understand modern Tbilisi, a sprawling complex of outdoor bars, natural wine shops, galleries, music venues and restaurants that has become the heart of the extraordinary Tbilisi creative scene. The natural wine bar culture in the surrounding streets is the finest in the world, with Georgian amber wines made in qvevri clay jars available at extraordinary prices. Free to enter.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Tbilisi Botanical Garden below the Narikala fortress contains a hidden 26-metre waterfall in a limestone gorge that almost no tourists find. A 15-minute walk from the sulphur baths leads to the extraordinary cascade in an extraordinary natural setting within the city. Garden entry approx 1 GEL.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in old town Georgian coffee, fresh bread and sulguni cheese. The classic morning combination costs under 5 USD. | Lunch: Shavi Lomi, Tbilisi The finest modern Georgian restaurant in the old town. Fresh local ingredients and natural wine. | Dinner: Barbarestan, Tbilisi Traditional Georgian cooking from a 19th-century cookbook. Extraordinary. Book ahead.
DAY 2
MTSKHETA AND SHIOMGVIME
MORNING
MTSKHETA, SPIRITUAL CAPITAL OF GEORGIA
Mtskheta is the most sacred city in Georgia, the ancient capital and site of the country's conversion to Christianity in 337 AD. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral built in the 11th century is the finest medieval building in the Caucasus, its extraordinary stone carving and the sacred relic of Christ's coat drawing Georgian pilgrims for a thousand years. The extraordinary walled town around the cathedral is entirely walkable. The market outside the cathedral gate sells the finest churchkhela walnut candy in Georgia. Entry free. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
JVARI MONASTERY, THE VIEW THAT DEFINES GEORGIA
The Jvari monastery on the cliff above Mtskheta gives the finest and most Georgian view in the country, looking down over the extraordinary confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers with the entire Mtskheta valley below and the snow-capped Caucasus beyond. Built in the 6th century, Jvari is the prototype for Georgian church architecture. The Russian poet Lermontov described the view in an extraordinary passage in his poem The Demon. Free. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
SHIOMGVIME CAVE MONASTERY
The Shiomgvime cave monastery complex 10km from Mtskheta is one of the finest early Christian monasteries in Georgia, a 6th-century complex of churches and caves carved into the extraordinary limestone cliff of the Tedzami gorge. The walk from the car park through the gorge takes 20 minutes and the cave churches at the top give extraordinary views over the valley below. Almost no foreign tourists visit this extraordinary place. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Armazi bridge ruins near Mtskheta are the extraordinary remains of a 2nd-century Georgian royal bridge over the Aragvi river, almost entirely unvisited despite being one of the finest ancient engineering remains in the Caucasus. The walk from Mtskheta along the river to the ruins takes 20 minutes. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Georgian guesthouse Extraordinary Georgian breakfast: cheese, eggs, walnut paste, fresh bread and strong coffee. | Lunch: Restaurant in Mtskheta Fresh Georgian food at the cathedral gate. Local mtsvadi grilled meat and Kakhetian wine. | Dinner: Wine bar, Tbilisi Natural Georgian wine tasting with local cheese and charcuterie back in the old town.
DAY 3
UPLISTSIKHE AND GORI
MORNING
UPLISTSIKHE, THE 3,000-YEAR CAVE CITY
Uplistsikhe is the most extraordinary archaeological site near Tbilisi, an ancient cave city carved into volcanic rock above the Kura river from the 1st millennium BC. The extraordinary complex contains carved streets, a theatre, wine cellars, a pharmacy, temples and Christian churches all carved directly into the rock over 3,000 years of continuous habitation. The view from the top over the Kura valley is extraordinary. Entry approx 7 GEL. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
GORI AND THE STALIN MUSEUM
Gori is the birthplace of Josef Stalin and the extraordinary Stalin Museum is unlike any other museum in the world, a Soviet-era monument that has survived largely unchanged. Stalin's personal railway carriage, his childhood cottage preserved inside a Greek-columned pavilion and the extraordinary propaganda collection make this one of the most surreal and fascinating museum experiences in the Caucasus. The contrast with the ancient cave city visited that morning is extraordinary. Entry approx 15 GEL. Drive: 1 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
TBILISI WINE BARS AND RUSTAVELI AVENUE
The return afternoon in Tbilisi is best spent on Rustaveli Avenue, the finest boulevard in the Caucasus, then in the old town wine bars with their extraordinary natural Georgian wines. The Marjanishvili district east of the old town has the finest street food in Tbilisi at extraordinary value. Khinkali dumplings, khachapuri cheese bread and Adjarian egg boats are all available for under 5 USD at the finest stalls.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ateni Sioni church in the Ateni gorge near Gori is one of the finest 7th-century Georgian churches in existence, its extraordinary carved exterior in near-perfect condition. The drive through the Ateni gorge is extraordinarily beautiful. Almost entirely unvisited by foreign tourists. Free to enter.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tbilisi Early coffee before the Uplistsikhe drive. Pack water for the cave city in summer. | Lunch: Restaurant in Gori Khinkali dumplings and Saperavi wine in Stalin's birthplace. Extraordinary context. | Dinner: Marjanishvili, Tbilisi The finest street food in the city. Khinkali, khachapuri and natural wine under 10 USD.
DAY 4
DAVID GAREJA
MORNING
DAVID GAREJA, THE EXTRAORDINARY CAVE MONASTERY ON THE STEPPE
David Gareja is the most extraordinary monastery complex in Georgia, a network of cave churches and monastic cells carved into the volcanic Gareja ridge on the semi-desert steppe near the Azerbaijani border. The monastery was founded in the 6th century by one of the 13 Syrian fathers who brought Christianity to Georgia. The extraordinary frescoes in the cave churches, some dating to the 9th century, are among the finest medieval paintings in the Caucasus. Entry to the monastery complex free. Drive: On site
MIDDAY
THE UDABNO CAVE MONASTERY RIDGE WALK
The ridge walk above the David Gareja monastery complex gives the finest view in the region, looking down from the Georgian side over an extraordinary lunar landscape of volcanic ridges and semi-desert into Azerbaijan. The Udabno cave monastery on the south face of the ridge has extraordinary 11th and 12th-century frescoes in remarkable condition. The ridge walk from the main monastery takes 30 minutes. Do not cross the marked Azerbaijan border. Free. Drive: 2 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
RETURN VIA BODBE MONASTERY
The Bodbe Monastery near Sighnaghi is the burial place of St Nino, the woman who brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century. The extraordinary church contains her tomb and the spring below the monastery is believed to have miraculous healing properties. The monastery garden gives extraordinary views over the Kakheti wine valley below. A fine stop on the return to Tbilisi from David Gareja. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Iori river valley between David Gareja and Sighnaghi passes through one of the finest steppe landscapes in Georgia, a semi-desert plain with ancient watchtowers, Alazani river wetlands and extraordinary views of the Greater Caucasus range above Kakheti. The drive through this valley is the finest landscape drive in eastern Georgia.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse in Tbilisi Early departure breakfast. Pack food for David Gareja as there are no facilities. | Lunch: Picnic at David Gareja Bring food from Tbilisi. Eating on the extraordinary steppe ridge is unforgettable. | Dinner: Restaurant in Sighnaghi Georgian wine and mountain lamb in the finest wine town in Kakheti.
DAY 5
SIGHNAGHI AND KAKHETI WINE
MORNING
SIGHNAGHI, THE WINE TOWN OF THE CAUCASUS
Sighnaghi is the finest town in Kakheti and one of the most extraordinary small towns in the Caucasus, a hilltop settlement with a complete circuit of 18th-century Caucasian walls enclosing stone houses, wine cellars and extraordinary views over the Alazani valley and the snow-capped Greater Caucasus beyond. The town was extensively restored in the 2000s and the result is extraordinary. The Sighnaghi Museum has the finest collection of Georgian folk art and Niko Pirosmani paintings in Kakheti. Museum entry approx 5 GEL. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
KAKHETI QVEVRI WINE TASTING
The wine cellars of the Alazani valley below Sighnaghi produce the finest Georgian wines in the world, including the extraordinary amber Rkatsiteli and the dark Saperavi made in qvevri clay jars buried underground. Several family wine cellars along the valley road offer tastings directly from the qvevri at extraordinary prices. The Pheasant's Tears winery in Sighnaghi is the finest natural wine producer in Georgia and a visit to the cellar and tasting room is extraordinary. Drive: 1.5 hour drive back
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO TBILISI FOR DEPARTURE
The drive from Sighnaghi to Tbilisi takes 1.5 hours through the extraordinary Kakheti landscape. A final afternoon in Tbilisi old town for coffee and khinkali before the flight gives the finest goodbye to Georgia. The country is one of the most extraordinary travel destinations in the world and the combination of 8,000-year wine culture, extraordinary medieval churches, the Caucasus mountains and some of the finest hospitality on earth makes it impossible to leave without planning a return.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Alaverdi Cathedral in the Alazani valley below Sighnaghi is one of the tallest medieval churches in Georgia, an extraordinary 11th-century structure with extraordinary frescoes visible through the main church door. The monastery produces its own wine in qvevri. The drive from Sighnaghi to Alaverdi takes 20 minutes through the extraordinary valley. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Sighnaghi Coffee with the extraordinary Greater Caucasus view before the wine tasting. | Lunch: Pheasant's Tears, Sighnaghi The finest natural wine lunch in Georgia. Book ahead. Extraordinary food and wine. | Dinner: Restaurant in Tbilisi Final Georgian dinner before the flight. Barbarestan or any old town restaurant is excellent.
Where To Stay
Tbilisi, all nights Hotel Betsy or boutique old town guesthouses. Approx 30 to 100 USD per night. Budget option Fabrika area hostels or guesthouses from approx 15 USD per night. Sighnaghi, Night 5 Guesthouses in the wine town. Approx 30 to 60 USD. Stay for the extraordinary view.
Top Tips
1. Georgian wine is 8,000 years old. The amber wines made in qvevri clay jars buried underground are extraordinary and cost almost nothing from local producers.
2. Khinkali dumplings must be eaten correctly: hold by the knot, bite a hole, drink the broth inside first, then eat. Ordering a dozen and sharing is the correct approach.
3. David Gareja monastery complex straddles the Georgian-Azerbaijani border. The ridge walk gives extraordinary views into Azerbaijan. Do not cross the marked border line.
4. Sighnaghi is the finest wine town in Georgia, a hilltop settlement with extraordinary walls, views over Kakheti and the finest guesthouses in the wine region.
5. Georgian hospitality is extraordinary. If invited to a supra feast, accept. The tamada toastmaster tradition involves extraordinary toasts to love, Georgia and guests.
6. The Tbilisi underground art scene and natural wine bars are the finest in the Caucasus. The area around Fabrika has transformed into an extraordinary creative hub.
Total Budget
40 to 90 USD/day