Your Go-To Georgia Travel Itinerary: 1 Week to 1 Month
People seem to be talking about Georgia more and more in that last year or so: its rugged mountains, its hipster cities full of graffiti and underground bars, its khachapuri, its wine, its friendly stray dogs.
It seems to be starting to get the recognition as a tourist destination that it deserves.
And it really deserves it!
If you’re heading to Georgia to travel around independently, this is absolutely THE best way to do it.
But where do you start?
Georgia’s a pretty small country, right?
So surely there’s not too much to do: stay in Tbilisi, try some wine, and take a day trip to the mountains?
Now I say this with 100% seriousness, there is SO much to do and eat and experience in Georgia that even after having spent twelve months in this beautiful country, we still have more things to do.
We still have reasons to return: hikes to do, new cafes to try out, cooking classes, wine tastings, sights to see. We will forever be returning because the small country of Georgia has so much to offer, but there is just not enough time to see all its offerings!
So, planning a Georgia travel itinerary is tough, and I guarantee that when you do leave, you’ll already be planning your next journey to Georgia. After our year here, we have narrowed this itinerary down to the absolute must-sees whether you’ve got one week’s annual leave, or three.
We’ve included top sights, accommodation, restaurants, transport tips, hidden gems, off the beaten path spots: a great combo of city, culture, food, and nature.
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One Week Itinerary: East Georgia
If you have one week in Georgia, these are the highlights that we would recommend you definitely see. They are all in the eastern part of the country, which means that you can get around between them quite nicely without having to spend too much time on the road.
Rough Itinerary
Day 0: Arrive into Tbilisi
Tbilisi is better-connected now than we have ever known it! With direct flights from major cities in Europe (now including London!), the Middle East and Central Asia, getting to Georgia is no longer so much of a challenge. Gone are the days of connecting flights with overnight layovers.
Get yourself from Tbilisi airport to the city centre, but absolutely DO NOT take a local taxi. Settle into your Tbilisi accommodation, and then get all your admin sorted: a Tbilisi transport card, cash from the best ATM for free withdrawals, a local SIM card, etc.
Check out our post on all the useful things to know before you go to Georgia for the nitty gritty details.
Have your first meal in Georgia! Some of our favourites for proper Georgian food are Veliaminov (no-frills, local dishes), Klike’s Khinkali (an underground joint almost exclusively serving the quintessential Georgian dumpling), and Café Daphna (a more modern setting serving the Georgian classics).
~Overnight in Tbilisi
Where to Stay
Budget: Golden Light Hotel (£) – make sure you book the room with the balcony! Large yet affordable rooms, nice decor, and a beautiful contained courtyard area.
Mid-range: About Sololaki (££) – modern and bright rooms.
A Little Bit Fancy: Writers’ House Residency (£££) – grand, historic building with beautiful gardens.
Days 1 & 2: Tbilisi
Tbilisi is such a cool capital city. And if you are a city person, you could even spend your entire time here because there are loads of things to do in Tbilisi, places to eat, and day trips.
Head up Betlemi Stairs to reach Mother of Georgia, and take the cable car up to Mtatsminda Park for outrageous views over the city.
Go for a classic sulphur bath experience with optional kisa scrub if you’re brave enough!
Wander the streets (camera in hand) to see the historic buildings of Sololaki and go vintage clothes shopping in Chugureti/Marjanishvili, and browse the retro and antique souvenirs at the Dry Bridge Market.
Grab a drink in the courtyard of Fabrika – a Soviet sewing factory turned hostel/co-working space/area full of one-off bars and quirky shops selling handmade goods.
~Overnight in Tbilisi
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- 35 Unique Things to Do in Tbilisi: a Nearly-Local’s Guide
- Where to Stay in Tbilisi: 5 Best Neighbourhoods for Tourists
- Sulphur Bath in Tbilisi: What is it really like?
- Tbilisi Public Transport Guide for Travellers: Navigate Tbilisi Like a Pro!
- Your Vegetarian Guide to Tbilisi: 25 Restaurants
- Georgian Vegan Food & Tbilisi’s Top Vegan Restaurants
- Tbilisi in Winter: the Best European Winter City Break
Day 3: Day Trip to Mtskheta, Gori & Uplistsikhe
You can book yourself onto an organised day trip with Viator for this, or our favourite and recommended way is with GoTrip (a local company that arranges private drivers for a reasonable fare).
Mtskheta is Georgia’s religious centre and historic capital city. It has several churches and monasteries that are UNESCO-listed, dating back to the 4th century when the country first declared itself Christian. The artwork and architecture of these buildings is beautiful!
Make sure you don’t miss Jvari Monastery just a little out of Mtskheta but with amazing views over Mtskheta instead.
After this, head up to Gori to walk around this historic and very Soviet-feeling city. Head up to the fortress for views over the city, arrange a walking tour with Zhana (book with her in advance) to learn more about Gori’s history but also current-day political situation, and visit the controversial Stalin museum. The museum paints a disgustingly rose-tinted view of Stalin’s life, so be aware that this is essentially large scale propaganda.
Before heading back to Tbilisi for the evening, head to Uplistsikhe: Georgia’s oldest cave city dating back over 3000 years!
Entrance to the site costs 15 GEL per person, and you can additionally buy an audio guide or pay for a guided tour. You could maybe spend an hour or so wandering around, dipping into the caves, admiring the carvings and the views.
It’s a fascinating place to explore especially as back in its prime (11th-13th centuries), it used to house 20,000 people!
~Overnight in Tbilisi
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- 7 Things to Do in Mtskheta and How to Get There
- 11 Great Things to Do in Gori, Georgia
- Should You Visit the Controversial Stalin Museum in Gori?
Savvy Traveller Pro Tips 🇬🇪
After exploring Georgia for nine months, these are our favourite booking tools that we couldn’t travel without!
Days 4 & 5: Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)
Time to head to the mountains!
Arguably, Georgia’s most scenic road is the Georgian Military Highway which travels up to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) to the Russian border.
Now, if you’re trying to do this on a tight budget, you can jump on a marshrutka at Didube bus station to take you up to Kazbegi, but that means you will be missing out on the outrageous views. And I really mean outrageous here!
The best way to do this is to get yourself a driver, or if you’re a confident driver up for a proper adventure, you can hire yourself a car.
The point with this is that you will want to stop every 20 minutes at different viewpoints, landmarks, etc. so you really want to have a bit more freedom on this journey.
I have written an entire blog post on all the interesting stops on the way from Tbilisi to Kazbegi, so make sure you check it out!
Once in Kazbegi, you can either relax with the mountain views, fresh air, Kazbegi beer, and khabidzgina (mountain-style khachapuri with potatoes); or you can hike. And trust me, the hikes are absolutely worth the effort.
Juta Valley, Truso Valley, and the hike up to the iconic Gergeti Trinity Cathedral are our favourites. Gergeti Trinity Cathedral can be hiked in a few hours from Kazbegi town, whereas the other two are a little drive out of Kazbegi.
But there is a transfer service up here in the mountains that will drive you to the trailhead and then pick you up again at the end of the day; just make sure you book it in advance if you’re heading up at the weekend or prime summer hiking season.
We have detailed the hikes and the transfer service in this post all about Kazbegi’s best hikes.
~Overnight in Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick⭐
Vache Hotel (£) – the décor of the rooms is minimalist and the huge floor to ceiling windows allow for breath-taking mountain views.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- Hiking in Georgia: 3 Most Beautiful Kazbegi Day Hikes
- 13 Beautiful Stops Between Tbilisi and Kazbegi along the Georgian Military Highway
- Georgia Transport Guide: Marshrutka Madness
Days 6 & 7: Kakheti Wine Region
So, this next day will have a fair bit of travelling. If you’ve got your own car or hired a GoTrip driver, you’re fine. If you’re going by marshrutka, you’re still fine, but you’ll be travelling more.
Take the marshrutka back to Didube bus station in Tbilisi. Jump on the metro at Didube and head to Samgori and then head to Samgori bus station (sometimes shown on maps as Navtlugi).
From here, head to either Sighnaghi or Telavi or both. The two most popular spots in the Kakheti wine region, these both have a very different feel from one another.
Sighnaghi is a beautiful town that would not look too out of place in Tuscany: historic buildings, amazing views, very quiet in the evenings once day-trippers have returned to Tbilisi.
Telavi is a bigger city, still with lovely views (not as good at Sighnaghi though), but arguably has more activities: cheese tasting, nearby wineries, etc. Yes, I said cheese tasting!
And if you’re looking for that traditional supra (Georgian feast) experience, wine tasting, vineyard visit, etc. you should give our friends Meg and Tommo at Eat This Tours a shout.
They can arrange Georgian food and drink experiences, and if you use the discount code – relentless5 – you’ll get 5% off!
~Overnight in Sighnaghi or Telavi and then head back to Tbilisi to catch your flight
Where to Stay
⭐ Our Top Pick in Sighnaghi⭐
4 Rooms (£) – is our absolute favourite place to stay in Sighnaghi! It is run by Mzia and she is the sweetest woman, always checking in on us and inviting us in for tea or wine.
⭐Our Top Pick in Telavi⭐
Hestia Hotel Wine & View (£) – has a beautiful terrace area with seating, hammocks, and swing benches that look out over the Caucasus mountains.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Two Week Itinerary: East & West Georgia
If you have enough annual leave to have a two week trip around Georgia, AMAZING! Ok, so as well as the one week itinerary mentioned above in the east of Georgia, spend another week but this time in the west of Georgia.
The west is much less-visited than the east, but with Kutaisi having its own international airport and the city being a great hub for day trips, this is a must-visit part of the country.
Keep the first week as mentioned in the one week itinerary above, and then bolt on week two.
Rough Itinerary
Day 8: Kutaisi
Take the train from Tbilisi Central Station up to Kutaisi. But top tip – take the train to Rioni station, and then jump on the public bus for twenty minutes to get you into Kutaisi centre.
Kutaisi is a lovely city with a small town feel. There are great restaurants, quirky cafes, historic monasteries, and it’s a great base for exploring the surrounding area.
Once you get off the train, spend the afternoon wandering around the city, take the Soviet cable car up to the fairground, sit with a glass of tsolikouri local wine overlooking the might Rioni river, check out the city views from beautiful Bagrati Cathedral.
~Overnight in Kutaisi
Where to Stay
Budget: Nana’s Home (£) – a lovely guesthouse close to the Colchis fountain roundabout but tucked down a quiet side road.
Mid-range: Central Hotel (££) – small and simple, yet beautifully decorated rooms.
A Little Bit Fancy: Newport Hotel (£££) – modern meets 1920s style decor and a great restaurant on site.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- Top 10 Things to Do in Kutaisi (plus day trips)
- Vegetarian in Kutaisi: 21 Retro Restaurants & Cute Cafes
- How to Get from Kutaisi Airport to the City Centre: 3 Best Methods
Day 9: Day Trip to Gelati and Motsameta Monasteries
If you’re up for an adventure and a bit of gentle hiking, this is for you! Equally if you’re not up for hiking, I have an alternative.
Just outside of Kutaisi lie two beautiful historic monasteries. Take the marshrutka from town to get you to the monastery furthest away: Gelati. This UNESCO registered building has some of Georgia’s most intricate artwork and it really is something special to see.
Once you’ve explored Gelati, you can walk to Motsameta Monastery in around 45 minutes. Motsameta will have you feeling like you’re in the middle of the jungle. Honestly, how is this Georgia?!
Once you’ve wandered around Motsameta, you can actually walk all the way back into Kutaisi. But if you don’t fancy the walk, you can always hire yourself a GoTrip driver to take you to both monasteries and then back into town.
~Overnight in Kutaisi
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Day 10: Day Trip to Prometheus Cave, Martvili & Okatse Canyons
Unfortunately, the tourist hotspots around Kutaisi aren’t very well-connected to the city by public transport, which means that visiting several in one day is basically impossible. So here you have three options: organised day tour, GoTrip private driver, or hire car.
I had heard reviews about all three of these spots being all a bit touristy, and while yes, they are touristy, I also think they are amazing! (We haven’t been to Okatse ourselves yet.)
Prometheus Cave is probably the most spectacular that we have visited, and it goes on forever. The tour really does leave much to be desired, but unfortunately you won’t be allowed entry without the tour.
However, the crowd of people on the tour will be so huge that you won’t really hear what they are saying, so just hold back and let the tour carry on up ahead while you take your sweet time taking photos and admiring the wild rock formations within the cave.
After the cave, head up the road to see Okatse Canyon and then Martvili Canyon. Martvili Canyon is definitely touristy, and you can only access the most beautiful section by paying the entrance fee, but it is again pretty spectacular.
~Overnight in Kutaisi
Days 11 & 12: Mestia
Mestia is a cute mountain village of traditional buildings and medieval Svan towers with a backdrop of snow-topped mountains. It really is pretty.
But the main reason that people travel to Mestia is to do the famous Mestia to Ushguli multi-day hike. Now, this is a four-day hike, so to incorporate this into your itinerary, you’ll either have to scrap some of the rest of this itinerary or just request more annual leave! And it has to be one of the most amazing experiences we have had while travelling over the last 3.5 years.
I’ve added more info on this as a extra add-on further down so take a look there, or check out this detailed post on how to hike from Mestia to Ushguli.
The journey up to Mestia is stunning. There is one marshrutka each morning that travels from Kutaisi up to Mestia and this is a totally viable option because it’s quick, affordable, and there aren’t really many places to stop en route.
If, however, you don’t fancy a marshrutka (you know the drill by now!), hire a GoTrip driver or hire a car.
In Mestia, you can have some relaxed time wander the village, heading up inside a Svan tower, visiting the local museum, eating the local khachapuri (with spring onions in!).
Or you could go on a day hike up to the ‘Cross over Mestia’, or even higher up to Koruldi Lakes. It’s a tough and steep climb, but absolutely worth all the huffing and puffing and sweating!
Or maybe you fancy a day trip to Europe’s (contested) highest inhabited place: Ushguli. The road from Mestia to Ushguli has been cleared and smoothed and is no longer a treacherous, bumpy drive. See this beautiful village full of the famous Svan towers, and wander the cute cobbled streets.
~Overnight in Mestia
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick⭐
Roza’s Guesthouse (£) – budget friendly and you can get a comfortable room with a view.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Days 13 & 14: Batumi
A massive contrast with the mountain beauty of Mestia, Batumi is a coastal city that is weird and wacky, but an interesting sight nonetheless! There is one marshrutka each morning that travels from Mestia to Batumi.
Batumi is a large city with a lot of concrete high-rise residential buildings, but it also has a lot of fancy glass buildings with bizarre architecture that will get you taking a second looking and thinking, ‘erm, what is that about?’.
Wander by the sea, see the weird buildings, check out all the unique statues, explore the old town, and of course gorge yourself on the iconic Adjarian khachapuri (bread boat with will melted cheese and a runny yolk!). If the weather is nice, pop up for a lovely view in the cable car.
~Overnight in Batumi
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick⭐
Orbi Twin Towers (£) – there are cooking facilities, a balcony with sea and city views, a comfy bed, and everything was spotlessly clean.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- 24 Weird and Wonderful Things to Do in Batumi
- 10 Best Restaurants in Batumi for Vegetarians
- How to Travel from Kars to Batumi by Bus
Extend Your Trip to Three or Four Weeks
You’ve got even more time in Georgia?!
THE DREAM!
Slow your travels down and spend a little more time in Tbilisi because it has LOADS of things to do, and Kutaisi as it is a great base to explore the west of Georgia.
Extra destinations to add to your itinerary
Add Pankisi Valley (+1 or 2 nights)
Well off the beaten path, I guarantee that most travellers won’t have even heard of Pankisi Valley. This small valley in the north east of Georgia (just beyond Telavi) has a completely different culture to the rest of Georgia.
The area is home to the Kist community, a persecuted Chechen people who fled across the border from Russia to Georgia during the Chechen wars. They were protected and granted Georgian citizenship, but have managed to maintain their Sufi Islamic culture.
Stay at a woman-run guesthouse, eat a home-cooked meal of Kist delights, and even visit the Kist brewery (non-alcoholic beer).
~Overnight in Duisi
Where to Stay
Melissa Guesthouse (£) – the breakfast is great and the rooms are huge, warm and comfortable.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Add the Mestia to Ushguli Hike (+ at least 5 nights)
Hiking from Mestia to Ushguli has to be the best thing we have done in Georgia. Spend four days hiking through mind-blowingly beautiful landscapes, scale steep mountain passes, jump over glacial rivers, and stay in locally-run guesthouses and homestays.
Your feet will ache, your legs will be sore, and you’ll be a sweaty mess. BUT you’ll have the time of your life.
~Overnight in villages along the way: Mestia, Zhabeshi, Adishi, Iprali, Lalkhori, Ushguli, etc.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Add Borjomi, Vardzia & Rabati (+ 2 nights)
Only a two-hour marshrutka ride from Tbilisi, Borjomi is a green and quiet escape from the busy capital. This is the small town where Borjomi’s mineral-rich waters were discovered (yeah, I’m talking about the sparkling water that has a taste).
Spend a day wandering the historic park, bathe in the hot mineral springs, drink the Borjomi water straight from the tap (yep, that’s a tough one!), and hunt down all the Soviet mosaics and friezes.
Just beyond Borjomi is Rabati Castle, a large complex of historic walls with sections that are maybe a little too modernised, but is nevertheless an interesting sight. Jump on a marshrutka with ‘Akhaltsikhe’ in the window to reach the castle.
And then one more trip from Borjomi is Vardzia cave city. Arguably a more exciting adventure than Uplistsikhe near Gori, but it’s much further away from the big cities so it’s more of a challenge to get to. But Vardzia is fascinating!
The ancient cave city was built into the rock face and still has the remnants of a church, artwork, staircases, secret passageways; there’s even a natural water spring within the rock city! From the bus station in Akhaltsikhe, I understand that there is a marshrutka running to Vardzia, but we haven’t taken it ourselves.
~Overnight in Borjomi
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick⭐
Borjomi Cottages (£) – simple yet comfortable rooms with a breakfast included.
Add a Chiatura Day Trip (+ 1 night)
Chiatura is an old Soviet mining town that is full of old Soviet character. Find old mosaics, rusted abandoned cable cars swaying in the wind, churches built into the cliff side, modernised cable cars that take you up and over the valley for great views.
It’s definitely what we would consider and ‘alternative’ day trip because if you’re not into street photography and things being a bit rough and ready, this likely won’t be your thing. But if you see beauty in the grit, this is a great side quest!
~Overnight in Kutaisi
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
Add a Tskaltubo Day Trip (+ 1 night)
An urbexer’s dream destination! Tskaltubo is an old and largely abandoned Soviet sanatorium resort town. Back in the day, the Soviet elite used to come here to relax and bathe in the mineral-rich waters. Today, however, the vast majority of sanatoriums lay in complete disrepair, and that’s exactly what draws in the curious traveller!
They are definitely not maintained, some of it is dangerous, some of the abandoned buildings are now lived in by IDPs who fled from the Abkhazia War, and there are some pretty territorial stray dogs hanging around too.
But with all that in mind, as long as you are respectful and careful, this is a fascinating place to explore. See Stalin’s personal bath at Spring 6, the dramatic entrance way to Sanatorium Medea, and the hall in Sanatorium Imereti.
~Overnight in Kutaisi
Add Ozurgeti (+ 1 night)
Guria is probably the country’s least touristed region, so this is another well off-the-beaten-path destination to get a feel of more rural Georgia.
The capital city of region is Ozurgeti and this works as a great base to see the surrounding area. It has street art, Soviet mosaics, a small market, and some good restaurants.
Stay with our mate Misha at his accommodation – he has a lovely camping/glamping site and a spare room in his Gurian Oda house. Visit the tea plantations, go for a tea tasting and explore a renovated Soviet tea factory.
~Overnight in Ozurgeti
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Picks⭐
Chamo (££) – glamping cottage set in nature amongst hazelnut trees.
Menable Winery (££) – traditional wooden decor in beautiful rooms in a classic Gurian house set on a winery.
Add Lagodekhi (+ 1 to 4 nights)
Right at the border with Azerbaijan is an overlooked national park that doesn’t see many tourists. Lagodekhi feels tropical and uncommercialised and has a huge forested area to hike in.
Go for a day hike to Black Grouse Waterfall, like we did. Or go for a more adventurous multi-day hike to the Black Rock Lake staying at refuges and shelters along the way.
~Overnight in Lagodekhi
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick⭐
Guesthouse Vashlovani (£) – a lovely homestay with picturesque balcony views.
Cross the Border into Armenia (+ 3 nights)
Armenia is very often added on to a Georgian itinerary as a day trip from Tbilisi to Alaverdi to see Debed Canyon. And while this is one of the most beautiful parts of Armenia, it’s a pretty rushed trip. If you can afford to spare a few days for Armenia, you can see Yerevan, maybe Lake Sevan, Geghard Monastery and Garni Temple.
You can travel across the border by marshrutka, overnight train (which is a whole experience in itself!), hire a car, or arrange a private driver through GoTrip to enable you to stop at the most beautiful stops on your way to to/from Yerevan.
~Overnight in Yerevan or Alaverdi
Where to Stay
⭐Our Top Pick in Yerevan⭐
Yerevan’s Heart Guest House (££) – is a great choice and is only a 10 minute walk from the Cascade. They include breakfast in your stay, but private rooms have a shared bathroom.
⭐Our Top Pick in Alaverdi⭐
Guest House in Sanahin (£) – a wholesome homestay with friendly hosts.
Related Posts to Help You Plan:
- 24 Fascinating Things to Do in Yerevan: the Complete Guide
- 7 Best Restaurants in Yerevan for Vegetarians (plus bars & cafes)
- The Tbilisi to Yerevan Train: Everything You Need to Know
- How to Get Around Armenia: The Complete Transport Guide
- Easy Day Trip from Yerevan: Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin)
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