Telavi or Sighnaghi: Which Kakheti Gem is Right for You?

Georgia’s Kakheti region is known for its wine, its views, and its sunflower oil.

You’re like, ‘sunflower oil?!’.

Yep, sunflower oil from Kakheti is shockingly tasty. Dip some good Georgian bread in it, drizzle it on a cucumber and tomato salad. Perfect. Anyway, I digress; just promise me you’ll try the sunflower oil while you’re there!

Two of the main spots to visit in Kakheti are Telavi and Sighnaghi, and they both feel very different from each other.

I know that when we first started planning our route through Georgia, Kakheti was a region that I struggled to work out a plan for.

I couldn’t find many things to do in either Telavi or Sighnaghi, or maybe that was meant to be the point?

Maybe I shouldn’t be looking for loads of things to do and instead be looking for spots where I could sip on some delicious local wine (with bread and oil of course) with beautiful views and tranquillity?

So, we have been to Kakheti twice in the last few years spending a couple of weeks at a time eating, drinking, and seeing the views, but which is the best spot to really get a feel for Kakheti? Let’s break it down.

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Telavi vs. Sighnaghi

Telavi	Sighnaghi
Better-connected	Quiet once day trippers leave
Closer to wineries	THE best views
More facilities	Cute & characterful

Because Telavi is a city, it is better connected than Sighnaghi.

From Telavi, you can travel by marshrutka to several spots in the West of Georgia including Tbilisi, Lagodekhi (at 15:00 from the Old Bus Station) and Pankisi Valley (at 11:00 and 15:55 from the Old Bus Station)

It also has more general facilities; so restaurants, shops, pharmacies, banks, etc., and it is closer to more wineries.

But because it’s a city, it is also busier. It doesn’t have the tranquil, relaxing feel that you might be looking for in a trip to Kakheti, unless you’re really on the outskirts.

views of snow-capped Caucasus mountain range from Telavi, Georgia — *views over Telavi*

Sighnaghi on the other hand, is a popular day trip from Tbilisi. This means that in the middle of the day when all the marshrutkas and tour groups turn up, the fortress walls are rammed with people.

After late afternoon, Sighnaghi goes quiet and is relaxed and peaceful. The town is cute and full of character and the views from here are FAR superior to the views in Telavi!

So, it depends what you’re looking for. If you want a relaxing getaway with outrageously good views, Sighnaghi is the one.

If you’re looking for more things to do and to have better connections to other parts of the country, then Telavi is the one.

Things to Do in Telavi

There are definitely more things to do and eat in and around Telavi.

1. Cheese Tasting

📍 Tsivis Cheese, Village Kurdgelauri.

This was BY FAR our absolute favourite thing we did in Telavi.

Tsivis Cheese is a local cheese manufacturer that offers cheese tastings and factory tours.

But when I say ‘tasting’, it’s much more than that.

Get ready to eat your weight in Georgian classic dishes – khinkali, khachapuri, deep-fried sulguni sticks, hard cheese, soft cheese, smoked cheese, flavoured cheese, sweet cheesecake.

Wash it down with a litre of homemade red wine and homemade lemonade, and finish off with a fruit and churchkela platter.

Insane. Incredible. Come hungry.

Message the guys on Whatsapp or Instagram to book your tasting and specify any dietary requirements.

a wooden board with two cheeses - two pinwheels of thin sulguni stuffed with a minty ricotta, and a paprika ricotta in Telavi, Georgia

two people wear protective aprons and hair nets in preparation for their cheese factory visit at Tsivis Cheese, Telavi, Georgia

2. Wine Tasting

📍 Tsinandali Wine Estate

Tsinandali Estate is the spot where Georgia first started bottling their delicious wines, so this is a spot of historical importance as well as a beautiful spot to try local wines.

Wander the grounds and search for the fallen statue of Lenin’s head, see the beautiful historic house with blue wooden balcony, and explore the small house museum.

the historic Chavchavadze House has a blue and white painted wooden balcony surrounded by a garden on Tsinandali Estate, Georgia

a bottle of Tsinandali Wine sits on a wooden bar with a wineglass in Tsinandali Estate, Georgia

a fallen and abandoned statue of Lenin's head in an overgrown garden on Tsinandali Estate, Georgia

Take a tour of the wine cellar to see some of their oldest wines that are more like ancient artifacts now! The oldest we saw was from 1814!

Then go for your wine tasting – five wines and a little chacha/honey vodka (depending on how generous the guy behind the bar is feeling).

Tsinandali Estate is just a short drive of about 15 minutes from Telavi centre, but you’ll want to arrange someone to take you there, wait and then drive you back.

a stack of old, dusty wine bottles from 1913 in a wine cellar of Tsinandali Estate, Georgia

3. Wander the Fortress & See the Giant Plane Tree

The main thing to see within Telavi city is the fortress. You can see the walls from the outside or head inside, but in all honesty, it’s more than impressive enough from the outside.

Personally, I wouldn’t say it’s an absolute must or a reason to visit Telavi, but while you’re here for the wine and cheese, you might as well take a look.

ancient brick fortress walls covered in snow of Telavi, Georgia

And check out the giant plane tree nearby. It’s a beloved mark of Telavi that really is giant and a mind-blowing 900 years old!

a man stands inside of Telavi's giant plane tree

4. Try All the Tasty Dishes at Doli

📍 Cholokashvili Street 11.

Telavi’s best restaurant – no question. Doli is tucked away from the busy centre of the city and is small and quaint, with space for no more than 20 customers.

And it has delicious vegetarian options. Charred cauliflower with a bazhe (walnut) sauce, the ‘doli’ flatbread with Kakhetian sunflower oil and toasted sunflower seeds, the rich bean hummus, beetroot in tkemali (sour plum sauce) and crumbly cheese.

They even have a full vegetarian platter with a selection of all their best salads, veg main dishes and breads.

Other great options for food are Badia and Mala’s Garden.

Discover all of Georgia’s tastiest traditional dishes suitable for vegetarians in this post of 41 must-eats!

a table of food - potatoes with garlic and onion, roasted cauliflower with bazhe (walnutty) sauce and pomegranate, a flatbread covered in Kakhetian sunflower oil and sunflower seeds

Where to Stay in Telavi

Hestia – Hotel, Wine and View (£)

📍 109 Kvirike, Didi St.

Our favourite place to stay in Telavi is Hestia. It’s a little further up into the residential area of Telavi. It has a beautiful terrace area with seating, hammocks, and swing benches that look out over the Caucasus mountains.

15-minute walk to city centre

🛏️ Book Hes t ia – Hotel 🛏️

How to Get to Telavi from Tbilisi

Regular marshrutkas leave from Ortachala and Samgori bus stations. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and costs 15 GEL.

How to Get to Tbilisi from Telavi

Buses leave the ‘Old’ bus station every 40/50 minutes from 06:00 until 17:30 every day.

Savvy Traveller Pro Tips 🇬🇪

After exploring Georgia for nine months, these are our favourite booking tools that we couldn’t travel without!

Travel Insurance: our favourite budget-friendly insurance is SafetyWing – no question.
Flights: we book flights through Trip.com to earn loyalty points to use on our next flights.
Accommodation: for the best deals and to build up loyalty points, we use Booking.com.
Transport: marshrutkas are the most authentic and fun way to travel.
Private Drivers: choose your driver on Go.Trip and stop for photo opps on the journey.
Foodie Experiences: Eat This! Tours have authentic food & wine tours. Save 5% with code: relentless5
Taxi Apps: download Bolt and Maxim.
Food Delivery: after a tiring day of exploring, order food on Wolt or Glovo.
SIM: our go-to in Georgia is Magti.
ESIM: be connected from the second you arrive with Airalo.

Things to Do in Sighnaghi

1. Walk the Fortress Walls

The main thing to do within Sighnaghi is to walk the historic fortress walls. You can walk along the top of the walls, over archways, and up inside watchtowers.

But you definitely have to pick the time to visit as all the day trippers from Tbilisi are dropped off here as it is the main attraction, so make sure you are here before 11:00.

Entrance is free and you could spend about 40 minutes here.

a pathway along the historic fortress walls leads to a brick turret overlooking endless green plains and a blue sky in Sighnaghi, Telavi

2. Have Ice Cream with Wine and a View at Cafe Medea

📍 3 Qetevan Tsamebuli St.

So, you’ve maybe heard of Georgia’s wine ice cream (which is an absolute must), but Medea serves ice cream with wine.

A bowl of vanilla ice cream with a red grape jam-type topping and actual red wine. This is a genius combination!

And not only is it tasty, Medea has a small outside seating area with beautiful views over Sighnaghi’s fortress walls and the valley. And the woman who runs the place is THE loveliest you will meet!

a glass bowl of vanilla ice cream is covered with grape jam and red wine in Sighnaghi, Georgia

pink and yellow flowers sit int he foreground, orange rooftops of traditional Georgian buildings are surrounded by trees with endless green plains in the background - Telavi or Sighnaghi

3. Bodbe Monastery

Bodbe Monastery is stunning! The smaller historic church is dark inside but has intricate religious artwork from floor to ceiling.

You cannot take photos inside of this church which is why you will only ever see photos of the outside of the renovated church next door.

It is very much aesthetically pleasing BUT, the main event is the artwork in the beautiful historic church.

a close up of Bodbe Monastery shows tall, thin windows surrounded by green and red stone, Georgian inscription and a cross on the top, Sighnaghi, Georgia

4. Terrace Aura

📍 Rustaveli Street #6.

Order the fried sulguni cheese, the tomato and cucumber salad with Kakhetian sunflower oil, and some shoti (bread), maybe a glass of wine.

And while the food is delicious, it’s the view that is special.

This restaurant is tucked away from the main touristy centre of Sighnaghi, so you are likely to have a relaxed meal with a stunning view over the valley with snow-capped Caucasus mountain range back drop.

a hill covered by green hills has a line of orange rooftops and endless green plains of Sighnaghi, Georgia

Where to Stay in Sighnaghi

4 Rooms Boutique Hotel (£)

📍 15 Eka Bezhanishvili St.

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. Her husband is a marshrutka driver so she even helped us out with getting back to Tbilisi after our Sighnaghi trip.

10-minute walk to town centre

🛏️ Book 4 Rooms Here 🛏️

How to Get to Sighnaghi from Tbilisi

Marshrutkas leave Samgori bus station (or you might see it named Navtlugi on Google Maps) regularly (about every two hours), but with many marshrutkas, it’s a case of turning up and hoping that the next marshrutka won’t take too long to fill up and leave.

How to Get from Tbilisi to Sighnaghi

Sighnaghi back to Tbilisi gets BUSY! So I would get to the bus station about an hour early and secure yourself a seat. Tickets cost 10 GEL.

Sighnaghi to Tbilisi marshrutka timetable - Georgia

Still Can’t Decide?

Well, you could always do both if you have time.

There is a marshrutka that leaves Sighnaghi every day at 09:00/09:30 except Sundays (double check locally at the bus stop), and a daily marshrutka back to Sighnaghi at 15:00 (again, excluding Sundays). The journey costs 10 GEL and lasts just over an hour.

FYI for the Telavi to Sighnaghi route, head to the ‘Old Bus Station’, not the new one. There are several marshrutkas that take this general route but don’t necessarily go all the way to Sighnaghi bus station. They will dump you at the side of the road near another bus stop and then you have to wait to jump on the next marshrutka coming from Tbilisi.

So learn from our mistake and ask around for the marshrutka going specifically to Sighnaghi bus station. Look for the marshrutka with სიღნაღი (Sighnaghi in Georgian) written on the front that leaves dead on 15:00, not 14:50 that actually heads to Dedoplis Tskaro (დედოფლისწყარო in Georgian)!

Or another option would be to book a driver through GoTrip to pick you up in Tbilisi and take you to the best spots in and around both Sighnaghi and Telavi.

Stop whenever and wherever you want en route, visit small family-run wineries away that might be more difficult to reach by public transport, and then either stay in Kakheti or head back to Tbilisi. No extra fees for waiting, and you can really explore the wine region fully.

🚗 Find your car 🚗

IMG 1487 min 1 scaled — *Telavi Fortress*

Which Do We Personally Prefer?

Sighnaghi.

It’s pretty, the views are outrageously good, there are several good food options, it’s quiet and rural and almost has a quaint Italian village feel about it.
Yes, it gets a lot of tourists in the middle of the day, but you just have to be tactical to avoid them, which is very much doable!
The ice cream with wine and a view at Medea is something special.
The fried sulguni cheese with an even better view at Terrace Aura is something extra special.

Telavi is a good base, but it doesn’t have the character, uniqueness, and spectacular views of Sighnaghi.

20250524 131559 1 scaled — *Sighnaghi Fortress* *Walls*

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