Places to visit in Georgia

Georgia’s capital is a very attractive city and a great place to start your trip. It’s got a European feel, but with a definite Georgian twist. There are stately, tree-lined boulevards reminiscent of Paris, but some of the older houses are built from distinctive brick and feature carved wooden balconies.

The streets of the old city are perilously steep, lined with attractive traditional homes commanding views over the neighbourhoods below. Orthodox churches sit alongside old bathhouses, next to hip cafes, vintage clothes shops and walls covered in eye-catching graffiti. The food scene here is very strong, with restaurants selling plates of steaming Khinkali (dumplings) and other Georgian delicacies.

Georgia has the oldest wine making tradition in the world and is proud of its heritage. The Kakheti region, west of Tbilisi is the heartland of Georgian wine production, a rich valley that is perfect for growing grapes. Everyone here makes wine, and there are dozens of small local vineyards that you can visit to taste different specialities. There are also many churches and monasteries, most situated in spectacular locations on hilltops overlooking the valley floor.

Telavi is the region’s capital, a small town with a bustling local market and some beautiful old houses with ornate wooden balconies.

This small town is situated in the north of the country, close to the Russian border and surrounded by an impressive range of mountains. Most famous is Mt Kazbegi, a vast peak that towers over the valley and which provides a spectacular backdrop to Gergeti Church, Georgia’s most famous landmark. This is the ideal base from which to explore this part of the country, with numerous hikes (of all levels) providing truly incredible views of the Caucasus.

This remote area of North Eastern Georgia is cut off from the rest of the country for much of the year, as access is via a precipitous road and high mountain pass that remains covered in snow well into the summer. However, if you make the journey (and allow plenty of time to do so), you can access some of the country’s most beautiful scenery, with vast mountain peaks dotted with traditional tower villages.

Svaneti is the gateway to the dramatic and vastly impressive mountains of Western Georgia. This is a remote region of Medieval tower villages, with breath-taking views of the Greater Caucasus. The main town of Mestia provides a great base for exploration and is the start point for both day walks and multi-day hikes deep into the mountains.

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Kutaisi has an old-world charm that makes it a great place to stay for a night or two. With traditional old stone houses with carved wooden balconies, decorated with tubs of fragrant chamomile flowers, you can easily while away a few hours wandering the narrow streets. This is also the base for visiting Gelati Monastery, one of Georgia’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as the pretty countryside of the surrounding Imereti region.

Known as the Las Vegas of the Black Sea, Batumi attracts visitors from around the Caucasus region for its many casinos. Although the coastline means that there are beach hotels, the beaches are not overly picturesque and this tends not to be an area that most of our clients choose to linger. There are good flight connections however, and you can fly direct to Istanbul from here, if you want to add on a city break.