Capital
Tbilisi (თბილისი)
Sulfur baths, balconied courtyards and Narikala, a fortress first raised in the 4th century.
Explore Tbilisi
The country of Georgia
Explore Georgia. Feel the journey.
Eleven regions, from the black-sand beaches of the coast to the glaciers above Ushguli — gathered in one guide.
photo © to be credited
Georgia is small enough to cross in a day and varied enough to fill a month. This guide gathers its regions, towns and trails so you can find the part of it that fits your trip.
Eleven regions
Start with the map, not the list
Every region has its own weather, table and pace. Choose one and the towns, villages and trails inside it follow.
Autonomous republic
Adjara (აჭარა)
Batumi's boulevard runs seven kilometres along the Black Sea, palms the whole way.
Explore Adjara
Coast
Guria (გურია)
Tea terraces inland and the black magnetic sand of Ureki, an hour north of Batumi.
Explore Guria
Canyons and caves
Imereti (იმერეთი)
Prometheus Cave and the Martvili canyon both sit within an hour of Kutaisi.
Explore Imereti
Wine country
Kakheti (კახეთი)
Qvevri cellars, a September harvest, and Sighnaghi looking down on the Alazani valley.
Explore Kakheti
Semi-desert
Kvemo Kartli (ქვემო ქართლი)
David Gareja's monastery cells were cut into the rock here in the 6th century.
Explore Kvemo Kartli
High Caucasus
Mtskheta-Mtianeti (მცხეთა-მთიანეთი)
Ananuri on the Aragvi, then the Military Highway climbing to Stepantsminda at 1,740 m.
Explore Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Quiet valleys
Racha-Lechkhumi (რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი)
Lake Shaori, the stone village of Shkmeri, and the deep-red Khvanchkara wine.
Explore Racha
Svaneti
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი)
Mestia, Ushguli and the Enguri gorge — among the highest inhabited villages in Europe.
Explore Svaneti
Cave cities
Samtskhe-Javakheti (სამცხე-ჯავახეთი)
Vardzia holds hundreds of rooms carved into a cliff above the Mtkvari river.
Explore Samtskhe-Javakheti
Ancient rock
Shida Kartli (შიდა ქართლი)
Uplistsikhe was cut from the rock more than 3,000 years ago, just outside Gori.
Explore Shida KartliNothing matched that search. Clear the field to see all eleven regions.
Cities and towns
Where most trips begin
Seven places with an airport, a bus station or a bed worth the detour.
Tbilisi region
Tbilisi
Three days is enough for the old town, the baths and one day trip out.
Plan a Tbilisi stay
Adjara
Batumi
Pebble beach, botanical garden and the warmest sea between June and September.
Plan a Batumi stay
Imereti
Kutaisi
The usual low-cost gateway, with Gelati and Bagrati inside the city limits.
Plan a Kutaisi stay
Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Stepantsminda
Three hours from Tbilisi; Gergeti Trinity stands 400 m above the town.
Plan a Kazbegi stay
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
Mestia
Base for the Chalaadi glacier, the Koruldi lakes and two ski areas in winter.
Plan a Mestia stay
Kakheti
Telavi
The wine route's working centre; cellars open their doors through the September harvest.
Plan a Telavi stay
Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Mtskheta
Georgia's old capital, twenty minutes from Tbilisi, where the Aragvi meets the Mtkvari.
Plan a Mtskheta visit
Top attractions
Stone, water and altitude
Mtskheta-Mtianeti · 2,170 m
Gergeti Trinity, above the cloud line
A 14th-century church on a shoulder of Mount Kazbek. The walk up from Stepantsminda takes about two hours; a 4×4 does it in twenty minutes.
Plan a Kazbegi dayphoto © to be credited
Vardzia
A cave city on thirteen levels, dug above the Mtkvari in the 12th century.
Martvili Canyon
Turquoise water in a limestone gorge, crossed by boat in about thirty minutes.
Prometheus Cave
Lit galleries and an underground river, twenty kilometres from Kutaisi.
Things to do
Choose the kind of day you want
NatureCanyons, caves, waterfalls
CultureMonasteries and cave cities
Food & wineQvevri cellars, long tables
HikingMestia to Ushguli in four days
SkiGudauri, Bakuriani, Tetnuldi
SeaKobuleti, Ureki, Kvariati
WellnessSulfur baths and Borjomi water
FamilyCable cars, parks, shallow bays
AdventureRafting, horses, high passes
Georgia by season
When to come, and for what
Spring
Snowmelt fills the waterfalls and the lowlands turn green; city days without the heat.
Summer
The Black Sea is warm, the high passes are open, and the villages hold their festivals.
Autumn
Harvest in Kakheti, clear air in the mountains, and the best light of the year.
Winter
Gudauri and Bakuriani open, and Svaneti becomes a quiet place with deep snow.
photo © to be credited
Food and wine
Bread, clay and the long table
Khinkali are folded, twisted and eaten by hand. Khachapuri changes shape with the region — flat and round in Imereti, a boat with an egg in Adjara. Both belong at the same table as mtsvadi, pkhali and lobio.
Wine here is fermented in qvevri, clay vessels buried to the neck, a method still in daily use after eight thousand years. The Kakheti wine route puts a dozen working cellars within a day's drive.
Plan a wine route
The whole country
Georgia, end to end
About 500 kilometres from the Black Sea to the Azerbaijani border — a day's drive across, a month to know.
- Nature
- Culture
- Food & wine
- Beach
- Winter
Inspiration
A wall of reasons to go
Image slots are reserved for licensed photography with source and credit stored per image.
Next step
Plan your trip
Tell us when you are coming, who is travelling and what you want to see. We answer with a route that fits the season.