Autotour – Culture and Mountains of Georgia
To discover the whole country, you will need a few weeks, but 11 days is enough to visit the most important places: Kazbegi, the Svaneti region, Vardzia – the town carved out of the rocks – and Kutaisi – the country’s second-largest city and gastronomic capital.
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Destination
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Tour Plan
Arrival - Tbilisi
Arrive in Tbilisi - the capital of the country. Our driver welcomes you at the airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 30 minutes, 20km.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
Visit the capital of Georgia
In the morning, pick up the car near your hotel or from car rental office.
Walking city tour of Tbilisi, explore its old district with its cobbled streets and traditional houses with wooden balconies, on the banks of the Mtkvari River. We visit the city's points of interest: the Metekhi church and its plateau offering a superb view of the old town; the Narikala fortress which is the ancient symbol of the city; the baths district (Abanotubani) known for its sulfurous hot springs.
In the afternoon, visit the National Museum and its collections of “Golden Treasure” from the ancient period.
Optional: Instead of visiting the museum, we suggest to go up to Mtatsminda to discover the splendid panorama over the city, or visit the recently renovated Marjanishvili district with its Art Nouveau buildings.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 1h.
Walking time: approximately 3h. Overnight in Tbilisi.
Discover UNESCO Sites and Greater Caucasus
Departure for Mtskheta - former capital of the Kingdom of Iberia, visit to the Jvari ("Cross") Monastery perched on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. Visit to the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli ("Life-giving column") cathedral. Purchase of hand-made Georgian national souvenirs. Opportunity to buy handmade Georgian souvenirs.
On the way to Kazbegi, visit the Ananuri fortress, offering a picturesque view of the Jinvali reservoir. Cross the legendary Georgian military road, one of the most beautiful in the world, through valleys, ravines and finally the Cross Pass at 2,300m altitude. Arrival at Stepantsminda, Kazbegi.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 3h, 160km.Walking time: approximately 2h.
Overnight in Kazbegi.
From the North to the central part of the country
Early in the morning, visit the 14th-century Trinity Church of Gergegti, 300m above the village of Stepantsminda.
Option: it is possible to organize hiking up to Gergeti Church (6km, 2h).
Departure for Gori - a Soviet city and central part of Georgia, birthplace of Joseph Stalin - where we can visit Joseph Stalin's house museum and his armoured vehicle.Transfer: Private vehicle, around 3h30, 200km.
Walking time: around 1h.
Optional hiking: 2h, 6 km.
Elevation of optional hiking: +/- 450 m
Overnight in Gori.
Visit rock-hewn town and the region of fortresses
Discovery of the abandoned rock-cut town of Uplistsikhe (approximately 1h30), dating from the 2nd century and overlooking the Mtkvari River.
The tour continues with a visit to Atenis Sioni, a 7th-century Orthodox church some ten kilometers south of Gori. The church is located in the Tana Valley, well known for its historic monuments, authentic landscapes and characteristic regional wine.
Departure for the western part of Georgia, Kutaisi. According to the Greek poem by Apollonius of Rhodes, Kutaisi was the city of King Aiets, father of Jason's wife Medea. Kutaisi is the country's second-largest city.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 3h30, 195km.
Walking time: approximately 2h.
Overnight in Kutaisi.
Visit UNESCO Sites and Departure to Svaneti
Continuation to Mestia, in the Svaneti mountain region, via the town of Zugdidi. Visit the Dadiani palaces to see the exhibition of Georgian cultural heritage linked to the emperor of France, Napoléon Bonaparte, the Tagiloni treasure materials and commemorative relics of the Dadiani dynasty.
Arrival at Svaneti, one of the most important regions in the Argonaut myth, where gold was recovered using lamb skins. Located on the southern slopes of the Great Central Caucasus, surrounded by peaks between 3,000 and 5,000 meters above sea level.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 5h, 250km.
Walking time: approximately 1-2h.
Overnight in Mestia.
Visit Upper Svaneti
Return to Mestia at the end of the day.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 2h, 95km.
Walking time: approximately 3-5h.
Elevation of hiking: +/- 150m.
Difficulty level of hiking: easy.
Overnight in Mestia.
Visit Svaneti and its cultural treasures
Return to Kutaisi.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 5h, 250km.
Walking time: approximately 2-3h.
Overnight in Kutaisi.
Departure to the South
In the morning departure to the South part of Georgia, Samthkhe-Javaheti region. Stop at Borjomi, remarkable for its natural mineral springs, and visit to the Borjomi public park.
Visit to the Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe - a renovated medieval fortress built in the 9th century, particularly beautiful when illuminated at night.Continue and take the road to the medieval Sapara Monastery (9th-10th century) set in a green forested canyon.
Departure to Vardzia.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 5h, 255km.
Walking time: approximately 2h.
Overnight in Vardzia.
Cave town and alpine landscapes
Return to Tbilisi via Tsalka. This region is known for its number of lakes and it is very different from other regions of Georgia with its alpine landscapes. Here we discover Poka Monastery on the shores of Paravani Lake - the largest natural lake in the country.
Arrive in Tbilisi in the evening and drop off the car at your hotel or at car rental office.
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 4h30, 225km.
Walking time: approximately 2h.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
Tbilisi - Departure
Transfer: Private vehicle, approximately 30min, 20km.
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