In a country whose rich culture spills out onto the streets of charming towns, and stunning mountain landscapes are abundant, there is much to love about Georgia. Between the photogenic buildings in the Old Towns and the rustic stone villages in the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia is bursting with options. The only difficulty you’ll have when visiting the country is which places to visit and which to leave for next time. Because we’re sure, after your first visit to Georgia, you will want to return.
To help you decide what to do and where to visit, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite places in Georgia. Your priorities may not match ours, so while they are ranked in our order of preference, we’re confident that any you choose will result in a vacation to remember.
Click on the link to go directly to Travel Tips For Georgia.
You can find these cities and more in the map below. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker to read our post from that region.
Here are our top places to visit in Georgia.
1. Upper Svaneti
Tucked away in Georgia’s picturesque Upper Svaneti are several adorable mountain villages just waiting to be discovered. Their stone homes and medieval towers are perfectly placed under the white-capped Caucasus Mountains. Visiting them will make you think you’ve stepped inside a storybook.
This region is so special, we have divided it into three separate posts. You can read about our favourite place in Georgia in these posts: Mestia – A Hidden Gem In Upper Svaneti, Mestia to Ushguli Trekking Guide and Ushguli – Georgia’s Prettiest Village.
2. Tbilisi
Tbilisi’s historic centre boasts a wonderful assortment of buildings that give it a charming personality. Combining the old streets with its picturesque riverside location, Tbilisi draws you in, enticing you to discover everything it has to offer.
Find out more about what to see in Tbilisi in our posts A Guide To Tbilisi’s Historic Centre and What To See In Uptown Tbilisi.
3. Sighnaghi
Perched on a long ridge above the fertile plains, Sighnaghi just may be the prettiest town in Georgia. Enclosed within centuries-old fortress walls is a charming scene where colourful wooden balconies cling to old stone homes, while cobblestone streets follow the whims of the uneven ridge.
Read more about Sighnaghi, in our post Visiting Sighnaghi – Georgia’s Wine Region.
4. Tusheti
If you’re seeking a landscape where tall, green mountains rise straight up from narrow valleys and green hills are dotted with medieval villages, then look no further than Tusheti in northern Georgia. The combination of mountain scenery, authentic, timeworn villages and distinct culture captivated our imagination, and helped us fall in love with Tusheti.
You can read more about Tusheti as well as the harrowing drive to reach it, in our posts Driving To Tusheti in Georgia’s Remote North, and Walking Between The Remote Villages Of Tusheti.
5. Stepantsminda
With long, green valleys leading to tall, snow-capped mountains, exploring this terrain on foot is a popular activity in the Caucasus Mountains. Set below the mighty Mt. Kazbek, the town of Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) provides the perfect base for these mountain activities.
You can read more about Stepantsminda and some of the hikes in the region by reading our post Day Hikes From Stepantsminda. The drive to reach it is also an adventure. We wrote about the drive in our post Driving The Georgian Military Road To Stepantsminda.
6. Telavi
Telavi has a picture-perfect setting, high on a ridge above the fertile Alazani Valley and in the shadows of the mighty Caucasus Mountains. We had a great time exploring the heritage sites in the city as well as the centuries-old monasteries scattered throughout the surrounding valley.
Read more about Telavi and the monasteries in our posts What To See In Telavi, and Touring Kakheti’s Historic Monasteries.
7. Mtskheta
As the country’s first capital, Mtskheta is deeply rooted in the country’s history. It is also the place where Georgia was declared a Christian state in the 4th century. This history can still be seen today in the many heritage churches and monasteries in and near Mtskheta. Visiting them will bring you one step closer to understanding the country.
Read more about Mtskheta in our post Georgia’s First Capital, Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery.
8. Vardzia
A long cliff band, halfway up Erusheti Mountain, is home to hundreds of pockmarks, each an opening to a hand-carved cave. Built in the 12th century, Vardzia is an awe-inspiring archeological site with 13 levels of caves for you to explore.
To find out more about Vardzia, visit our post Explore The Cave City Of Vardzia.
9. Akhaltsikhe
The fantasy-land Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe sparks your imagination of a medieval court with kings and queens. Its long, sordid history and variety of dynasties left us with an eclectic mix of buildings. With its mix of Georgian and Ottoman towers, passageways and pagodas, there’s a lot to see in this castle.
Read more about Akhaltsikhe and nearby Borjomi in our post Rabati Castle & Mineral Springs – Visiting Akhaltsikhe & Borjomi.
10. Batumi
Some visit Batumi for the beaches, some for the nightlife, but we enjoyed finding the treasure trove of architecture in a variety of styles. There are modern towers, heritage hotels, and even remnants from the Ottoman Empire. Together, they combine to make a great city that is worth a visit.
You can find out more about Batumi in our post Exploring The Architectural Treasures In Batumi.
11. Kutaisi
Inhabited as early as the 15th century BCE, Kutaisi is one of the oldest cities in the Caucasus. It is also believed to be the ancient city of Aia in the Greek epic poem The Argonautica. You can find reminders of this extensive history in a few places in the city’s historic centre.
Read more about Kutaisi in our post Cultural Highlights of Kutaisi.
12. Uplistsikhe
On the southern slopes of the Kvernaki Mountain Range in central Georgia is a sandstone bluff that provided the setting for a fascinating rock-cut temple city. Instead of tall cliffs or spindly pinnacles as we’ve seen in other cave towns, these hills are topped by rounded sandstone, worn smooth with time. It’s easy to imagine the centuries of feet that walked around these smooth stones as you explore Uplistsike.
You can find out more about Uplistsikhe and the nearby city of Gori in our post Visiting Uplistsikhe Cave City and Gori.
Travel Tips For Georgia
Finding information online about opening hours and entry fees, as well as marshrutka schedules and routes, can be very difficult at times. Our main resource was usually other blogs, some of which are 4 or 5 years old, making the information out of date. What this means for you is that you should be prepared to do some searching on your own once you arrive in a new city. We have included a lot of this information on our posts, but you may have to do a little research on your own, too.
Here is other information that you may find useful when travelling in Georgia.
ATM – Not all ATMs service international banks. We found Bank of Georgia to be the most reliable and widely available in the country. They also have low fees.
Language – Considered one of the world’s oldest languages, the primary language is Georgian (Kartuli). It also has a novel alphabet that can make reading signs impossible. Thankfully, a lot of English is spoken and written in tourist areas. In smaller centres, though, there may not be much English at all. Most of the older generations also speak Russian.
SIM – We purchased a Magti SIM card. The cost was 45 GEL (€14) for 30 days with unlimited data. Coverage was good in most places, including remote Svaneti.
Safety – Georgia is very safe. We often saw locals leave their phones, purses, and cigarette packs lying on a table and walking away, out of sight, for a few minutes. They didn’t seem to be concerned at all that anything would be stolen.
Food – One of the things that first attracted us to Georgia was its food. Not only is the food delicious, but Georgians are also very good cooks. During our entire stay in the country, whether we ate at a high-priced restaurant or a remote guesthouse, every single meal was delicious. You can read about the many dishes in our post, Cultural Highlights Of Kutaisi.
One thing to note is that coffee shops and restaurants don’t usually open before 10 or 11 am. If you enjoy breakfast, or even coffee or tea in the morning, you should book a hotel that offers breakfast, or rent an apartment with a kitchen.
Transportation – Georgians drive very fast. Whether in a car, or a marshrutka, on highways, residential streets, or even parking lots, expect to feel uncomfortable with the speed.
The rideshare aps Bolt and Maxim are widely available in the major centres, as are taxis. For longer rides and day trips, GoTrip is a good choice.
Marshrutkas are usually the most economical option to travel between cities. It is often difficult to find their schedules online, so we would usually look at the timetables posted at the bus station when we arrived in a new town. If nothing is posted, other drivers usually know, if not there many be a ticket office you can ask. Trains run between the larger cities but are known to be quite slow. Some regions have inter-city buses too, but that is the exception.
Border Crossings – It is possible to cross the land borders to Armenia, Turkey and Russia. You can travel into Georgia by land from Azerbaijan, but you can not enter Azerbaijan by land.
To read more of our adventures in Georgia, click here.
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