The Best of Georgia: A One-Week Itinerary

The Georgian capital of Tbilisi is a vibrant city with a mixture of old and new architecture, natural hot springs and diverse cafe landscapes.
Start your day at Rustaveli Avenue, the central street of the city, and walk down towards Liberty Square. Admire decades-old, but newly-renovated, buildings along the way, such as the Opera House, Rustaveli Theater and Parliament building. Once you get to Liberty Square, look up towards the statue of St. George right in the centre.
From here, continue down Kote Abkhazi street, which leads to the Old Town. You’ll spend most of your time here wandering through narrow cobblestone lanes and admiring the old residential houses with carved wooden balconies. Later on, take a ropeway towards the Narika Fortress and Mother of Georgia, and enjoy the panoramic views over the city.
If you’d like to try out natural hot springs, pay a visit to one of the Georgian spas at Abanotubani; when you feel hungry, don’t forget to eat Khinkali, the must-try dish.

The David Gareji monastery complex is located in the Kakheti region, bordering Azerbaijan. The complex was founded in the 6th century CE by one of the 13 Assyrian Fathers, who spread Christianity in Georgia.

Sighnaghi sits on the hilltop and offers spectacular architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s considered among the most charming towns in Georgia due to the splendid views over Alazani Valey, the red-roofed timber houses with the Caucasus mountains as a backdrop, and the cobblestone streets.

Mtskheta is a former capital of Georgia, located a 30-minute drive from Tbilisi. The city itself is small, so you won’t need more than an hour to see the main attraction: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. From here, you can continue towards Gori and Uplistsikhe.

Gori is the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, where you can visit his house-museum, while Uplistsikhe is a monolith cave-town scattered across eight hectares of land.

Another small town very popular among the visitors is Stepantsminda. The town itself has nothing much to offer, and the main reason why so many tourists flock here is the Gergeti Trinity Church.

Kutaisi is another former capital of Georgia. It’s home to the Unesco World Heritage Site of Bagrati Cathedral: an 11-century-old masterpiece of medieval Georgian architecture. Other essential landmarks for you to see include Gelati and Motsameta monasteries, and Sataplia Nature Reserve.
The former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, moved the Parliament in Kutaisi and built a new modern building for it. This six-floor big glass bubble was opened in 2012, but since many MPs were unsatisfied with the decision and the new force came into power in 2013, the Parliament sessions were moved back to Tbilisi.

One of the central coastal cities of Georgia, Batumi is a popular summer destination for many locals. The newly-renovated city offers a wide range of activities to visitors. Main attractions are within walking distance scattered along the Boulevard. Among the landmarks to see are the statue of Ali and Nino, Alphabetic Tower, Piazza Square and Europe Square.