Classic Georgia — 6 days, 5 nights

Overview

Duration

6 days / 5 nights

Base

Tbilisi — one hotel, no repacking

Route

Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Ananuri → Gudauri → Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) → Sighnaghi → Kakheti → Uplistsikhe → Gori

Hotel category

4–5 star. The four-star hotels are in the Old Town or city centre; the five-star is by Lisi Lake, a short drive out

Tour type

Private car with driver-guide; group option on request

Best season

Year-round. The Kazbegi road is most scenic May–October, Kakheti harvest is September–October, ski season runs December–March

• Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 m, reached by 4x4
• Sighnaghi, Bodbe, and a family winery in Kakheti
• Uplistsikhe, a cave town three thousand years lived in
• The Georgian Military Highway and the Friendship Monument
• Narikala Fortress by cable car, over the old town
• Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral at Mtskheta

Day by day

1. Day 1 Arrival in Tbilisi

   

   Meet and greet at Tbilisi International Airport, private transfer to the hotel, check-in. The evening is free at leisure — an Old Town walk, or Shardeni Street, five minutes from most old-town hotels and where the city eats late.

   Meals: None — dinner is your own arrangement

2. Day 2 Tbilisi city tour and Mtskheta

   

   A full day, and two halves of it. The morning is an Old Town walking tour — Metekhi Church, the cable car from Rike Park up to Narikala Fortress, the Bridge of Peace, and the sulfur bath district at Abanotubani. The climb everyone warns you about is a three-minute cable car ride with the old town underneath it. In the afternoon, 25 minutes out to Mtskheta, Georgia's ancient capital: Jvari Monastery on its ridge above the meeting of the Aragvi and the Mtkvari, then Svetitskhoveli Cathedral below it. Back in Tbilisi by early evening.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch in Mtskheta is your own expense

3. Day 3 Kazbegi, full day in the mountains

   

   North along the Georgian Military Highway, nine to ten hours door to door. The Zhinvali reservoir viewpoint, the Ananuri fortress complex, the Gudauri panorama and the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, then Stepantsminda — and from there a 4x4 up to Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 metres, with Mount Kazbek behind it. Back in Tbilisi in the evening.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch in Stepantsminda or Gudauri is your own expense

4. Day 4 Kakheti wine region, full day

   

   East into Georgia's wine country, eight to nine hours door to door. Sighnaghi, the walled hilltop "City of Love" looking out over the Alazani valley; Bodbe Monastery, where St Nino is buried; then a family winery for a tour of the qvevri method — fermentation in clay vessels buried to the neck, which Georgia has used for 8,000 years — and a tasting. Back in Tbilisi in the evening.

   Meals: Breakfast, and the wine tasting — lunch at the winery or in Sighnaghi is your own expense

5. Day 5 Uplistsikhe and Gori, full day

   

   West this time, about eight hours door to door. Uplistsikhe is a town carved into the rock and lived in for some three thousand years — caves, halls and an ancient theatre cut above the Mtkvari. Then Gori, with an optional visit to the Stalin Museum, still built around the house he was born in. Back in Tbilisi by evening, with the farewell night free for a last dinner in the Old Town.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch in Gori is your own expense

6. Day 6 Departure

   

   Free morning for shopping or a last walk, checkout, private transfer to the airport.

   Meals: Breakfast

Your price

This is what you chose, priced. Change anything and it reprices — the price is the price, not a starting figure that grows at checkout.

Named hotels or similar in the same class, subject to availability on your dates. Prices are per person with two sharing a twin room; a single room costs more.

What’s included

Good to know

• Days 3, 4 and 5 are three long excursion days in a row. This package suits people who want to see everything; if you would rather take it slower, day 5 can become a free day at a reduced rate.
• Day 3 is a mountain day. Comfortable shoes and a warm layer are worth packing — Gergeti sits at 2,170 m and is noticeably cooler than Tbilisi even in summer.
• The 4x4 section up to Gergeti is standard practice, not an upsell. The road is steep but short.
• Uplistsikhe means walking on uneven rock. Sturdy footwear helps, and so does a hat and water in summer — much of the site is exposed.
• The Stalin Museum is optional. Some people specifically want it and others would rather not; the driver waits either way.
• Modest dress — covered shoulders and knees — is required inside churches and monasteries. Scarves are usually available at the entrance.
• In winter, heavy snowfall can close the Military Highway. The day order is reshuffled on the ground at no cost.
• September and October are harvest season — rtveli — in Kakheti. The best time for the wine day, and the busiest.
• Georgian lari is the only currency most small restaurants take, though cards are widely accepted in Tbilisi.
• The package runs with a minimum of two travellers. A solo-traveller supplement applies.

Questions

• Three long days in a row — is that too much?

  It is the trade this package makes, and it is not for everyone. Day 5 can become a free day in Tbilisi at a reduced rate, which leaves two big excursions rather than three. Say which you would prefer when you enquire.

• Is the Stalin Museum included?

  No, and deliberately — it is an optional visit paid on the day. Some people specifically want to see it, others would rather not, and the driver waits either way.

• How long is the Kazbegi day?

  Nine to ten hours door to door. Most of it is driving with stops rather than walking, and the only demanding part is the 4x4 up to Gergeti, which is a rough track rather than a hike.

• What happens if the Jvari Pass is closed?

  Heavy snow can close it at short notice in winter. With five nights in one base there is room to move: the day order is reshuffled on the ground at no cost rather than a day being dropped.