Grand Georgia Discovery — 8 days, 7 nights

Overview

Duration

8 days / 7 nights

Bases

Tbilisi, 4 nights · Kutaisi, 1 night · Batumi, 2 nights

Route

Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Kazbegi → Kakheti → Uplistsikhe → Kutaisi → Martvili → Batumi → Tbilisi

Hotel category

4–5 star throughout

Tour type

Private car with driver-guide; group option on request

Best season

May–October for the canyons and the coast. Kakheti harvest is September–October; the city and mountains work year-round

• 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
• Prometheus Cave, 1.4 km of lit walkways underground
• Martvili Canyon and its emerald gorge
• Two nights in Batumi, subtropical and on the sea

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

   

   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. In the afternoon, 25 minutes out to Mtskheta, Georgia's ancient capital: Jvari Monastery 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, Ananuri Fortress, the Gudauri panorama and the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, then Stepantsminda and the 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 the wine country, eight to nine hours door to door. Sighnaghi, the hilltop "City of Love" above the Alazani valley; Bodbe Monastery; then a family winery for a tour of the qvevri method — fermentation in clay vessels buried to the neck — and a tasting. Back in Tbilisi in the evening.

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

5. Day 5 West to Kutaisi, via Uplistsikhe

   

   Check out and drive west, five to six hours with stops. Uplistsikhe first — the three-thousand-year-old cave town above the Mtkvari, carved into the rock — then on to Kutaisi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. The evening takes in the Bagrati Cathedral viewpoint and the old quarter. Overnight in Kutaisi.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch en route is your own expense

6. Day 6 Prometheus Cave, Martvili Canyon, on to Batumi

   

   The morning underground at Prometheus Cave — 1.4 km of lit walkways through one of the largest cave systems in the Caucasus — then Martvili Canyon, where a boat ride through the emerald gorge is there if you want it. On to Batumi in the afternoon, about two and a half hours, then check in and finish the day on Batumi Boulevard at sunset.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch near Martvili is your own expense

7. Day 7 Batumi city tour

   

   The Botanical Garden on the Green Cape first, then the city itself: Europe Square, the Alphabet Tower, the Piazza, the moving Ali & Nino statue and the old town. The afternoon is free — for the beach, the cable car, or the promenade.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch and dinner are your own arrangement

8. Day 8 Back to Tbilisi, and departure

   

   Check out and drive back to Tbilisi, five to six hours with a rest stop on the way, then straight to Tbilisi International Airport for an evening flight. If yours leaves earlier, you can fly out of Batumi or Kutaisi instead — tell us your flight details when you book.

   Meals: Breakfast

What’s included

Good to know

• This itinerary changes hotel twice — Tbilisi, then Kutaisi, then Batumi. It covers the whole country, but it involves more packing than the single-base packages. It suits coverage over ease.
• Days 3 to 6 are four consecutive full touring days. For a lighter pace, drop Kakheti on day 4 for a free day in Tbilisi.
• Day 8 timing matters. The drive back to Tbilisi takes five to six hours, so this routing suits an evening flight. For a morning departure, fly out of Batumi (BUS) or Kutaisi (KUT) instead.
• 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.
• Prometheus Cave stays around 14°C all year. A light jacket is useful inside even in July, and the walkways can be damp.
• Martvili Canyon and Uplistsikhe both mean walking on uneven surfaces. Sturdy footwear helps.
• 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 the cities.
• The package runs with a minimum of two travellers. A solo-traveller supplement applies.

Questions

• How does this differ from the 7-day Explorer?

  One more night, and the middle of the country. The Explorer drives from Tbilisi straight through to Batumi; this one stops at Kutaisi for a night and spends a morning at Prometheus Cave and Martvili Canyon, which the shorter trip passes by.

• How much repacking is involved?

  Two hotel changes — Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi. That is the trade for covering the whole country. If you would rather unpack once, the Classic Georgia package stays in Tbilisi for all five nights.

• Is the Martvili boat ride included?

  The canyon entrance is; the boat ride is optional and paid at the gate. It takes about fifteen minutes and goes through the gorge itself.

• My flight home leaves in the morning. Does day 8 work?

  Not as written — the drive back from Batumi takes five to six hours, so this routing suits an evening departure. For a morning flight, depart from Batumi or Kutaisi instead. Send your flight details when you book and the last day is built around them.