Georgia Explorer — 7 days, 6 nights

Overview

Duration

7 days / 6 nights

Bases

Tbilisi, 4 nights, then Batumi, 2 nights

Route

Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Kazbegi → Kakheti → Uplistsikhe → Batumi → Tbilisi

Hotel category

4–5 star in Tbilisi — Old Town or city centre, with the five-star by Lisi Lake a short drive out. 4-star in central Batumi

Tour type

Private car with driver-guide; group option on request

Best season

May–October for Batumi beach weather. 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
• Two nights in Batumi, subtropical and on the sea
• The Batumi Botanical Garden on the Green Cape
• Ali & Nino, the moving sculpture on the shore

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 Batumi, via Uplistsikhe

   

   Check out and drive west toward the Black Sea, six to seven hours with stops. On the way, Uplistsikhe — the three-thousand-year-old cave town above the Mtkvari, carved into the rock. Then on to Batumi, check in, and finish the day with a walk along Batumi Boulevard at sunset.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch en route is your own expense

6. Day 6 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 up Anuria hill, or the promenade.

   Meals: Breakfast — lunch and dinner are your own arrangement

7. Day 7 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

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 to 5 are three long travel days in a row. For a lighter pace, drop Kakheti on day 4 for a free Tbilisi day, or take the internal flight to Batumi.
• Day 7 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 — both have direct connections to several Gulf cities. Confirm your flight details when you book.
• 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.
• Batumi is subtropical: warm and humid in summer, and wetter than Tbilisi all year. A light rain layer is useful in any season.
• 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.
• Georgian lari is the only currency most small restaurants take, though cards are widely accepted in Tbilisi and Batumi.
• The package runs with a minimum of two travellers. A solo-traveller supplement applies.

Questions

• My flight home leaves in the morning. Does day 7 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; both have direct connections to several Gulf cities. Send your flight details when you book and the last day is built around them.

• Can I fly between Tbilisi and Batumi instead of driving?

  Yes, and it saves five to six hours each way. A fare supplement applies. It does mean skipping Uplistsikhe, which is on the road rather than a detour from it.

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

  It is the price of a week that covers the whole country. If you would rather take it slower, drop the Kakheti day for a free day in Tbilisi, or take the flight to Batumi and keep the hours.

• What is Batumi actually like?

  Nothing like the rest of Georgia, which is the point of including it. Subtropical, on the Black Sea, palm trees and a modern skyline — warm and humid in summer, and wetter than Tbilisi all year.