Georgia in 5 days: Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kazbegi and Kakheti

Five days is the short-break version of Georgia: two nights in Tbilisi either side of a day at Gergeti under the Caucasus and a day in the Kakheti vineyards. The 4am Gudauri road, the marshrutka-versus-driver maths, and why this is the easiest visa in the region for a UAE resident.

Caucasus
5 days
≈ AED 2,100 / person
A long weekend from the Gulf that still gets you to the Caucasus and the wine country

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 29 October 2026

Before you go

Five days is the length most people actually have, and Georgia takes it better than almost anywhere — a three-hour flight from Dubai, no visa for most, and the mountains an easy day from the capital.

Two nights in Tbilisi, one long day north to Kazbegi, one day east into Kakheti, and out. That is the shape. The seven-day route adds Kutaisi and the cave cities; the ten-day adds the Black Sea.

Tbilisi is sulphur baths, balconies and a carved old town under a fortress. Mtskheta is the old capital, half an hour out, with two of the country’s most important churches. Gergeti Trinity stands alone on a hill at 2,170m under Mount Kazbek, and the drive there is half the point. Kakheti is where wine was invented — the eight thousand year claim is archaeological, not marketing.

Figure GEL 1,485 (≈ AED 2,103) per person. May, June, September and October are the months.

Want this arranged rather than planned? We sell this exact route as a package — Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Kakheti, 5 days / 4 nights — with hotels, a driver-guide and transfers included. The itinerary below is free to follow yourself.

Before you go: the admin

Entry

Georgia admits citizens of 95 countries visa-free for a full year, which is among the most generous policies anywhere. That includes the GCC states and the EU.
Indian passport holders need an e-visa, applied for online — or enter visa-free if you hold a valid multiple-entry visa or residence permit from the UAE, US, UK, EU, Japan or several others. For a UAE resident on an Indian passport, this is usually the easiest border in the region.
Check the official e-visa portal rather than an agent; the government fee is modest.

Getting around

A hired driver is how this itinerary works. Around US$100–130 a day for the Kazbegi run and rather less for Kakheti, split between however many of you there are.
Marshrutkas (minibuses) run to Stepantsminda from Didube station in Tbilisi for a few dollars. They leave when full, take four hours, and are an experience. On a five-day trip the driver buys you the stops.
The Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi is the drive — Ananuri fortress on its reservoir, the Gudauri viewpoint, the Jvari Pass at 2,379m. It is also the road to Russia, so expect queues of lorries near the border.
Bolt works in Tbilisi and is very cheap.

Money

Georgian lari. Cards work in Tbilisi and in hotels; carry cash for village churches, markets and the Gergeti 4x4s.
ATMs are everywhere in Tbilisi and thin in the mountains.

One thing about the mountains

Stepantsminda is at 1,740m and Gergeti at 2,170m. It is noticeably colder than Tbilisi — often 10–15°C colder — and the pass can close in winter weather. Carry a warm layer in any month.

Day by day

Day 1 — Tbilisi

Arrive and walk. Most flights from the Gulf land early morning or late at night, so plan the first day loosely.
11:00 — The Old Town — carved wooden balconies, and the Abanotubani sulphur bath district with its brick domes.
13:00 — Narikala fortress above it, reached by cable car from Rike Park — a dollar each way, and the ridge walk back down past the Mother Georgia statue.
15:00 — A sulphur bath. A private room at Chreli Abano or Bathhouse No.5 for an hour costs less than you expect and is the thing to do on a travel day. Add the scrub.
19:00 — Shardeni Street for dinner, or Fabrika in Marjanishvili for the version Tbilisians actually use.
Eat khinkali and khachapuri on night one. Grip the knot, bite, drink the broth, leave the knot on the plate.

Day 2 — Mtskheta and the Military Highway to Kazbegi

08:00 — Leave early. This is a long day and the weather closes in later.
09:00 — Jvari Monastery first, on the hill above the confluence — sixth century, and the view down over Mtskheta is the one on the postcards, with the two rivers running side by side in different colours.
10:30 — Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta itself, where the robe of Christ is said to be buried. UNESCO-listed, and the old capital of the kingdom.
13:00 — Ananuri fortress on the Zhinvali reservoir, an hour further, with carved crosses on the church wall and turquoise water below.
15:30 — The Gudauri viewpoint — a Soviet-era mosaic arc on the edge of a gorge, and a paragliding launch in summer.
17:00 — Stepantsminda, then up to Gergeti Trinity Church. The 4x4s from the village square run constantly; the walk up takes about 90 minutes and is the better arrival if you have the legs and the weather.
Mount Kazbek is 5,054m and shows itself perhaps half the time. Mornings are better than afternoons.
Stay the night in Stepantsminda rather than driving back. The dawn view is why.

Day 3 — Back to Tbilisi, and the city properly

07:00 — The dawn view, which is why you slept here.
09:30 — Return down the Military Highway, stopping where you did not on the way up.
13:30 — The Chronicle of Georgia on a hill above the city — sixteen enormous black pillars carved with Georgian history, built in the 1980s and almost empty of visitors.
15:00 — The National Museum for the Soviet occupation hall and the prehistoric goldwork — and the 1.8-million-year-old Dmanisi skulls, the oldest hominins found outside Africa.
17:00 — Dry Bridge Market for Soviet badges, cameras and genuine junk, and Dezerter Bazaar for the food market, which is better than any restaurant for understanding what people here eat.
20:00 — A wine bar in Vera or Sololaki — amber wine fermented in qvevri is the local style and tastes like nothing in a European supermarket.

Day 4 — Kakheti and the wine country

09:00 — Two hours east, and the landscape changes to vines and the Caucasus along the northern horizon.
11:00 — Sighnaghi, the walled hill town above the Alazani valley, with the Caucasus across it. Walk a stretch of the 4km wall — 23 towers, and most people photograph it without climbing one.
12:30 — Bodbe Monastery just below it, where St Nino is buried — she converted the kingdom in the fourth century.
14:00 — A family winery rather than a commercial one — Pheasant’s Tears in Sighnaghi, or any of the small producers around Telavi. Qvevri wine is fermented underground in clay, skins and all, and is UNESCO-listed as an intangible heritage practice.
16:30 — Tsinandali estate and its garden if you want the aristocratic version — the house of the prince who introduced bottled wine to Georgia.
19:30 — Back to Tbilisi in the evening.

Day 5 — Out

Most Gulf flights leave at dawn or late evening.
10:00 — If yours is late, the morning is enough for the Botanical Garden behind Narikala — 100 hectares in the gorge, with a waterfall — or a last bath.
13:00 — Rustaveli Avenue for the opera house and a last supra lunch.
The airport is 20 minutes from the centre and taxis are cheap.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

May, June, September and October.

May–June — green, wildflowers on the passes, everything open and the mountains clear of snow. The best window.
September–October — the rtveli grape harvest in Kakheti, which families still do by hand and will often let you join. Warm days, cold nights, and the best food of the year.
July–August — 35°C in Tbilisi and in the Kakheti valley, which is uncomfortable. The mountains are perfect and busy.
November–April — Tbilisi is grey and cheap. The Jvari Pass closes in heavy snow, sometimes for days, which can cut Kazbegi off entirely. Gudauri is a serious ski resort from December to March, which is a different and very good trip.

Travel tips

Check the Jvari Pass before setting out between November and April. It closes without much notice.
Carry a warm layer in any month. Gergeti is 2,170m and it is a different climate from the city you left that morning.
Stay the night in Stepantsminda rather than doing Kazbegi as a day return — the mountain is clearer in the morning and the drive is three hours each way.
Agree the driver’s price and the stops before you set off, in writing if you can.
Use Bolt in Tbilisi. It is a fraction of a street taxi fare.
Buy wine from the winery, not the airport.
Georgian toasting is structured and led by a tamada. If you are at a supra, follow rather than improvise — and nobody drinks before the toast.
Churches want shoulders and knees covered, and women a headscarf at the more traditional ones. Scarves are usually available at the door.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 4 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Driver for the Kazbegi and Kakheti days	GEL 1,080 (≈ AED 1,529)
Hotels, 4 nights	GEL 860 (≈ AED 1,218)
Food and drink, 5 days	GEL 620 (≈ AED 878)
Wine tastings, churches and entries	GEL 270 (≈ AED 382)
City transport and airport transfers	GEL 140 (≈ AED 198)
Total for two	GEL 2,970 (≈ AED 4,205)

Roughly GEL 1,485 (≈ AED 2,103) per person, which makes Georgia the cheapest short-haul break from the Gulf by a clear margin.
The driver is the line people query. Marshrutkas cost a tenth of it and will not stop at Ananuri, Gudauri or Jvari, which is most of what the day is for.
Food here is very cheap and very good. Two people eat well on US$25 a day.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

A warm layer and a windproof, whatever the month, for Gergeti.
Walking shoes with grip if you intend to walk up rather than take the 4x4.
A scarf for the monasteries.
Sun protection — at 2,000m the sun burns through cloud.
Cash in lari for village churches and mountain transport.
A Type C/F adapter, 220V.

FAQ

Do I need a visa for Georgia? Citizens of 95 countries enter visa-free for a year. Indian passport holders need an e-visa, or enter visa-free if they hold a valid multiple-entry visa or residence permit from the UAE, EU, UK, US and several others — which covers most Gulf residents.

Is five days enough? For Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Kakheti, yes. It is not enough to add Kutaisi, the cave cities or Batumi, which is what the seven and ten-day routes are for.

Driver or marshrutka to Kazbegi? Driver, on a trip this short. The marshrutka is cheap and goes village to village; the driver stops at Jvari, Ananuri and Gudauri, which is most of the reason to take that road.

Can I do Kazbegi as a day trip from Tbilisi? You can, and it is three hours each way plus the climb. Staying the night gives you the mountain in the morning, which is when it is actually visible.

Is Georgian food vegetarian-friendly? Unusually so. Badrijani, lobio, pkhali and most khachapuri are meat-free, and Orthodox fasting means there is a whole established vegan tradition in the cuisine.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 29 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.