Georgia in 7 days: Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Kakheti

One week across Tbilisi, the Kazbegi mountains and Kakheti wine country — hour-by-hour plans, visas, real costs, and the new 2026 insurance rule.

Caucasus
7 days
≈ AED 3,050 / person
First-time visitors

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 23 October 2026

Before you go

Georgia is the easiest “real mountains” trip most travellers will ever plan: 3–4 hour flights from the Gulf and much of Europe, and prices that make a full week cost less than a long weekend elsewhere. This route covers the old capital, the high Caucasus, and the oldest wine region on earth — with drives kept short enough that the road stays part of the holiday.

All costs are in Georgian lari (GEL), with conversions calculated at today’s exchange rate. Opening hours are approximate — Georgian hours drift with the seasons, so treat anything marked ~ as a guide, not a contract.

Before you go: the 15-minute admin

Visas

Visa-free (up to 1 year): EU, UK, USA, GCC (UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) and ~90 other passports. No forms, no fees.
Everyone else: e-visa at evisa.gov.ge — ~USD 20, fully online, ~5 working days. Apply 2+ weeks ahead.
The residence-permit shortcut: a visa-required passport (e.g. Indian) + a valid residence permit from a GCC state, US, UK, or Schengen country = visa-free entry, 90 days. Carry the physical permit card; officers check.
Rules change — confirm on the Georgian MFA site before booking.

Mandatory insurance — new for 2026

Since 1 January 2026, all foreign visitors must carry travel insurance covering health and accidents for the full stay.
Minimum coverage: GEL 30,000 (≈ AED 42,476); proof can be requested at the border, in English or Georgian, paper or PDF.
In practice: buy any standard travel policy, check it names Georgia and your dates, and save the PDF offline on your phone.

Money

Currency: lari (GEL). Cards work almost everywhere in Tbilisi.
Carry cash for: cable car top-up, mountain drivers, markets, village cafés.
Skip airport exchange — use Bank of Georgia / TBC ATMs in the city, or the Old Town exchange kiosks (fair rates).
Tipping: 10%, often already on the bill — check first.

SIM and data

Don’t buy at the airport — 40 GEL for 3 GB there vs 10 GEL SIM + 35 GEL unlimited 30-day data in the city.
Magti has the best coverage, including the Kazbegi mountain road; eSIMs available. Any city branch, 5 minutes, passport needed.
Want data on landing? A cheap international eSIM for day one + Magti in town.

Getting around

Tbilisi: use the Bolt app — rides across town 5–15 GEL. Install and add a card before you fly.
Outside Tbilisi: one private-driver leg (Kazbegi) + two day trips beats renting a car — the Military Highway is shared with cross-border fuel trucks.
Confident mountain drivers can rent a car instead; everyone else shouldn’t learn here.

Travelling with kids?

This exact route works with small children — short drives, one built-in rest day.
Bring a lightweight stroller for Tbilisi + a carrier for Narikala and Gergeti.
Order khinkali fried, not boiled — less scalding.
Keep Day 4’s empty afternoon empty. That’s the trick.

Day by day

Day 1 — Land in Tbilisi, Old Town + sulfur baths

Adjust to your landing time; this assumes a morning arrival. Stay near the Old Town or Sololaki.

12:00 — Check in, drop bags. Grab a Metromoney card at any metro station or the Rike cable car kiosk (you’ll need it — the cable car takes no cash and no bank cards).
13:00 — Lunch: Salobie Bia (near Liberty Square) — famous modern take on lobio and Georgian classics, ~25–40 GEL/person.
14:30 — Wander the Old Town lanes: Sioni Cathedral, the leaning clock tower, Meidan Bazaar.
16:00 — Rike Park → Narikala cable car (~11:00–23:00, 2.5 GEL each way, Metromoney only; closes in strong wind).
16:15 — Narikala Fortress walls + ridge walk to the Mother of Georgia statue (open access, free). Best light late afternoon.
17:30 — Walk down into Abanotubani, the sulfur bath district.
18:00 — Orbeliani (Chreli Abano) Baths — the famous blue-tiled one. Private rooms 50–80 GEL/hour; book 1–2 days ahead in season. Budget option: Leghvtakhevi or Bath House No. 5, 15–25 GEL/hour, walk-ins fine. Add the kisa scrub.
20:00 — Dinner: courtyard restaurant in the Old Town — khinkali, khachapuri, house wine. ~50–80 GEL for two.

Where to stay in Tbilisi

Splurge: Radisson Blu Iveria — city-centre tower off Rustaveli, big modern rooms, sweeping views, 10-min walk to Old Town.
Mid-range: Communal Hotel Sololaki — small, superbly rated, breakfast included, walkable to everything here. Few rooms; book early.
Budget: Ibis Budget Tbilisi Center — clean chain basics at guesthouse prices; a short Bolt ride (not a stroll) from Old Town.

Day 2 — Tbilisi beyond the Old Town

9:30 — Holy Trinity (Sameba) Cathedral (daily, ~9:00–20:00, free) — the vast gold-domed landmark on the left bank.
11:00 — Walk Aghmashenebeli Avenue’s restored facades to Fabrika — the Soviet sewing factory turned courtyard of cafés, studios and street art. Coffee stop.
13:00 — Lunch on Aghmashenebeli or back across the river — Machakhela/Samikitno (Meidan) is the reliable any-time khachapuri stop, ~20 GEL/person.
14:30 — Georgian National Museum (Rustaveli; closed Mondays, ~10:00–18:00, ~15–20 GEL) — go for the Archaeological Treasury: pre-Roman gold that rewrites what you assume about this region.
17:30 — Funicular up to Mtatsminda Park (runs ~9:00 until late evening) — sunset over the whole city, rides and cafés up top.
20:30 — Dinner in Sololaki/Vera: Shavi Lomi or Café Littera (celebrated modern Georgian, garden setting) — both book out on weekends, reserve ahead.

Day 3 — Military Highway to Kazbegi, via Mtskheta

The fullest day of the week — and the best road trip in the country. Mtskheta sits right at the start of the highway, so it folds into the drive instead of costing its own day. Private driver ~300 GEL for the day with stops.

8:30 — Depart Tbilisi.
9:00 — Jvari Monastery (daily, ~9:00–18:00, free) — the postcard view over the meeting of two rivers. 30–40 minutes.
10:00 — Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta (daily, ~8:00–18:00, free) — burial place of Georgian kings. Shoulders/knees covered; scarves at the door. Grab churchkhela in the souvenir lanes.
11:30 — Back on the highway north.
12:15 — Ananuri Fortress (grounds open daylight hours, free) — 17th-century castle on a turquoise reservoir. 30 minutes.
13:30 — Lunch: Pasanauri — the village where khinkali was born; the roadside restaurants here serve the best in the country, ~1.5–2 GEL per dumpling. Order 5–8 per person: twist, sip, bite.
15:00 — Gudauri viewpoint + Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument (open access) — mosaic balcony over the valley; paragliders overhead, tandem flights bookable on the spot.
16:00 — Over the 2,395 m Jvari Pass.
16:45 — Arrive Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), check in. On a clear day Mount Kazbek fills the window.
19:30 — Dinner: Rooms Hotel Kitchen (walk-ins for non-guests; terrace view worth it alone) or Maisi for elevated Khevian mountain cooking.

Where to stay in Kazbegi (two nights — Kazbek hides in cloud, and two mornings double your odds)

Splurge: Rooms Hotel Kazbegi — the famous sanatorium-turned-design-hotel; terrace and pool face Kazbek head-on. First to sell out — book the day you book flights.
Mid-range: Hotel Porta Caucasia — well-rated, breakfast, mountain views at a fraction of the Rooms price.
Budget: Guesthouse Anano — family-run, outstanding ratings; expect to be fed.

Day 4 — Gergeti Trinity Church + the valley

The lone-church-under-a-giant-peak photo you’ve seen. Go early — tour buses from Tbilisi arrive from ~10:30.

8:30 — Up to Gergeti Trinity Church (church open daylight hours, free), two ways:
- Hike: 1.5–2 hours up from town through open hillside — the best half-day walk in easy reach of Tbilisi. Water + sun cover; nothing to buy en route.
- 4x4: drivers wait on the main square; 15–20 minutes up. Shared ~30–50 GEL/person, private 100–150 GEL — agree price and waiting time first.
10:30 — Back down; coffee in the square.
12:30 — Lunch: Qondari — homestyle Georgian at budget prices, or Tiba for Khevian dishes with mountain views.
14:00 — Gveleti waterfall — short drive toward the Dariali gorge, then a ~30–40 minute walk each way.
Evening — Slow dinner, early night. Cloud hid the peak today? Kazbek is clearest at sunrise — set an alarm.

Day 5 — Mountains to wine country

The honest print: today is ~5 hours of driving (Kazbegi → Tbilisi bypass → Sighnaghi, ~350–400 GEL private). The payoff is that it ends with sunset on Sighnaghi’s walls instead of a hotel you’ve already slept in — and the one unmissable stop sits exactly on the way.

9:00 — Depart Stepantsminda; catch the highway viewpoints you skipped on the way up.
12:30 — Chronicle of Georgia (open 24/7, free) — a hilltop crown of 30-metre carved pillars above the Tbilisi Sea, right on the bypass route. Almost no crowds; the most dramatic photo stop of the trip.
13:15 — Quick lunch on Tbilisi’s edge, or hold out for an early dinner in wine country.
15:30 — Arrive Sighnaghi — Georgia’s prettiest town: pastel houses and defensive walls looking across the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus you just left.
17:30 — Walk the wall towers at golden hour.
19:30 — Dinner + tasting: Pheasant’s Tears — the natural wine pioneer that put Sighnaghi on the map; set feasts with amber qvevri wines you won’t find at home. Reserve ahead. Non-drinkers get the same vineyards’ grape juice.

Where to stay in Sighnaghi (one night)

Boutique: Kabadoni Boutique Hotel — pool, spa, stylish rooms and panoramic Alazani Valley views, right in town.
Budget: Zandarashvili Guest House — the classic Sighnaghi guesthouse: vineyard views, famous breakfasts, and homemade wine poured like you’re family.

Day 6 — Kakheti morning, back to Tbilisi

Qvevri wine has been made in this valley for 8,000 years — this is the morning to taste it without a schedule breathing down your neck.

9:30 — Bodbe Monastery (grounds ~9:00–19:00, free) — 2 km from town; cypress gardens and the resting place of St Nino.
11:00 — A family winery tasting near Sighnaghi — your guesthouse will point you to one (often a relative’s cellar, and they’ll be right). Tastings typically 20–50 GEL with snacks.
13:00 — Long Georgian lunch — the kind with toasts.
15:00 — Drive back to Tbilisi (~1h45–2h, ~150 GEL private, or the frequent cheap marshrutka if you’re travelling light).
17:00 — Check in, rest.
20:00 — Farewell dinner in Sololaki — whichever of Shavi Lomi / Café Littera you didn’t get to on Day 2.

Day 7 — Souvenirs and fly home

10:00 — Dry Bridge Market (daily ~10:00–17:00, weather permitting; fullest on weekends) — Soviet cameras, horn cups, enamel badges, old carpets. Cash, and haggle gently.
12:00 — Pick up qvevri wine from a proper wine shop — it travels fine in checked luggage wrapped in a jumper.
13:00 — Final khachapuri, then out.

Costs and practicalities

Getting there

Fares swing hard by season and by day of the week — moving a trip by a few days is often the biggest single saving on the whole budget.

Best time to visit

May–June and September–early October. Those are the months when Tbilisi is warm rather than hot and the Kazbegi road is reliably open.

May–June — green, wildflowers in the high valleys, and the Georgian Military Highway clear. The best month for Kazbegi.
July–August — Tbilisi routinely passes 35°C and is uncomfortable, while the mountains are at their best. Svaneti and Tusheti are only accessible now.
September–early October — the rtveli, the grape harvest in Kakheti, which is the single best thing to time a trip around. Warm days, cool nights, clear light.
November–April — Tbilisi is mild and cheap, Gudauri skis from December, and the Jvari Pass to Kazbegi closes intermittently with snow and avalanche risk.

Tusheti’s road is open roughly June to early October and is one of the most dangerous in the world — it closes with the first snow.

Travel tips

The supra is structured and the tamada runs it. Do not drink ahead of the toast, and do not toast with beer — it is reserved for the enemies.
Wine here is qvevri wine, fermented in buried clay vessels, and the amber ones are the local speciality rather than a curiosity.
Marshrutkas leave when full and cover almost everywhere. For Kazbegi or Kakheti a hired driver for the day costs little more and saves hours.
Cards work well in Tbilisi and Batumi, less so in villages. ATMs are plentiful.
Russian is widely understood but politically loaded. English is common among younger Georgians; start there.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia cannot be entered from Georgia, and entering from Russia means being refused entry to Georgia afterwards.
Cover shoulders, and women cover hair, at monasteries. Wraps and scarves are usually provided at the door.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 7 nights, mid-range comfort, flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Hotels, 7 nights (4 Tbilisi + 2 Kazbegi + 1 Sighnaghi)	GEL 1,800 (≈ AED 2,549)
Private driver, 3 transfer legs	GEL 800 (≈ AED 1,133)
Gergeti 4x4 (private, with waiting)	GEL 130 (≈ AED 184)
Wine tastings, Kakheti	GEL 100 (≈ AED 142)
Food and drink, 7 days	GEL 1,100 (≈ AED 1,557)
Bolt rides, cable car, funicular, baths, SIM	GEL 350 (≈ AED 496)
Total for two	GEL 4,280 (≈ AED 6,060)

Roughly GEL 2,140 (≈ AED 3,030) per person, with room in both directions: guesthouses and shared jeeps pull it under GEL 1,480 (≈ AED 2,095); Rooms Hotel and serious wine tours push it past GEL 2,960 (≈ AED 4,191).
Book the Kazbegi hotel first — the view properties sell out weeks ahead, June–September. Everything else can wait.
Prefer fewer hotel changes? Single-base variant: sleep in Tbilisi every night except Kazbegi’s two, and do Kakheti as a day trip (~10 hours door to door). One less pack-up, but you taste wine with a driver waiting and skip Sighnaghi at sunset — the loop above is worth the extra check-in for most people.
Hotel and restaurant picks here are chosen on location and current ratings, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

Layers — Tbilisi at 30°C and Kazbegi at 12°C can be the same afternoon.
Rain shell; mountain weather turns in minutes.
Walking shoes if you’re hiking Gergeti.
Swimwear for the sulfur baths (optional in private rooms, but bring it).
Scarf / modest cover for churches and monasteries.
Snacks for the drives — shops are sparse between Gudauri and Stepantsminda.
Motion-sickness tablets if you’re prone: the Jvari Pass switchbacks are the test.
Your insurance PDF, saved offline.

FAQ

Is Georgia safe? Yes — street crime is rare and Tbilisi feels safer at night than most European capitals. The real risks are uneven pavements and enthusiastic driving: use Bolt, take care crossing roads. Solo travellers, including women, generally report feeling comfortable.

When is the best time to go? May–June and September–early October: warm in Tbilisi, clear in the mountains, no peak-season crowds. Deep winter makes Kazbegi hard to reach (though Gudauri becomes a ski resort); the Gergeti road can close after snowfall.

What about picky or vegetarian eaters? Forgiving on both counts. Khachapuri is cheese bread, khinkali are dumplings, and half the classic dishes are meat-free by tradition — vegetarians do unusually well here.

Do I need to rent a car? No. Bolt covers Tbilisi, and three private-driver legs — Tbilisi to Kazbegi via Mtskheta, Kazbegi to Sighnaghi, Sighnaghi back to Tbilisi — cost less than a week of rental plus fuel plus nerves. Marshrutkas cover the same routes for a fraction if you travel light. Rent only to explore beyond this route.

How far ahead should I book? Flights and the Kazbegi hotel: 4–8 weeks in summer. Orbeliani baths and Pheasant’s Tears: a couple of days. Everything else: a week out is fine, except in August.

Can I do this itinerary in reverse? Yes, but two slow Tbilisi days first give you a weather buffer before the mountain leg — the part you most want a clear day for.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 23 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.