Georgia is a small country with an astonishing density of landscapes: the snowy Caucasus, 1,500-year-old monasteries, an ancient wine region and a port city on the Black Sea — all within a few hours of each other. These are the attractions to plan a first trip around.
Gergeti church and Mount Kazbek
The symbol of Georgia: a small 14th-century church on a green ridge, with the snowy summit of Kazbek (5,047 m) behind it. You reach it from Stepantsminda with a 90-minute hike or by 4x4. The magic hour is dawn, when the clouds still rest in the valley.
Tip: bring a warm layer even in summer — at this altitude the weather changes in minutes.
Old Tbilisi
The heart of the capital: cobbled lanes, houses with carved wooden balconies, the Narikala fortress watching over everything and the Abanotubani bath district with its brick domes. A rare blend of East and West, churches and a mosque, wine and music.
The wine region, Kakheti
East of Tbilisi spreads Georgia’s wine region — vineyards to the horizon, buried qvevri cellars and the picturesque mountain village of Sighnaghi (“the city of love”). It’s the place to taste Saperavi and Rkatsiteli at a family winery.
Cave cities — Uplistsikhe and Vardzia
Even before the churches, Georgians carved whole cities into the rock. Uplistsikhe is a 3,000-year-old cave city above the Mtkvari River; Vardzia is an enormous 12th-century cave monastery with hundreds of halls dug into the cliff.
What it is: Vardzia was carved in the time of Queen Tamar as a fortress-monastery against invasions — at its peak it had some 6,000 rooms across 13 levels.
The sulfur baths of Tbilisi
The hot springs that gave the city its name (“tbili” = warm). A private bath in centuries-old sulfur waters, sometimes with a traditional kisa massage — the Georgian way to recover after a day of hiking.
The monasteries of Mtskheta
The ancient capital, a UNESCO site. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and the Jvari Monastery on the hill, at the confluence of two rivers — one of the holiest and most beautiful places in Georgia, half an hour from Tbilisi.
Batumi and the Black Sea
Georgia’s opposite face: a vibrant port city with a modern seafront, eclectic architecture, beaches and a Mediterranean mood. An excellent counterpoint after the mountain days.
Most of these attractions combine easily into a 7- to 10-day itinerary. If time is short, focus on Tbilisi + Kazbegi + Kakheti — all three a day-trip from the capital.
Booking: Hotels in Tbilisi · Guided tours of Georgia