Things to do in Georgia

The 18 best things to do in Georgia

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1. 1Mtskheta

   Explore Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in ancient Mtskheta

   Svetitskhoveli is the largest church structure to survive in Georgia and has been the main place of worship for the Georgian Orthodox community since it was built between 1010 and 1029. It stands in Mtskheta, the ancient capital from where Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in the 4th century. Tradition says Christ's Robe is kept here, and the name means "life-giving pillar", after a legend of a cedar pillar that rose into the sky. The cathedral is UNESCO-listed. Mtskheta is about 20 minutes by road from Tbilisi, and the walk to the cathedral passes a busy market of artisans, wine vendors and restaurants.

   Tip: Always ask before taking photos inside churches, and pair the visit with Jvari Monastery on the same half-day trip.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
2. 2Stepantsminda

   Hike up to Gergeti Trinity Church at Kazbegi

   Gergeti Trinity Church is one of Georgia's most recognizable monuments: a 14th century church at 2,200 m above sea level, on the outskirts of Stepantsminda, also known as Kazbegi, below Mount Kazbegi, which rises to 5,054 m. You can take a local cab up, or walk uphill for 30 to 40 minutes on a hike of intermediate difficulty. The two-story church sits inside a wall, and inside it you can see 16th-century paintings and two unusual icons, one for bad weather and one for good. Stepantsminda is about 2 hours 55 minutes by road from Tbilisi, so plan a long day trip or an overnight stay.

   Tip: Stepantsminda is always a little chilly at altitude, especially at night, so pack warm clothes whatever the season.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
3. 3Tbilisi

   Wander Old Tbilisi from Sioni to Anchiskhati

   King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded Tbilisi in the second half of the 5th century, and the name means "warm place". In Old Tbilisi you can walk narrow cobbled lanes past Sioni Cathedral, built in the 6th and 7th centuries and home to the cross of St. Nino, and Anchiskhati Basilica, the city's oldest church, from the 6th century. Nearby on Shavteli Street, Rezo Gabriadze's leaning clock tower has a painted door from which an angel strikes the bell every hour. Street names such as Silver, Iron Row and Bread Square recall old trades, and Erekle II Street and Shardeni Street are known for their bars and restaurants.

   Tip: Be at the clock tower on the hour to see the angel appear, and check the times of the short puppet show under the clock, which plays twice a day.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
4. 4Tbilisi

   Ride up to Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia

   Narikala Fortress sits on a hill above Old Tbilisi and dates back to the 4th century, with narrow stairs that lead up its walls for wide views of the city. Inside the fortress yard, St. Nicholas Church was rebuilt in 1997 on the base of a 13th-century church. A five-minute walk away on Sololaki Hill, the 20 m aluminum statue of Kartlis Deda, the Mother of Georgia, holds a bowl of wine for guests and a sword for enemies. It was erected in 1958 for the 1500th anniversary of Tbilisi. The easiest way up is the cable car from Rike Park, a ride of around two minutes, or you can climb the stairway from Betlemi Street.

   Tip: Go before noon or in the late afternoon to avoid the biggest crowds and get the best light for panoramic photos.

   Cable car or walk up
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
5. 5Tbilisi

   Soak in the sulfur baths of Abanotubani

   Abanotubani means bath neighborhood, and it is one of the oldest districts in Tbilisi, on the banks of the Mtkvari River. Legend says the natural hot water convinced King Vakhtang Gorgasali to found the city here. The domed bathhouses of the 17th century are still in use, and several are known by name: Chreli Abano, the Colourful Bath, has stood since the 17th century and offers massages, Bath No. 5 has an interior of colorful mosaics, and King Erekle's Bath has a pool. The district sits at the foot of the Old Town, only a few hundred meters from Sioni Cathedral.

   Tip: Cooler months are when a hot soak is most welcome, and each bath has its own style, so choose between architecture, mosaics or a pool.

   GEL[fee] per bathKnow the fee?
   Sources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
6. 6Mtskheta

   Climb to Jvari Monastery above Mtskheta

   Jvari Monastery stands on a rocky cliff east of Mtskheta, where St. Nino set up her wooden cross in the 4th century. Stepanoz I built the cross-domed church between 585 and 604 as a tetraconch, with a round plan, four apses and four niches. Its walls carry Asomtavruli inscriptions, among the earliest examples of Georgian writing, telling how the king had it built, and its style started a trend for cross-domed churches across Georgia. It was Georgia's first nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage list, and monks have lived here since 1996. Mtskheta is about 20 minutes by road from Tbilisi.

   Tip: Spring is a lovely time to come, when green returns around the monument and the view looks down on the meeting of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
7. 7Kutaisi

   Visit Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi

   Gelati Monastery, 11 km from Kutaisi, was begun by King David IV the Builder in 1106 and became a center of medieval culture and education, sometimes called the new Athens. The complex includes the churches of St. George and St. Nicholas, a bell tower and the academy where students studied subjects from geometry and music to philosophy and astronomy. Inside, look for the 12th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus and the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and a fresco of David the Builder. The gate of Ganja, brought back after the earthquake of 1139, is built into the walls. The monastery is UNESCO-listed.

   Tip: Motsameta Monastery lies halfway between Kutaisi and Gelati, reached on foot through forest, so it makes an easy stop on the same trip.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
8. 8Kutaisi

   Float through Prometheus Cave

   Prometheus Cave is a karst cave estimated at 60 to 70 million years old, near the village of Kumistavi, about 40 km from Kutaisi. It has twenty-two caverns, and six are open to visitors, including the Cavern of the Argonauts and Medea's Cavern. A walking path of just under 1.5 km winds past stalactites, stalagmites, stone curtains and hanging waterfalls under colored lights, and a 380 m boat section on the underground river adds atmospheric music. More than 200,000 people visit each year. The cave is open every day, and a rental car works well for reaching it from Kutaisi.

   Tip: Plan around the hours, which close an hour earlier in fall and winter, and combine it with Okatse Canyon, about 11 km away.

   GEL[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (nationalparks.ge); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (nationalparks.ge)
9. 9Tbilisi

   Share khachapuri and khinkali at a Georgian feast

   Georgian food is built for sharing, and the classic setting is a supra, a feast led by a toastmaster called the tamada. Khachapuri is cheese-filled bread, and almost 50 varieties have been identified. Imeretian, from the west, is the most common, while the boat-shaped Adjarian version from the Black Sea coast comes topped with an egg yolk. Khinkali are large dumplings with a meat filling and savory juice, traditionally closed with 28 folds, and the mountain regions of Pshavi and Tusheti are considered their homeland. The village of Pasanauri, on the road toward Gudauri, is known for authentic khinkali. Georgian wine, made in clay qvevri for thousands of years, completes the table.

   Tip: At a supra, wait for the tamada's first toast before you sip, and keep eye contact when glasses are raised.

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel, official); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
10. 10Batumi

    Walk Batumi Boulevard to the Alphabetic Tower

    Batumi Boulevard follows the Black Sea shore past beach bars, cafe-lounges, restaurants, sculptures and dancing fountains. Work began in 1881, and since the New Boulevard was added in 2009 it has reached 7 km. Along it stands the 130 m Alphabetic Tower in Miracle Park, built in 2011 and designed to resemble a DNA double helix, decorated with all 33 letters of the modern Georgian alphabet. It has an observation deck with an open terrace and a rotating panoramic restaurant. Nearby, look for the Ali and Nino sculpture, and in Old Batumi the Boy with a Flute statue on Gorgasali Street, next to Piazza.

    Tip: Early autumn, known as the velvet season, brings warm but not too hot weather for strolling the shore.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Department of Tourism and Resorts of Adjara (gobatumi.com); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Department of Tourism and Resorts of Adjara (gobatumi.com); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
11. 11Tbilisi

    Hunt for Soviet-era finds at Dry Bridge Market

    The Dry Bridge Market grew from the 1950s, when locals began bringing old items to sell, and today more than a hundred vendors gather there daily. The bridge got its nickname in the 1940s, once the branch of the Mtkvari under it was redirected and a road built instead. You will find Soviet-era kitsch, Second World War medals, silver jewelry, antique dishware, radio sets and ornate swords, and in the nearby park local artists show their work in an open-air exhibition. It is sometimes called the market of memories. Bargaining is part of the fun, and you can chat with the elderly craftsmen who still make goods by hand.

    Tip: Carry a little cash for the flea markets, even though cards are accepted almost everywhere else.

    Free to browse
    Sources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
12. 12Kutaisi

    Climb to Bagrati Cathedral and Kutaisi's boulevard

    Bagrati Cathedral stands on Ukimerioni Hill, visible from every part of Kutaisi. King Bagrat III, who unified Georgia, had it built at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, and an inscription with ancient Arabic numerals gives the year 1003. The Ottomans ruined it in the 17th century, and it was rebuilt in 2010. Below it, the old center is easy to walk: a garden boulevard about 150 years old leads to the central square with the Colchis fountain, and the Rioni River is crossed by the White, Red and Chain bridges. Kutaisi is about 3 hours 25 minutes by road from Tbilisi and 2 hours 15 minutes from Batumi.

    Tip: Go at sunset for the best view, then walk to the smaller Sister's Hill behind the cathedral for another 360-degree view.

    Open to visitors
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
13. 13Tbilisi

    Ride the funicular up Mount Mtatsminda

    Mtatsminda, the holy mountain, rises 770 m above Tbilisi and is the highest mountain around the city. A funicular built in 1905 climbs it, and the three-story funicular building, one of Tbilisi's architectural landmarks, holds a restaurant, a cafe and a lounge bar. At the top you will find the TV tower, a Ferris wheel and an amusement park, Mamadaviti Church from the end of the 19th century, and the Pantheon of Georgian Public Figures, opened in 1929 for the country's famous writers and artists. The surrounding pine forest has trails toward Turtle Lake, the Sololaki neighborhood and Narikala Fortress.

    Tip: If you like to walk, take one of the forest trails down toward Sololaki or Narikala and link the mountain with the old town.

    Funicular fare applies
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)
14. 14Kutaisi

    Take a boat through Martvili Canyon

    Martvili Canyon was once part of the summer residences of the Dadiani family, who ruled this part of western Georgia. From the visitor center in Inchkhuri, a 700 m round-trip path leads through the Colchic forest, with two bridges and three viewing platforms. The highlight is a boat ride of 300 to 350 m on the Abasha River between moss-covered cliffs, in rubber boats that seat six, with life vests and helmets provided. Boats run every day but not in the rain, and the most active season is April to November. Children need to be taller than 1 m for the boat. The canyon is 45 km from Kutaisi.

    Tip: Check the weather before you go, because the boats do not run in rain.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (nationalparks.ge)
15. 15Kutaisi

    Walk the hanging trail at Okatse Canyon

    Okatse Canyon is 2 km long, between 3 and 16 m wide and 20 to 100 m deep, with a river, small lakes and waterfalls below cliffs draped in greenery. A 780 m wooden walkway hangs over the canyon floor and ends at a panoramic viewpoint, and the trail runs through the historic Dadiani forest. From the visitor center you can take a half-hour walk through the forest to the walkway, or a 2 km drive. The canyon is near the village of Zeda Gordi, about 50 km from Kutaisi, and minibuses and private cars go there.

    Tip: Hours close an hour earlier in fall and winter, so start early on a short day.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (nationalparks.ge)
16. 16Kutaisi

    Follow dinosaur tracks at Sataplia Nature Reserve

    Sataplia Nature Reserve, 7 km from Kutaisi, was set up in 1935 around dinosaur footprints found by the Kutaisi teacher and naturalist Petre Chabukiani while he searched for evidence of early humans. The tracks belong to the Satapliasaurus. The reserve also holds a karst cave carved by the Oghaskura River over 30 million years, a glass panoramic view, signposted hiking trails through Colchian forest, an exhibition hall, a museum and cafes. Of the caves and canyons around Kutaisi, it is the closest to the city.

    Tip: The reserve is open daily but closes an hour earlier in fall and winter, so check the season before you set out.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (nationalparks.ge)
17. 17Batumi

    Wander Batumi Botanical Garden by the sea

    Batumi Botanical Garden covers 111 hectares along about a kilometer of Black Sea coast, 9 km from the center of Batumi, between a river and the Green Cape. Founded in 1912, it grows more than 5,000 plant species in nine floral areas, including North America, Mexico, New Zealand, the Himalayas, East Asia and the Mediterranean. The lower park has evergreen magnolias, palms, cypresses and cedars, including an alley of large-flowered magnolias, and the house of Mecheslav D'Alphonse, who began introducing new plants to Adjara in 1881. The upper park began as an acclimatization garden in 1892.

    Tip: Allow extra travel time, since the garden is 9 km from the center, and walk the magnolia alley in the lower park.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Department of Tourism and Resorts of Adjara (gobatumi.com)
18. 18Tbilisi

    Stroll Rustaveli Avenue to the National Museum

    Rustaveli Avenue is the main thoroughfare of Tbilisi, lined with historic buildings including the Parliament of Georgia, the Opera House, the National Gallery, the Rustaveli Theater, the Modern Art Museum, the National Library and Kashveti Church. A walking route along it takes 2 to 4 hours and is rated easy. The Opera House is one of the best examples of Moorish architecture in Georgia. The National Museum of Georgia, the Simon Janashia State Museum, opened in the 1920s and holds archaeology from the Stone Age to antiquity, ethnography, coins and Soviet-era history, with a cafe and bookstore on site.

    Tip: Kashveti Church, between the National Gallery and the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts, is worth a quick look for its paintings by Lado Gudiashvili.

    Free to visit
    Sources: Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel); Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel)

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