Find places in Georgia

Must-Haves

• Narikala Fortress (Old Tbilisi)
  Ancient walls above the old town with the best views over the river, domes and balconies.
• Chreli Abano (Abanotubani)
  The blue tiled sulphur bathhouse that is the city's most photographed, with private rooms to book.

Great for Date Night

• Gulo's Thermal Spa (Abanotubani)
  Private sulphur bath rooms in the old bath quarter, ideal for an evening soak for two.

Fun for Everyone

• Mtatsminda Park (Mtatsminda)
  A hilltop funfair with a Ferris wheel and city views, reached by an old funicular.
• Rike Park and Narikala cable car (Rike)
  Fountains and play space by the river, with a cable car gliding up to the fortress.

Must-Haves

• Georgian National Museum (Rustaveli Avenue)
  The gold treasury of ancient Colchis and the story of the country in one building.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) (Avlabari)
  The vast modern cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church, golden at sunset.
• Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre (Old Tbilisi)
  Moving puppet shows and the leaning clock tower whose angel rings the hour.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sioni Cathedral (Old Tbilisi)
  Home of the revered grapevine cross of Saint Nino, with candlelit services most days.

Off the Beaten Path

• Anchiskhati Basilica (Old Tbilisi)
  The oldest surviving church in the city, small, dim and hauntingly beautiful when choirs sing.

Fun for Everyone

• National Botanical Garden of Georgia (Old Tbilisi)
  A green gorge with a waterfall right behind the fortress, a cool escape on hot days.
• Lisi Lake (Lisi)
  Lakeside paths, cafés and space for children to run on the edge of the city.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Turtle Lake (Vake)
  A small lake in the hills where locals walk, picnic and swim in summer.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dry Bridge Market (Mtkvari embankment)
  A flea market of Soviet badges, old cameras, paintings and family silver.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Dezerter Bazaar (Station Square)
  The city's big food market, loud and real, with churchkhela, spices, cheese and fruit.

Fun for Everyone

• Meidan Bazaar (Old Tbilisi)
  An underground arcade beneath the old square selling wine, spices, enamel and souvenirs.

Great for Date Night

• Barbarestan (Aghmashenebeli Avenue)
  Dishes revived from a nineteenth century duchess's cookbook in a cosy cellar.
• Cafe Littera (Sololaki)
  Modern Georgian cooking in the garden of the art nouveau Writers' House.

Must-Haves

• Shavi Lomi (Sololaki)
  Creative takes on Georgian classics in a bohemian old house.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pasanauri (Old Tbilisi)
  A straightforward spot for juicy khinkali dumplings named after the mountain village that made them famous.
• Sakhachapure No1 (Sololaki)
  Simple, reliable khachapuri of every regional style.

Must-Haves

• Café Stamba (Vera)
  A soaring former printing house turned café with its own bakery and roastery.

Great for Date Night

• Lolita (Vera)
  A leafy courtyard café and bar that moves from brunch to cocktails.

Great for Date Night

• Vino Underground (Old Tbilisi)
  A cellar bar pouring natural qvevri wines from small family producers.
• 8000 Vintages (Sololaki)
  A wine shop and tasting bar named for Georgia's eight thousand vintages of winemaking.

Fun for Everyone

• Fabrika (Chugureti)
  A Soviet sewing factory turned courtyard of bars, studios and street art.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bassiani (Dinamo Arena)
  A world famous techno club in a drained swimming pool beneath the football stadium.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Wine Factory N1 (Vera)
  A historic wine factory complex with several bars and restaurants around one yard.

Great for Date Night

• Stamba Hotel (Vera)
  Industrial chic rooms in the old printing house, with a pool on the roof.

Must-Haves

• Rooms Hotel Tbilisi (Vera)
  A design hotel with a big garden courtyard, a short walk from Rustaveli Avenue.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fabrika Hostel (Chugureti)
  Dorms and private rooms above one of the liveliest courtyards in the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Tbilisoba (Old Tbilisi)
  The autumn city festival of harvest food, wine, music and street stalls.

Must-Haves

• Sighnaghi town walls (Sighnaghi)
  Walk the towers of the walled hill town with the Alazani valley and the Caucasus beyond.

Off the Beaten Path

• Twins Old Cellar (Napareuli)
  A family winery with a qvevri wine museum and hands-on tastings.

Fun for Everyone

• Khareba Winery tunnel (Kvareli)
  Wine stored in a long tunnel cut into the mountain, with tastings and bread baking.

Must-Haves

• Bodbe Monastery (Sighnaghi)
  The convent where Saint Nino is buried, with gardens and a spring far below.
• Tsinandali Estate (Tsinandali)
  The Chavchavadze family manor, gardens and historic wine collection.
• Alaverdi Monastery (Telavi)
  A towering eleventh century cathedral among vineyards, still making wine with its monks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gremi Citadel (Gremi)
  The brick church and tower of a lost royal capital on a hillock.
• Nekresi Monastery (Nekresi)
  One of the country's oldest churches, high on a forested hill with a valley view.

Great for Date Night

• Pheasant's Tears (Sighnaghi)
  Natural qvevri wines and seasonal Georgian food from one of the pioneers of the revival.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Okro's Wines (Sighnaghi)
  A family natural wine cellar with a terrace over the valley.

Great for Date Night

• Tsinandali Festival (Tsinandali)
  A classical music festival in the estate's park each September.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Rtveli grape harvest (Kakheti villages)
  Join families picking grapes and pressing them in the autumn harvest.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Telavi Bazaar (Telavi)
  A farmers' market of churchkhela, cheese, bread and homemade wine in plastic bottles.

Fun for Everyone

• Lagodekhi National Park (Lagodekhi)
  Forest trails to waterfalls in one of the oldest protected areas in the Caucasus.

Great for Date Night

• Schuchmann Wines Chateau and Spa (Kisiskhevi)
  A winery hotel with a wine spa and views over the vines.

Must-Haves

• Kvareli Lake Resort (Kvareli)
  A lakeside resort beneath the mountains, popular with families and couples.

Must-Haves

• Gergeti Trinity Church (Gergeti)
  The iconic hilltop church with Mount Kazbek rising behind it.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dariali Monastery (Dariali Gorge)
  A new monastery in a dramatic gorge at the very edge of the country.
• Sno village stone heads (Sno)
  Giant carved heads of Georgian poets and saints in a field below the mountains.

Great for Date Night

• Rooms Hotel Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)
  A wood and glass hotel whose terrace looks straight at Kazbek.

Off the Beaten Path

• Truso Valley (Kobi)
  A gentle valley walk past mineral springs, travertine and abandoned Ossetian villages.
• Gergeti Glacier hike (Gergeti)
  A long, high walk from the church towards the glacier below Kazbek.

Must-Haves

• Juta Valley (Juta)
  Meadows and the jagged Chaukhi peaks on one of the best day hikes in the country.

Fun for Everyone

• Gveleti Waterfall (Dariali)
  A short walk to a tall waterfall near the Russian border.

Must-Haves

• Ananuri Fortress (Zhinvali Reservoir)
  A fortress and churches on a turquoise reservoir, the classic stop on the road north.

Fun for Everyone

• Russia Georgia Friendship Monument (Gudauri)
  A colourful mosaic viewpoint hanging over the Devil's Valley.
• Gudauri Ski Resort (Gudauri)
  The country's biggest ski area, with paragliding in summer.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pasanauri village khinkali houses (Pasanauri)
  Stop for khinkali in the village said to have invented them.

Must-Haves

• Batumi Boulevard (Seafront)
  Miles of seafront promenade with bike lanes, gardens and pebble beaches.

Great for Date Night

• Ali and Nino statue (Seafront)
  Two moving steel figures that pass through each other at dusk, a tale of love.

Fun for Everyone

• Alphabet Tower (Seafront)
  A spiral tower celebrating the Georgian alphabet, with a viewing deck.
• Europe Square (Old Batumi)
  Belle époque façades, the Medea statue and an astronomical clock nearby.
• Argo Cable Car (Old Batumi)
  A cable car up to a hill with views over the port, city and sea.

Must-Haves

• Batumi Botanical Garden (Mtsvane Kontskhi)
  Subtropical gardens on a hill above the sea, among the largest in the region.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mtirala National Park (Chakvi)
  One of the rainiest spots in the region, with lush forest trails and a lake.

Fun for Everyone

• Makhuntseti Waterfall (Makhuntseti)
  A waterfall and medieval stone arch bridge in the green Adjara hills.

Fun for Everyone

• Piazza Batumi (Old Batumi)
  A mosaic square of cafés and live music on summer nights.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gonio Fortress (Gonio)
  Roman walls by the sea, said to hold the grave of the apostle Matthias.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Batumi Fish Market (Batumi)
  Choose fresh Black Sea fish and have it fried upstairs.
• Batumi Central Market (Batumi)
  A big local market for fruit, tea, spices and Adjarian cheeses.

Must-Haves

• Retro (Old Batumi)
  A local favourite for boat shaped Adjarian khachapuri with egg and butter.

Must-Haves

• Sheraton Batumi Hotel (Seafront)
  A reliable seafront hotel at the start of the boulevard.

Must-Haves

• Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography (Mestia)
  Icons, manuscripts and treasures kept safe for centuries in Svan churches.
• Margiani House Museum (Mestia)
  Step inside a family tower house and see how Svans lived beside their animals.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mikheil Khergiani House Museum (Mestia)
  The home of the legendary Svan climber, with a tower you can enter.
• Lamaria Church (Ushguli)
  A tiny tower guarded church above Ushguli with frescoes inside.

Must-Haves

• Ushguli (Upper Svaneti)
  One of Europe's highest villages, with stone towers below Shkhara.

Fun for Everyone

• Hatsvali Ski Resort (Hatsvali)
  Small ski runs in winter and a chairlift for views in summer.
• Tetnuldi Ski Resort (Tetnuldi)
  Long runs beneath Tetnuldi peak with Svan towers on the horizon.

Must-Haves

• Koruldi Lakes (Above Mestia)
  Alpine lakes reflecting Ushba, a hard but unforgettable day hike.
• Mestia to Ushguli trek (Upper Svaneti)
  A four day village to village walk, among the best treks in the Caucasus.

Fun for Everyone

• Chalaadi Glacier (Mestia)
  An easy forest walk to the snout of a glacier.

Must-Haves

• Cafe Laila (Seti Square)
  The town's long-running gathering spot, with live Svan music some evenings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lamproba (Svaneti villages)
  A winter torch festival honouring ancestors with bonfires and song.

Must-Haves

• Gelati Monastery (Gelati)
  A medieval academy and monastery with dazzling mosaics and frescoes.
• Bagrati Cathedral (Ukimerioni Hill)
  An eleventh century cathedral on a hill above the river.

Off the Beaten Path

• Motsameta Monastery (Motsameta)
  A small monastery on a cliff above a river bend.

Must-Haves

• Prometheus Cave (Kumistavi)
  Lit caverns of stalactites with an underground boat ride at the end.
• Martvili Canyon (Martvili)
  A green gorge with walkways and boat rides on turquoise water.

Fun for Everyone

• Sataplia Nature Reserve (Sataplia)
  Real dinosaur footprints, a cave and a glass viewing platform.
• Okatse Canyon (Gordi)
  A cliffside walkway hanging over a deep canyon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kinchkha Waterfall (Kinchkha)
  A tall, quiet waterfall near Okatse that many people skip.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kutaisi Green Bazaar (City centre)
  A covered market of Imeretian cheese, pickles, spices and fruit.

Fun for Everyone

• Colchis Fountain (Central Square)
  A fountain of golden figures from the ancient Colchis treasures.

Low Cost and Authentic

• White Bridge (Rioni river)
  An old bridge with a glass panel and a bronze boy statue over the river.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tskaltubo sanatoriums (Tskaltubo)
  Faded Soviet spa palaces in a park, a haunting walk for photographers.
• Katskhi Pillar (Katskhi)
  A tiny church on top of a sheer limestone pillar.
• Chiatura cable cars (Chiatura)
  A mining town criss-crossed by cable cars over a deep valley.