Tbilisi, Batumi, Kakheti & Kazbegi – 6 Days in Georgia

A full day getting to know Batumi with your driver. Start on Batumi Beach, a long pebbly shore with mountains rising behind the city. Then walk the Old Town, where 19th-century buildings are decorated with mythical creatures and carved balconies, and Europe Square with its statue of Medea holding the Golden Fleece, a nod to the Greek legend set on this coast.

Batumi's dolphinarium is a popular family stop, and the Batumi cable car, the Argo, climbs from near the sea to a hilltop viewpoint, about ten minutes up, for the best view over the city, the port and the coastline. Spend the afternoon on local handicrafts and fresh coffee in the small cafés, and stay on to see the Alphabet Tower and the boulevard light up after dark.

At a glance: Time needed: ~7–8 hrs tour · Travel: Short drives in the city · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning (around 10:00 AM): Batumi Beach and the seafront, about 1 hr.

• Late morning: Old Town and Europe Square on foot, about 1.5 hrs.

• Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant (own cost), about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Batumi Dolphinarium, about 1–1.5 hrs (show times vary). Batumi cable car to the viewpoint, about 1 hr return.

• Evening: Coffee and handicraft shops in the centre, about 1 hr. Alphabet Tower and the boulevard at dusk.

• Night: Dinner (own cost).

Travel for the day

• All sightseeing today in and around Batumi by private car, short drives of 10–20 min.

Tips & what to carry

• The beach is pebbly, not sandy. Carry water shoes if you plan to swim.

• Dolphinarium shows run at set times; ask your driver to time the visit around one.

• Batumi is warm and humid in summer. Carry sunscreen and a cap.

• Georgians are very hospitable; a simple 'gmadlobt' (thank you) goes a long way.

Included today

• Meal Plan: Breakfast

Overnight: Batumi

After breakfast, check out and drive back east to Tbilisi, about five and a half hours. The road runs along the coast before turning inland through the green Imereti region and over the Rikoti Pass, with small towns, fruit stalls and churchkhela, the walnut-and-grape-juice sweet, sold along the way. Your driver will stop for breaks and lunch.

In Tbilisi, check in at your hotel. The rest of the day is free. The old town is the place to start: walk the lanes below Narikala Fortress, past the brick domes of the sulphur baths and the carved wooden balconies of old houses, or simply settle into a café on a quiet street for the evening.

At a glance: Time needed: ~1–2 hrs free time · Travel: ~5.5 hrs by private car · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and check out.

• Noon / Afternoon: Drive Batumi → Tbilisi, about 5.5 hrs with breaks. Lunch on the road (own cost).

• Late afternoon: Check in at your Tbilisi hotel.

• Evening: Free. Optional walk in Old Tbilisi, about 1.5 hrs.

• Night: Dinner in the old town (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Batumi → Tbilisi ~5.5 hrs by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• Buy churchkhela and local fruit at roadside stalls; they make good snacks for the drive.

• Tbilisi's old town is hilly with uneven paving. Wear comfortable shoes.

• Bolt and other ride apps work well in Tbilisi for short evening trips.

• Keep motion-sickness tablets handy for the winding pass road.

Included today

• Meal Plan: Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

A long day east into Kakheti, the heart of Georgian wine. The road climbs over the Gombori Pass, through forest, before dropping into the Alazani Valley with the Caucasus peaks along the horizon. Your first stop is Telavi, the historic regional capital, then the Shumi Winery and its wine museum, where you taste Georgian wines, including ones made the 8,000-year-old way in qvevri, clay vessels buried in the ground.

Continue to the Tsinandali Estate, the 19th-century home of the poet-prince Alexander Chavchavadze, with its gardens and old wine cellar. Then visit Bodbe Convent, among cypress trees, where Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried. End in Sighnaghi, the City of Love, with its old defensive walls and towers above the valley, and a coffee stop before the drive back to Tbilisi.

At a glance: Time needed: ~6 hrs sightseeing · Travel: ~4 hrs driving in total · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:00 AM): Drive over the Gombori Pass to Telavi, about 2 hrs. Short walk in Telavi, about 30 min.

• Late morning: Shumi Winery: wine museum and tasting, about 1.5 hrs.

• Noon: Traditional Georgian lunch (own cost unless arranged with the tasting), about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Tsinandali Estate, about 1 hr. Bodbe Convent, about 45 min.

• Late afternoon: Sighnaghi: town walls and viewpoints, about 1 hr. Coffee stop.

• Evening: Drive back to Tbilisi, about 2 hrs, arriving around 7:00–8:00 PM.

Travel for the day

• Tbilisi → Telavi ~2 hrs via the Gombori Pass; Sighnaghi → Tbilisi ~2 hrs; short drives between stops. All by private car (10-hour tour).

Tips & what to carry

• Bodbe Convent asks women to cover their heads and wear skirts; wraps are usually available at the gate. Men should wear trousers.

• If you do not drink alcohol, ask for grape juice instead of wine; wineries are used to it.

• Sighnaghi is built on a slope with cobbled lanes. Wear walking shoes.

• Wine bought at the winery travels well wrapped in clothes in your check-in bag; check duty-free limits for India.

Included today

• Meal Plan: Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

Today follows the Georgian Military Highway north into the Greater Caucasus, one of the great mountain roads of the world. You stop first at the Jinvali Reservoir, bright turquoise on a sunny day, and the Ananuri Complex, a fortress with two churches and watchtowers on its shore. The road then climbs past Gudauri, the ski resort, to the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, a curved mosaic balcony over the Devil's Valley.

In Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) you switch to a 4x4 for the climb to the Gergeti Holy Trinity Church at 2,170 metres, a 14th-century stone church alone on a ridge with the glacier-capped Mount Kazbek rising behind it. It is the photo everyone comes to Georgia for. After a traditional Georgian lunch, you head back to Tbilisi in the late afternoon.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5–6 hrs sightseeing · Travel: ~3 hrs driving each way · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:00 AM): Drive north on the Georgian Military Highway. Jinvali Reservoir viewpoint, about 15 min, and Ananuri Complex, about 45 min.

• Late morning: Gudauri and the Friendship Monument viewpoint, about 30 min.

• Noon: 4x4 ride up to the Gergeti Holy Trinity Church, about 20 min each way. Allow 1 hr at the church.

• Afternoon: Traditional Georgian lunch in Kazbegi (own cost), about 1 hr.

• Evening: Drive back to Tbilisi, about 3 hrs, arriving late afternoon or early evening.

Travel for the day

• Tbilisi → Kazbegi ~3 hrs by private car, and the same back; Kazbegi → Gergeti Church ~20 min by 4x4.

Tips & what to carry

• It is much colder in the mountains than in Tbilisi. Carry a warm jacket, even in summer.

• Gergeti Church asks women to cover heads and wear skirts (wraps are lent at the door) and men to wear trousers.

• The highway can close for snow or landslides in winter and early spring; the route may be adjusted on the day.

• Try khinkali, Georgian dumplings, at lunch; eat them by hand, holding the top knot.

Included today

• Meal Plan: Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

A last morning in the capital. Start at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sameba, one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world, its gold dome visible across the city. Then cross to the Metekhi Church on its cliff above the river, beside the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, who founded Tbilisi. Ride the cable car up to Narikala Fortress for the view over the old town's rooftops.

Walk down through the sulphur baths district, where the city's name, from the Georgian word for warm, comes from, and into the Shardeni area of cafés. Visit the Sioni Cathedral, the 6th-century Anchiskhati Basilica, the oldest church in Tbilisi, and Rezo Gabriadze's crooked Clock Tower, where a small puppet show plays on the hour. Then transfer to the airport for your flight home.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5 hrs tour · Travel: ~30 min airport transfer · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:00 AM): Breakfast and check out. Holy Trinity Cathedral, about 45 min.

• Late morning: Metekhi Church and the Vakhtang Gorgasali monument, about 30 min. Cable car to Narikala Fortress, about 1 hr.

• Noon: Sulphur Baths district and Shardeni area, about 1 hr. Lunch (own cost).

• Afternoon: Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica and Gabriadze's Clock Tower, about 1 hr.

• Departure: Private transfer to Tbilisi Airport, about 30 min, reaching at least 3 hrs before an international flight.

Travel for the day

• City tour by private car and on foot; hotel → Tbilisi Airport ~30 min by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• Churches in Georgia ask women to cover their heads and wear skirts, and men to wear trousers. Keep a scarf in your bag.

• The Clock Tower puppet show runs at set times (usually around noon and 7:00 PM). Ask your driver if timing allows.

• Keep your luggage in the car during the tour; check out before you start.

• Spend leftover lari before you fly; it is hard to exchange in India.

Included today

• Meal Plan: Breakfast