A Week in Georgia

Our adventure starts in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Our hotel is a short walk from the wonderfully restored historic centre, which has relaxing pavement cafes and bars. You can check into the hotel from mid-afternoon. There are no activities planned today as many flights don’t arrive until the early hours of tomorrow. Want more time in Tbilisi? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

We have the morning to rest at our hotel following what, for most people, will have been either a late-night arrival yesterday or early morning arrival today. If you prefer to make the most of your time, you can take in art galleries, markets or cafes on your own before the tour starts. In the early afternoon, say hello to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Much of Tbilisi can be visited on foot. After our welcome briefing we explore the old town to see the ancient sulphur baths, Sioni Cathedral and the beautifully decorated synagogue, built in the early 20th century. We also visit Rustaveli Avenue, the main artery of the city, and the Treasury of the State Museum, which has a fantastic collection of pre-Christian gold artefacts and jewellery. This evening your tour leader will ensure a big welcome over dinner at a local restaurant.

Our first stop is the town of Gori, birthplace of the dictator Joseph Stalin. After visiting Stalin Square, where a huge statue of him once stood, we take a guided tour of the museum, which paints a very favourable view of his life and the role he played in the Soviet Union but is interesting nonetheless. Stalin’s bulletproof train carriage, which he used to travel to the Potsdam Conference in 1945, lies in the museum grounds. We have lunch at a local restaurant, then drive to Uplistsikhe, an enormous rock-hewn town with pre-Christian roots. It sits by the Mtkvari River and is notable for its unique rock-cut style and the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture. Ancient temples and theatres can still be identified, and we walk up sandstone steps for a view across the river and plains. We continue to the mineral town of Borjomi and, finally, to the historic town of Akhaltsikhe, where we stay the next two nights. Over the course of today, we spend about five hours driving.

Today, we venture further into the southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, named after two of the first Georgian tribes, the Meskh and Javakhs and often described as the cradle of Georgian culture. We visit Rabati Castle, which, developed under the influence of different cultures, includes a church, mosque, minaret and synagogue. We continue along the road to Vardzia, past arid and stone-terraced landscapes and the famed 10th-century Khertvisi Fortress. The history of Vardzia is inextricably linked to Queen Tamar, Georgia’s most famous and loved royal, who reigned during the 12th century. Crowned as co-ruler by her father, Giorgi III, she became the first woman to ascend to the throne of feudal Georgia and is credited with extending and unifying Georgian rule with successful defeats against Muslim and Turkish forces. With Georgia’s strong economic and political position, she founded the cave town of Vardzia, which became the cultural hub of Georgia. We explore the monastery to view remarkably well-preserved frescoes depicting the young queen. After visiting Vardzia, we return to Akhaltsikhe for the night. We’ll be driving for about two hours today.

We head north today and travel along the Georgian Military Highway, the main road linking Georgia with Russia into the mountainous provinces of the Greater Caucasus. Our first stop is Ananuri to see the 16th-century fortress complex built by the warring dukes of Aragvi to control the main road. We spend the next two nights in Gudauri, a popular winter mountain resort-town. There are about 5hr 30min of driving today, much of it very scenic.

Continuing our journey up and north through alpine meadows and mountain passes dotted with medieval watchtowers, we reach Dariali Gorge, a 9mi (14km) gash in the earth. We marvel at the snow-capped Mount Kazbegi (the highest mountain in Georgia), an extinct volcano that surrounds us and reaches to just over 16,500ft (5,047m). We drive to the base of the hill and then take a walk across the meadow and a fairly steep and stony path up to the Tsminda Sameba Monastery – a 14th-century church built on a mountain peak at 7,200ft (2,200m). We have a khinkali masterclass at lunchtime today, in which we see the making of this Georgian speciality, a type of dumpling stuffed with spiced meat, fish or vegetables, and we try the result. Later, we return to Gudauri for the night. There are about two hours of driving today.

We journey down from the mountains today stopping in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of eastern Georgia and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Georgia’s conversion to Christianity occurred in Mtskheta in 337 CE and it is now considered one of the most important religious centres in the country. We visit the Church of Jvari, which is perched on a cliff overlooking the city, and the Sveti-Tskhoveli Cathedral, the first Christian church built in Georgia and its largest functioning cathedral. Later, we continue to Telavi, a picturesque and fertile part of Georgia bordering the Great Caucasus range, which is known for wine making. There are around 500 varieties of vine in the country and the history, culture and lifestyle of Georgians are embodied in their wine. It is a symbol of Georgian hospitality, friendship, tolerance and perhaps a key to the mystery of Georgian longevity! We have about five hours of driving today.