Georgia Essentials in Six Days
Tbilisi Mtskheta Kazbegi Kakheti Uplistsikhe and Kutaisi in six balanced days.
- days
- 6 / 5 nights
- Total distance
- 900 km
- Total driving
- 18:00
- Car needed
- Crossover / SUV
- Season
- April–October
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
A compact first-visit classic combining old towns Caucasus views wine country and the principal heritage of Imereti.
Day-by-day plan
Day 1: Tbilisi. Day 2: Mtskheta and Ananuri. Day 3: Kazbegi. Day 4: Bodbe and Sighnaghi. Day 5: Uplistsikhe and transfer to Kutaisi. Day 6: Gelati Bagrati and Prometheus Cave.
Stops on this route
Betlemi Quarter and the Stairs
A street that turns into a stone stair below Narikala: two Bethlehem churches, a Sasanian-era fire temple and washing lines over old Tbilisi.
1.5 h
Jvari Monastery
A church of about 600 on a cliff above the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari, with carved princes on its walls and Mtskheta spread out below.
1 h
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Georgia's mother church: an 11th-century cathedral said to guard Christ's robe, with kings beneath its floor and its architect's carved hand on the wall.
2 h
Ananuri Fortress
Two castles, two churches and a tower with a terrible past above the Zhinvali reservoir — the first great stop on the road to Kazbegi.
1 h
Gergeti Trinity Church
A 14th-century church alone on a green crest at 2,170 m under Mount Kazbek: the chief shrine of Khevi, once the hiding place of St Nino's Cross.
3 h
Bodbe Monastery
St Nino's resting place above the Alazani Valley: a low basilica among cypresses, a working convent, and a steep path down to her spring.
2 h
Sighnaghi
King Erekle's walled refuge on a ridge at 790 metres: towers, cobbled lanes and the whole Alazani Valley laid out below the Caucasus.
3 h
Uplistsikhe
A town cut into a sandstone ridge above the Mtkvari: rock halls, a stone main street, wine presses and a tunnel to the river, lived in for three millennia.
2 h
Gelati Monastery
David the Builder's monastery and academy above Kutaisi: a gold 12th-century mosaic, a royal burial ground, and the king himself under the gate.
2 h
Bagrati Cathedral and central Kutaisi
Bagrat III's cathedral of 1003 on Ukimerioni Hill, blown up by an Ottoman garrison and controversially rebuilt, above the old heart of Kutaisi.
3 h
Prometheus Cave
Six lit halls in the Imereti karst, found in 1984, guarded through the lean years by one villager, and, for a few lari more, left by boat on a hidden lake.
2 hTips
- Use overnights in Tbilisi Kazbegi and Kutaisi to reduce driving.
- Check cave tickets and opening hours in advance.
Best car for this trip
Cars in this category
Guides
- The Best Time to Visit Georgia, Counted Month by Month Georgia does not have one season. It has two countries: a 60% country from November to April and a 99% country
- Driving in Georgia: What the Distances Actually Cost You Georgia is a small country with slow roads. Here is what 267 measured drives from Tbilisi say about how long y
Pickup locations
Car Rental in Tbilisi — 1 km (straight line)
Booking and enquiries
The easiest way to reach these places is by car — you pick the route and the stops.