Mtskheta Heritage Day
Jvari Svetitskhoveli Samtavro and Armaztsikhe in one day.
- days
- 1 / 0 nights
- Total distance
- 85 km
- Total driving
- 02:20
- Car needed
- Economy class
- Season
- All year
- Difficulty
- Easy
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
A focused day combining Mtskheta's principal sacred sites with an ancient archaeological landscape.
Day-by-day plan
Tbilisi → Jvari → Svetitskhoveli → Samtavro → Armaztsikhe-Bagineti → Tbilisi.
Stops on this route
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
Samtavro Monastery
Where Nino lived among the brambles and Georgia's first Christian king lies buried: a working convent five minutes up the street from Svetitskhoveli.
1 h
Armaztsikhe-Bagineti
The hilltop citadel of pagan Iberia, facing Mtskheta across the Mtkvari: palace footings, a Roman-age bath house and, most days, nobody else.
1.5 hTips
- Dress respectfully at churches.
- Wear comfortable shoes at Armaztsikhe.
Best car for this trip
Cars in this category
Guides
- 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 — 17 km (straight line)
Booking and enquiries
The easiest way to reach these places is by car — you pick the route and the stops.