Escorted Georgia Group Tour 2023-202410 Days | Tbilisi, Telavi, Tsinandali, Akhasheni, Bodbe, Sighnaghi, Jvari, Gori, Uplistsikhe, Kutaisi, Prometheus Cave, Dadiani Palace, Mestia, Ushguli, Martvili Canyon, Merebashvili Marani, Mtskheta

Arrive in Tbilisi and transfer to the hotel. Check-in at 14:00. At 19:00, meet your guide and other group members in the hotel lobby to go for a welcome dinner of traditional Georgian cuisine. Overnight at the hotel.
Driving distance: 30 km

Breakfast, followed by a sightseeing tour of Tbilisi. Start at Metekhi Church and the monument to Vakhtang Gorgasali, the legendary founder of Tbilisi. Visit Narikala Fortress to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Next, walk past Tbilisi’s only mosque, down to the sulphur bath house district. Enjoy a stroll through the Sharden area, which is full of narrow streets with cozy cafés, wine bars, and souvenir shops, and breathe in the history of Old Tbilisi. Also visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, and the famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre’s clock tower, before crossing the Bridge of Peace to Rike Park. Overnight at the hotel in Tbilisi.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours
Driving distance: 40 km

After breakfast, drive towards the Kakheti Region, the cradle of Georgian wine, in eastern Georgia. Take a scenic route through Gombori Pass to reach Telavi, the region’s administrative and historic centre. Visit Batonis Tsikhe, which Kakhetian Kings lived between the 17th and 18th centuries. This castle encloses two churches, the ruins of a royal bathhouse, and the Persian style Palace of King Erekle II. Continue to Shumi Winery, which is scenically located in Tsinandali, the historical centre of Georgian winemaking. Here, have a delicious lunch and wine tasting experience. After lunch, take a guided tour of the winery and learn about its history. The last stop for the day will be Tsinandali Palace, the former residence of Georgian dukes. Prince Chavchavadze, a 19th century public figure and poet, turned the Estate into what it is today, with a beautiful English-style garden, a museum, and a wine cellar. Explore the palace and take the opportunity to taste several local wines. Overnight in Akhasheni.
Duration of the sightseeing tour: 8-9 hours
Driving distance: 125 km

Breakfast. At 10:00, continue exploring Kakheti by visiting Sighnaghi, the Royal Town and “City of Love”. This city, surrounded by defensive walls with 23 towers, was an important trading centre on the Great Silk Road. Continue to Bodbe Convent – according to legend, this is the burial place of St. Nino, who converted Georgia to Christianity in the 4th century. Since 1889, following a decree by Tsar Alexander III of Russia, Bodbe Convent functions as a nunnery. Arrive in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, at 16:00–17:00. Overnight at the hotel.
Driving distance: 160 km

Breakfast. Meet your guide at the hotel. Depart Tbilisi for western Georgia. The first stop will be at Jvari Church, which is built on a hilltop and is a true architectural masterpiece of the early Medieval Period. Enjoy the views of the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers, before continuing to Stalin’s home town of Gori to visit the Stalin Museum. This museum includes more than 60,000 artifacts, the tiny house where Stalin was born, and an impressive bulletproof train Stalin used to travel to Yalta and Potsdam. Then, explore the cave town of Uplistsikhe, which dates back to the Hellenistic Period. Uplistsikhe is notable for its unique combination of various styles of rock-cut architecture, including bothpagan and Christian architecture. Finally, drive to Kutaisi, the central city of western Georgia, over the Rikoti Pass and through Georgia’s longest tunnel (1,722m). Arrive in Kutaisi by 19:00. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of the sightseeing: 8-9 hours
Driving distance: 290 km

After breakfast, visit the Prometheus Cave and see its numerous stalactites and stalagmites. Then head to Zugdidi to visit the Dadiani Palace, before continuing through the Inguri Gorge to the mysterious Svaneti region. Svaneti is the home of a unique ethnic group – the heroic and courageous Svans – who are distinguished from other Georgians by their culture, traditions, and customs. The region is also famous for its original architecture and is called “the Country of a Thousand Towers”. These towers historically played both economic and defensive functions. Mestia still has dozens of medieval stone houses with the watchtowers and inhabited towers that were used to protect valleys and churches between the 10th and 14th centuries. Visit an original Svan house (“machubi”) and tower (“koshki”). Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Mestia.
Duration of the sightseeing: 8-9 hours
Driving distance: 280 km

After breakfast, take a scenic drive by 4x4 vehicle to Ushguli village, one of Europe’s highest continually-inhabited settlements (2,200m). In recognition of its outstanding cultural value to humanity, the Ushguli architectural complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll along Ushguli’s old, narrow, streets and visit the Lamaria Church complex with its impressive 12th century wall frescoes. Locals believe that Queen Tamara was buried under this church. Enjoy a picturesque view of Mount Shkhara before returning to Mestia. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Driving distance: 110 km

After breakfast check out of the hotel. Head to Martvili Canyon. As we near our destination, we will pass local villages with charming yards which are unique to Georgia’s Samegrelo Region.
Upon arrival, we will take a short boat ride through Martvili Canyon to one of nature's most marvelous creations, a steep and beautiful waterfall. Afterward we will enter the gorge from the other side on foot to admire the canyon waters from special viewing platforms and bridges, watching the water change color at every turn. This is the perfect place for selfies! Reach Kutaisi for overnight.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 7-8 hours
Driving distance: 225 km

Check out of the hotel and head to the Gelati Academy (12th century) built by King David the Builder. Gelati was the center of spiritual and scientific life of the Middle Ages, the tomb of Georgian kings, and a cult place for pilgrims. It is under UNESCO protection as an object of cultural and historical legacy.On our way to Tbilisi we will stop at Merebashvili Marani to taste homemade wine and food. We will then reach Mtskheta, the capital of the Eastern Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the third century BC. Visit Svetitskhoveli, the main cathedral of Mtskheta and a sacred place where the robe of Christ is being kept. Have a walk in charming streets of Mtskheta. Reach Tbilisi. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 7-8 hours
Driving distance: 245 km

Breakfast. Check-out of the hotel by noon. Free time until your transfer to Tbilisi International Airport. Departure. End of Escorted Georgia Small Group Tour.