The Best Day Trips From Tbilisi, Georgia

 

Tbilisi is the main gateway for those traveling to Georgia. After spending a few days exploring Tbilisi, I highly recommend going on day trips around the country and having the city as a base. There are a number of beautiful hilltop monasteries, churches and ancient cave cities just a few hours from the capital that are really worth a visit.

Even though I like to stay overnight in some places, I must confess it’s always good to be able to return to one of my favorite cities in the world and go to a nice restaurant and enjoy the nightlife. So on this post, I will share with your some of the best day trips from Tbilisi, focusing on those places you can’t return home without visiting.

Best Day Trips From Tbilisi

Most day tours from Tbilisi will take you to places 2 or 3 hours drive from the city. While you can do some of them independently using local minibuses (called here marshrutkas), you may opt for the convenience of going on a tour with a small group, also benefiting from the knowledge of a local guide and meeting some fellow travelers. Many local companies offer such tours, but if you also have the option to pre-book many tours prior to your arrival in Georgia. So, after visiting Georgia more than 10 times and having traveled to every corner of the country, here is my selection of the best day tours from Tbilisi:

David Gareja and Sighnaghi with Wine Tasting: The Best of Kakheti

This 11-hour tour will take you to the picturesque cave monastery of David Gareja, located in the Kakheti region, right on the border with Azerbaijan. The monastery was built in the Middle Ages by hermit priests and some of the existing caves still have ancient frescoes. The landscape itself is quite unique: it’s desert-like during part of the year and lush green the other half.

From here you will go to the beautiful city of Sighnaghi, with its charming Old Town. Here, you will visit one of the most famous wineries in Georgia and taste three types of local wine and one of chacha, the Georgian equivalent to vodka. Before returning to Tbilisi, you will stop at Bodbe Convent, just outside Sighnaghi and learn about St Nino.

See Also:

How To Get From Tbilisi Airport To The City

Best Hotels & Hostels In Tbilisi

Best Places To Eat & Drink In Tbilisi

Tour To Kazbegi Through The Georgian Military Highway

This is one of the best day trips from Tbilisi, if you have to choose only one – it is the highlight of most people who travel to Georgia. You will leave in the morning towards Kazbegi (also known as Stepantsminda) near the border with Russia, driving along the Georgian Military Highway, one of the most scenic routes in the world.

The first stop on your day tour to Kazbegi is at Ananuri, a beautiful fortress that protects two churches and has some rich rock carving works. The next stop is at Gudauri ski resort, and will enjoy some incredible the views from the observation platform. Finally, you will arrive at the small town of Kazbegi. Here you will hike to the Gergeti Church, which sits atop a steep hill with Mount Kazbegi (5,033m above sea level) on the background. Alternatively, you can hire a jeep to drive you up to Gergeti (the jeep is not included in the tour price). Also available, is a tour where you stay overnight at a guest house or small hotel.

Southern Georgia Tour: Vardzia and Rabati with Lake Paravani and Khertvisi Fortress

This 12-hour day trip from Tbilisi takes you to some of the best tourist attractions in Georgia. You will visit the Javakheti region and get very close to the border with Turkey. The first stop is at the volcanic Lake Paravani, where you have some time to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. Next, you will visit Khertvisi Fortress, originally built in the 2nd century BC, with a church from the 10th century and present walls erected in the 14th century (lots of dates, sorry!). Very few tours will bring you to this fortress, making this one quite special trip.

After that, you will visit one of the most famous tourist attractions in Georgia, the giant cave monastery of Vardzia, built in the 12th century. The last stop in the tour is in the town of Akhaltsikhe, where you will visit Rabati castle, whose history dates back to over 8 centuries ago. The castle was completely rebuilt in 2011.

This tour has a very attractive price but does not include entrance fees to Vardzia and Rabati.

There is an alternative tour that goes to Vardzia, Rabati Castle and the town of Borjomi, famous for its mineral water with unique healing quality. However, this tour doesn’t go do Khertvisi Fortress and Lake Paravani.

Day Tour To Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe

This is a popular day trip from Tbilisi, where you will visit the beautiful city of Mtskheta, the old Georgian capital. Here you will see the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, before driving up to Jvari, a church set on a hilltop with awesome views of Mtskheta.

The next stop is the town of Gori, the birthplace of Josef Stalin, where you will visit the Stalin Museum – a very interesting museum, I have to say. Your final stop is at the cave city of Uplistsikhe, which archeologists identified to be one of the oldest settlements in Georgia.

 

FIND OTHER DAY TOURS FROM TBILISI

 

Have you been to Georgia? What other tours would you recommend?