Day 1
Arrival in Tbilisi. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in at noon.
Meet your guide to start sightseeing tour in Tbilisi. Start at Holy Trinity cathedral, one of the largest orthodox cathedrals in the world. Continue to Metekhi church and monument to Vakhtang Gorgasali, the legendary founder of Tbilisi. Take a cable car to Narikala to enjoy breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Walk down to the district of Sulphur bath houses passing by the only mosque in Tbilisi. Stroll through the Sharden area full of narrow streets with cozy cafés, wine tasting bars, souvenir shops, and breathe in the living past. Visit Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica, the clock tower of famous Rezo Gabriadze Theatre and Bridge of Peaceleading to the Rike Park.
At 19:30, visit a local restaurant to taste dishes of traditional Georgian cuisine. Overnight at the hotel.
Meals: dinner
Day 2 Tbilisi-Telavi-Tsinandali-Alaverdi-Napareuli-Telavi
After breakfast depart towards the Kakheti region of Georgia, the cradle of Georgian wine. Beautiful road lies through Gombori pass. Our first stop will be in Telavi, the administrative and historic center of the region. Have a short walk through charming streets of old Telavi and have a photo stop at the monument to Erekli II. Drive to Tsinandali, the residence of dukes of Georgia with a beautiful English garden, museum, and the wine cellar, which belonged to prince Chavchavadze, 19th century public figure and poet. Continue to Alaverdi Cathedral, the second tallest cathedral in Georgia and an outstanding example of medieval Georgian architecture (11th century). Final stop for today is a private winery «Twins Wine Cellar» in Napareuli village. The premises of the winery include vast vineyard, museum of traditional Georgian winemaking in qvevri, and facilities for various workshops. Try yourself at baking Georgian bread puri, cooking national dessert churchkhela, harvesting and squeezing grapes for wine (subject to seasonality). An excellent round-up of the tour will be tasting five different wines made in a traditional way in qvevri, large earthenware vessels, at Twins Winery. Return to Telavi for overnight.
Meals: breakfast, dinner, two wine tastings
Day 3 Telavi-Gremi-Kvareli-Sighnaghi-Bodbe-Tbilisi
Continue exploring Kakheti region and Alazani valley. Check-out from the hotel and drive to Gremiarchitectural complex, 16th century royal residence and the capital of Kakheti Kingdom. Gloomy and monumental, the Gremi castle is one of the most visited tourist sights in Georgia. Next stop will be at a unique wine cellar “Khareba” located in the tunnel carved out of the rock. Originally built for military purposes, today the tunnel is used to store Khareba’s finest wines. Wine tour and wine tasting. Continue to Sighnaghi, the city of love and the Royal Town, one of the crossroads of the Great Silk Road surrounded by defensive walls with 23 towers. Depart to Tbilisi, making en-route stop at Bodbe convent. The legend points that the burial place of St. Nino, who converted Georgia to Christianity in the 4th century, was here. According to the decree of Tsar Alexader III of Russia, since 1889 Bodbe complex has been functioning as a nunnery. Continue driving to Tbilisi. Drop off at your hotel.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, wine tasting
Day 4
Tbilisi-Mtskheta-Kazbegi
At 08:30, depart towards Mtskheta, one of the oldest towns and the cultural and religious centre of Georgia. Mtskheta was the capital of the Eastern Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the third century BC. Visit Jvari Church, a true architectural masterpiece of the early Medieval Period overlooking the confluence of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers from the top of the hill, and Svetitskhoveli, the main cathedral of Mtskheta and a sacred place where the robe of Christ is being kept. Make a stop for lunch in Pasanauri to try one of the best Khinkali (boiled stuffed dumplings) in Georgia.
After the lunch, continue driving to Kazbegi. En-route, make a stop at the mineral water spring flowing down from a hilltop. Arrive in Kazbegi, change the car to 4×4 WD vehicle and drive to Gergeti Holy Trinity Churchlocated at an altitude of 2170 m. You will enjoy breath-taking views to the Mount Kazbegi (Kazbek or Mkinvari) 5033 m, the seventh highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains. Return to Gudauri for overnight at the hotel.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Day 5 Gudauri-Ananuri-Gori-Uplistsikhe-Borjomi
At 08:30, drive to Ananuri architectural complex, a former residence of Argveti Dukes. Complex featuring churches and towers dating back to the 16-17th centuries is beautifully overlooking Jinvali reservoir. Continue to Gori. On the way visit Iago’s winery in Chardakhi village. Enjoy traditional Georgian lunch and special wines of Iago’s family winery. Here wines are produced from Kartli grape varieties (Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri). Arrive in Gori and visit Stalin Museum. The museum includes more than 60,000 artifacts, the tiny house where Stalin was born, and impressive bulletproof train Stalin used to travel to Yalta and Potsdam. Explore cave town Uplistsikhe dating back to the Hellenistic Period and notable for the unique combination of different rock-hewn styles and the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture. Continue to Borjomi. Take a walk in National Park famous worldwide with its mineral water reserves. Overnight at the hotel.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, wine tasting
Day 6 Borjomi-Vardzia-Akhaltsikhe-Tbilisi
In the morning drive to Vardzia erected in the 12-13th centuries during the rule of George III and his daughter Queen Tamara to protect southern boundaries of Georgia. Vardzia is not just a set of random rooms cut in rocks. It is a multi-storied complex with streets, tunnels and stairs leading to monasteries, temples, fortresses, baths, libraries, dwelling houses and so forth. Return to Akhaltsikhe to explore the Rabati fortress. The old stone Rabati fortress, the main sight of the Akhaltsikhe town, is standing on the small hill on the very shores of the Potskhovi River. Its name means “fortified place” from Arabic. Drive back to Tbilisi for overnight at the hotel.
Meals: breakfast